All parents know that the number of diapers needed for a newborn is astronomical. Your baby uses 2,500 to 3,000 nappies in the first year alone, which means you should set aside a good amount for your newborn to pass. A wide range of factors, from the sensitivity of your baby's skin to your exertionlimit your carbon footprint, affects exactly how much you will spend.
While these are all important things to consider, your first priority will be finding a diaper that is right for your baby, that doesn't leak, fits well, and generally does what a diaper is supposed to do. After testing diapers for almost a month, I have found that almost any affordable diaper available in stores or from major online retailers like Amazon will work. The best diaper in this category, which diaper industry experts call the budget segment, really comes down to personal preference.
"When you compare diapers and the absorbent core is almost the same, you only look at the external characteristics such as pattern and fashion," says Carlos Richer, CEO ofInternational Diaper Test. The softness of the diaper is another feature that tends to appeal to parents, but softness has little impact on the baby's comfort. According to Richer, it's the quality of a diaper's absorbent core that affects comfort the most, and big differences in absorbency aren't seen until you get to the higher end of the price spectrum (50 cents a diaper or more).
We hope to be able to test some super premium diapers soon to see if there really is a measurable difference in their performance. But now let's take a look at the cheapest diapers on the market. All prices listed are for a full pack of diapers, at minimum size and minimum price.
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Huggies is the diaper brand my family has been using for three years since my son was born. They're smooth, reliable, and won't break the bank. After trying other brands, we chose huggies very early in our parenting journey. Apart from that, it is impossible to analyze them without prejudice.
All parents go through the same trial and error process to find a diaper they like. First, go through several different packs of diapers (which you'll hopefully give yourself at the baby shower) until you find the one that works best for your baby. This trial was similar to the first few weeks with my newborn son, only this time we had the opportunity to further test and analyze the performance of each diaper as my 11 month old poops every five minutes -and-oh-my-god- is everywhere.
Once again, the Huggies stood out as a solid prospect. They fit well, have never leaked or cracked and worked well overnight. His skin was always damp in the morning and occasionally red from prolonged exposure to urine. I don't know where the companies get their 12 hour protection claims from, but in my experience none of them keep their dryness promises for that long periods of time.
Huggies has two main lines of regular diapers: Little Snugglers (up to size 4) and Little Movers. For this test we tested Little Snugglers. The waistband stretches and stays in place, and the leg holes fit snugly around the strong flesh on my daughter's thighs. The fit is good but the look is a bit baggy if that bothers you. Overall, I still like Huggies after trying most of the competition. Just note that as a brand name they aren't the cheapest out there (ranging from 24 cents to 61 cents a size 6).
$11 on target
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Mama Bear is Amazon's diaper brand, and according to the e-commerce giant's MO, the online private label offers a decently competitive product at a relatively low price, plus the convenience of Prime shipping.
The diapers themselves are not very attractive. The two styles in my backpack were simply white and printed with dots. But there are a few features that give Mama Bear some style points. The front tabs of the diaper have a strip of high friction material that helps keep the diaper in place when you roll up the back tab to secure. The velcro straps stick very tightly to the diaper, making them a bit difficult to remove.
Plus, Mama Bear is as easy as a diaper can get. Like many other brands, Mama Bear has a wetness indicator strip down the middle, but it doesn't always change color even when the diaper is wet enough to be changed. The outer shell is said to be breathable, although it feels a bit sticky. They fit my daughter very well in a size 4 and only give her a slightly puffy butt look. The leg holes seemed tight enough around the thighs, but she had a minor blowout at one point.
The absorbency felt the same as other cheap diapers I've tried, although her skin was often clammy after changing. It has to be said that Mama Bear makes no claims about the sustainability or ecology of its products, which probably means it has nothing to offer on the green front. But if that doesn't bother you too much and you don't mind the lack of cute prints, the Mama Bear is a good value at 21 cents for a size 4.
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With Honest Diapers priced significantly higher than other major brands, you would expect a noticeable improvement in quality and performance to justify paying the extra money. But instead you get a diaper that's fine. At first glance, the inside of the diaper seemed to handle liquids better than other diapers I've tried, with channels running almost the entire length of the diaper. In reality, however, these diapers leaked twice and my daughter's skin was always visibly wet after changing them overnight.
What you're paying for, it seems, is the looks. Honest Diapers come in a variety of prints, some are limited edition or seasonal only. This made them by far the most visually interesting diapers I've tried. But how important is it when you roll it up (often full of feces) and throw it away? These diapers were also the tightest of the bunch. The contoured back hugged my daughter's butt with little sagging or swelling. But this path can have its price. My daughter had a triple outbreak (on her back and both legs) in a Honest diaper, by far the most difficult incident on test, and I suspect it may have something to do with the feces having nowhere to go.
The Honest Company likes to flaunt its green credentials in its marketing, but some of the green attributes it touts are dubious. An example is the "vegetable" polylactic acid outer shell, which, although derived from plants, is a plastic that does not degrade over hundreds of years. At 47 cents per size 4 diaper, the Honest is overpriced and not much better (if anything) than any other diaper on this list.
