The number of diapers a baby uses is different at every stage/age, but how many does your child use in one day? How many does he or she need for the first year? How much will it cost to diaper your baby for the first two years? It’s hard to buy enough. We’ve got all the answers here.
In this post, I have provided a helpful guide on the number of diapers of different sizes, your baby will need.
Let’s start with the common question;
How Many Newborn Diapers do I Need?
Babies need a lot of diapers.
You need to consider different factors when estimating the number of diapers your baby will need and may range from 5 to 12 diapers per day depending on the diaper sizes and age of your baby. Below are the key factors that determine the number of diapers the baby will need;
- The weight of your baby is the guiding principle of the diaper sizes you need as your baby grows; Preemies, Newborn, Size 1, Size 2, Size 3, Size 4, Size 5, and Size 6.
- The age of your baby, which determine the number of diaper changes per day
- The type of diaper you are using; disposable diaper or reusable diaper
- Your budget-determines what diaper brands you will use
- The number of babies who will use diapers- one or twins
How long will the baby use newborn diapers?
Newborn babies use size one diapers for about 3-4 months before they move into size two around 5-9 months old. From there, they will stay in size 2 until approximately 18-24 months – when your child moves into size 3 or 4 diapers.
To help you understand what many diapers you need for your baby, we have discussed:
- The number of diapers a baby needs per day, per month, and per year
- The sizes of diapers
- The cost of diapers
- Cloth diapers,
- The number of diapers to keep in a diaper bag, and
- Diaper cakes
How many diapers does a baby use?
A baby will use an average of 8-10 diapers a day during the first few months, and this number will gradually decrease until they are potty trained. For the first year, a baby will need about 2,000 diapers. Diapers can range in price from $0.20 to $0.35 per diaper, so it is estimated that it will cost around $700 to diaper your baby for the first year.
How many diapers does your child need in one day?
The number of diapers a child needs in a day will gradually decrease as they get older; from 10-12 during the first few months, to 6-8 during the second year, and 4-5 when they are 2 years old.
How Many Diapers do I Need for the First Year?
Newborn babies use an average of 6 to 9 diapers per day during the first month. In the first three months (the newborn stage), infants can use up to 700 diapers.
Sounds like too many? Yes, they are!
But the good news is, your baby will need fewer diaper changes as they get older owing to the enlarging of their bladder.
After the first six months, your bundle of joy will require a maximum of five to six diaper changes
Approximately, you will need 2,500 diapers before your baby celebrates her first birthday.
If you have twin newborn babies, you will need twice the number of diapers. For example, you will need about 18 diapers per day during the first month, 1400 diapers in the first three months, and about 5, 000 diapers for the first year.
How Many Diapers Do I Need in Each Size?
Note: you will need diapers of different sizes to fit your growing baby.
Also, a baby’s weight determines the diaper sizes and the age of the baby.
Diaper sizes range from Preemie (babies born prematurely) to size 6.
Below are the number of diapers in different sizes for your baby at different ages in months;
- 0-3 months: your baby will go through about 8-10 diapers per day for this period
- 4-9 months: around 6-8 diapers per day is how many your child will use for this period
- 10-18 months: how many diapers does your child need in one day will decrease to 5-6 per day during the 10-18 month age range.
Diapers for Preemie
For a prematurely born baby, you use a diaper size Preemie, which fits up to 6 lbs. You need as many as needed because you need to change the baby as many times as possible, and the growth of the baby weight is unpredictable.
Pampers, for example, have Pampers Preemie Swaddlers in sizes -3, -2, and -1 to fit a preemie as it increases weight.
You can buy different sizes of Preemies depending on the weight increase of your infant.
Diapers for Newborn
Newborn-size diapers fit a baby of up to 10 lbs or approximately the first few weeks.
During this period, your baby will use about 8-12 diapers per day.
Therefore, you need to buy 3-4 boxes of newborn-size diapers (based on 164 per box).
Diapers Needed in Different Sizes (Size 1 to 6)
How Many Size 1 Diapers Do I need?
A baby requires 8-10 diaper changes of size 1 in a day during this period from birth to 4 months. Assuming you will use Size 1 diapers from birth and use an average of 9 diapers per day, you will need an average of 3-4 boxes of Size 1 diapers based on the 164 pieces per box.
Size 1 diapers fit babies weighing between 8-14 lbs. That is, between birth and four months. Approximately, a baby fits in Size 1 diapers for three months.
How many size 2 Diapers Baby Needs?
A baby needs 8-9 Size 2 diaper changes per day and that adds up to approximately 4 boxes of diapers with142 diapers per box in four months. Size 2 diapers fit babies of between 12-18 lbs, who are usually between month 3 and month 8.
How many Size 3 Diapers Baby Needs
You need 7 boxes of diapers with each box having 136 per box as your baby will use 6 to 7 diapers per day of Size 3 diapers. That adds to about 200 diapers per month. Size 3 diapers fit babies that weigh between 16-28 lbs and are between of 5 and 24 months in age.
How many Size 4 Diapers Does Baby Needs?
Size 4 diapers fit babies of between 22-37 lbs, usually between 18-36 months. Babies of this stage need 5-7 diaper changes per day, totaling to 17 packs of diapers based on the “23/ pack.”
How many Size 5 Diapers Does Baby need?
Size 5 diapers fit babies of less than 27 lbs, who are usually older than three years. Buy diapers as needed. Some babies may not require diapers at all.
How many Size 6 Diapers Does Baby need?
