s/o diaper brand...does it make a difference?

[Bensmom]

The discussion on the diaper shower (think it is a great idea btw) got me to thinkin'. Does diaper brand make a considerable difference?

 

We hope that birthmom says confident in her choice and we will have a new little one in our home in about 10 days. I haven't bought diapers in years. So what says the Hive?

 

Poll to follow...

 

I'm including poll choices that I am familiar with, but if you have other recommendations, please write in :001_smile:

 

Just realized title is not the best choice of words....can't seem to edit. Please forgive me

Edited August 13, 2012 by Bensmom

[Granny_Weatherwax]

We love the Pampers Swaddlers with the yellow line that turns blue when the baby has a wet or dirty diaper. It takes out the guess work and need to poke the finger into the diaper.

 

The baby gets a rash when we use Luvs and she seems to leak through Huggies.

 

Now that the baby is too big for Swaddlers we are trying the Pampers Cruisers. So far so good.

[momto10blessings]

I don't like the generic brands. They have a smell to them... I do know plenty of people who use them, though. So they must not smell to everyone. I usually use huggies or pampers for the first 6 months, then switch to luvs. We also cloth diaper when at home. The generic also seem to run bigger and the closure does not seem as sticky. BUT I havent bought any in 2 yrs, so there could be improvement.

[Wheres Toto]

We love the Pampers Swaddlers with the yellow line that turns blue when the baby has a wet or dirty diaper. It takes out the guess work and need to poke the finger into the diaper.

 

The baby gets a rash when we use Luvs and she seems to leak through Huggies.

 

Now that the baby is too big for Swaddlers we are trying the Pampers Cruisers. So far so good.

 

:iagree: Mine are all out of diapers but that's what we did - Pampers Swaddlers then Pampers Cruisers. We were able to get them for a decent price at BJ's. Luvs caused a rash in all three of my kids.

[Heather in Neverland]

I used to think it mattered. Then I moved here and there is exactly one brand of diapers, take it or leave it.:glare:

 

What I learned is that there isn't any difference really between Pampers and some foreign brand with all the packaging in some other language.

[Julie Smith]

I picked other, I recommend cloth.

[SailorMom]

I voted Pampers. My sons had allergic reactions to other brands until they were about 9 months old. This was before the "Free" version of diapers came along (free of scents, dyes, etc.).

They do hold more, leak less, etc. We did use the Sam's Club diapers (Krikland?) once they were no longer allergic - but had to be very careful at night or the crib would be flooded. During the day is no big deal - you would change them when they needed changing anyway (for pee). For number 2 - we had more blow outs with the Sam's Club diapers - but not enough for how broke we were back then :)

A friend of mine is in baby mode right now and she swears the Target band diapers are wonderful - about on par with Pampers.

[Dinsfamily]

I buy new moms Pampers because I detest Huggies and most generic brands. My favorite is Costco's brand. That's all we use here at our house.

[Kathryn]

We used Pampers with ODS. With YDS, we used cloth for the first year, but once he was on solids, his poop was so awful to get out that we ended up transitioning to disposables. We tried a bunch and ended up with Huggies. Diapers changed a lot since ODS. Pampers introduced Drymax which gave horrible rashes to a lot of children (do I recall they discontinued it finally?), and Huggies added some features that made them much more like cloth, like the elastic band at the top of the back.

 

I've heard that boy vs. girl makes a difference in how much leakage protection you get. Body type is also going to make a difference in fit. You might just have to experiment.

[Lolly]

It has been 14 years since I used diapers, but what I found way back then was that the brand DOES make a difference. A huge difference. BUT, the brand depends on the baby. Babies are not built all the same. Babies do not move the same. Babies do not poo and pee all the same (that sounds weird, but I do mean it!). Different brands work better on different kids. I'd hope for gifts of different brands and give them a try to see what this kiddo's best brand was! Of course, that brand can change as they grow...:tongue_smilie:

[vonfirmath]

I buy new moms Pampers because I detest Huggies and most generic brands. My favorite is Costco's brand. That's all we use here at our house.

 

...Costco brand is the same as Huggies.

 

We've had 1 boy and now have a girl.

 

With our son, we found that Huggies, Target, CVS Supreme, Luvs brand diapers worked best.