$50 pro Tor
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Founded in 1961, Pampers has been a major player in the disposable diaper market for 60 years. Your parents, and maybe even their parents, most likely used Pampers. Being a household name for so long gives the brand a huge advantage in the marketplace, and much of Pampers' reputation is earned by offering decent quality at an affordable price.
Pampers did well in tests. The elastic band ensures a tight fit at the waist and at the same time offers a lot of comfort. The Velcro flaps separate easily from the rear flaps and are teal, a feature my visually impaired father-in-law appreciated as they were easier to see on white compared to white. The leg holes hug my daughter's thighs a bit, but I had no leaks. The diaper lasted all night, despite her skin remaining damp in the morning, even though these testers were from the Pampers Baby Dry range.
Pampers work fine for the money (32 cents each in size 4) but I can't get over the baby powder smell. According to Pampers, the scent is "non-allergenic and non-irritating to the skin", but it is too strong for me. The Pampers Pure line is fragrance-free, although it's more expensive at 33 to 60 cents per diaper. On the subject of ingredients, Pampers says it uses chlorine-free elemental cellulose that comes from sources certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
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These diapers have a lot in common with Pampers, and it's no coincidence. Both Luvs and Pampers are owned by Procter & Gamble, with the former being a budget brand. But when you look at a Luvs and a Pampers Baby Dry side by side, it's hard to tell where they're cutting corners.
The waistband is practically identical to the Pampers, it has the same elastic tabs at the back with easy-open zippers. Unsurprisingly, this means the fit is pretty much the same, that is pretty good. Even looking under the wrapper with an X-Acto knife didn't show any clear differences to my untrained eye. Both appeared to have the same amount of flaky pulp and three rows of superabsorbent polymeric gel. I haven't tried the Pampers Swaddler or Cruisers lines, so I can't tell if they're similar either.
A difference that puts Luvs a notch above Pampers in my opinion: Luvs is fragrance-free! I also appreciate the brand's slimmer line - there's a Luvs diaper and that's about it. However, I can understand that this could be an inconvenience if the Luvs don't fit your baby well. But if you do, you save a lot compared to Pampers, because each diaper only costs 13-26 cents.
$28 on target
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Because Costco offers deep discounts on the products it sells under its Kirkland Signature brand, the identities of Kirkland's manufacturers are often kept secret to protect them from dilution from their other, more expensive brands. Kirkland Signature diapers are said to be made by Kimberly-Clark, the personal care giant behind Huggies diapers.
Looking at the two side by side, it's easy to see some similarities. Both have an elastic waistband and long, padded closure flaps with Velcro. The Kirkland also has a poop scoop bag, a Huggies exclusive feature. They fit my baby just like the huggies I'm used to. However, I have found that after overnight use the Kirklands tend to get soggy, give off a strong smell of urine through my daughter's pajamas, and sometimes get soaked on the outside of the diaper. They didn't necessarily leak, but they didn't hold up as well as the others in the test.
It could be that the cost savings came from a less robust absorbent core, although we can only speculate. But with the savings you'll see when you move to Kirkland, you might be ready to take it. Kirkland Signature diapers range from 17 to 33 cents per diaper, depending on size. But like most things at Costco, you'll have to buy in bulk to get that price (on top of your membership). A size 4 box held 198 diapers and was big enough for my 3 year old to play hide and seek.
Costco doesn't make many claims about the sustainability of its diapers, but it does say that at least 20% of the materials used in them are plant-based.
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Choosing a private label over a well-known brand can seem like a gamble. Are you getting essentially the same thing for less money, or are you getting exactly what you paid for? For 10-25 cents a diaper, Target's Up & Up brand offers a product that works well. They did well in their intended role in this test, but would they be worth it in the long run? It's hard for me to say.
You cannot confuse this diaper with anything other than a budget option. Just handling them back to back with the other diapers I've tried makes them feel bland. The pattern, while colorful, looks plain and generic (mine had whales printed on it) and the outer shell looks plasticized and cheap. But once I got over that, I found that the Up & Ups fit my baby well thanks to an elasticated waist with accordion tabs that are easy to fasten while still allowing her to move. I haven't noticed any leakage from these diapers, although they smelled strongly of urine after being changed overnight. My daughter's skin was wet in the morning, but none of the diapers I tried managed to keep her completely dry overnight.
They fit well but are a bit swollen. Perhaps as a result, Up & Ups offered some of the best coverage in this test, with the buttocks tucked in most of the time. They work, and if your main concern is to save, they will serve you well. However, it should be noted that the ingredients list clearly references the green credentials.
$5 on target
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Seventh Generation has established itself as an environmentally conscious brand, promoting the use of plant-based ingredients in its products and emphasizing recycling. There's not much that can be done with a disposable diaper today to make it less harmful to the environment, but Seventh Generation is at least trying.
