Diaper Reviews

cm716 · March 2016

I thought it might be helpful for FTM to hear diaper reviews from STM+. I thought we could all list the brands we have tried, name the things we did/didn't like, skin reactions,talk about cost vs. quality etc. When I was a FTM I felt like I HAD to get to Pampers or Huggies and nothing else would do. Now, I look back and laugh at myself and wish I had spent less money! So let's all review.

cm716 · March 2016

Diapers I have tried:

Pampers: I love them and they smell great. They leak very little. My only downside would be that they are more expensive.

Huggies: Another good brand but they tend to leave those little crystals on their bums. It doesn't hurt them, just something I've noticed. Also, I think they are a little bulky under clothes. These are almost always the same price as Pampers.

Honest Brand: I got these as a shower gift and they are very popular among my eco-conscious friends. The prints are super cute and they work great but they are really expensive.

Target Brand: These are okay. They are significantly cheaper than Pampers or Huggies. I have found that they do leak occasionally. They also don't leave my daughter smelling great and I change pretty regularly.

Luvs: These probably get the most mixed reviews among my mom friends. People either love them or hate them. I don't personally like them. I found them to leak a lot but I only have girls and my friends that have boys seem to have less complaints about that. They are priced really well though.

H-E-B: H-E-B is our local grocery store in Texas. So, this will probably only be helpful if you live in Texas but their store brand is awesome. I get diapers almost a nickel cheaper per diaper than the major brands. They work great, they never leak even overnight. Hands down my favorite. They are also cheaper than ordering diapers with Amazon Prime.

Kirkland: These are the Costco brand and I've never tried them personally but they have gotten great reviews from my other mom friends on both price and quality.

To my FTM's, I hope this helps. I wish I had branched out more with my first!

texasmama2014 · March 2016

I love Luvs. They work fantastic and they're super cheap. We didn't have any skin reactions, no issues and we've been using them almost exclusively since we ran out of diaper shower diapers.
I EBF for 18 months (still going, but she drinks WCM), and was lucky enough not to deal with diaper rash. For slight irritation I love the Honest Company's Healing balm. Kinda pricey for the little tube but it has been awesome, and but we haven't had to use it constantly.

cm716 · March 2016

@texasmama2014 I recently discovered Honest too and hands down the best rash cream!

texasmama2014 · March 2016

@cm716 funny, I hear the complaints about Luvs from boy moms.

AmandaG225 · March 2016

We use Pampers and I love them! Of course they are one of the more expensive ones but personally, I would rather spend a couple more bucks on diapers then deal with constant leaks. We tried Huggies & the Target brand but both leaked all the time. A friend of mine swears by the Target ones and uses them with both her kiddos. Unfortunately, I think every baby is different and you will probably have to try a few different brands to see what works best.

jamiesc58 · March 2016

I can pretty much use any diaper for dd right now. She doesn't usually leak through and hasn't been sensitive to any. What she does break out from are store bought wipes. We make our own and they are so much better (and cheaper).

Bookhousegirl · March 2016

Now that DS's older I'll basically put him in whatever's on sale, but as an infant Pampers were the only ones that didn't leak. I loved that Huggies had the little front dip for that first week or two until his cord fell off but they always leaked for us so we ended up switching to Pampers. I've heard thigh size is a big factor in what works for who and DS has pretty skinny thighs for what it's worth.

Pepper6 · March 2016

The only brand that I like is Pampers. We tried a lot of different brands and had leaking, fit, smell, rash, etc issues with every single one. It sucks that Pampers are so expensive, but in our case, you certainly get what you pay for. Much easier to pay for a diaper that actually works than to constantly have leaks/blowouts. We use the Amazon subscription for diapers, which helps quite a bit with the cost though, so it's not too bad.

ginger819 · March 2016

We had Costco's Kirkland brand once we ran out of the hospital Pampers. We liked the Pampers, but couldn't justify spending a ton on them. The Kirkland were a lot cheaper and worked great. Then we switched to Target's, because they always have sales where you get the gift cards and I'm just there more often. She's been in these since about 3 months and they've always worked for us. When she did start leaking it was when she started sleeping 11-12 hours at night and we bought some Huggies that said they were good for overnight and daytime, but she had a reaction to them, so we got Target's overnight brand and went up a size and have had no more issues. She's almost 11 months now. We have very few issues with diaper rash or anything. I stock up when they have the sales.

We also got some Dollar General and Parent's Choice diapers for a baby shower. I hated the Parent's Choice. They were a lot rougher than any other diaper. The DG ones were ok, we just didn't get anymore than the one small pack.

For wipes I didn't care for Pampers Sensitive. They were too slippery. I didn't really care much for Huggies either. They weren't worth the money. The Target brand are kind of thin but you can usually get them pretty cheap with the sales. The Kirkland brand are my favorite. They're thick, but not slippery.

