Getting Diapers and Wipes during the Coronavirus Pandemic

You’ve probably seen images of empty store shelves on the news and on social media (or you’ve witnessed them in real life). In the wake of the coronavirus, people are stocking up on essentials: from medicine cabinet staples to toilet paper to diapering supplies; and America’s biggest retailers — like Amazon and Target — are struggling to keep up with the demand. 

Aisles and aisles of empty store shelves can be cause for concern, but retailers are working to provide these goods. Rest assured: you’ll find everything you need to keep your baby’s tush “so fresh and so clean, clean.” 

Shelves may be intermittently bare — even when supply exists, there can still be temporary shortages — but they will be restocked.  

Chris Testa, UNFI’s [United Natural Foods Inc.] president and chief marketing officer, said in an NPR article: “There’s only so many gallons of milk that can be produced, only so many eggs that can be produced.” But, as other reports in various publications corroborated, though stores are having a hard time meeting the rising demand, the supply chain not only remains strong, but also has been ramping up to meet the pandemic-driven stockpiling. 

So what’s the state of affairs in the baby aisle? We did a little digging to ease your mind. 

Long story short: diapers and wipes are out there, but your go-to brands may not be immediately in stock — wipes in particular are a bit harder to get by. And since people are buying big, many of the larger packs of diapers and wipes are sold out. Some specific diaper brands in specific sizes — like Target and Pampers Snugglers — are sold out on both Amazon and Target; while others — like Honest and LUVS are still available.

Of course, the supplies are ever changing, so you’ll need to take the task of restocking your little one’s essentials day by day. In the meantime, we’re going to list some of the diaper-changing staples you can get now and will do our best to update it regularly so we can, hopefully, take some of the guesswork out. 

If you need things now (like, TODAY), we highly recommend you look online for your fave diapers (formula, wipes, etc.) at Target, where you can have them ordered and ready for pickup – or, for $10, use the Shipt service to get same-day delivery. I’ve used this a lot this week and it’s been a godsend.

Here’s a selection of diapers and wipes from our diapering guide that are still available online:

Diapers

Pampers

• Pampers Swaddlers 
• Pampers Pure 
• Pampers Cruisers

Huggies

• Huggies Snug & Dry

Bambo Nature

Luvs 

Earth’s Best TenderCare 

Wipes

Huggies Natural Care Sensitive Wipes

Babyganics Wipes

Waterwipes

Up&Up Target fragrance-free baby wipes

Honest baby wipes

This is a lot to process — we know. If you’re stressing about prepping for a new baby, please take a look at our trimmed down newborn essentials checklist to see what things to focus your energy on trying to obtain during the pandemic. And remember — yes, the shelves may be empty from time to time, but the suppliers and retailers are working extra hard to keep you and your family safe and all stocked up. So if the diapers you need are out today, keep on checking — they will be back in stock!

If there’s one thing that this pandemic is teaching us, it’s that it’s easy — if not human nature — to succumb to fear: the more empty shelves we see, the bigger our urge to panic-buy, and the more empty shelves we’ll get. Really, we get it — and we may have gone to Costco a couple of times ourselves. But this vicious cycle creates hardships on others. So prepare yourself for a lockdown, by all means, but try to resist the temptation to hoard to excess. We suggest only buying what you need for a couple of weeks. This will give other parents a chance to meet their families’ needs as well. #inthistogether