 

With our daughter. it is Huggies, Walmart brand, CVS, and Dollar Tree brand diapers.

 

I have not been able to tolerate Pampers diapers with either kid enough to get through a full pack.

[KrissiK]

This is just my personal opinion .... I preferred Huggies for the first several months of life. They just seemed to fit better or something. But then, as the baby grew, I switched to Costco brand because then it didn't seem to matter that much and Costco was much cheaper.

[Crimson Wife]

the brand depends on the baby. Babies are not built all the same. Babies do not move the same. Babies do not poo and pee all the same (that sounds weird, but I do mean it!). Different brands work better on different kids.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

The one constant was that Huggies worked for NONE of my kids. I've heard that moms either swear by Huggies or detest them. I was the latter.

 

My oldest did best in Pampers or Luvs (they're both made by the same manufacturer BTW).

 

My 2nd did best in the old Walmart White Cloud brand, which I'm sorry they discontinued. :(

 

My 3rd did fine in anything but Huggies or the 7th Generation I got free from Amazon Vine (those things may be more eco-friendly in theory but they leak so I wound up having to do more laundry).

[Crimson Wife]

Costco brand is the same as Huggies.

 

I have to wonder if this varies by geographic location. Huggies leak on all my babies, but Kirkland seems to work okay. If they were the same, wouldn't they both leak?

[Dinsfamily]

...Costco brand is the same as Huggies.

 

With our son, we found that Huggies, Target, CVS Supreme, Luvs brand diapers worked best.

 

 

I can not believe that Costco and Huggies are the same. They do not behave the same way at all. I have very few leaks with Costco's brand and they are very comfortable for my dc. Huggies would leave those little round soaking beads all over my dc even when I changed their diapers more frequently. If there was any pee in the diaper, those beads would come out onto dc. They also leaked much easier...mostly every night. I've never experienced that with Costco or Pampers. Huggies also feel more plasticy than Costco or Pampers. Now, Costco does carry Huggies, but we buy their in-house brand.

[Dinsfamily]

I have to wonder if this varies by geographic location. Huggies leak on all my babies, but Kirkland seems to work okay. If they were the same, wouldn't they both leak?

 

I wonder if that's the case. I now live in Texas, but lived in SF when ds#2 was in diapers and Boston when ds#1 was in diapers. I had the same results with all three places. I wonder if it could be different in other markets where we haven't lived.

[Scuff]

When my older 3 were little, we used white cloud or Luvs and they worked fine. Not as good as Huggies or Pampers, but good enough. With this one, the quality doesn't seem to be what it was. The Luvs just don't hold enough to make it through the night and tend to fall apart. So, I've been switching between huggies and pampers depending on what's cheapest. Buying through Amazon, I have been able to get them at 20c a diaper.

[MomatHWTK]

Some diapers are scented, those always gave my babies a rash. Plus, I have allergies and can't tolerate the scented ones. We did OK with Huggies for my super-sensitive babies. My latest is less sensitive and can tolerate Babies R Us brand.

[vonfirmath]

 

My oldest did best in Pampers or Luvs (they're both made by the same manufacturer BTW). .

 

I know. Which was why I avoided using the Luvs for the longest time. But I tried them and they didn't have the offensive odor of Pampers and my kid didn't leak through them.

[hsmom2011]

Other - any brand name diaper, no generics. The only time my babies ever had a rash was when I used store brand diapers. I always bought on sale with coupons, and usually got a price close to or sometimes lower than generics anyway.

[Catwoman]

It has been 14 years since I used diapers, but what I found way back then was that the brand DOES make a difference. A huge difference. BUT, the brand depends on the baby. Babies are not built all the same. Babies do not move the same. Babies do not poo and pee all the same (that sounds weird, but I do mean it!). Different brands work better on different kids. I'd hope for gifts of different brands and give them a try to see what this kiddo's best brand was! Of course, that brand can change as they grow...:tongue_smilie:

 

:iagree:

 

What's great for one baby may be a leaky mess on another.

