Comment from Gayle
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:01 am

Mine is up!

Labor or not

Comment from Jennifer Miles
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:16 am

Well the 3 of us already talked diapers so my comment is a repeat, but until Chandler switched into size 5 diapers we never had problems with any skin reactions… Riley hasn’t had any either.
Store will let you return unopened diapers (there may be some stores who won’t) so just save your receipts… just in case.

Comment from Rachel
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:19 am

I never had any problems with my babies being allergic to stuff, so I would say go ahead and stock up! Of course if Roomie is allergic to things you may want to hold off, but if she has no problems, go for it.

However, I must tell you, for my girls Huggies did not work! They leaked every time I put them on. I might as well not put a diaper on them. (Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit!) This must not be the case for everyone or they would be out of business, BUT as for me and my house we will buy Luvs or Pampers! I never really got into store brands but on the rare occasion when I used them they seemed to work well. Sign up for stuff at the doctor’s office or online from the diaper companies and they will start sending you coupons. I loved diaper coupons! (I have one in my purse right now, and my girls have been potty trained for two years! Do you want it?:))

So this is my advice in the vast world of diapers! Blessings!:)

Comment from Mandy
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:25 am

My girls were all allergic to Pampers because of the baby powder. I used Huggies & Huggies Supreme.

You just have to buy them in varying sizes. Do not buy a lot of newborns. Lots of size 1 & 2.

If roomie is breast feeding, you can count on about 10 diapes a day at the beginning. If she’s formula feeding, around 7 a day.

Comment from Kelley
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:32 am

I too never had any trouble with diaper allergies although it must happen. I was faithful to Huggies and they worked great for my boys. I think that gender matters with some diapers because, obviously, pee is distributed differently. I would say BUY UP. My girlfriend has 13 month old twin boys and we started buying them every week. She has actually used and liked the Kroger brand. They worked great when they were tiny but as they’ve gotten older, not as reliable. I agree with someone above…don’t buy too many Newborns as they outgrow them really quickly.

I have a Fetus Friday post on my blog (www.mytwosons-kelley.blogspot.com)

Have a great day!

Comment from Tina
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:37 am

I discovered a lot of my friend with girls loved Pampers, and friend with boys (and we) used Huggies. So while it might be good to get a variety, remeber you may get stuck with some that don’t work with “your” baby. And it matters more when they’re a newborn and pooping everytime they eat. My 2 year old–I buy the cheapest diapers I can now, but when he was a baby Huggies or the Costco were the best at stopping leaks, so I was getting name brand. I still have some Wal-Mart brand from size 3 though that I DID NOT like, they were bad. So I’d say start with small packages of different types so you can see what works. Then, when you have a brand you like/works best, see if you know someone who belongs to Costco or Sams Club and see if they’ll let you tag along and buy diapers. Or you can do coupons + sales and get about the same price. I just enjoyed getting a big box and having it last about a month and not having to think about diapers.

Comment from Tina
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:38 am

I have no idea why I put “your” in quote up there. I’m sorry, caffine has not hit yet this morning.

Comment from Natalie @ I AM (not)
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:47 am

About the Diapers…keep doing what you are doing. Don’t get too many newborns, they grow fast!

Now, i posted about night time feedings people….

check out
http://www.nataliewitcher.blogspot.com

Comment from Jennifer Miles
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:49 am

Oh! I forgot to mention that my girls both used White Cloud diapers. They aren’t as cheap (in price and quality) as the store brand, but they aren’t as expensive as Huggies, Pampers or Luvs.
We’ve never had problems with them leaking… outside of those times when they’ve had serious upset tummies.
My sister in law doesn’t like them for my nephew, but he constantly has a sippy cup of apple juice in his hand… I think we goes through a pack of diapers a WEEK!! That’s ridiculous!
I agree with the reader that said diapers may work differently for different genders. I can only speak from the “Pro-Girl” stance.

