Product spotlight series - Diapering

galactickates · June 2018

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions and S+TMs to share the wealth of knowledge they've accumulated on baby products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week it's.... Diapering.

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed.

For S+TMs: Lifestyle/body factors that might influence your choice:
Favorite [Diapering]
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
What you like about it:
What you don't like about it, if anything: Is there a [Diapering] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
Is there a [Diapering] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?:
Additional thoughts on [Diapering]?:

For FTMs [Diapering] you're interested in: Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?:

To view past Product Spotlights or view the upcoming schedule, see here:

Https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VpirQLqoWOgVefTUVQLuh0wcdlL3kKfjcp2_aaZd6Bk/edit#gid=0

(Also just a reminder that if anyone wants to revive old threads to ask questions as we get further along and it becomes more likely everyone is doing further research, please feel free!)

sparkymcgeee · June 2018

Pampers for new babes. Hated huggies. Hated Luvs. Did well with Target and funny enough Parent's Choice when baby was older. I think I stuck with pampers for the first 3 months though and then switched over. Both kids lived in mostly Target brand.
Get the butt paste. It's the best.
Wipes were mostly whatever I picked up because poop is poop. I do like cloth based more than paper based though. So huggies wipes were good even though I didn't like the diapers.

I don't cloth diaper because I don't know if I could manage. If I were a stay at home mom though I would try.

molosmiles · June 2018

I hate the smell of all diapers except Pampers baby dry. No other type of Pampers either, must be baby dry. The rest smell so disgusting!

My youngest has super sensitive skin and has to have water wipes, otherwise she cries during every diaper change. It was awful. They are pricy but they work!

emmaaa · June 2018

We used Pampers Swaddlers in Newborn sizes and then I randomly switched to the Target brand which has worked perfectly fine (rarely had a blow out) and just as good as Pampers. Hated Huggies, Luvs, and Parents Choice.

Wipes I used Pampers Sensitive at first then decided to try Target brand sensitive and I like them better.

Butt creams. Started with Boudreaux's Butt Paste and it worked great before introducing solids. DD loves acidic foods (tomatoes, oranges, etc) so her bottom got very irritated. Then we started using Baby Aquafor (also Target brand) and it was great. Now, if she has a flare up, we use Butt Paste Max until it clears up and then switch back to Aquafor.

I will also advise you to skip the wipe warmer. We never had one with DD and it seemed like a waste of money. Plus, you can't take it out with you so baby won't be used to room temperature wipes in public. If we were doing a MOTN change I would take the wipe out and hold it in my hand a second to take the chill off.

Also, I wish I had the time and energy to Cloth Diaper because I know a lot of babies do so much better with rashes and blow outs in cloth. I just don't have time.

oaklandava · June 2018

For S+TMs:

Lifestyle/body factors that might influence your choice: Skin allergies
Favorite [Diapering] --tried all of them. literally. Honest brand is what worked best for us. My son was having boils that ooked like staph to almost every other brand. Dr. was convinced it was staph. It wasn't. It was contact dermatitis from the chemicals in diapers. Honest worked great--just wish we had found out about them sooner because of the bundling deal. Probably just going to start with these this time!

Wipes--We used Target brand until we got Honest diapers then they were just part of the bundle and we used Honest. Turns out the baby shampoo that worked best for his eczema was Honest also.

Link/picture: Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): They're pricier, but not when part of a bundle. Plus it auto ships and you can adjust it...winning!

What you like about it: The prints are an added bonus. He had Pumpkins at Halloween and Christmas lights at Christmas!

What you don't like about it, if anything: Slightly more expensive, but the boils he was having and stopped once using this brand balanced it out in my opinion.

Is there a [Diapering] you don't have but are considering? Why?: No--we literally tried them all except cloth and that was next if Honest didn't work!

Is there a [Diapering] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: No--none that I hated. He only had about 2 blowouts in his entire life....and the brand didn't matter, it was that he was pretty sick.

Additional thoughts on [Diapering]? We liked Desitin best, but NOT the maximum strength. That stuff did NOT spread very easily and would NOT come off your hands lol!!!

pttomato · June 2018

Damn it, I had a really long post about CDs and it got eaten. Will re-type in a little bit.

BitterBetty12 · June 2018

ALL THE CLOTH DIAPERS! But I feel like I need to save my long winded post about this for the inevitable cloth diaper thread we will eventually have. DD is cloth diapered and aside from a month where she had a bad yeast diaper rash (that she got from disposables because she wasn’t used to them and has a sensitive bum + was sick at the time) she’s been cloth diapered pretty much exclusively since about 3 weeks old! It’s defintiely not for everyone BUT I found it way easier and more low maintence than I even originally anticipated. Just a little extra laundry.

I use disposable liners so I don’t have to worry about poop (only EBF poop can go right in the wash). It definitely takes some trial and error to get used to what you like and what works best for you baby. But honestly aside from a couple of brands I have had consistent issues with I’ve found the majority of cloth diapers do their jobs.

