Diapers draining your budget? We compared baby product prices at State College stores

Household staples and consumer goods have grown more expensive over the past year, and that’s certainly making it tougher for the average American shopper to find deals at the supermarket.

The average price for consumer goods grew 3.4% over the last year, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. Through an early 2023 study, the agency found significant increases in baby food prices over the last decade, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even small increases over the course of a year can create significant strains and challenges for families shopping on a budget — especially if they’re caring for infants and young children.

When money gets tight, where can you find the best deals for diapers, formula and other baby needs? To answer that question, we shopped around at State College grocery stores to compare a handful of common items and see which franchises offered the best options for shoppers on a budget.

How did we track our price comparisons?

Before we dive into the data, there are a few things you should know regarding our process and methodology.

Where did we shop? — We visited State College locations of some of the area’s biggest grocery store and retail chains. In total, this story features prices at Giant, Wegmans and Weis, plus Target and Walmart. All five stores are located along North Atherton Street, though some have other stores throughout State College and across Centre County.

Which stores were excluded? — We left out stores with membership requirements, including Sam’s Club. Specialty and international markets were also excluded, as they may have lacked comparable items to our selections. Other stores, including Aldi and Trader Joe’s, did not carry many items for newborns and their caretakers.

When did we shop? — Prices at these stores were observed and documented in a spreadsheet during individual visits June 7.

What did we shop for? — Although our recent price check on grocery store staples covered nearly 40 items, options were more limited this time. We centered on seven core staples for newborns and babies, ranging from diapers and baby wipes to popular snacks and medications.

Were sale prices a factor? — No. Although they may be noted in this story, weekly sales and specials were not recorded for comparison between stores. We compared only regular prices for these items, but savvy shoppers can likely find even cheaper options when they head to the store.

Looking at the data on baby needs

You can use this Datawrapper visualization to flip through the items featured in our price comparison project. Use the drop-down menu to pick an item and see the graphic respond by sorting each store’s prices.

You can browse the graphic online by visiting datawrapper.de/_/KbJh1.

Giant

Store shopped: 255 Northland Center in State College

You can find three Giant stores in the State College area, but we focused on the location off North Atherton Street. The company’s stores are known for their weekly sales catalogs, rewards programs and even gas stations, the latter of which is available at the Benner Pike store that opened in December 2022.

Our project found Giant often featured low prices for the baby needs included in our survey, including a tie for the lowest nondiscount price on some Gerber baby food tubs ($1.79 for a twin pack). However, Giant sold 21.1-ounce tubs of Enfamil formula ($31.99) for at least two dollars more than some of its competitors in the area.

Target

Store shopped: 315 Colonnade Blvd. in State College

Longtime shoppers know Target sells just about everything these days, and that includes baby needs.

Through our analysis, we found Target did not offer the lowest price in the area on any item we shopped for. Its prices for some staples — including Desitin diaper rash paste ($7.79), infant-strength Tylenol ($6.99) and Gerber Lil’ Crunchies snacks ($2.59) — were in line with local competitors, but often checked in at the second-cheapest price point.

Walmart

Store shopped: 1665 N. Atherton St. in State College

This company’s State College Supercenter offered great value for shoppers searching for baby and infant essentials.

Walmart’s State College store offered the cheapest price in the area on several items, including 21.1-ounce tubs of Enfamil formula ($29.86), 78-count packs of Pampers Swaddlers diapers ($28.22) and maximum-strength Desitin diaper rash paste ($7.48). Its rates for Gerber snacks were competitively cheap compared to other stores in the area.

Wegmans

Store shopped: 345 Colonnade Blvd. in State College

Found in the same shopping center as Target, the only Wegmans in Centre County offered some of the lowest prices in the area on baby needs.

Our analysis found the Rochester, New York-based chain sold store-brand baby wipes ($1.89 for a 72-count pack) and twin packs of Gerber puree snacks ($1.79) for the cheapest prices in the area. Conversely, the store sold Gerber Lil’ Crunchies snacks ($2.79) and Desitin diaper rash cream ($7.79) at the most expensive price in our analysis.

Weis

Store shopped: 1471 Martin St. in State College

This Pennsylvania-headquartered grocery chain offers five stores in Centre County, but we chose to visit its location found off of North Atherton Street.

During our trip, we found Weis offered the best price in the area on Gerber snacks — both Lil’ Crunchies ($2.49) and puree twin packs ($1.79). However, the store was the most expensive when it came to 21.1-ounce tubs of Enfamil formula ($36.99) and 78-count packs of Pampers Swaddlers diapers ($28.99). This Weis location sold infant-strength Tylenol in only 2-ounce boxes, giving it — on a per-ounce basis — the cheapest rate at $5. However, note every other store sold that Tylenol product in 1-ounce bottles.

So, which store has State College’s cheapest prices?

Across the board, Walmart looks like a rather clear winner. The company’s State College Supercenter offered the best prices in several categories, including formula, diapers and infant-strength Tylenol ($6.78).

Those who are looking for the cheapest rates on snacks for their babies and infant-strength Tylenol might want to shop at Weis, while Wegmans seems like the best option for baby wipes and Gerber puree snacks. Giant and Target offered competitive prices on most items, though they did not feature significantly cheaper rates than some of the competition.