Comment from Vicky
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:56 am

I have worked with tons of diapered kids, and very rarely does one have a problem with diapers. I’d say STOCK UP! Just get ones that are unscented/ no-powders/ etc– same with wipes. My friend loved the Target brand until her daughter started crawling… then she had to switch to Huggies b/c the Target ones leaked. Girl v. boy sometimes matters, so pay attention to that in the comments.
I liked what Tina said above about buying a few smaller packs of different brands and trying them out. If you end up with some that don’t work, donate them to a friend or maybe the church nursery. (hopefully, you can use them even if you don’t LOVE them). Once you know what you like, get them from Costco in the biggest box available. Also, everyone I know uses the Costco wipes. When people ask what they can get you, don’t hesitate to list diapers and wipes.
I don’t have kids of my own, but I’ve changed more diapers than I can count… I hope it’s okay if I comment on your “Fetus Fridays” even if I’m not a mommy

Comment from Vanderbilt Wife
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:01 am

What I’ve been told so far is don’t buy too many newborns and 1s–one box of each for a start. Leave your receipts taped lightly to the boxes so you can return them if need be. I’ve heard of very few problems with Pampers. Also I’ve been told the Target brand diapers are pretty good. If you do start a registry for Roomie, put some diapers on it! And don’t forget you will need tons of wipes as well.

Thanks for doing this, Amy Beth! It’s extremely helpful to me too! I might do a post later for you although it’s all just what people have told me stuff.

Jessie

Comment from Kerri
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:05 am

My post is up!

Comment from Julie
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:05 am

I am a mom of 4 and I have always bought the cheap diapers at Walmart, not White Cloud, but the cheaper ones and they worked great!!!
Walgreens has great diaper coupons, so if you have a Walgreens look into that.
If you don’t have a diaper genie get those little scented bags to put the dirty diapers in. They are a life-well nose-saver!!

Comment from Mandy
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:09 am

I was waiting for Mr. Linky to get fixed, but I’ll just post my link anyway.

I posted about birth plans.
http://mandyconforth.blogspot.com/2008/07/birth-plans-shmirth-plans.html

Comment from Amanda
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:24 am

Go ahead and stock up on diapers. Buy whatever size you want, keep the receipt, and take back what you don’t use.
I have a little girl that is 18 months old. Pampers is our brand of choice because we started out with the Swaddlers (the softest, cloth feeling, THE BEST, and it’s what the hospital used). The only time that I had problems with her leaking is when I didn’t stay on top of changing her diaper as it got full.
My sister tried all of the brands under the sun and got so frustrated that she has stayed with Pampers ever since.
Wipes are your choice – Huggies are more paper-towel like, and Pampers are stretchy cloth-like. I, once again, choose Pampers or Target brand for the cloth-like reason.
I have to agree that if this kid is nursing, expect 10 diapers a day for the first 2 weeks, then it starts to taper off. Now that my little girl is 18 months, we use 4-5 diapers a day. Pampers are good for “fuller hiney’s” and Huggies are for “flat toosh/skinny hiney’s”. SO depending on the kids knitting-together process by th Creator, you’ll be able to make the call. Go ahead and get some “Bordereux’s butt paste” for the diaper rash…a little goes a long way, and it’s worth it…it works on chapped lips and other skin irritations, too!

Comment from Tamara
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:50 am

Amy Beth, What if y’all just got a Target or Walmart gift card and devoted it to diapers? You could load $ to it (in the amount of a pack of diapers), right now, each pay period, but you wouldn’t have to store a bunch of diapers, and you wouldn’t be stuck with diapers that don’t work for you. You could buy as needed, and experiment with brands. Just write “Diapers and Wipes” on the card with a sharpie, so you remember that it’s meant to be saved for that!

Comment from halfmoon girl
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:59 am

Hi there, I would repeat the warning not buy too many diapers in newborn or size one. My last babe never even fit newborn and was out of a size two at about one month old- I had tons of diapers to give away! I used just the regular Huggies.

