The 8 best credit cards for new parents, helping you pay for everything from diapers to a college fund

A lot changes when you have a child, and that includes your everyday expenses. From buying packs of diapers in bulk, to frequenting the grocery aisles for baby food and browsing Amazon for newborn everything, your now-expanded shopping list may mean it's time to open a credit card that fits your growing family's needs.

The best credit cards for new parents are those that reward the categories where you spend the most. Whether it's a rewards card or a cash-back card, there are many options to choose from that help ease the financial burden of becoming a new parent.

Below, Select rounds up eight common spending categories for new parents and the best corresponding credit card to use for each.

• For making the grocery store rounds: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
• For driving to appointments and playdates: PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card
• For squeezing in a workout: U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
• For the frequent Target run: Target RedCard™
• For filling up your Amazon cart: Prime Visa
• For the times when you forget to pay your credit card bill: Citi Simplicity® Card
• For kickstarting your kid's college fund: Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card
• For earning money back: Citi Double Cash® Card

New moms and dads will be happy to learn that the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers the highest cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets at 6% (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%). We calculated that the average American can earn $310 in cash back each year when they do their shopping at qualifying supermarkets. If you're a parent looking to maximize cash back on that never-ending grocery list, this card is for you.

For loyal grocery shoppers at the bulk discount retailer Costco, it may be worth considering the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi (see rates and fees). Its robust rewards program offers 2% cash back on all eligible purchases from Costco and Costco.com.

In addition to high grocery rewards with the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, there's an unlimited 6% cash back on over 20 select streaming subscriptions, including popular services like Netflix, Spotify and Disney+ — which may come in handy during a future toddler temper tantrum.

The Blue Cash Preferred Card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95. (see rates and fees). It can be offset, however, by the cash back you earn and the discounts you get through the money-saving Amex Offers, which provide extra points at participating retailers.

The PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card currently offers the highest rewards rate at gas stations, with 5X points per dollar spent on gas purchases at the pump. If you want to maximize rewards while transporting your little one, this card can earn the average American $111 annually, based on CNBC Select calculations.

This card has no annual fee, so you can really save on the road. PenFed is a credit union, so membership is required to open the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card.

Whether it entails enrolling in a gym membership or using fitness equipment in the comfort of your own home, getting exercise is a good outlet for any new parent. With the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card, you can earn up to 5% cash back at gyms and fitness centers. This was the only card CNBC Select could find that offers bonus rewards, more than 2%, on eligible gyms. Gyms and fitness clubs are considered one category, and popular merchants include SoulCycle, LA Fitness and Equinox. Check out the full list of eligible gyms and fitness centers.

Cardholders can also benefit from 5% cash back on two bonus categories each quarter, including home utilities and department stores (which pairs nicely with making your home baby-friendly). You can also enjoy no interest on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles (after 19.49% - 29.74% variable APR), so if you need to pay off high interest debt, this may be the card for you. 

If you're a parent who likes to do all of your general shopping in one place — groceries, clothing and everything in-between — a Target credit card may be your next best move.

The Target RedCard™ is a store card that offers members a 5% discount at checkout on most purchases in-store and at Target.com. This is a great way to save instantly on your Target runs. You don't accrue points like other rewards and cash-back credit cards, but you also don't have to jump through hoops to redeem them.

The card also has no annual fee and offers a bunch of additional perks, such as free two-day shipping on most items with no minimum purchase and an additional 30 days for returns. Target RedCard™ holders can also benefit from 10% off a purchase every account anniversary year and exclusives, such as special items, gifts and offers throughout the year.

Though we recommend the Target credit card because of its instant discount at checkout, both in-store and online, it is worth mentioning its counterpart big retailer, Walmart. Walmart has two credit cards: the co-branded Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard® and the private-label Walmart Rewards™ Card. Both Walmart cards come with no annual fee, but they earn a lower 2% cash back on Walmart® purchases in-store. And if you don't want to deal with the hassle of cashing in your points when it comes to redeeming rewards, Target is again the best choice.

If you see yourself ordering all the baby basics online, you should consider getting an Amazon credit card. Although the Prime Visa, offered through Chase, requires users to have an eligible Amazon Prime membership ($139 annually, or $14.99 a month), the company's branded credit card offers the highest rewards return: a robust 5% cash back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market. Amazon Prime membership gives you access to a number of perks, including free two-day shipping, access to Prime Video and exclusive discounts at Whole Foods (that grocery list is looking less daunting).

When you sign up for the card, Prime members receive a $200 Amazon.com gift card automatically after account approval. This welcome bonus could be a great way to help fund a new nursery in your home, or gift your partner something special for being a new parent.

Now that your life just got a whole lot busier, it's only normal that other things may sometimes fall by the wayside — like paying your bills on time. We always recommend you pay your credit card balance on time and in full every month to avoid paying interest, but if you find yourself sometimes slipping, the Citi Simplicity® Card may be right for you.

The card has a guaranteed no penalty rate, no late fees if you miss a credit card payment and no annual fee.

The Citi Simplicity® Card also ranked on Select's list of the best balance transfer credit cards because it has one of the longest 0% intro APR periods out there, offering you a huge stretch of time to pay off any revolving credit card debt while starting a family. New card members can get 0% intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening (after 19.24% - 29.99% variable APR; balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening). There is an introductory balance transfer fee of 3% or $5, whichever is greater for transfers completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5). This can be helpful if you have a large balance or if your cash flow doesn't allow you to pay off debt within the 6-, 12-, 15-month time periods of other balance transfer cards.

It's never too early to start saving for your child's education. 529 college savings credit cards are your best bet when planning for future college costs. These credit cards automatically deposit cash-back rewards from all your purchases into a 529 plan that you can open for your child. A 529 plan is a specialized savings account where the money is used to pay for the beneficiary's college expenses and K-12 tuition, tax-free.

A popular 529 card is the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card that offers 2% cash back on purchases, putting money directly into your kid's college savings without you having to think about it. We recommend the Fidelity® card because of its higher rewards, but as a second option there is the Upromise^® Mastercard^®, which offers 1.25% cash back.

While 529 credit cards can be helpful in encouraging you to save money for your child's college education, we don't recommend relying on these alone to fund it.

With all the additional spending ahead of you, it helps to have a credit card that simply lets you earn cash back on all of your purchases.

The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee credit cards because of its straightforward and flat-rate, cash-back rewards program. Cardholders earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24

With no limit to the amount you can earn back, new parents can really cash in on spending for the newborn in their lives. Cash back can be redeemed for a statement credit or direct deposit, and you don't have to worry about activating bonus categories and tracking your purchases with this card.

For rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred Card, click here

Information about the Target RedCard™, Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®, Walmart Rewards™ Card, Prime Visa, Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card, and Upromise^® Mastercard^® has been collected independently by CNBC and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the cards prior to publication. If you purchase something through Select links for the Prime Visa, we may earn a commission.