How Many Newborn Diapers Do You Need?

by Lyn Lomasi; Co-owner of Brand Shamans &  Write W.A.V.E. Media

Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

If you’re about to give birth to or adopt a new baby, you may be wondering about infant care. One common question is how many newborn diapers do I need?

How Many Newborn Diapers Do I Need?

Each baby is different, as far as how many diapers are used during the newborn stage. On average, most babies use about 8-12 newborn diapers per day.

How Many Newborn Diapers Should I Buy?

You will use the same amount of diapers per day, whether you are using disposable diapers or cloth diapers. However, with cloth diapers, you can reuse them. So the number you buy will be lower. If you’re using cloth diapers, plan on how many to buy according to how often you can launder the cloth diapers. If you’re using disposable, you of course cannot reuse them, so you will need to buy enough for every use.

Number of Disposable Newborn Diapers to Buy

If you’re like me, you’d rather have a few too many than not enough. So, it’s a good idea to plan on buying enough for at least 12 diapers per day per newborn baby. Depending on your payment schedule, you can stock up accordingly. For instance, if you get paid weekly and want to buy a week’s worth of diapers each time, you would buy a package that has at least 84 diapers or multiple packages that add up to at least that amount.

How Many Disposable Diaper Wipes Do I Need?

Every baby is different. However, with the wipes, you can plan on using at least one for every wet diaper, at least 2-4 for every soiled diaper, and others here and there for wiping hands and faces and other messes. On average, we usually go through at least one refill pack per week per child (about 144 wipes, give or take, depending on brand). Some babies will use more and some less.

Number of Cloth Newborn Diapers to Buy

With cloth diapers as mentioned above, you need to have enough for 8-12 changes per day. If you can wash the cloth diapers daily, 12 diapers may be enough to start with. But if you need to last longer, get enough for the number of days you think will accommodate your laundering schedule. If you can only launder them once per week, you need 80-100 cloth diapers. And don't forget liners. You need the same number of liners as you have diapers because they each need their own. To cut down on space and spending, we like to hand wash each cloth diaper directly after use and hang them to dry on a hanging dry rack.

How Many Cloth Diaper Wipes Do I Need?

Again, this depends on how often you can do laundry. Because cloth wipes are thicker, you may use a few less than disposable. So, plan according to this factor, as well as your laundry schedule. Remember that you can also hand wash these and hang to dry to make sure you always have enough on hand.

Extra Tips

• Don't stock up too much on disposables because babies grow fast.
• If using cloth diapers, choose adjustable sizes to avoid having to replace them often.
• Don’t wait for the last minute to buy diapers. It may cause a rash or an undiapered baby.