Comment from Amanda
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:00 am

I’m thinking you might do better with loading up on gift cards, like the previous poster said. It’s hard to say now what brand will work best for Baby and how much you will need of each size. They do spoil you with Pampers Swaddlers in the hospital and get you used to the best ones!

Comment from Mandy
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:01 am

And as for wipes…the Huggies unscented work great, but Costco wipes really are fabulous too.

Comment from Kim
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:12 am

I don’t have to change diapers, but I have three Boxer Babes and a backyard. Does that count?

Typically, I use a super-sized scooper and a large grocery store plastic bag in an old bathroom trash basket. I walk around scooping, and when I’m done, I just tie the handles.

Hope this helps! : )

Comment from Kim
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:13 am

@ Tamara,

Who are you Einstein? What a spectacular idea! You win the prize!

Comment from Penny
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:24 am

Hi!

Just a bloggie stalker of yours, but I wanted to mention that I have a 15 month old girl and a million friends with babies. We have a general consensus that Pampers Swaddlers are about the only consistently great diaper! They are a bit pricier, but there are manufacturer coupons in every newspaper that will offset some of the cost. I would definitely just stock up on size 1 and up… my daughter never did wear the newborn size and she was average size at birth! I live in Tenn as well (Knoxville) and I have found that the big boxes of Pampers are cheaper by just a little at Target over Walmart, and definitely cheaper than any of my grocery stores!! OK, enough diaper rundown.

Enjoy!
Penny

Comment from Cindy-Still His Girl
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:24 am

I am a Huggies girl.

There are ALWAYS diaper coupons; use them!

Make sure you keep ONE newborn diaper as a souvenir to pull out every once in a while, because in only a couple months, you won’t believe Baby ever was that tiny.

A friend of mine had a poker party, and the entrance fee was a bag of diapers. Loved that idea.

Comment from Taryn in NY
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:33 am

I love Pampers Swaddlers- LOVE them! I like how soft they are for newborns and I was devastated (yes really devastated) when they did not go past stage 2. At that point I tried Baby Dry and Cruisers both made by Pampers and I prefer the Cruisers. The Cruisers are similar to the Swaddlers but for older babies. I’ve tried Huggies and I’ve had leaks. Not many leaks at all with the Pampers! My son does wear Huggies at night- the Huggies Overnights these will come in handy when the baby’s diaper starts leaking at night- grab a package of these- they’ll keep your baby dry by keeping the pee pee in the diaper all night and therefore everyone will get a little more rest.

As for buying- I’d grab a package or 2 to start. If Roomie has sensitive skin and therefore the baby might as a result you might want to hold off on buying alot due to allergies. Or just save the receipts and don’t open them and you could just return them if need be.

Good Luck!

Comment from Amie C
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:56 am

No post to link, but a though to share. I didn’t read completely through the other comments, so I hope I’m not repeating, but remember you can return unopened packages of diapers to the store and exchange for others! This will be helpful if you find a brand that doesn’t seem to work for baby (my daughter would break out in a BAD diaper rash every time I put her in a Parents Choice diaper) or if you have too many of one size. We are members of the Pampers gang at our house! Swaddlers are great for the bitty babies and Cruisers when they start moving around.

Also, my general rule for changing to the next size is this: When my daughter, who is 18 months and sleeps through the night , wakes up with a wet tummy cause her diaper leaked, it is time to move to the next size up. There’s a HUGE overlap in the sizes and it’s hard to figure out when to switch. That method has always worked well for us!

Congratulations!

Comment from Traci
Time: July 25, 2008, 12:11 pm

I think the giftcard idea is a good one. Once a week buy a giftcard for X amount of dollars and put it in the diapers jar. Then you can buy as needed! You’ll be prepared but you won’t have diapers coming out of your ears!