Night time: grovia ONES (these are all in one diapers) are good with boosters for older babies and heavy wetters. But my favorite night time combo is a pocket stuffed with a flour sack towel, cotton insert, and cotton prefold. It’s bulky but does the trick. For younger babies I like workhorses (a brand of fitted) with an extra insert or two under a good cover. This is how we CDd DD at night when she was a newborn.

Day time: big fan of cheap diapers with good inserts. Love mama koalas which are sold on amazon. If you want more expensive diapers I do love smart bottoms AIO and blueberry simplex AIO. I prefer diapers with pockets (some diapers labeled AIOs have pockets, some don’t) because then it is easier to customize the absorbency.

i think the hardest part about cloth diapers at first is the learning curve for all the lingo. My post probably made NO SENSE to someone who has never heard of them before. When I knew I wanted to CD I did a bunch of research and watched A LOT of YouTube videos on types and reviews!

pttomato · June 2018

We did both CDs and disposables. I wanted to do only CDs but DH wasn’t into it. I really liked CDs and I am a SAHM and didn’t mind the laundry when we had our own washer and dryer, but we moved to a place without our own laundry and definitely used more disposables because the laundry was a hassle.

Disposables: I don’t have strong feelings about disposables. We used Pampers when DD was little. We had more blowouts in Huggies. Target worked fine when she was small, but we had leaks when we tried them when she was a toddler. We mainly used Costco diapers when she was a toddler.

Cloth: I liked pre-folds the most, most of the time. They are basically just a square of cloth. I think they can seem intimidating but they are fairly simple once you’ve done it a couple times.
Pros: They are easy to wash and dry and are inexpensive. You only have to change the cover if it gets poop on it.
Cons: There is more of a learning curve because you have to fold and fasten them. There are more steps to putting the diaper on which can be be difficult when you child won’t stay still. Other people may be less willing to use them (my DH wouldn’t). Prefolds are typically sized, but you can usually get away with a few sizes by folding them differently.

Fitted: Shaped like a disposable, with elastic around the legs, but no waterproof layer so you need a separate cover. Some people really like these, I liked prefolds better.
Pros: Shaped like a disposable with elastic around the legs, so they are more user friendly and can hold runny newborn poop in better than a prefold. Some have snaps or Velcro so you don’t need a separate fastener. You can reuse the cover unless it gets poop on it.
Cons: There are still two separate parts to put on. Some still require a fastener. These are generally sized so you need to buy more of them and are more expensive than prefolds.

Pockets and AI2 (All-in-twos): Pockets have an opening where you stuff an absorbent insert, AI2s the insert snaps in. These were my favorites when DD was uncooperative and wouldn’t stay still.
Pros: Easier to use and faster to put on than a profold or fitted, especially for people who want something more like a disposable. They dry faster and I think wash more easily than AIOs (all-in-ones), and definitely dry faster since the absorbent part is separate from the waterproof part. You can adjust the absorbency by adding more or fewer inserts.
Cons: They take time to stuff or snap the inserts in. You have to change and wash the whole thing for each change. You have to use a compatible insert with AI2s. More expensive.

AIOs: The absorbent inserts are sewn in so the whole diaper is all one piece.
Pros: Easy to use, quick to put on. No stuffing or snapping in inserts. They are the most like disposables.
Cons: They take forever to dry. You can’t easily adjust the absorbency. Expensive.

Pockets, Covers, AI2s and AIOs generally come in “newborn” size and “one size.” I think DD was in newborn until she was a couple months old, obviously that depends a lot on the size of the baby.

These are are just the kinds I tried. There are more, but I don’t have personal experience with them.

I prefer natural fibers over microfiber because I feel like it washed better. I felt like the microfiber held onto smell more, especially with hard water.

Washing was really intimidating when I was reading about how to do it, but it hasn’t actually been that difficult. I did find it easier when we didn’t have hard water. I had to change my routine up when we moved to a place with really hard water, but I got it figured out fairly quickly. Tide is often recommended, but we couldn’t use it because DD (and DH) react to it.

I got some of my diapers from consignment stores, but that is pretty hit-or-miss. There are also online swap sites. I got a lot of DD’s diapers during Black Friday/cyber Monday sales.

Related, I love my wetbags. Besides CDs they are useful for wet clothes, swimming suits, used disposables when you aren’t near a trash can, and potty training.

drabong88 · June 2018

I like pampers the best for DS. He had the least amount leaks with them. Didn't like huggies or luvs. Also really disliked huggies wipes I feel like the tear really easy? I have used target brand and I like those too so it's usually whichever I can get a better deal on.

gorgeousariel · June 2018

We used disposables until DD was 13m old then switched to CD.

Disposables: I prefer Huggies over Pampers. DH hated the yellow design on Pampers Swaddlers ( what a weird thing to complain about) but I felt like at a certain point DD became a heavy wetter at night and Pampers Baby Dry worked best for that. We used Target brand for a while. I feel like Target brand ran a little large in sizing. So if DD was in the higher range of weight for Huggies we would switch to Target. When she grew out of Target then we went back to Huggies but upped the sizing.

