Disposable Diaper Review

Pampers are the priciest brand of diapers that you will find in the super market. There was a time that Pampers were worth the expense. Generic diapers used to look and feel awful and also leak. Pampers used to be soft and performed great. But now many generic diapers are great and Pampers has recently changed their design, and in my opinion Pampers aren't worth what they're charging.

Baby Dry is Pampers last expensive diaper and are available in newborn through size 6. Pampers Baby Dry disposable diapers aren't as soft as they used to be. They are super thin, flimsy, and stiff now. They have an absorbant strip in the dead center, but when a mess misses that center it tends to leak right through. They do still have super stretchy tabs and fit great, but so do many of the generic diapers that are available today.

Pampers Baby Dry disposable diapers have cute Sesame Street Baby motif in gender neutral yellows and teals. In addition to the Sesame Street motif at the top band, they do also have a light design all over. While this additional decoration is cute, it does show through some clothing. Pampers diapers are lightly scented with a fragrance similar to baby powder. I find the scent very pleasant, but Pampers diapers are not a good choice for babies who are sensitive to perfumes. My first baby was allergic to Pampers.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Pampers Baby Dry:
Look: 4
Feel: 1
Performance: 1
Overall Rating: 2

Pampers Swaddlers are Pampers' premium diaper for smaller babies. Pampers Swaddlers come in preemie, size 1, and size 2.

Pampers Swaddlers are super expensive. At $0.28 per unit, they cost more than a quarter a diaper! There was a time that I would have said if money were no object, that Pampers Swaddlers were worth the expense. They were soft and absorbant. Also, the unique netted liner kept poop off of your newborn's sensitive skin. That was then. Now Pampers has changed their premium diapers by putting in what they are calling Dry Max technology. I don't like the new Pampers with Dry Max at all and if you read the reviews on Pampers' own website, you will see most moms agree with me. The Dry Max is much thinner than any other diaper, but it's also stiffer and feels flimsy and cheap. It also is a little crunchy and breaks apart when it gets wet. I prefer the feel and performance of just about every generic diaper to the new Pampers with Dry Max.

If you are looking for a premium diaper to put your newborn in, then look into Huggies Little Snugglers.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Pampers Swaddlers:
Look: 4
Feel: 1
Performance: 1
Overall Rating: 2

I had to completely redo my review of Pampers Cruisers because Proctor and Gamble recently completely changed their diapers. When my first two children were younger, Pampers Cruisers were the absolute hands down best diaper on the market. They were pricey at $0.24 per diaper, but they were a high quality diaper. They were plush, soft, stretchy, and comfortable; they never leaked or broke apart. They were great. Then P&G decided to replace the old Cruisers with a new and improved Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max, and not only have they gone up to just over $0.26 a diaper but they are awful. If you visit Pampers website and read customer reviews of the new Dry Max Pampers you will see consumers begging P&G to bring back the old Cruisers.

The new Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max are thin, flimsy, and stiff. You have to change them really fast or they leak. It's not just that the new Pampers Cruisers aren't as nice as the old ones, but that they are now so cheaply made and awful that generic diapers are better than the new Pampers with Dry Max. The Dry Max is not comfortable, doesn't hold liquid long, and breaks apart. Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max are not worth your money.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Pampers Cruisers:
Look: 1
Feel: 1
Performance: 1
Overall Rating: 1

Huggies Snug and Dry disposable diapers are kind of a hit or miss diaper. Parents either love Huggies or they hate them. Huggies seem to fit each baby differently. They leak on some babies (even the Huggies Supremes) and hold tight on others. Huggies leaked horribly on my first two babies. Since one baby was a girl and the other a boy, gender had no relevance on how the diaper held up. I tried the Huggies Supreme and the Huggies Snug & Dry on them both and I had leaks daily. I couldn't wait to get the package used up. With my third baby, however, I loved Huggies. I preferred the Snug & Dry to the premium Huggies Supreme on my third baby. The Snug & Dry fit her better than the Huggies Supreme.

Huggies Snug & Dry diapers feel a bit like all of the gerneric disposable diapers. They have the same thickness and stiffness of all of the generic diapers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If they fit your baby well, then you won't have leaks. Unfortunately, if they don't fit your baby well, then every mushy poop will leak out the legs. They leaked with my first baby and held tight with the other two. The advantage Huggies has over generic diapers is that it does a better job of wicking away moisture, thus protecting your baby's delicate skin. If my baby gets a diaper rash (I have her in generic diapers) then I usually have to put her back in Huggies for a while before I can get the rash to heal.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Huggies Snug & Dry:
Look:3
Feel: 3
Performance: 3
Overall Rating: 3

Many parents who complain that Huggies Snug and Dry leak, give rave reviews for Huggies Supremes. I've known many parents that say Huggies Snug and Dry didn't fit their baby but the Huggies Supremes fit great. Huggies Supremes are softer than the Snug and Dry and a bit stretchier. The Huggies Supreme has a better fit, feel, and appearance than the Pampers Baby Dry, but isn't quite as nice as the Pampers Cruisers before they changed to Dry Max.