She hasn't had a reaction to anything but the Huggies and some Parent's Choice baby oil.

SkiChic626 · March 2016

Pampers all the way - swaddlers.when they're not mobile then switch to cruisers. Huggies caused rashes around the waist and legs. Target brand caused her to get major major diaper rash, I don't think they're as absorbent as pampers even though they're supposedly the same diapers. Pampers are a little more expensive but if you buy at Target they have buy 2 or 3 and get a $20 gift card deal (or something similar) often. So then that would go toward the next purchase.

SkiChic626 · March 2016

Bookhousegirl said:

Now that DS's older I'll basically put him in whatever's on sale, but as an infant Pampers were the only ones that didn't leak. I loved that Huggies had the little front dip for that first week or two until his cord fell off but they always leaked for us so we ended up switching to Pampers. I've heard thigh size is a big factor in what works for who and DS has pretty skinny thighs for what it's worth.

We are Pampers loyalists, too, and DD had chunky monkey thighs. So who knows!! We did size up early, I never went by the weight on the package. Once she had two blowouts it was time to move up.

pelorunningmama · March 2016

Pampers swaddlers never failed us with DD and I had them delivered from Amazon Prime. We never even shopped around. Now that we are having a boy I anticipate having more issues with leaking, etc. Hopefully swaddlers will work their magic on him too.

tisunge602 · March 2016

We cloth diaper but DS is in disposables at night. We always buy the Target brand and stock up using their buy 2 get a $20 gift card sale (awesome!). Two big boxes last us months since he is in cloth most of the time.

FWIW, DS does not have sensitive skin and he has skinny legs. But he wears regular Target dipes overnight and never leaks.

jmw386 · March 2016

We were also big fans of Pampers with our DS. Every time we tried Huggies, we had major blow-outs or leaks. (My sister-in-law loved Huggies for my nieces - we ended up gifting our open boxes to them). When he was a newborn, we stuck with Pampers Swaddlers almost exclusively. As he got older, we also liked Luvs during the day (more cost-effective), but they never worked for us overnight (leaks). DS also had very sensitive skin as a baby. Pampers Swaddlers and Pampers Sensitive Wipes were the best combination for him.

ETA - We loved Amazon Prime Subscribe & Save for ordering Pampers. We saved money over what we would have paid in-store and having them delivered on a schedule meant we rarely ran out of diapers.

mmclark10 · March 2016

We used Seventh Generation for newborn size and then switched to Honest Co. when our son was about two months old. We did cloth diaper from about 3 months until almost 12 and now have exclusively used Honest diapers since then. I didn't find them to be more expensive than buying from the store (Pampers or Huggies) and the convenience of them being delivered to my door was also a factor. Plus, I love the wipes that come with. They are a great thickness and softness and don't fall apart when you use them. Also good for colds to wipe snot off faces gently!

amccul20 · March 2016

we cloth diaper but when ds wears sposies I go with pampers or target brand. both work really well for us!

now for wipes I'm a pampers girl all the way. i've tried other brands and my son has always reacted poorly to them.

Sunnyn75 · March 2016

Good idea for a post, @cm716! We have always loved pampers swaddlers on our 23 month old. Like others have said, other brands either leaked or had a funny smell. Even the pampers baby dry and cruisers have never been as good for us, even when he started crawling/walking.
When he was really tiny we had to use the pampers sensitive wipes or he'd get a little irritation, and we've just stuck with them since. Even now that they don't bother his skin, huggies wipes are thicker which I like, but they don't seem "wet" enough to me. I haven't tried many other wipe brands though.

lmtrmama · March 2016

I think it may depend on the baby or maybe just as moms we have different expectations because I have only ever been able to use pampers. I use pampers swaddlers until they are walking and then I do the pampers baby dry. I don't like
cruisers because it's harder to tell when they are wet and then all of a sudden they reek of old pee. I would change diaper before nap and then wake up to an awful stench. So I am not a fan of those.

Huggies- I found that these get too hard when wet and that seems uncomfortable.

Luvs-they always leaked for me no matter what I did.

As far as store brands go, I've tried target and cvs brand, and they both seem to get too hard when wet. That just bothers me because it can't be comfy, even if only for a little bit.

For the price of pampers, we are not rich by any means, but I have never felt guilty for paying for a softer diaper that doesn't leak a bunch. I also buy them in big quantities when Target has the gift card promotions so that makes me feel better! I get all sizes so I am not running out to buy diapers once a week or even once a month!

JLyn821 · March 2016

I think it's important to mention that boys and girls will do better with different diapers.

I've tried Huggies, Luvs, Wal-Mart and Target and my son leaked or blew them out. The Amazon brand wasn't bad, I just thought they were narrow and just ok.

