Tips from Emily pucket

One common reason parents choose to cloth diaper is to save money.

It was the number one reason I was swayed to cloth. As a soon-to-be mom, the increase in new expenses was overwhelming enough. So the thought of not having to spend money every month on a box of disposables was a bit of a financial relief when we decided to use cloth instead.

Until the initial investment sticker shock hit me!

We decided we wanted to purchase our cloth stash new, and spending $300+ on a diapering system I had no experience with and knew little about was daunting. But eventually I got used to the idea as I realized that if I wanted to buy quality, new diapers I’d have to be willing to spend some money upfront.

As much as I researched what styles and brands I wanted to use and how much I’d need, I never once shopped around for any sales or the best deals on the diapers I was considering. It just never occurred to me.

I went straight to the manufacturer’s website and bought everything at full price. It didn’t even cross my mind that there could be sales or coupons on cloth diapers.

 But there are! 

There are so. many. amazing ways to save on cloth when you’re buying a brand new, quality cloth stash.

I only wish I knew about some of these tips when I was first starting out, I could’ve gotten my stash for nearly half of what I paid! If you’re thinking about buying new, check out these tips to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

Emily’s Tips for Saving Money Buying Cloth Diapers

1: Shop during Black Friday and Earth Day 

If you aren’t in a hurry to buy and have the time before you need to stock up on your cloth stash, try to hold out until Black Friday/Cyber Monday in November or Earth Day in April to get some of the best cloth sales. You‘ll find that many brands go on sale for up to 30% off, and retired or select prints can sometimes be up to 50% off depending on the retailer or brand.

Here’s an example of last year’s Black Friday sales at Nicki’s Diapers :

• 20% off Lalabye
• 20% off Bumgenius
• 20% off Thirsties
• 20% off Nicki’s Diapers brand
• Buy 5 get 40% off + EXTRA 20% off Nicki’s Diapers Sweater Series
• 20% off Best Bottom Diapers 
• 40% off retired Best Bottoms + Extra 20% off
• 20% off Planet Wise
• 20% off Sweet Pea
• 20% off Imagine 
• 65% off Imagine Wool
• 20% off My Swim Baby
• 30% off Diaper Safari
• 50% off Planet Wise Retired Prints
• Even an extra 20% really adds up when you’re buying an entire stash!

2: Follow the Facebook pages and other social media of your favorite retailers to get sales updates

 This is the best way to keep up with sales happening right as retailers announce them. Make sure you have each Facebook page’s settings set to “See First” to make sure their posts show up at the top of your feed. Signing up for the store’s emails is always a good idea too! But you’ll usually get social media updates quicker than emails, so if you want to be on top of it hit follow!

3: Keep an eye out for good deals during store closing sales –

It’s always sad and disheartening to see small businesses have to close up shop. Just in the past year numerous cloth retailers have downsized or closed their doors completely. It’s a tough and competitive business. When shops do go out of business, their prices are typically slashed – up to 40% and 50% sometimes. Although the goal is to shop at small retailers so they don’t have to close their doors, supporting stores that have had to close does do one thing – it helps these retailers clear out their remaining inventory that they need to get rid of. And you’ll also get a great deal too. A few shops that still have some remaining inventory from recent closures include 40% off site wide at Diaper Junction and 30% off at The Spotted Pocket with the code CLOSING30.

4. Check out new shops and take advantage of new customer referral discounts

As cloth retailers close, new ones pop up which make it a great time to take advantage of new customer discounts! These are typically a percentage or dollar amount off your first order over a certain total if you’ve never shopped with the store before. Some stores that offer new customer referral programs are Mom’s Milk Boutique and Natural Okie Baby which both give you a 10% off coupon on your first $35+ order. Shopping directly from Sloomb gives you $10 off your first order of $50. 

5. Don’t forget to add ongoing store discount and freebie codes, and take advantage of store’s daily promos

Some retailers offer special discount and freebie codes. These are ongoing codes that you can enter at checkout. For example, at Dearest Diapers you can use the code DD4LIFE which gives you 5% off any order. At My Sweet Pickles, you can use the codes NEWCUSTOMER, REURNING, or MILITARY for a dollar amount or percentage off your order if it qualifies. You can also use the monthly freebie codes which get you a special freebie with your order if it is a certain amount. Mom’s Milk Boutique and Natural Okie Baby both have fun different daily promos like “Triple Caramel Thursday” and “Freebie Friday” that you can apply to your cart to get freebies with your order.

6. Know your favorite brand’s sale schedule 

Cloth diaper brands have their own regulations as to when they authorize sales to happen at retailers. Some brands only authorize sales a few times a year, like Smart Bottoms, Grovia, and Sloomb. Other brands, such as Thirsties, authorize sales as frequently as every quarter so you will see them on sale more often. 

7. Keep an eye out for warehouse sales and exclusives markdowns

Smart Bottoms in particular has a warehouse sale once a year in the Fall to move out discontinued product. You can visit the actual warehouse in Michigan or shop online and expect prices up to 50% off. Some retailers team up with cloth diaper brands to make prints that are exclusive to their store only. While it is preferred for exclusives to sell out, it is hard to predict what will be a high-selling print and what won’t, so sometimes retailers end up with more leftover stock than anticipated. After a set amount of time, if there is any stock left the store is allowed to mark down their exclusives’ price, sometimes up to 30% off. Lil Tulips has several Smart Bottoms exclusive prints currently on clearance. 

8. Check out {Cloth Diaper Sales & Savings} on Facebook!

There is SO MUCH information to be had when it comes to finding good deals on new cloth diapers, it can almost be overwhelming trying to keep track of it all, especially if you’re new to cloth diapering.

Trying to comparative shop and find the best deal around can be time consuming. And there’s nothing more frustrating than finding out you just missed an awesome sale.

That’s why I created the group {Cloth Diaper Sales & Savings} on Facebook!

We post the newest cloth sales and deals happening at retailers all in one place so you don’t have to search around yourself! Besides sales and deals, you can also find discount and referral codes posted, sales listed by retailer and brand, retailer’s ongoing discount codes and weekly specials, and the BIG Black Friday and Earth Day lists of sales and promos when they happen!

Feel free to join so you can make sure to get the best deals and save as much as possible on your cloth stash.