While I'm a big fan of generic diapers and see no point in paying for a name brand diaper that is just going to end up in the trash when there are so many great generic diapers out there, I must admit I love the Huggies Little Snugglers for newborns. Nothing seemed to fit my tiny little new baby like the Little Snugglers did and they are so super soft. I bought the sensitive ones since allergies are so prominent in my family and they are so super cute, soft, and stretchy. I also loved that they had a color indicator that showed when they were wet. The color indicator goes from the front to back, so it will change color for poops or pees. I'm all about saving money, but Little Snugglers are so awesome that I spent the extra money and bought these for my third baby until she was in a size 2.

Besides just bragging on the diaper, I must also brag on the company. Huggies are manufactured by Kimberly-Clark. I bought a large jumbo pack of Huggies Supremes and they were defective. The inner elastic along the leg that keeps the messes in was all stretched out on the left leg on every diaper in the entire box. I emailed the company and they sent me a coupon for a free jumbo pack, two $3 off coupons for jumbo packs, $1 off coupon for any size pack, and a $0.50 off coupon for any size pack. I received my coupons just a week after writing them. Now, that is what I call customer service! They were so nice to me that I feel guilty that both of my babies are now in generic diapers, but as you will see further down, the price difference between geric and name brand diapers is just way too big to ignore.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Huggies Supremes:
Look: 5
Feel: 5
Performance: 5
Overall Rating: 5

Yep, Huggies Overnights are the most expensive diaper on this lens at a whopping 38 cents each! But, they are an overnight diaper, so you only use one a day. and they are worth it. I started using Huggies Overnights when my daughter turned one. Her diapers were getting so full and puffy that they were waking her up at night. I switched to Huggies Overnights after reading great reviews about them on epinions and to my amazement, unlike all other Huggies diapers, they do not leak at all. They don't even get that puffy, so they stay comfortable throughout the night. My daughter started sleeping through the night thanks to the Huggies Overnight diaper.

My son started wearing Huggies Overnights at around 10 months old. He was tired, but would toss and turn a lot in his sleep and act uncomfotable. I put him in Huggies Overnights, dispite my husband's protests about the expense, as he suddenly started sleeping through the night.

I put my third baby in Huggies Overnights at 8 months old. She would get squirmy and restless in her sleep, but now sleeps peacefully with her overnight diaper.

Huggies Overnights not only stop night time leaks, they keep my babies more comfortable throughout the night.

Huggies Overnights run a little small. My town doesn't carry the size 3 (the size my daughter wears in every other brand I put her in), so she wears the size 4 in the overnight and it fits just fine.

*Mommy Tip: I also use the Huggies Overnights for long drives or trips to the zoo. They work great at keeping my daughter comfortable until it's convenient to stop and change her diaper.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Huggies Overnights:
Look: 5
Feel: 5
Performance: 5
Overall Rating: 1

Luvs are a great bargain diaper. The first time I used Luvs, back in 2006, they did not have stretchy sides. I had to tighten the velcro tabs a few times per diaper to get them to stay up. I tried Luvs again with my second baby and they now have stretchy tabs. They have Blue's Clues pictures on them that vary in colors of red, yellow, and purple.

Luvs are great to buy if the store is sold out of your usual brand (which I've done a few times). They are a good value compared to Pampers and Huggies, and they do not leak. In my experience, Luvs hold big, soft breastfed poops better than any other diaper I've tried. My son loves to eat fruit, but if he eats too much he has giant poops that leak out of the legs of every diaper I've ever tried, that is every diaper except for Luvs. Really the only negative thing about Luvs diapers is that the outside isn't made of the new clothlike material that all the other diapers are. This gives Luvs that old school diaper plastic crackle sound when your baby moves. Even generic diapers don't crackle, so I don't buy Luvs unless it's the only diaper available in the size I need.

Also, very recently Luvs added fragrance. My first baby was very allergic to perfumed diapers and that was the only reason why I ever tried store brand diapers in the first place. She could always wear Luvs though because they weren't scented. Now they are. The scent is pleasant and not strong, but now my son is allergic to Luvs and he never had trouble with them in the past.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Luvs:
Look: 3
Feel: 2
Performance: 5
Overall Rating: 3

Even though I've had a great experience with generic diapers such as Target, White Cloud, and Parent's Choice, many moms just aren't comfortable with putting their babies in generic diapers for one reason or another. So, for this price comparison I'm going to show you how much you'll save in a month and a year if you choose Luvs (the cheapest name brand diaper) over Pampers Cruisers (the most expensive name brand diaper).