[higginszoo]

I found that what fit best varied from child to child -- and sometimes at different times, different brands would fit better/worse. At one time, I had three children in the same size of diaper, and had to have two brands stocked, because one brand leaked on one child and another brand leaked on another (the other, it didn't make a difference). Then the kind that fit one baby best (Pampers) started causing awful rashes on her. This isn't something that you can predict at a shower -- I'd probably just encourage people to attach gift receipts, so that if they find that a certain brand doesn't work for the particular baby, they can return/exchange as needed.

Edited August 13, 2012 by higginszoo

[extendedforecast]

I think you have to find the diaper that fits your baby's body the best. I've used different diapers for each of my kids, and even different brands as their bodies change. Also, I've had to eliminate brands that add perfume to their diapers since I'm sensitive to odors. Luvs is the worst offender. For a long time DS had to wear either 7th generation or Kroger brand chlorine free due to some type of allergic reaction with the other brands (the blisters he got from the Kroger brand regular diapers were awful). Now that he is a little older he seems to have no reaction to diapers. He still has to wear a diaper at night, and he soaks those diapers so I've had to experiment with a nighttime diaper that won't leak. As a result, he uses Pampers nighttime diapers even though they're perfumed. The smell of these diapers is less intense than their regular diapers and doesn't give me migraines. It beats changing sheets every morning. So yeah, I've used every brand of diaper on my kids through the years including generic.

Edited August 13, 2012 by extendedforecast

[ErinE]

It depends. Huggies worked on ds, but leaked for dd. Ds leaked using pampers, but dd was fine. None of the generics worked for my kids.

[JustGin]

Well it's been a dozen years since I bought a diaper, but we learned the hard way, we could pay for cheaper diapers and spend more in laundry. We found that Huggies worked best for us, though Pampers was an ok second choice.

[extendedforecast]

It has been 14 years since I used diapers, but what I found way back then was that the brand DOES make a difference. A huge difference. BUT, the brand depends on the baby. Babies are not built all the same. Babies do not move the same. Babies do not poo and pee all the same (that sounds weird, but I do mean it!). Different brands work better on different kids. I'd hope for gifts of different brands and give them a try to see what this kiddo's best brand was! Of course, that brand can change as they grow...:tongue_smilie:

 

Yes, they do pee and poop differently. DS used to (probably still does at night) stay dry for hours and then pee a very large amount all at once. Most diapers couldn't handle this. The other kids all peed in small amounts throughout the day. I also had a couple of babies with explosive poop. Huggies supreme (I don't think they go by that name anymore) did a good job of holding in the poop. :001_smile:

[2squared]

For the first 3 years we had kids, we used Pampers. Loved them. Then our financial situation changed and we switched to White Cloud and then to the Walmart generic. I discovered that the generic works just as well as my beloved Pampers so we put four kids through generic diapers.

 

If the diapers started leaking, that just meant that we needed the next size up. I've never had a problem with any of the generics, but I guess I've only used White Cloud (loved those!), Walmart generic, and Target generic.

[ktgrok]

It totally depends on the baby. Each fits differently, and so will work for different babies differently. We mainly use cloth, but have on occaision (traveling, washing machine broken, etc) used disposable. With my son the only brand that fit was Pampers (tall and thin)...he leaked out of everything else. With my daughter she only does well in Huggies..with target generic store diapers a very close second. Luvs were useless and gross. Pampers smell weird and she leaks out of them. Huggies don't smell strongly and no leaks. Target ones also have no leaks, smell ok, but the fiber in them bunches up some.

 

So get a small pack of each brand maybe, (actually, I'd skip Luvs...they never work) and see what you like. If money is an issue start with Target...they seem to fit a variety of babies well.

[ktgrok]

I think you have to find the diaper that fits your baby's body the best. I've used different diapers for each of my kids, and even different brands as their bodies change. Also, I've had to eliminate brands that add perfume to their diapers since I'm sensitive to odors. Luvs is the worst offender. For a long time DS had to wear either 7th generation or Kroger brand chlorine free due to some type of allergic reaction with the other brands (the blisters he got from the Kroger brand regular diapers were awful). Now that he is a little older he seems to have no reaction to diapers. He still has to wear a diaper at night, and he soaks those diapers so I've had to experiment with a nighttime diaper that won't leak. As a result, he uses Pampers nighttime diapers even though they're perfumed. The smell of these diapers is less intense than their regular diapers and doesn't give me migraines. It beats changing sheets every morning. So yeah, I've used every brand of diaper on my kids through the years including generic.

