Free Diapers: How Persistence Got Me Into a Diaper Study

Some things sound too good to be true. Try, "Diaper Study: Free Diapers, and Get Paid to Use Them." My overly-analytical (okay, suspicious) mind would question, "What's the catch?" Another mom who had taught me how to do couponing explained to me that she had done this to get free diapers when times were tight in her budget. She walked me through the process.

Even with her help, my initial concerns about following through with this money-saving tip were as follows: Would the diapers leak? Would they really pay me? What was the catch? Would I complete this whole survey, and find out that my answers were not what they were looking for, and have wasted a lot of time? Would I be charged for shipping? Would the diapers cause a rash? However, with two little bottoms in diapers, it was worth a try.

First, I had to call the company to see if they had an opening for a survey in my children's sizes. I had to call more than one time. The first time I called, the answering machine kicked on, told me to leave a message, and they would call me back. I left a message, and did not hear back. I called back several times, and finally, a live person answered the phone.

They requested my name, address, telephone number, age and weight of the child that would be wearing the diapers. An appointment was set up at this time, for a survey-completion phone interview. (An emphasis was made that I would not get paid unless I completed the phone interview.) Four days later my twenty diapers showed up at my front door. My initial concerns were alleviated: the diapers did not leak, and they did not cause a rash.

Second, I had to fill out the survey. The survey is 3-4 pages in length and all of questions are easy to answer if you use the diapers as specified. Common questions the survey asked were:

  • Did the diapers gap at the legs?
  • Did the diapers leak?
  • Did you like the appearance of the diaper?
  • Did the side panels stay attached?

The interviewer, a female with a southern drawl, was very professional and prompt, and the interview lasted just under ten minutes. My opinions about the diapers were valued and written down. I was told a $10 check would be mailed four to six weeks later. It actually arrived within two weeks of the phone interview. Since most packs of diapers sell anywhere from $8.99-$11.49, in the end, I received the equivalent of two packs of diapers for free.

There are different companies offering diaper surveys, so you need to find out the completion requirements before agreeing to take the survey. How can you find legitimate companies that are doing product testing? A good place to start is to ask your mom friends. That is how I happened to hear about the one I tried. Another way is to do a search online under DIAPER STUDY or PRODUCT TESTING, or check out sites like A Full Cup to see what other companies people have used, and to get specific questions and concerns answered.

Surveys can be done more than once with the same child, or with multiple children. If you have twins, they would count as two participants, and you would be able to do two surveys, one for each child.

So the next time you hear about an offer that may sound too good to be true, look into it a bit more and you may just see it is worthwhile. It literally paid for me to be persistent, and call back repeatedly. Also, it was important for me to keep my end of the bargain. This meant keeping my appointment time and completing the survey. In the end, it was definitely worth it.

This is a guest post by Maggie Walters, a freelance writer, educator, and enthusiastic extreme couponer.

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Guest's picture
Karen

Thank you for this information! I had heard about doing these before, but thought they were scam.

Guest's picture
Diane

Very interesting...I may look into this to stretch the time between diaper deals in my area. Good to know.

Guest's picture
J.

Cloth is cheaper :-)

Guest's picture
Maggie

J.-
I have heard this before, but did not look into it with my first baby. A friend of mine had, even doing a diaper service, and found it to be too much of a hassle. I like free, which these were, and they are for me on a regular basis through couponing. However, you sound like you have some good information and just might need to write a guest post, too.

Blessings,

Guest's picture
missy81

I found an offer for a free one year supply of diapers. Anyone can sign up for this and you can select to receive Pampers, Huggies or Luvs. Looks like the cost is covered by sponsors of the program. I'm so glad I found this cause I have a two year old and a 6 month old and we go through a ton of diapers every month, LOL. Everyone should check this out... http://cli.gs/freediapers

Guest's picture

Wow - I have never heard of an opportunity like this before. With our second child on the way, this is definitely something I will keep in mind. Do you know if these surveys are limited to residents living in certain areas?

I have a few other money saving tips your readers (new moms and dads) may be interested in: http://baby-products.suite101.com/article.cfm/money_saving_tips_for_new_...

Thanks again for the article!