I'm a Pampers snob for my son. We used Swaddlers from when he was born until just recently when we switched to Cruisers. We used Baby Dry for overnight and moved to Baby Dry Extra Protection for overnight about a year ago. Honestly, they're the only brand he didn't blow out frequently and he never leaks. Yeah, they're a bit more expensive, but if you get them via Amazon Subscribe & Save, you save a lot.

I'll give major props to Target wipes. They're great!

Curls919 · March 2016

We used the huggies newborn before DS's umbilical cord fell off but after that we were all Pampers (swaddlers then cruisers). Huggies almost always leaked.

We used Pampers Baby Dry at night once he started sleeping longer stretches since they are much more absorbent.

Ftr Pampers fit my skinny guy very well he never made it out of size 3s! He wore those until a few weeks ago when we finished our stash and moved him into pull-ups for nap & nightime (he's potty trained aside from sleep time).

As for wipes, we bought Huggies Naturals st Costco and would stock up when they were on sale.

Jenniferk08 · March 2016

I loved pampers swaddled until my son was moving then we went with cruisers.
However his DC changed them every 2-3 hours even if not needed as well as when needed. So we went with the bj's brand. Pampers are too pricey to just toss when still dry. I think it's Berkeley and Jensen. They were great for day use but not that great for night.

haboobjob · March 2016

I've tried a few different brands throughout the past year but always go back to Pampers because they are my favorite. They are soft, I personally like the smell of them, and I have had less issues with leaking/blowouts. We used Swaddlers for 8 months and switched over to Cruisers. Oh and I loved the little wetness indicator strip when I was just figuring out how to mom. Always stock up when target is having the gift card promotion!

Honest - I really wanted to like them (mostly because I found them adorable) but they never fit properly on DD.. Always seemed too big. I also didn't like the major poofiness when wet.

Huggies - Used them in the hospital and didn't mind them.... Until the blowouts started happening. Never again. FWIW, my friends with boys LOVE Huggies. I don't know if the fit is better or something but they absolutely love them.

Kirkland - My doctor's office uses these so we've used them a couple of times. I don't mind them but I wasn't a huge fan of the texture.

Target - Similar issue to Kirkland. They were fine but I'd rather spend a little more for Pampers.

bananers · March 2016

We did cloth diapers about half the time, but did sposies at night and at daycare. When DS was a newborn we liked Pampers best, and then we switched to Target brand because we heard they were the same. They worked great and were a good price. But when DS was maybe 6 months he started blowing out of them. We tried Costco brand and used those until he potty trained. Now we use Huggies pull-ups at night.

AjaH4 · March 2016

I'm a Pampers snob. I could careless how much they cost. They are perfect for my 12 month old son, and I won't use anything else. I usually only buy Pampers wipes, also, but if I happen to be at Walmart, I will stock up on their brand of wipes- but only the sensitive ones, as I feel they're almost as soft as Pampers, and obviously a way better price point. As far as booty rash creams, just remember the higher % of zinc, the better.

ShanRum3 · March 2016

I had Terrible luck with my boys leaking or blowing out Luvs and Huggies!
I have also tried the Target brand, which were ok, but not my favorite. I'm a hardcore Pampers fan, so that's what I will be using with this baby. I LOVE the Swaddlers for when they are little, and once they are past size 2, I switched to the Cruisers.
As for wipes, I like the Walmart brand Sensitive Wipes(I think they are called Parent's Choice) for newborns and Huggies Natural Care once they get a little bigger. I have tried several brands of wipes that just reminded me of a wet dryer sheet. NOT what I want to be cleaning my baby's sensitive parts with!

ashleym373 · March 2016

Pampers are what we buy and have bought for both DS1 & DS2.

Pampers: no leaks for my boys, didn't cause rashes, smell better than others, we do sensitive then swaddlers, cruisers. We don't do baby dry as that caused rashes.

Huggies: they leaked for my boys, caused rashes on DS1, fit strangely I felt...like too low in the front for my boy stomach sleepers.

Target: they were ok, tended to leak sometimes

Grocery store brand: they were super stiff, leaked.

kiwico14 · March 2016

AjaH4 said:

As far as booty rash creams, just remember the higher % of zinc, the better.

This. Honestly, I'd stock up on stuff like good quality diaper rash cream and gripe water instead of diapers. People are pretty generous with diapers, but creams and stuff get expensive fast. You totally get what you pay for, too. We really liked CJ's BUTTer (the monkey farts kind smells so good!) and California Baby and Honest Company creams, in that order. We use coconut oil for normal changes or a little redness.

My BFF told me about gripe water and I was a total skeptic until it was the only thing that helped.

jacmkelley · March 2016

I've tried huggies, pampers, luvs, up and up (target brand), Kirkland brand and parents choice (the Walmart brand).

I will with DD, even before we ran out of diaper shower diapers my FIL began buying us 2 giant cases of Huggies Diapers and dropping them on our porch each month. It was so awesome and I will always be appreciative of that gesture!