 

FYI, Huggies makes an overnight diaper as well, and in my experience huggies don't have anywhere near as much perfume as Pampers.

[Dobela]

HUggies worked well for both kids after they outgrew the newborn diapers. Pampers newborn diapers were my favorite in the beginning though. My dd though was also able to use those big generic boxes of Members Mark diapers that we bought at Sams. White Cloud was ok, but not always. The generic and store brands in general did not seem to hold as much - we seemed to be changing more diapers daily than we did in name brands which ended up making the prices about the same in the end. My cousin at one time knew which diaper manufacturer made which store brands and would buy that way if she couldn't find the name brand.

[garddwr]

Huggies seem to work best for my babies, although I use generics once they are past the first few months. My babies tend to be very chubby, and the huggies just seem to fit better.

[AndyJoy]

It has been 14 years since I used diapers, but what I found way back then was that the brand DOES make a difference. A huge difference. BUT, the brand depends on the baby. Babies are not built all the same. Babies do not move the same. Babies do not poo and pee all the same (that sounds weird, but I do mean it!). Different brands work better on different kids. I'd hope for gifts of different brands and give them a try to see what this kiddo's best brand was! Of course, that brand can change as they grow...:tongue_smilie:

:iagree:I tried several types for DS, but Huggies were the best. I didn't use the premium Swaddlers for long, because I discovered the cheaper ones worked just as well--they just weren't fuzzy on the outside.:001_smile:

 

I've found that buying regular diapers by subscription on Amazon is cheaper than my local Walmart--we don't have Costco or Sam's Club, so I can't compare to that. Nighttime diapers, however, are the same at Amazon and my local Walmart. If you don't have a Prime account already, check out "Amazon Mom."

[ColoNative]

I used to think brand made a difference - and as some others have said, it does also depend on the kid. I've used Pampers, Pampers Swaddlers, Huggies, Organic Huggies, Target brand, Kirkland brand and Wal-Mart Brand.

 

For the price, my vote goes to the Walmart diapers (Parents Choice). They don't leak and hold a lot. (I voted other because Walmart wasn't listed.)

 

My ultimate favorite diaper is cloth, but right now that isn't working because of my washing machine and I don't have time to take them to a coin laundry.

[mom2scouts]

I said "other" because I used cloth on all my children, but on the rare occasion when I used disposables, Huggies or Luvs seemed to work best for my kids.

[extendedforecast]

FYI, Huggies makes an overnight diaper as well, and in my experience huggies don't have anywhere near as much perfume as Pampers.

 

Yes. The Huggies overnight diapers were my first choice, but he leaked right through those in two different sizes. Even the pampers diapers are on the verge of leaking out the front when he wakes up.

[mrsrevmeg]

We tried the Wal-Mart brand with my oldest son. His tush was too wide and it looked like he was wearing a bikini-style diaper. :lol: Pampers broke my middle son out in a rash. (We have to be careful about laundry detergent for same kid) Store brand made my youngest son's pee smell like old bacon grease. :ack2: Huggies worked consistently for them all. Luvs seemed too thick. Their clothes did not fit right with them.

 

Once I bought the plastic covered Pampers by mistake. My oldest son (right around a year old) refused to poo in them. We thought he was 'having trouble' so we gave him extra fiber. When we tested the theory about the diaper, the floodgates opened.

[MomtoCandJ]

We liked Huggies for dd, we tried parent's choice when money was tight but it seems that the brand was good for a few months and then it changed again causing dd rashes and major blow outs and leakage.

[LostSurprise]

According to Consumer Reports in the early 2000s, all the brands had the same ability to hold except Walmart's home brand Parent's Choice (it was not as good). So most of the time I just went with the cheapest brand with the lowest perfume level (most of the time that was White Cloud, sometimes it was the Target or Kmart home brand).

 

Certain kids have fit issues. Different diapers fit differently. Our first son would not fit anything other than Huggies. Every other diaper leaked 50% of the time. Since we lived in an apartment and had to walk a block with the baby, his gear, AND laundry baskets to do laundry I decided to stop fighting that after a few months.