Pampers Cruisers size three are $19.24 for 80 diapers. Luvs are $19.97 for 120 diapers. Since Luvs has so many more diapers in a pack, I can get away with buying 2 packs of Luvs a month, but must buy 3 of the Pampers. That means I'm spending $39.94 on Luvs a month, where as I'd have to spend $57.52 a month on Pampers. That's a savings of $17.58 a month or $210.96 over the course of a year. Imagine how much more you would even save if you bought Parent's Choice instead.

I love this diaper. It has stretchy tabs, hugs baby's legs, is soft, and doesn't leak at all. The only time I've ever had a leak with the Target brand diaper is overnight. They are unscented, so are great for sensitive babies. If you frequent Target, or have one located close to you then this should be your diaper of choice. My first baby wore nothing but the Target diaper for 10 months. They work great and even though they fit better than Luvs, the Target diaper is cheaper.

Right now, the Target Up & Up diaper is cheaper than Walmart's White Cloud and Parent's Choice diapers. And even though it costs less, it is a much better diaper than Walmart's diaper. The absolute only downside to this diaper is that it has cute blue and green dots all over it. While the dots are cute, if you put your baby in a thin lightly colored outfit, you will see the dots through their clothes.

It's important to note that the Target diaper runs a little small. If your baby is close to needing a size up in the other brands then definitely go the size up with the Target diaper. It doesn't run a whole size smaller than other brands, it simply fits a little more snug.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Target's Up & Up:
Look: 4
Feel: 4
Performance: 5
Overall Rating: 4

One day my husband called me from work and asked if I needed him to pick anything up on the way home. Our newborn was almost out of diapers. At the time, I only used the Target brand diaper, but my husband was planning to stop off at WalMart, so I asked him to pick up a package of Luvs. Boy, was I mad when he came home with WalMart's generic diaper called White Cloud. He said he bought it because the price was so low. All I could think about was that now I'd have to put my precious newborn in these horrible cheap diapers. But, the White Cloud diaper really surprised me. It worked great and we had no leaks.

White Clouds work great. I haven't had a leak with them yet. White Cloud diapers have stretchy velcro-like tabs, just like name brand diapers do. They are not quite as good as some other generic disposable diapers, like Target, Member's Mark, Walgreen's, or Top Care Baby. But, if money is tight, White Cloud will meet your needs. They don't leak and aren't irritating to baby's skin, but they don't wick away moisture well, so if you don't change a wet diaper really fast, your baby may end up with a little bit of a rash.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for White Cloud:
Look: 3
Feel: 3
Performance: 3
Overall Rating: 3

Believe it or not, I like the Parent's Choice diaper. Could have knocked me over with a feather when I tried this diaper. It is one of the cheapest diapers available and it is one of my favorites. I've never had a leak with the Parents Choice diaper and to my surprise they are softer than the new Pampers. Parent's Choice diaper performs not quite as well as some of the other generic diapers I've reviewed here, but dispite their cheap price Parents Choice diapers are unbelievably soft and comfortable and don't leak. This diaper is unscented, so it's great for sensitive babies. Another nice feature is that the main part of the diaper is plain white so it doesn't show through your baby's clothes.

What is super surprising is how well the core of the Parent's Choice diaper holds fluid. It stays together and soft and doesn't break apart at all. Now that Proctor and Gamble have changed Pampers, I like the Parent's Choice diaper much better than the new Pampers, even if you don't indlude the cheaper price tag as a deciding factor. The only reason I rate some other generics higher than Parent's Choice is that they do not wick moisture away. A wet Parents Choice diaper should be changed promptly or sensitive skin will be irritated. When changing a soggy Parents Choice diaper, you will notice your baby's skin is very damp. If you let a Parent's Choice diaper get super saturated, the gell will start to come loose and some will get on your baby. But this only occurs if you are lax about changing your baby's diaper or let a Parent's Choice sit on over night. As stated earlier, I recommend Huggies Overnights to use at bedtime any way.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) here's my diaper rating for Parent's Choice:
Look: 3
Feel: 4
Performance: 4
Overall Rating: 4

Top Care Baby disposable diapers are available at Brookshire's Grocery stores in my area. In other regions, I've been told other super markets sell Top Care Baby. If you know of other stores that sell them, be sure to leave me a note in the guestbook.

I love the Top Care Baby disposable diaper and I love their supreme version even more. Top Care diapers have Clifford the Big Red Dog on them and a shooting star design. The look and feel of a Top Care diaper is a step up from the Target and Walmart store brand diapers. The gathers on the legs hug and stay put like Huggies. Top Care diapers also wick moisture away better than Up&Up and Parent's Choice and the gel never seems to break apart, even under heavy wetting.