For us, Costco is the place for diapers. Best deal we can find. I actually got a Costco card just for this! And wait until you have to potty train, b/c that’s a whole ‘nother load of fun! We went through 2 pairs of choo-choo big boy undies last night to end up back in diapers. Sigh.

Comment from Jackie
Time: July 25, 2008, 12:20 pm

My baby never had an allergic issues either. We stocked up on diapers waaaay in advance….we also got a ton of them through baby showers, etc. Most places like Tarjay and Walmart will take them back or exchange them, so you can hold on to your receipts in the event that something does flare up and you need to try a different brand.

Comment from Mandy
Time: July 25, 2008, 12:20 pm

Oh no Traci – you poor thing. Just decide for 2 weeks you aren’t going anywhere. Pump em full of juice & water and wear no panties. He’ll be done in a couple of days.

Boys are easier to potty train than girls in my opinion. I’ve trained 4 boys & 7 girls…for boys, you just stick cheerios in the toilet & sink em. Girls you have to make up songs, play games, read a book, have stickers, give out M&M’s…sheesh.

Comment from Brandy T
Time: July 25, 2008, 12:51 pm

Stock up, and get them from WalMart. Then, if baby is allergic to the kind you buy, you can just exchange the unopened packs after baby arrives. (WalMart has a FABULOUS return/exchange policy regarding diapers.)

The same holds true for wrong sizes too!

P.S. My personal favorite for newborns – Pampers Swaddlers… they make room for the umbilical cord. Good stuff.

Comment from halfmoon girl
Time: July 25, 2008, 12:55 pm

HI, thought I would let you know that I joined in your fun over at my blog.

Comment from Jenn @ Casa de Castro
Time: July 25, 2008, 1:34 pm

Unfortunately, I have nothing to contribute to this discussion, but I wanted to let you know there is a little something for you over at my blog.

Comment from Michele
Time: July 25, 2008, 2:23 pm

We stocked up on diapers and i was sooo thankful we did. I’d say just buy what’s on sale or that you have a coupon for and then keep the reciept taped to the package so that it’s there if you need it. I’d only buy the “good kinds, pampers swaddlers, or the like” for the newborn ones, just because new baby buns are super sensitive. But don’t buy too many, they usually only are in those for a few weeks. Start stocking up on size 1 and up. I’d buy a new size each week, just to keep it even. As another suggestion, you could also buy some wipes every week. And here you don’t really have to go for “name brand”. The walmart or target brand are great. There’s my 2 cents!

Comment from Bethany
Time: July 25, 2008, 2:38 pm

Here’s my post: http://beyondthismoment.blogspot.com/2008/07/fetus-fridays-dirty-on-diapers.html

Mostly diapers with a dash of breastfeeding thrown in. (and I also suggested the gift card thing – let me tell you, using them saved me a number of times).

Comment from Marla Taviano
Time: July 25, 2008, 2:41 pm

I’m all for putting $ on gift cards each week, then using them as needed. All babies are different, they each poop and pee different amounts, with different force, and in different directions. And all babies grow at different rates.

Unless you see some really great sales you don’t want to pass up.

Speaking of diapers, your super-special copy of Changing Your World One Diaper at a Time is en route to Starlite Ministries for your (and Roomie’s) reading pleasure!

If anyone else is interested, you can read the first chapter of the book at http://www.taviano.com/marla

And that’s my diaper linky.

Comment from Vanderbilt Wife
Time: July 25, 2008, 2:48 pm

Here’s my post: http://vanderbiltwife.blogspot.com/2008/07/things-they-dont-tell-you.html

It’s not exactly advice…since I am not there yet.

Comment from trs
Time: July 25, 2008, 2:49 pm

Not a mommy here… but here’s my two cents on something.
I used to give new moms those little layette three packs. During infancy they are awesome at bedtime because you just slide the bottom up to change dirty diapers. No snaps or anything to thwart tired momma.
One mom LOVED them and said they were always the first things through the wash because she didn’t want a night without it.
Another mom deemed layettes worthless because her baby had explosive poops! Nothing about the layette contained the explosions so it was a bigger mess. Poor thing.
So like diapers… some other items will depend on the power of your baby’s butt!

