How Many Newborn Diapers Do You Need?

As a new parent, are you asking yourself “How many newborn diapers do I need?” It’s true that newborn babies go through a lot of diapers, and, of course, you want to be prepared. We’ll answer this question while also diving into how many diapers a newborn needs per day and per month, plus offer some helpful information regarding sizing.

What Size Diaper Do You Need for a Newborn?

Newborn babies use the smallest diaper sizes, of course. It’s important to know that these sizes are organized by weight (not age) and can vary from brand to brand. Pampers offers three size categories for new arrivals, all based on weight. These include three different sizes for preterm babies and very small infants as well as size N (newborn) and size 1.

How much babies weigh at birth varies a lot. For babies born between 37 and 40 weeks, birth weight typically ranges from 5 pounds and 8 ounces to 8 pounds and 13 ounces. Therefore, it helps to have both size N and size 1 diapers on hand before your baby’s birth. Then, once you know the size you’ll need, you can stock up at home and add them to your diaper bag checklist.

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How Many Diapers Does a Newborn Use in a Day?

The answer to the question “How many newborn diapers do I need?” is fairly straightforward. Newborns may use up to 10 diapers per day. Of course, every child is different, and days can vary, so think about it in terms of weeks and plan for close to 70 diapers each week. Basically, you’ll learn how to change a diaper very quickly!

Why so many diapers? Newborns urinate quite frequently, as often as every one to three hours. As for baby poop, there’s no precise number of bowel movements to expect from a newborn. Once they’ve passed their first bowel movement (meconium), some infants poop after every feeding. But that frequency will gradually decrease, and by 3 to 4 weeks old, some babies only poop about once per week. Remember to anticipate the occasional diaper blowout by purchasing the right fit and stocking up!

All this adds up to a lot of diaper changes. To avoid skin irritation and diaper rash, you’ll want to change your baby’s diaper every time it’s wet or soiled. That typically works out to about one change for every two to three hours, on average.

How Many Diapers per Month?

If you want to plan for your baby’s first month, then all you need to do is a little calculation. If you can expect up to ten diapers a day, that’s about 280 diapers per month. But remember how often you'll need to change newborn diapers each day (and month) varies from baby to baby and will change as babies grow and mature. For example, older babies may urinate only after a feeding, so the number of diapers needed decreases.

How Long Are Babies in Newborn Diapers?

Perhaps your question has changed from “How many newborn diapers do I need?” to, more specifically, “How many size 1 diapers do I need?” Again, baby diaper sizes go by weight, so the length of time you’ll need a specific size will depend on your baby’s rate of growth and when they experience growth spurts.

To get a better idea of how long babies are in size 1 diapers, it helps to understand the average baby weight. Healthy babies come in a wide range of weights, but below is how babies tend to grow in terms of weight:

How Many Diapers Per Day: Chart by Age, Weight, or Size?

It’s tricky to create a diaper chart regarding how many specific diapers you’ll need by age. Remember that diaper size goes by weight and not age. However, we can give you a rough estimate regarding how many diapers, in general, you might need at each size and weight.

FAQs at a Glance

How many boxes of newborn diapers should you buy?

As babies go through a lot of diapers, you might want to have about 280 newborn diapers for your first month (roughly 3 boxes if you’re buying packs with about 100 diapers). However, as our article mentions, babies do grow and require larger sizes in the first year, so you don’t want to buy too many of the same size at once. Planning month to month is a good strategy.

How many newborn diapers do you need per month?

Babies can go through up to ten diapers a day, though yours might need more or less. To be on the safe side, plan for up to 70 diapers per week, which is 280 newborn diapers in your baby’s first month.

How many newborn diapers do you need per month?

Babies can go through up to ten diapers a day, though yours might need more or less. To be on the safe side, plan for up to 70 diapers per week, which is 280 newborn diapers in your baby’s first month.

How many newborn diapers do you need in a diaper bag?

Stocking your diaper bag with all the necessities is an important task, and diapers are at the top of the priority list. How many you pack depends on the length of your outing. Newborns typically need a diaper change every two to three hours, so try to have a few diapers per outing, just in case.

How many diapers does a newborn use in a week?

A newborn can use up to 10 diapers per day or about 70 per week. Our article details how to plan ahead for your baby’s diaper needs, especially in their newborn stage.

Use our handy Diaper Size and Weight Chart to make sure your baby's diapers always fit properly.

_{How we wrote this article The information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.}