Size 6 Diapers fit babies who are less than 35 lbs, who are older than 4 years. Buy as many diapers as needed.
Diaper Size Chart/Health Online
How Many Diapers Do I Need to Make a Diaper cake
A diaper cake is a cake-shaped structure that one builds using diameters and decorating it with either flowers or stuffed animals.
Usually, a diaper cake has two or three tiers of rolled diapers wrapped in ribbon to resemble icing on a cake.
How Many Diapers do You Need to Make a Diaper Cake
The number of diapers you need depends on the size and shape of your diaper cake.
Consider the following:
- How wide do you want the bottom of your diaper cake to be?
Estimate the number of diapers you need to build the base
- The number of tiers you want in your diaper cake
To estimate the number of diapers you need in each tier after constructing the base, divide the number of diapers in the tier below by half. For example, a diaper cake of three tiers with a base of 20 diapers, you need 10 diapers for the middle tier and 5 diapers for the top tier.
How Many Diapers do I Need a Month?
The number of diapers that your baby needs in a month depends on the weight of your baby
- For a newborn, you need about 270 Preemie diapers. Approximately, a premature baby weighs less than 10lbs for a month using an average of 6-9 diapers per day.
- For a baby who weighs between 8-15 lbs, you will need an average of 270 Size 1 diapers every month as the baby needs 6-9 diaper changes each day.
- You need about 270 Size 2 diapers per month if your baby weighs 12-18 lbs because the baby needs a maximum of 9 diaper changers per day.
- You need about 210 Size 3 diapers per month if your baby weighs between 16-28 lbs as it needs 5-7 diaper changes per day.
- You need an average of 210 Size 4 diapers per month if your baby weighs 22-37 lbs. The baby needs 5-7 diaper changes each day.
- You need about 210 Size 5 diapers per month if your baby weighs below 27lbs. The baby requires 5-7 diaper changes each day.
- You need about 210 Size 6 diapers per month if your baby weighs less than 35lbs. The baby needs 5-7 diaper changes per day.
How Many Diapers Should I Have Before the Baby is Born/to pack When Going to the Hospital?
We recommend that you buy at least a pack of newborn diapers before the baby is born. Buying a few diapers before the baby is born ensures that you have diapers to use when you precious one is born. Also, it allows you to study if the baby has no allergies to the diaper brand. If the baby reacts badly to the brand, you simply change it until you find one that your baby is not allergic to.
You need to pack at least 24 newborn diapers when going to the hospital for delivery
Note: do not pack diapers to the hospital if the health center provides them for newborns.
How Many Cloth Diapers do I Need Per Day?
The age of your baby, her diaper change habits, and the number of times you wish to do laundry determine the number of diaper clothes you need per day.
You need at least 24 diaper cloths with newborns. Newborns usually need a diaper change 8-12 times per day., which translates into a maximum of 12 diaper cloths per day. The remaining 12 diapers come in handy for the next day as you wash and dry the other 12.
You will need fewer cloth diapers as your baby grows because it requires fewer diaper changes.
Bonus Tip: You will need at least 24 inserts and a minimum of eight covers if you are using a 2-piece system such as Econobum. You can use a cover for up to three times before replacing it.
How Many Cloth Diapers Do I Need for twins?
You need at least 48 diaper clothes if you have twins. A newborn uses about 12 diapers per day, which translates into 12 diaper clothes per day. For twins, therefore, you need about 24 diaper clothes every day, 12 for each baby. The other 24 will be adequate for the next day as you clean and dry the soiled ones.
However, you can stock as many cloth diapers as you can afford. If you do not plan to wash them every day, furthermore, you need more than 48 cloth diapers for your twins.
How Many Diapers Should I keep in y Diaper Bag
You should keep enough diapers for 1-2 days in your diaper bag., depending on the average diaper changes your baby needs per day. For example, you need to keep at least nine diapers for a newborn.
Similarly, if you change your baby a maximum of seven times a day, you need to keep 7-14 diapers in your diaper bag.
How Much Do Diapers Cost?
Babies are not cheap, that’s for sure. Diapers are expensive, especially in the first few months, when newborns use a lot of them.
A diaper costs roughly 20 cents.
- For a newborn baby who needs 6-9 diaper changes per day, the diapers will cost approximately $54 per month.
- For a baby who is using Size 1 diapers and changes about 6-9 times per day, the cost of diapers is about $54 per month
- For a baby who uses Size 3 diapers and changes 5-7 times a day, the diapers will cost roughly $42 per month
- For a baby who uses Size 4 diapers and changes 5-7 times a day, the cost of diapers per month is approximately $42 in a month.
- For a child who uses Size 5 diapers and changes 5-7 times per day, the cost of diapers is about $42 per month.
- For a child who uses size 6 diapers and changes 5-7 times a day, the cost of diapers is about $42 every month.
Tip: Buy disposable diapers in bulk from warehouse discount stores to get the cheapest prices.
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Hi there! I am Kate, a mother of two and a child mobility expert here at Motherhoodhq.com. I am very passionate about creating awareness and educating parents about strollers and car seat safety. I write a lot about car seats and pay close attention to the safety ratings of different brands from NHTSA and CR. I also write about the changing car seat safety laws in different states and occasionally work as a consultant to parents looking to get some help when deciding on the best car seat, travel system, and stroller to pick. I also blog on different blogs and have been recognized as a baby mobility expert. If you have any questions, you can reach me using; kate.n@motherhoodhq.com.