Once we moved out of his area he stopped doing it and that's when price and comfort comparisons began for us.

I cant ant remember what my verdict of each diaper was exactly but I'll sum it up shortly. I want to say I was a total diaper snob at first and felt bad buying an off brand diaper at all. I wanted what is "best" for DD and didn't want to be cheap and her to get the brunt of the penny pinching.

Huggies - we used since day one and loved, the problem: too expensive and felt like such a joke buying them.

Pampers - didn't mind them, we would buy them occasionally esp when Target had a sale on them. But again, pricy and if I was going to spend the $$ I'd prefer Huggies anyway.

Luvs - Much cheaper, but we had a couple of leaks and I wanted to go back to Huggies (haha).

Target brand - one time we were on a super tight budget and I knew someone who loved these, she leaked through them and they felt thin and just not supportive enough. Will say DD has always been a heavy pee-er and often.

Kirkland - if you like Huggies you'll like these, haven't done price per diaper difference but I knew they were 5-8 bucks cheaper and you got more diapers. They were fine, but didn't shop there often enough to buy them.

Parents Choice (Walmart brand) - For us these were the winner. A giant case cost 19 bucks and depending on size you get significantly more diapers than what any other brand (excluding targets) gives per case. We rarely have any issues with leaks- any time we have had one is a long car ride and two cups of juice or milk. These are most definitely for us the price performer and DD has never ever broken out from them. I'm a target girl so the adjustment to grabbing things from Walmart was something I had to get used to, but totally worth it. For anyone on a budget I highly recommend these.

That was lengthily, but I'm passionate about saving money and those darn diapers lol

Neesey · March 2016

This is like asking someone what kind of ice cream they like. Everyone likes something different.
We used huggies since we got used to them in the NICU. We get them at Costco and they aren't that much more expensive. The only time we had leak issues was when he was at the top end of the weight recommendations. I learned then that it is better to just go up a size and it didn't happen again. I have noticed that my husband tends to put the Velcro on really loose. His diaper changes have gotten closer to blow outs than mine seem to.
We cloth diapered for a bit but I was so tired of the leaks even when we double lined. It just wasn't worth it to me and we live in a state with drought problems. With the price of water, huggies were cheaper and easier.
For diaper creams I stuck with what we used in the NICU, z-guard. You can get it on amazon.

Sekerambo · March 2016

Between my daughter and the little ones I've watched we've tried a few brands.

Pampers- swaddlers and sensitive- worked great for us. Our hospital sent us home with a pack and I ended up getting another pack until the diapers we had been given finally fit. We also tried them again later on. Really liked how soft they were and really didn't mind the smell. I probably would have continued with pampers if I weren't so Eco/chemical conscious.

Huggies- almost all types- absolutely hate the smell of them. Even when baby has a fresh diaper on they smell like poop to me. I tend to be sensitive to scents but these were beyond horrible.

Target brand- When I was pregnant with my daughter I was told that these were the best diapers. Not long after she was born they changed how they were made and are no longer close to what they were. They are thin and could never seem to hold a poop.

Honest Company- what we ended up using. a little more Eco-friendly and definitely worked as well as any other brand, if not better. Not quite as soft as pampers but the prints are so cute. The newborn size runs a little big so we did use other diapers until she grew into them. Price wise they are about the same as pampers or huggies. Their wipes are by far my favorite. They are really thick and great for everything. Some people complain they don't glide on the skin but combined with the bottom spray (for really rough diapers) there is nothing better.

When it comes to blowouts there is absolutely nothing better than a cloth diaper. My dd was a super pooper, with multiple blowouts a day. No disposable we tried held her poop in. At six months I finally dove into cloth diapering because I was sick of washing multiple outfits a day. I went from 3 blowouts a day to 3 in almost a year of cloth.....so worth it!

texasmama2014 · March 2016

@skelly70gripe water saves lives. I give it at every shower!!!!

Wolfie646 · March 2016

How many diapers should we register for and in what sizes??

rubredvelvet · March 2016

With my first we exclusivly used Pampers and never had any issues. With my second we mostly used Pampers still, but I did try Huggies and Luvs- my big issue with them was that they just didn't feel super soft. However, we never had leaks with any of them. I really think lots of blowouts and such happen when babies are in diapers when they are close to the weight limits- we always size up for diapers.

But now that my husband works at Honest we use Honest diapers for my second and will with this next one.

kiwico14 · March 2016

Wolfie646 said:

How many diapers should we register for and in what sizes??

I would register for one pack of the type you want in newborn, 1, and 2. Many people will just buy a pack of diapers to go with whatever they get you. At least that way they know the brand you'd like. It's easy to return unopened packs of diapers or exchange them for a different brand/size. You don't want to be stuck with a gazillion diapers that your kid can't use, though.

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