Wipes: Huggies and Parents Choice ( walmart)

CD: I'm not a diaper snob and will use almost any brand of pocket & AIO. I found a good portion of my stash on a local BST page. Don't be afraid to buy used. It's just clothes, you can disinfect. I started my stash with microfiber (MF) inserts but have switched to either bamboo or charcoal. They definitely absorb better and don't leak like MF. It is very intimidating at first but if you are curious check out fluff love University. They have everything CD you would ever want to know.

MrsDho11 · June 2018

SAHM here who used disposables with DD and will for this one too.

Get a BabyBum Diaper Cream brush off Amazon. Just do it. I didn’t for the longest time because we didn’t use cream often, and when I finally did, I kicked myself for not listening to friends and doing it sooner.

we like Boudreaux’s butt paste (yellow and red), purple desitin, and baby aquaphor for rash— varying which one works best based on the rash.

Vaseline for the very first days until meconium turns into baby poop will make your life way easier if you can remember in 9 months.

tosh24 · June 2018

I used disposables for my first and I CD'd my second. Will CD again this time.

For disposables, I much preferred Pampers. Way less leaks than other brands I tried. For those that use/like Huggies, just FYI that Costco's Kirkland brand is made by Huggies (and has better leg gussets) which are cheaper

Don't even know where to begin with CDs! I tried a bunch of different kinds (AIO, pockets, prefolds, and some others) in so many different brands. I preferred Lil' Joeys AIO for the newborn stage for daytime. I also had some organic bamboo fitteds which I used for nighttime with a wool cover. Hated prefolds. I ended up only using them to stuff pockets or hybrids. Mostly preferred AIO and some pockets for the later stages. I also had some hybrids but they could get messy with poop so i only used them after poops lol. Looking forward to the CD thread!

katethemom · June 2018

I used disposables for the first 3 months with DS and then switched to CD. For dispoables, I liked Luvs and Parent's Choice. It's been so long since the diaper phase, I can't hardly remember anything about the CD brands we used. I definitely preferred prefolds, though. They're really easy once you find a technique you like. And YouTube tutorials were very helpful.

I'm not sure how we're going to diaper this baby. I won't be a SAHM this time around, so I don't know if CDs will work as well this time. I'm thinking about doing a bit of both, but we'll see.

BitterBetty12 · June 2018

@tosh24 that’s so interesting that you preferred little joeys for newborn. I heard so many good things so I bought some and they were our least favorites! Those and the thirsties newborns. That just proves how differently they work for everyone. I’ll be interested to see if they fit baby #2 better!

+1 to also only using prefolds as inserts. But I think they’re amazing inserts so I would absolutely still suggest them.

chirowifey · June 2018

I like to recommend to all new moms to get one or two cloth diaper covers.
Main Image

These are some economical ones they have at cottonbabies.com

I like to put a diaper cover over my disposable diapers when baby is wearing something that I don't want to get messy or when I am out of the house. You are so much less likely to have blowouts because the cloth diaper covers fit better around the waist and legs than any disposables I have tried.

jandd2014 · June 2018

We use disposables. When DD was tiny, we used a bunch of different brands that were gifted to us and I never noticed a difference in leaks or anything. I didn’t like Luvs felt (plastic-y). We mostly use Huggies or Kirkland, whichever is cheaper when I need to restock. Around six months or so, she started leaking through disposables overnight so I put a cloth cover over the disposable and that worked great.
I like the huggies wipes the best. They do tear easily, but I think it’s because they are softer than many other brands.
I really considered cloth diapering with DD and did all the research, but DH was pretty against it (because he didn’t want baby poop in the same washer as our clothes... *eye roll*) so I didn’t end up doing it because whatever we did, he needed to be on board with so he would actually help and participate in changing her too.
We will probably use disposables again this time around.

CoastieGirl79 · June 2018

Pampers all the way with our kiddo. We have a wholesale store here called BJs (similar to Costco and Sam's Club). They offer a discounted membership for military, FYI. If you're a member, they send coupon books and also accept manufacture's coupons. I get Pamapers wipes there super cheap. Approximately 1,000 Pampers wipes are priced at $19.99. With coupons I can sometimes get them closer to $12 or so.

We used butt paste, too, but for super stubborn rashes we really liked A&D ointment. Doesn't smell great, but works wonders.

BitterBetty12 · June 2018

Also - Disposable suggestion. If LO starts leaking through disposables overnight, one way to stop that is to size up only for night time diapers! I believe some brands actually also sell disposable doublers for night time.

emmaaa · June 2018

BitterBetty12 said:

Also - Disposable suggestion. If LO starts leaking through disposables overnight, one way to stop that is to size up only for night time diapers! I believe some brands actually also sell disposable doublers for night time.

This. For a while we used the Target Brand Overnights in a size up to help with leaks.

saltedcaramel518 · June 2018

For the newborn days: Pampers Swaddlers

Once DS was a bit older, we used Pampers Baby Dry.

He just turned 2, and now I switch between Huggies Snug & Dry and Pampers Baby Dry (whichever one is currently cheapest).

Did not like: Luvs, Target brand (tried them several times.. they always leaked), Huggies Little Movers, Parent’s Choice

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