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Before Rosy was born, I had never even gone down the diaper aisle at the grocery store. The first time I looked through all of the options I was overwhelmed! I knew there were the big name brands, but I didn’t know there were so many choices within those brands!
There is store brand, name brand, and then different types of diapers for different scenarios. Is your kid a mover? A swaddler? Do you need overnight protection? Holy moly! There are so many stinking options and all I knew was that I wanted one thing–disposable!
So, I just jumped in an started trying everything out there! I started off with the mountain of diapers that we were gifted at baby showers (thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who gave us diapers!!). This gave me a pretty good start. Luvs, Pampers Swaddlers, Huggies Little Snugglers and Seventh Generation all started off my diapering experience.
In the months that followed, I took it as my personal duty to try everything else that was easily accessible to me. Huggies Snug and Dry, Huggies Little Movers, Pampers Pure, Pampers Baby Dry, Honest Company and Hello Bello rounded out my experimentation.
I can now say that I have an all time favorite diaper that I always use on Rosy when she sleeps and is most prone to diaper rash (bedtime and naps), and then I go with a more budget friendly option through playtime during the day. We have seen the good, bad and the ugly (extreme blowouts!!) through the past 14 months, and choosing the right diaper can make a world of difference!
I’m going to go ahead and rank these from the bottom up. So, here is how these 10 diapers stacked up!
10. Luvs
I really wish this wasn’t the case, because these diapers are so dang cheap! I tried Luvs at multiple points during Rosy’s development (infant and toddler) and they just don’t work for us. They are prone to leaking poop, have a smell of pee when they’re not completely dry, and give her diaper rash if used regularly!
Luvs doesn’t have a wetness indicator, and this was a big deal for a first time mama. I love being able to read the indicator especially when your baby is very small.
If these budget friendly diapers work for you, great!! They just were a complete fail at our house.
9. Hello Bello
Again, I really wanted to like these diapers! They were cute (the only reason they rank above Luv’s), available at Wal-Mart and pretty inexpensive. The absorbency was just not there. I felt like she needed to be changed after being in one for just a short while and they also had the pee smell when they weren’t completely fresh.
Hello Bello also doesn’t have a wetness indicator, and you know how I feel about that.
I would repurchase these before Luv’s if I had to choose between the two, but I won’t repurchase them if I have any other options.
8. Huggies Little Snugglers
I was really surprised with how little I liked these diapers after I had a box of 150 and was just trying to use them all up! While they were super absorbent and felt very soft and cloth-like (yay for no diaper rash with these!) the fit was very awkward.
They didn’t seem to fit her little bum like they should and because of that, there were a few blowouts that I think would have been avoided had she been in a different diaper.
Little Snugglers do have a wetness indicator!! Yes!
These aren’t really that inexpensive when it comes to diapers at big box stores, so I was pretty bummed about the experience.
7. Seventh Generation
I didn’t love these diapers, and I didn’t hate these diapers. If I had to use them again, I would. They are cute, and I appreciate that they’re chemical and dye free. They were okay at absorbing both pee and poop.
They don’t have a wetness indicator, and have kind of a plasticky feel that reminds me of Luv’s a little bit.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend them at the price-tag (slightly more than the other brands) that they have, but if chlorine free is important to you, then these might be worth a shot.
6. Pampers Baby Dry
These aren’t much cheaper than their Pampers counterparts, so I was a little disappointed in them. They have a plastic-y feel like Luv’s and don’t have a great fit. I always felt like the tabs had to be stretched around her when fastened.
They are absorbent and I never experienced and leakage issues while Rosy was wearing them. She also didn’t have any irritation or diaper rash. These are all of the signs of a pretty good diaper.
The Baby Dry model doesn’t have a wetness indicator.
I haven’t purchased these since the two times I tried them, and I don’t plan on it.
5. Honest Company
Before I had a baby, I thought I would always use these because they’re so stinking cute! The variety of prints is SO good and the fit is great. The tabs wrap around perfectly with no pulling or tugging and she always seems comfortable in them.
The only cons of these are they don’t have a super soft feel and they have a slight pee scent when they aren’t completely fresh. The pee scent is what I really can’t deal with when I know that it is just the diaper causing the issue.
They also don’t have a wetness indicator.
Pretty good diapers, and they can be pretty inexpensive too if you catch them at TJ Maxx!
4. Huggies Little Movers
These are great diapers for bigger babies and toddlers. They fit great, have a wetness indicator, and are absorbent.
They are pricier than I would like for them to be, and that is why they rank below their slightly less expensive counterpart, Huggies Snug and Dry.
3. Huggies Snug and Dry
What great diapers. These are what I prefer to have Rosy in during the day while she is playing and awake. They have a wetness indicator, they have a really good fit (no tugging or stretching at the tabs!) and they absorb like a champ!
They’re really quite inexpensive especially when you buy in a large box. I have repurchased these time and time again and definitely see myself continuing in the future.
2. Pampers Swaddlers
I feel like this is no surprise to anyone. We were sent home with Pampers Swaddlers from the hospital, and I can definitely see why they are used in most nurseries! They’re soft, cloth like, super absorbent, and have a great fit.
They have the wetness indicator line, and we haven’t ever had any diaper rash or sensitivities develop while using Swaddlers.
Simply put, these are great diapers, and if you want to pick just one kind and go with it, these are your best pick!
1. Pampers Pure
These diapers are just like the Swaddlers, but just a little bit softer. They have the same fit and absorbency. They’re really really great diapers, but they come with the price tag to match!
If budget were no issue in our family, I would buy these all of the time and be done with it. Being that it is, I stick to buying these when I can find a good deal or a coupon, and Swaddlers when I can’t.
So, there you have it. The best (and the worst) diapers that are out right now. I know that I was totally unprepared whenever I had to buy my first pack, so hopefully this list helps your decision making a little easier!