Diaper Coupons: Tricks to Save on Diapers with Amazon Family

The average baby uses 8 diapers a day (more in the early days, less as they get older). The average child is in diapers about 30 months. That’s around 7,200 diapers per kid—when you ignore the ones they waste by doing things like diapering the cat. Naturally, this makes ways to save on diapers a great topic for parents to study up on. After 4 kids (3 of 4 now diaper-free. Hurray!) I’ve found aside from the occasional discount diaper grocery store score, Amazon Family is the cheapest and most convenient way to save on diapers. However, you can actually save even more on diapers from Amazon with some simple tricks.

 

First, how does Amazon Family help you save on diapers?

Amazon Family, formerly known as Amazon Mom—way to go Amazon for recognizing parental equality there, dads buy diapers too—is an extension, so to speak, of Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime is $99 per year and comes with free two-day shipping, access to Amazon’s movie, Kindle book, and music library, and some other odds and ends most people don’t care about, and neither do we because this article isn’t about Amazon Prime, it’s about ways to save on diapers with Amazon Family. If you’re not sure you want to commit to $99 a year right away, you can get a 30-day free trial to give it a try.

Amazon Family itself adds:

-20% discount on diapers and pull-ups with free shipping
-A 15% baby register completion discount and welcome box

Side note, the registry discount can be used to get a discount on baby and toddler items even if you aren’t pregnant, but only once. You simply add an imaginary baby with an imaginary due date within 60 days of the current date, add the items you want, wait 14 days, and presto, 15% off qualifying items on your list. You can also add new items at any time, even when your discount is applied. After you spend $10 on any item on your list, you get the welcome box which includes samples or trials of things like wipes, diapers, baby shampoo, etc.

Maximizing your 20% diaper discount to save even more on diapers:

The 20% discount on diapers from Amazon Family is easy to use. You simply search the diapers you want, select “subscribe and save eligible” in your left side bar, and take your pick. You don’t need to subscribe to extra items to get this discount, but if you subscribe to 5 items, you do get 15% off all your subscriptions. This can be a great way to save on baby wipes. I add cheaper items like toothpaste to my order and save more than I spend on those items this way.

Now, next you want to watch for coupons below diapers. The major brands such as Pampers, Huggies, and LUVS all very regularly offer percent off or dollar off coupons that say they, “apply only to your first order.” Most might assume that means you can only use them once, but you can receive your first order, cancel it, reorder the same product or if you aren’t brand loyal a different product with the best discount, and use the coupon again.
save on diapers diaper coupons

Here’s an example of my savings one month. I ordered Pampers Swaddlers Size 3 180 count. Regularly, this box is about $50. My Amazon Family 20% off saved me $10.22, then I clipped a 30% off coupon which stacked saving $15.33, equating to $25.55 total (free shipping) or 14 cents per diaper.
save on diapers pampers
Another month I canceled, reordered Huggies with a $2 off coupon. Original price $34.39, 20% off $6.88, minus $2, $25.51 for 192 diapers or 13 cents each. You can keep doing this every single month.

save on diapers huggies

Utilize cash back options to save on diapers:

Once you have your diaper coupon trick down, you can also get cash back on your order. Amazon offers both a store card and a credit card, both of which offer 5% back for Prime members. If you use this card, and pay off the balance right away (which is easy with online payments), you just saved 5% more on your diapers. If you don’t want to open another card, using your credit card of choice with rewards is another option, but most are not as high as 5%.

amazon family save on diapers

Additionally, because this cash back option doesn’t require you click through a special referral link, you can double up and get more cash back on occasion with Rakuten (formerly Ebates).

Rakuten is one of the few cash back sites that offers cash back on Amazon, but unfortunately, their categories rotate and baby is not always offered. I do see it pretty regularly through the year though at 3% back. I usually will check which categories they offer before my order, and if baby isn’t one of them, opt for Amazon Smile instead to make a donation to a local charity. Note, you can’t use Amazon Smile and Rakuten. You must visit Amazon through the Rakuten portal to get cash back if your category is offered. Rakuten offers cash payments via Paypal quarterly. They are legit, I have been paid every single time.

RakutenCyberMonday

As you can see, if you take the time to search out coupons, then add in some cash back, it equates to some serious savings on diapers. If you have any other tips, we’d love to hear your advice in the comments below.

Acidic Diaper Rash: Treatment for Acid Poop Butt Burn

After three boys, I thought I’d seen all a baby butt could turn out—from poop paintings to corn kernels—but when my fourth child started getting weird acidic poop that literally seemed to eat her skin away, I was sort of baffled. Acidic diaper rash was not something I had heard a lot about, but it happens, and it is horrible.

What is acidic diaper rash?

Acidic diaper rash occurs when for one reason or another your baby’s poop becomes acidic in pH and burns the skin. For my baby, this was obvious by immediate bleeding rashes (when I knew she had just pooped). These bloody spots almost looked like she’d been poked repeatedly with a small pin and were only where the poop had touched.