Comment from Erica
Time: July 25, 2008, 2:56 pm

I use Huggies and I love them. Brand depends on what you want to use. Whatever brand you decide to use go to their website and sign up because you will get all types of neat coupons and lit. on baby and the stage yours is going through. I wouldn’t buy too many newborn diapers because you don’t know how big your baby will be, my niece weighed 9.5 lbs. and was too big for newborn diapers. Now that I have thoroughly scared you, I would make sure the diapers you buy are fragrance free then you have less of a chance of any allergic reactions. Alcohol free wipes are a must as well. That’s my novel on diapers.

Comment from Yellow Daisy Momma
Time: July 25, 2008, 3:36 pm

I’ve been reading your blog for a while and you are very tallented! I wish you, Roomie & Baby the best!! I actually had to use cloth diapers with my son and I thought I would hate it but it turned out to work out very well . . . it saves you lots of money, and these are not your grandmother’s cloth diapers they are really easy to use! Just something to consider. . . it’s okay if you think I am crazy but if you are interested my favorite cloth diaper site is http://www.wallypop.net if you’d like to check it out Have a good friday

Comment from Meredith
Time: July 25, 2008, 3:54 pm

Found you via Vanderbilt Wife.

No advice from me, but you might enjoy reading my friend Kacie’s post on how to stock up on diapers nearly free at CVS, with great comments on how many of each size.

http://sensetosave.com/2008/07/21/stocking-up-on-diapers/

Comment from Melody
Time: July 25, 2008, 4:10 pm

I vote for stocking a gift card as well. Amazing idea Tamara!

Comment from Donna
Time: July 25, 2008, 4:25 pm

Diapers… oh the fun you can have with diapers.

I haven’t looked at all the comments yet, but I want you both to realize that there are other choices. Cloth, for instance.

CLOTH???? you may say.

Yes. They are NOT your grandma’s cloth diaper. There are some AWESOMELY cute options out there for cloth. AND they are so so so easy… no pins. Most of them snap or velcro on.

Check out these sites….

http://www.cottonbabies.com/

some pics of some of my dipes on my blog…
http://waymorehomemade.blogspot.com/2007/08/diaper-sale.html

diapering bulletin board/forum on babycenter.com
http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus10528

I take any opportunity I can to sing the praises of cloth diapering. I’d love to answer any questions you have if you & Roomie have any or are at all interested.

~ Donna
aggiedc95atyahoodotcom

Comment from Yellow Daisy Momma
Time: July 25, 2008, 4:40 pm

I don’t know how to do the link thing but I have a Fetus Friday post @ http://www.yellowdaisymomma.wordpress.com

Comment from Jennifer
Time: July 25, 2008, 4:53 pm

I agree with another commenter, don’t buy too many newborn. Some babies don’t get to wear that size AT ALL!
By my second, I was buying the Babies R Us brand and Wal-Mart brand. Never had any problems with them. I think I’ve used every brand out there and didn’t really have a favorite so I went with the cheapest ones and they were fine for us.
So are you overwhelmed yet with all the advice?

Comment from Rachel
Time: July 25, 2008, 4:56 pm

Love the pre-paid card idea!

Comment from Christine
Time: July 25, 2008, 7:33 pm

Huggies family here and the gift card idea is the best! We started with the Pampers Swaddlers for the newborns with the umbilical cut out…that was pretty ingenious! Huggies you just fold over and that works too. But as they grew the Pampers just didn’t fit my girls as well as the Pampers. I have two dear friends…one swears by Pampers, the other won’t touch ‘em and it’s Huggies all the way. So this is a totally personal thing…you’ll need to figure out what works best for your kid, hence the gift card idea is GREAT b/c you can put the money aside without having to deal with worrying about the wrong diaper brand.

