Newborns: Buying the best diapers, wipes and other essentials for your brand new baby

Oh, no.  You have clicked on this article to find that there is no magic list of what to buy and what not to buy!  Why is that? 

Because every baby is different.  Just before Ethan was born, his dad went out and bought big boxes of everything--diapers, wipes, baby shampoo, lotion.  He is a man who likes to be prepared.  We had asked around, complied a list of must-haves, consulted Consumer Reports for the best tested brand (and no-name brands) and took the plunge.  So why can't I tell you what brands are the best to get?  The short answer is that my favorite brand of diapers (Pampers) is my friend Renee's LEAST FAVORITE diapers.  She hated the Pampers because her son Alex's diaper was always leaking with Pampers.  She was a Huggies fan.  We had a similar problem except that Ethan's diapers always leaked with Huggies.  Ugh! 

We went through the list of diapers/wipes, ect. that had tested by Consumer Reports only to find that our results did not match the final results they received.  Our boy had the skinniest legs you  have ever seen and needed extra elastic in that area.  After trying six brands of diapers, the Pampers won our test.  We did the same testing for all the other baby essentials and came up with what worked best for us.  So how does that help you?  There are some things that you can do to help you make your choices.

• Buy several different small boxes of diapers before your baby is born.  You will go through them so fast that even if they aren't the "best" for your baby, they will not be wasted.  However, you will not have "committed yourself" to one brand by buying a box of 174 diapers that you just dislike.
• Buy alcohol free wipes.  Wipes with alcohol can hurt a sensitive baby bottom.
• Only buy "baby shampoo" or "baby wash."  Baby shampoo has been tested and proven to not hurt baby's eyes if they are exposed to it.  Trust me, bathing a baby is interesting enough without having to worry about getting irritating soap in his little eyes.
• Have baby medication on hand.  Ask your pediatrician what medication your child can take and what are the recommended dosages.  If you have this on hand when your baby gets ill, you won't have to run out and get it when, after your frantic phone call to the pediatrician, you are advised to give your child something to reduce a fever.

Once you have identified your "favorite" baby necessities, look for the places that will over you the best deals for those products.  We found that one of the shopping clubs carried our brand of diapers and wipes.  It only took 3 months for us to make up our yearly membership with the money we saved from buying our necessities in bulk. It was also nice because if we bought a box of 200 diapers, we weren't always running to the store.  You can also also friends and families to cut out coupons or let you know about sales on your favorite brands.  Buying during sales will help you save money in the long run.  Hope this helps.