The company states that the fluff pulp used in its diapers has been sustainably harvested and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Seventh Generation diapers are also certified 30% bio-based by the US Department of Agriculture, meaning they are made with a certain amount of plant-based materials.
Being made from natural ingredients is great, but how well do they perform the natural functions of a baby's body? Almost as good as the rest it seems. We didn't experience any leaks or bursting during our testing and found the fit to be fine. The waistband is elastic and the leg openings fit around my daughter's thick thighs. One downside is that there is no wetness indicator strip so you just have to feel it unless you change your baby regularly. Like others on this list, overnight use has pushed these diapers to the limit. Again, no leakage, but her skin was always clammy and sometimes cold.
At 32-56 cents per diaper, the seventh generation is only worth it if you believe in the company's green mission. The truth is, at the end of the day you're still wearing a disposable diaper, and no matter where the materials come from, they're still sitting in a landfill where they won't decompose for hundreds of years. At least the company istransparent that their diapers are not biodegradable.
$26 on target
like i tried
I tried every baby diaper on my daughter for two full days and nights. He wears an average of six diapers a day and poops fairly regularly. As I mentioned earlier, we are a Huggies family. But it turned out that by the time the test started, my daughter was willing to change the size. So while my wife and I had a lot of experience with size 3 huggies, size 4 huggies were brand new to us and we spent the same. more time in them than the rest of the diapers on this list.
I rated each diaper based on the following criteria:
- Material quality:How soft is my baby's bottom? Does it look that smooth from the outside or is it smooth and plasticky?
- Easy to use:How easy is it to undo and secure the hook and loop fasteners on the front of the diaper? How easy is it to tell when my daughter is wet?
- Absorption:How well does the diaper keep my baby dry, especially at night?
- To adjust:How well does it fit? Do the leg holes create a tight enough seal to prevent leaks or bursting? Is the waist tight and comfortable at the same time?
- Cost:How economical would it be to use a specific diaper? Is it worth the money?
- Ecological damage:Is any part plant-based or sustainably sourced? Is the company doing anything to offset the waste generated by its diapers?
What Makes a Diaper Comfortable?
When I went into this test, I thought the answer to that question was clear. But just like diapers, this problem has many layers. For example, it's important to first understand why a baby feels uncomfortable wearing a diaper. Here again Carlos Richer from Diaper Testing International:
"There's a misconception about why babies cry in the middle of the night when they're not even hungry. Babies don't cry because their diaper leaks, they don't care. They cry because they are cold as soon as you pee in the diaper but 15-30 minutes later it gets cold because it reaches room temperature say 70 degrees what happens when the liquid in the diaper reaches 70 degrees and you the diaper squeeze with some pressure and it gets wet So what happens here is you have a diaper that's wet on the surface and transfers that moisture to the baby's skin... If you let the urine come up to room temperature, you won't be able to sleep . It's just impossible.
Richer goes on to explain that this liquid-to-skin contact phenomenon is evaluated by what is called a rewet test. In this test, a specific amount of synthetic urine (not water, as it is not a good urine analog due to the salt content of urine) is poured into a diaper. Then pressure is applied to simulate a baby's weight and filter paper is placed on top to see if the surface is wet or dry. This differs from the retention test, which measures how well the absorbent core holds urine when placed in a centrifuge. The hold test gives you an idea of the diaper's full capacity and how long it can last between changes. The reweet test, on the other hand, gives you an idea of how dry the baby will feel and how much urine will be in contact with the skin.
"When it comes to comfort, the most important parameter is rewetting," says Richer. “And rewetting has a very uncomfortable correlation. The higher it is, the more rash you get, because prolonged exposure to moisture breaks down the skin, making it susceptible to rashes and infections.”
How can you avoid this? The sad truth is that economically it is very difficult. Diapers in this category are made based on a template or recipe of ingredients that are determined based on the price of the diaper. This gives manufacturers a range of materials to work with, including superabsorbent polymer and ADL, or Acquisition Distribution Layer, a special type of nonwoven fabric that channels urine quickly into the core while providing a wicking effect that helps keep moisture out. of the top sheet.
In the end, however, the diaper comes with a price tag and there's not much you can do about it. The best way to ensure comfort and combat diaper rash is to change diapers regularly.
What Makes a Diaper Eco-Friendly?
The diaper industry is seeing shifts in attitude when it comes to reducing waste, reducing our carbon footprint and responsibly sourcing renewable materials. Many companies claim to be green, but there is still work to be done. Currently, no disposable diaper is truly compostable or recyclable.Dyper has a programwhere you can pay to send your fecal soccer balls to a commercial composting facility. However, this requires the addition of certain elements to the compost mix to suppress methane gas production and dilute the salinity of the diaper cores.
Richer believes we'll soon be seeing far fewer diapers going to landfills. Instead, we may see a mix of industrial aerobic composting and industrial recycling, with facilities that can sterilize, shred, and sort diaper components for reuse. If it's convenient and saves energy, that sounds like a great alternative to just throwing thousands of tons of diapers in the trash.
The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified healthcare professional if you have any questions about a medical condition or health goals.