Mommy Monday- Diapers at Your Door
This isn’t going to be a poetic post. It won’t be a blog post that goes viral and everyone and their brother is spreading it because it is so thought-provoking. No, this post is purely practical because, hey, moms mostly live in the “practical” world without complicated buttons on outfits for newborns or white dressy slacks for a toddler. If you are the primary caretaker of a child (or 3) age 3 and under, chances are you need things to be as simple and easy as possible. This post is for you.
When Claire was a baby, we lived in Saranac Lake, New York. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this tiny town of 6,000, it is the largest town in the Adirondack mountains, but the Adirondacks are a well protected land with many amazing citizens that support local, small businesses. We loved buying everything we could locally, and before Claire was born, it was extremely rare that we needed things (apart from some random clothing or household needs) that weren’t available nearby. But, then we had a baby that went through 12 diapers a day, and even though the local drugstore and grocery store carried diapers, they couldn’t offer the deals that we NEEDED. But, with the closest Wal-Mart being an hour away (and the closest Target being 2+ hours away), we didn’t have much a choice… or did we.
I don’t remember when I stumbled upon diapers.com, but I know that once I did, I didn’t look back until we moved to Philadelphia. They’ve since partnered with other online stores that offer toys, household items and pet supplies (all in one cart), but back then, it was just diapers and baby needs. They have a $50 order minimum to get the free shipping (which is now 1-2 days). I found their prices back in 2009 to be comparable with what I would’ve found at the large retail outlets, but it saved me the gas, driving or shipping charge! I spread the word to all of my Adirondack mom friends, as this was my lifesaver! *Side note: Enter code MRS_7597 at checkout to receive $10 off your first order of $49, and diapers.com will also donate up to $30 to the American Red Cross (I selected them as my charity of choice).
Once we moved to the city suburbs, I felt I had no need for shipments of diapers. By that point, Claire wasn’t going through tons of diapers every day (she was a year old- so maybe 5?), so I could just easily pick up a box of whatever we needed on random trips to Target or Wal-Mart or wherever. It wasn’t a big deal to go out shopping either with one toddler or just in the evenings or weekends when I could leave Claire behind. So, I forgot all about diapers.com for a little while.
But, then… Ellen was about to come, and the thought of keeping up with all of the diapers (combined with shopping with 2 littles) made me a bit anxious. So, I did a little searching. My sister-in-law turned me onto Amazon Mom, 
You get a 3 month trial, and as it worked for me, if you subscribe to enough shipments, they extend it another three months and extend it… all the way up to a year. So, my year trial ran out just last month, when I decided to fork over just $80 for another year. It is worth it for me, if for nothing else than to save time (though I do believe I save money, too). Going to a big retail store takes up my entire morning (after Ellen’s morning nap and before lunch), and I have much more control online than I do in a store. If I go into Target, I am not just walking out with a box of wipes and a box of diapers… I am walking out with socks for Chris and toothpaste and a new frame and sandals for Claire and a bow for Ellen and… well, you get the point.
Every order, no matter how small, can have free shipping, as long as it is Prime Eligible. This isn’t even just for the subscribe & save items; while you are an “Amazon Mom,” you can order ANYTHING on Amazon and get free shipping. Once you pay for the Prime membership, you also have access to streaming TV & movies, too! (though they aren’t compatible with our Apple TV, so we aren’t utilizing that yet)
Anyway, if you are a mom that is short on time, I highly recommend looking into either one of these outlets. I do prefer Amazon Mom over Diapers.com right now, and that is mostly because of the subscribe & save. I love that I don’t have to keep track of every household item and when to order it. I have figured out how quickly my family goes through everything from diapers & wipes to paper towels & hand soap, and I have my subscriptions set accordingly. I will say one thing that I don’t love about Amazon, however, and that is this… their prices do change from time to time. This could be all a manufacturing thing that they can’t really control, but I have had to change my subscriptions (with no penalty!) because items have become more expensive or changed in quantity. But, anything that makes my life simpler (while I am trying to care for 2 littles and run a business) is worth holding onto!