[Impish]

I've found it makes a BIG difference.

 

Diva could only use a drug store brand, that was labelled hypoallergenic...and was actually *cheaper* than the rest :lol:

 

but, w/the other kids, I stick to Pampers and Huggies. I've tried the no name/store brands,and they leak like a sieve. Absolutely horrid.

[krisperry]

I strongly prefer cloth but after 6 kids, I have an opinion about sposies too :tongue_smilie:

 

The three big guys imo are:

-Pampers

-Huggies

-Luvs

 

Pampers and Huggies are superior to Luvs in the amount that they can absorb. I would give the nod to Huggies (especially their overnight diaper) in ultimate absorbtion.

 

Luvs is 90% as good as absorbing but is much cheaper. The fit is a little less than ideal on any child that I've seen. Not bad - just 90% of perfect. I don't like the way the diaper hangs when it is soiled but again that is quickly remedied. If cost is a major concern, Luvs will win out.

 

Pampers and Huggies are pricey. Both have given plenty of kids rashes as a whole but typically if your child reacts to one, they are ok with the other (my youngest can wear Pampers but not Huggies and his cousin is the opposite). They have a very different fit in my experience.

Pampers - tall lean and lanky do well with this diaper. Or average

Huggies - works extremely well for the chubby baby. Or shorter rises

 

If you want a "Green" Diaper that is disposable, I would recommend Seventh Generation. They hold up the best. If you aren't opposed to a small amount of laundry, check out gDiapers.

 

And if you are up for cloth, one of my favorites is bumgenius. I also like fuzzi bunz.

[Gentlemommy]

Cloth! :D To be fair, I have and do use disposables at times. To me, the biggest difference is in the fit. Huggies fit my three girls very well. Pampers never did. Target brand is waaaaay too long in the girth. Walmart brand fits well, but I just never go to Walmart.

Honestly though, I love cloth. I have some flat and pre folded diapers that I've used for three kids. And they are still working great! Could easily be sold or used again. They are soft, comfortable, breathable, and cheap! For the same amount you would spend on 2-3 months of disposable diapers, you can have a nice stash of cloth diapers. ;)

[JoLuRu]

Another cloth diaper using mom here! Prefolds tucked into Flips covers are cheap cheap cheap, wash up nicely, fit until potty training for babies who aren't huge (they fit my petite 3 yo,) and the prefolds can be used as cleaning rags when baby outgrows them.

 

I've used disposables for vacations, occasional overnights and long days out, and didn't find any that I liked as much as the cloth. They all left weird little bubbles on baby's skin, or stunk, or leaked, or left red marks, etc.

[melissad2]

I love Target brand! Hate luvs and Walmart brand. I will use pampers or Huggies it doesn't matter.

[ChristineW]

I used to love Pampers especially the Swaddlers but then they changed to the Dry Max and it gave my youngest DD a horrible rash--like a severe burn. I won't buy Pampers for the new one b/c the dry max is also in the swaddlers. I'm hoping that Huggies works for him; otherwise I've had good luck with Seventh Generation (haven't used it on newborns though). Target did not contain the newborn blowouts at all.

 

Christine

[Dory]

I didn't take the time to read all the answers, but I found anything but huggies didn't end well on my boys and my daughter did better in pampers.

[Element]

My kids both had to have Pampers Swaddlers/ Cruisers. Everything else leaked or irritated their skin. FWIW, this was several years ago and I don't think the Pampers had the DryMax thing in them back then.

[nukeswife]

I voted other because none of my 3 kids could use the same brand. My oldest was a huggies boy. Anything else we tried he'd pee out of. My dd was sensitive to all disposibles so we ended up doing cloth with her (prefolds with bummis super whisper wrap and then once they came out wonderoos and fuzzy bunz). My youngest was a pampers boy, the same problem as my oldest anything else and we had lots of leaks.

[Alice]

We have used Huggies with all three. With my oldest I tried other brands and they all leaked badly. They just didn’t fit his but right. After that we just stuck with Huggies. Our Costco has the Huggies at considerable discount and the same price as the Costco brand so that’s made it easy to stick with the brand name.

[mom2jjka]

Huggies for boys, Pampers for girls. ;)

[Mothersweets]

Cloth.