For us, Costco wipes are the way to go, assuming you have one near you and you’re a member. If not, buy in bulk wherever you can do that! Same thing with diapers. The bigger the package, the cheaper. As others have mentioned, you won’t need too many newborns, s/he won’t be in those for much more than a few weeks. But after that, get the biggest package you can find!

Comment from stephanie’s mommy brain
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:23 pm

I’ve never had problems with allergies and diapers but I suggest you DON’T stock up on diapers. If it’s a money thing then get a piggy bank and start putting the money you’d use for the diapers in there.

I’m due with #4 in October and I’m not stocking up. My 3 babies have all gone through the newborns and size ones and different rates. My first (6 pounds 8 ounces) wore them for several months. My second (9 pounds 9 ounces) skipped right over the newborns I’d stocked up on and wasn’t in size one for long. So for that reason, I’ll be buying one package of newborn and one of size one. After we get home I’ll send hubby to Walmart for more. I don’t stock up on diapers unless until size 3, that’s when my crew slows down growing.

I’ve found moms are loyal when it comes to diapers. I suggest a mid-price diaper. The super cheaps are exactly that. You’ll go through more of them because they leak and thus not save any money. I personally use White Cloud Diapers. I’ve only seen them at Walmart but I think Target has a similar line. It is NOT the super cheap Walmart line. They fit and feel like Pampers without the Pampers price. They are cheaper than Pampers with a coupon.

I suggest you try out the different brands to figure out which ones you prefer. It’s true that some work better for boys and some for girls. You just have to figure out which you think work better for you.

Comment from Cabana Maam
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:07 pm

Gosh, diapers tricky because it really will depend on Baby’s size and shape. We found Pampers to work best with our baby girl, but I have friends who really like Huggies. I will say we didn’t have any poo accidents with the Pampers (read: much less laundry) and we had tons with Huggies. All this to say, I’d go with the gift card crowd.

One last note… Make sure you load up on as many hospital “freebies” as you can–including diapers. As you know, those diapers aren’t cheap, so you might as well get as many as you can for free. Just be real sweet to the nurses.

Comment from trs
Time: July 26, 2008, 12:34 am

again…not a mom here but I was really glad to hear a few folks chime in on CLOTH DIAPERS!

Diapers take AGES to decompose… but then again, you’ll use more water and bleach with cloth which may just defeat the ecological benefits of not loading the landfill. I read in some hippie green parenting magazine that it may just be a wash.
So do what’s best for you.

But, I was a teenager when my nephew was born – my sister was single so between sis and me and my mom we were in sort of the position you’ll be in soon…
anyway – at the time (before car seats were mandatory) manufactured diapers were still a luxury of sorts. I think we ened up going about 50/50 with cloth/ consumer diapers. I guess that’s a pretty fair way to go.

Comment from Shelly W.
Time: July 26, 2008, 8:22 am

Definitely start stocking up. But be careful–you won’t believe how quickly that little one will grow out of the newborn size. It’s hard to remember, but I think we used Huggies or Luvs–whichever was cheaper of the “big name” brands. I tried, but never had luck with the store brands. They always leaked. I finally gave up and just learned that I had to pay a little bit more for better diapers.

Comment from Kelli
Time: July 29, 2008, 12:37 am

Slightly delayed in my response, BUT Caroline uses pampers and we have not had many problems. ALTHOUGH my post tomorrow is about our first poo-splosion and that is just NOT FUN.

But on a side diaper note – the diaper champ is AMAZING! It keeps the diaper smell AWAY!! We have kept it in our room for 4 months and have never smelt a thing plus you don’t have to use any special bags with it. We actually use the Target or grocery store plastic bags so we don’t have to buy any! Every little bit of money that you can save helps!!

Comment from Kelli
Time: July 29, 2008, 12:38 am

PS – Not a lot of newborns…. he will grow out of those fast!