Member's Mark is sold by Sam's Club. Even though Walmart owns Sam's Club, the Member's Mark brand diaper is a lot nicer than Parent's Choice. They feel like a premium diaper and I have zero complaints regarding their performance. They are comfortable, unscented, don't leak, never break apart. Since Pampers changed their diaper, Member's Mark is one of the nicest diapers on the market and it is almost the absolute cheapest diaper. The only downside to buying Member's Mark diapers is that you have to buy an enormous box (nothing at Sam's Club comes in a small package). This isn't good if you are just wanting to try the diaper out. However, I have two friends that had very sensitive babies that were allergic to almost all disposable diapers and both of their babies wore Member's Mark diapers without any problems.

I love Walgreen's generic diaper. It's nicer than Up&Up and Parent's Choice diapers. The legs are stretchier, making for a great fit. Walgreen's diapers fit all three of my babies great. I've never had a leak with Walgreen's generic diapers and the gel doesn't break apart either. The Walgreen's diaper feels and performs much like the Member's Mark diaper, so if you're looking for a great generic diaper and don't have a Sam's Club membership I recommend the Walgreen's generic diaper.

If you're using Pampers Cruisers at $0.26 per diaper, and change six diapers a day you are spending $1.56 a day on diapers. That is probably a conservative estimate since I change eight or more diapers most days. If you had your baby in Parent's Choice and changed six diapers a day, you'd be spending $0.14 per diaper, or $0.84 a day. That would add up to $569.40 for a year in Pampers Cruisers vs $306.60 for the same year in Walmart's Parent's Choice. That's a savings of $262.80 over the course of a year!

When you do the math and consider the fact that soiled diapers in up in the garbage any way, it makes it really hard to validate spending more money on name brand diapers.

When I had my daughter, the hospital provided us with Pampers, which I loved. They didn't leak and were super soft and stretchy. Unfortunately, the second week home from the hospital, my daughter developed an allergy to Pampers. It really scared me as a new mom. She had a bright red (think lobster-red) rash every where the diaper touched her. It literally looked like she was wearing a red diaper.

We had a package of Huggies at the house that was given to me at my baby shower. But as I stated earlier, Huggies leak horribly. After ending up with a lap full of poop for the second time, I sent my husband to the store to buy our baby some other diapers. I was so discouraged because I knew Pampers didn't leak, but my daughter couldn't wear them. And, since Huggies is the next name brand after Pampers, I thought nothing else would stop leaks and assumed Pampers was the only good diaper out there. Boy, was I wrong!

The next diaper I tried was Luvs. I remember all of the commercials talking about how they stop leaks as well as those "pricier brands." So, I gave them a try. They didn't leak at all and they weren't scented, so they didn't irritate my baby at all. I used them for a while. The tabs didn't stretch so I kept having to tighten the diaper to keep it up.

I decided to look at epinions and see if anyone had reviewed diapers and they had. I found out that a lot of parents liked the Target diaper. I bought a box and loved them. They had stretchy tabs, fit great, weren't scented and didn't leak. We used nothing but the Target diaper in the day (we started using an overnight diaper when she was about a year old) until after we had our second baby. By then my daughter was 20 months old, so the Target diaper served us well for over a year.

After having my second baby, it became tedious going to WalMart with two babies to buy groceries then loading them back in the car and driving to Target to buy diapers. So, I decided to give the WalMart's White Cloud a try and it was just as good as the Target diaper. In fact, except for the outer design and color, they seem like the exact same diaper. Then one day, when I was checking out at WalMart, the cashier said, "Oh, White Clouds are nice, but have you tried Parent's Choice? They are cheaper and don't leak at all." So, after we used up the White Clouds I bought a package of Parent's Choice and they are great! After all of the diapers I've tried over the past nearly two years, Parent's Choice is second only to Pampers Baby Dry. They don't leak, have super stretchy tabs and waste band and they are very soft. Much softer than White Cloud and the Target diaper.

I've tried many different baby wipes. I've used Pampers, Huggies, Parent's Choice, and just about any other brand that is available at WalMart, Target, and most grocery stores. There is only one wipe that I like and that's Target's wipe. Pampers and Huggies wipes are scratchy and stiff compared to Target's wipe. The Target wipe is thick, strong, and super soft. It works well without irritating sensitive skin. The only downside to the Target wipe is that their plastic container lets the wipes dry out. So, I bought one Huggies wipe that comes in the plastic box. After I used the Huggies wipes, I kept the box. I now just buy the Target wipes in bulk and refill the Huggies container.