True Baby Cost Expansion Plan
Diapers & Baby Essentials Integration
Phase 1: Quick Wins (Get 3 Sales for Amazon Associates)
Goal: Qualify for Amazon Associates within 180 days Timeline: 1-2 weeks
Add to stroller pages:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🛒 What You'll Also Need │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Stroller rain cover ~$25 │
│ • Cup holder ~$15 │
│ • Travel bag ~$40 │
│ • Snack tray ~$20 │
│ ────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Add ~$100 to true cost │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Why this works:
- Parents already on the site buying strollers
- Accessories are impulse-friendly ($15-40)
- Stroller-specific accessories have high intent
- Can be implemented in 1 day
Phase 2: Diaper Calculator (High-Value Consumable)
Goal: Recurring affiliate revenue Timeline: 2-3 weeks
New page: truebabycost.com/diapers (or truestrollercost.com/diapers initially)
Calculator features:
- Input: Expected potty training age (2-4 years)
- Input: Diaper brand preference (budget/mid/premium)
- Output: Total diapers needed (~8,000 AAP estimate)
- Output: True cost comparison by brand
Products to feature:
| Tier | Brand | Cost/diaper | 3-Year Total | Affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Parent’s Choice | $0.15 | $1,200 | ❌ Walmart |
| Budget | Mama Bear | $0.23 | $1,840 | ✅ Amazon |
| Mid | Pampers Swaddlers | $0.35 | $2,800 | ✅ Amazon |
| Mid | Huggies Little Snugglers | $0.37 | $2,960 | ✅ Amazon |
| Premium | Honest Company | $0.42 | $3,360 | ✅ Amazon |
| Premium | Coterie | $0.66 | $5,280 | ✅ Amazon |
Viral hook: “The $4,000 diaper decision” — showing the lifetime cost difference
Phase 3: Full Product Categories
Goal: Become “PCPartPicker for baby gear” Timeline: 1-2 months
Categories from research (180+ products):
| Category | Products | Avg Cost | Affiliate Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diapers | 15 | $1,200-5,280 lifetime | ⭐⭐⭐ High recurring |
| Formula | 19 | $1,200-3,000/year | ⭐⭐⭐ High recurring |
| Wipes | 12 | $200-400/year | ⭐⭐ Medium |
| Car Seats | 20 | $150-550 each | ⭐⭐ One-time |
| Cribs | 15 | $150-1,500 | ⭐⭐ One-time |
| High Chairs | 15 | $30-500 | ⭐⭐ One-time |
| Carriers | 18 | $30-400 | ⭐⭐ One-time |
| Breast Pumps | 12 | $30-500 | ⭐⭐ Insurance often covers |
| Bottles | 20 | $15-300 (sets) | ⭐⭐ Medium |
| Monitors | 15 | $30-400 | ⭐⭐ One-time |
Site structure:
truebabycost.com/
├── strollers/ (existing - truestrollercost.com redirects here)
├── diapers/
├── formula/
├── car-seats/
├── cribs/
├── high-chairs/
├── carriers/
├── pumps/
├── bottles/
├── monitors/
└── calculator/ (total cost of first year)
Phase 4: “First Year True Cost Calculator”
Goal: Viral content piece Timeline: After Phase 3
Inputs:
- Feeding method (breast/formula/combo)
- Diaper preference (budget/mid/premium/cloth)
- Gear tier (essentials only / nice-to-have / everything)
Output:
Your First Year True Cost: $12,847
Breakdown:
├── Diapers & wipes $2,100
├── Formula $1,800
├── Gear (one-time) $4,200
├── Clothing $800
├── Childcare $0 (not included)
└── Healthcare $3,947 (avg w/ insurance)
Compare to national average: $15,400
You're saving: $2,553 👏
Shareable: “I calculated my true baby cost” social cards
Implementation Priority
- This week: Stroller accessories section → gets us affiliate sales
- Week 2-3: Diaper calculator → high-value page
- Month 2: Expand to formula, car seats
- Month 3+: Full category rollout
Technical Notes
Amazon Product API:
- Need Associates account first
- Product Advertising API for prices (or scrape/manual)
- ASIN links:
amazon.com/dp/ASIN?tag=yourtag-20
Domain strategy:
- Keep truestrollercost.com for strollers (SEO established)
- Launch truebabycost.com as umbrella
- Redirect stroller traffic to truebabycost.com/strollers eventually
Data maintenance:
- Prices change frequently
- Consider “price last updated” timestamp
- Build admin panel or use Notion as CMS