ByDueDate

Wipes calculator

How many wipes will you use in year one?

About 9,100 wipes, with 3 per diaper change plus a couple a day for hands and faces. The first months use the most. Set your own habits below and see how many packs that is.

Your habits
Your pack

Copy the count from the pack you'd buy. Packs vary a lot, so we don't assume one.

9,100wipes in year one

–packs: add your pack size

  1. Month 1992
  2. Month 2780
  3. Month 3806
  4. Month 4780
  5. Month 5806
  6. Month 6780
  7. Month 7713
  8. Month 8690
  9. Month 9690
  10. Month 10713
  11. Month 11690
  12. Month 12690

Diaper changes a day: 10 in the first month, 8 to 6 months, 7 after, from our diaper calculator.

The short answer

Plan on roughly 9,100 wipes in the first year. Diaper changes drive most of it: the AAP says parents change as many as 8 to 12 diapers a day once they get into the swing of things. Source: AAP on changing diapers. Your own number depends mostly on how many wipes you use per change, which is why the calculator lets you set it.

Our diaper calculator shows a lower wipes number because it counts only wipes used at diaper changes. This page adds the wipes for hands, faces and spills.

Choosing wipes

The AAP's advice on diaper rash includes choosing wipes that are free of alcohol and fragrance. If your baby's skin is irritated, it suggests cleaning with water and a gentle, non-soap cleanser instead. Source: AAP on diaper rash.

A rash that doesn't clear, or one that worries you, is a question for your pediatrician.

Buying in bulk

  • Wipes have no sizes, so unlike diapers they won't be outgrown. Once you know your baby's skin is happy with a brand, bulk is safe.
  • Try one pack first. Check your baby's skin before committing to a case.
  • Compare by the count, not the pack. Packs hold very different numbers of wipes.

How we calculate

  1. Diaper changes a day: 10 in the first month, 8 to 6 months and 7 to 12 months, the same planning numbers as our diaper calculator.
  2. Times your wipes per change, plus your other wipes a day, for every day of the first year.
  3. Packs: the year's total divided by the count on your pack, rounded up.

Next on your list

Diapers by size are in the diaper calculator and the diaper size chart; for the whole first-year budget, try the first-year cost calculator.