Other types of diaper rash occur more frequently where the diaper touches the skin or in skin creases, but this rash will be very red, possibly bleeding, inflamed skin only where the poop is touching, and it will be there no matter how quickly you change the diaper. I think that’s the biggest tell that a rash is acid-poop based, it happens almost instantly.

Next, the poop that accompanies acidic diaper rash is often runny (diarrhea) and looks poorly digested, like there are often still recognizable chunks of lunch. In formula or breastfed babies that haven’t started solid foods, the poop just looks very runny and lacks the common seedy yellow appearance. It may also have an off odor that just doesn’t smell like normal poop, almost rancid or sour.

What causes acid diaper rash or acidic poop in babies?

Acidic Poop Foods Diaper Rash

Some babies can get acidic poop from high fruit intake, too much juice, or eating foods that are acidic, such as tomato sauce or citrus fruits, but in my baby girl’s case, it was fructose sensitivity (malabsorption). It can take some diet exploration to pinpoint the cause of acidic poop, but the cause is almost always dietary.

One of the easiest ways to identify a food allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity is to keep a diet log. Note days that the diaper rash, acid poop, or other symptoms of indigestion occur and find common factors, then cut one factor at a time from your baby’s diet to see what works. Breastfeeding moms will also need to track their own diet and avoid problem foods.

As fructose sensitivity is a common culprit of acid diaper rash, I caution that not all fruit will get a reaction. Bananas, for instance, are often fine and remember that high-fructose corn syrup can also create an issue ( “high fructose”).

Finally, while most dairy is alkaline, lactose intolerance can lead to acidic diaper rash as well. Unabsorbed lactose is fermented into lactic acid by bacteria in the colon, which will lower the stool (poop) pH.

How do you treat acid poop burns?

The most important step when it comes to rash treatment is to identify the dietary issue causing the rash and eliminate it. The butt burns actually heal quite quickly as long as the acid poops stop. In the meantime, it can help to avoid baby wipes by using either a small squirt bottle or just a quick butt rinse in the tub. As it’s the wiping motion that tends to hurt, just dab the skin dry afterward with a soft cloth, or if you’re brave, let that little bum air dry.

The best diaper rash cream I found for acidic diaper rash is the Triple Paste, though it’s best to avoid applying anything but fresh air until the burns are no longer actively weeping. Thankfully, so long as your baby’s diaper is changed quickly, the burns usually aren’t very severe, and it takes less than a day for the rash to look kind of scaly and red (like a thin scab over the burn). At that point, it’s fine to use a diaper rash cream or skin protectant. It will help things heal faster.

Allergic Reaction or Diaper Rash: How to Tell the Difference

If your baby is suffering from constant diaper rash and you’ve tried every cream in the aisle and trick in the book, it may not be diaper rash. While only roughly 10 percent of the general population suffered from a plastic or latex allergy as of 2016, when you consider there were about 7.4 billion people on earth in that year, 10 percent seems a little more significant.

How to tell if your child has diaper rash or a plastic allergy:

If your child is suffering from a plastic or latex allergy rather than typical diaper rash your first clue would be that typical diaper rash cures don’t have an effect. For example, your child may get the rash no matter how often you change his or her diaper.

Next, the location of the rash can be a good indicator whether or not you are dealing with a plastic allergy or diaper rash. Typical diaper rash occurs where fecal matter and urine touch most often and in high heat areas such as the creases between the genitals and legs. A rash caused by a plastic allergy will present where the skin is in contact with the plastic such as the waist line.

Finally, you may also notice a child with a plastic allergy frequently suffers from contact rashes outside of the diaper region, severe or minor. Keep a look out for tiny rash-like bumps on areas of the skin that come in direct contact with surfaces such as the forearms or legs. In severe plastic allergies, you may even find clothing with synthetic blends causes a reaction. An allergic reaction may present as a rash, hives, redness, itchiness or swelling. Allergies can develop at any time from birth to adulthood.

What to do about plastic allergies:

Unfortunately, there is only one option for parents with a baby or toddler allergic to plastic or latex, and that’s to stop using latex and plastic containing products. This does not mean you must use cloth diapers, though cloth diapers without the plastic cover are an option as long as they are made with materials that don’t contain synthetics. You can also find latex-free diapers such as Seventh Generation or G diapers. Pull ups which have a different design than normal disposable diapers to create less skin-to-skin contact with plastic also work for some children. You can ask your pediatrician for more latex- and plastic-free alternatives.

Many children outgrow a plastic allergy by age 5. Plastic allergies can sometimes be an indicator of other allergies or skin issues such as eczema though. Even if you determine your baby has an allergy and not typical diaper rash the situation should be evaluated by a health care professional.

You may also find useful:
Baby Rash Decoder
Diaper Rash Treatment and Prevention
Are Disposable Diapers Safe? Just the Facts