I consider myself somewhat of an expert on diapers now. After all, I've examined them every day (yes, EVERY day) for the past 2 years and 10 months. I've developed some strong opinions on diapers and will share those opinions now that we've established I'm qualified to give an opinion on the subject of diapers. Because you really shouldn't listen to someone talk about diapers unless you are sure they really KNOW diapers......
First, I want to acknowledge that Pampers is the superior brand. They cost more than most other brands but are really worth the extra money if you are willing to spend it. They are much softer and the bigger sizes are printed with Sesame Street characters! Trust me, a little Elmo goes a long way towards making a diapering situation less of a wrestling match. The Pampers Swaddlers for tiny babies are almost all white which makes for great newborn-baby-in-diaper photos. No one wants to see Cookie Monster in those photos. Pampers also has the Gifts to Grow rewards program which allows you to build up points that can be redeemed for various baby/toddler paraphernalia. I used Pampers exclusively with Flora until she was at least 6-months-old and was able to redeem my Gifts to Grow points for a Dora the Explorer potty seat. Sweet. I love Pampers and occasionally splurge on them now that I am only buying diapers for one child.
If you don't want to shell out the money for Pampers, there are other great options out there! Luvs diapers were my (almost) constant companion throughout the two-in-diapers phase. They are made by the Pampers company and work just as well. The only difference is that they are slightly less soft, but only slightly. All of the Luvs diapers are mostly white so they work well with cute little white pants. Again, no one wants to see Cookie Monster peeping through the thin material of cute white pants.....except in this case it would be Blue the dog since Luvs diapers use Blue's Clues illustrations.
If you want to get even cheaper than Luvs, which I DID at several points last winter, the Target store brand diapers are super! Honestly, as far as quality and performance go, they are probably just as good as Luvs. Stretchy sides, stretchy backs and an acceptable level of softness make them far superior to the Walmart store brand diapers. The Target diapers are decorated with polka dots in various shades of blue. Cute for a boy, but a bit odd for a girl. So, the design on the diapers could be a positive or a negative, depending on whether you are diapering a boy or a girl. Also, Walmart does not carry Target brand diapers (who knew?!?) so you have to make a special trip to Target for diapers.
Do not buy Walmart store brand diapers. They are evil.
Now I need to rant about Huggies for a bit. I really NEED to do this. In fact, I only wrote about the other diapers so that I could have an excuse to rant about Huggies without seeming like a totally negative mommy-blogger. In my experience, Huggies leak more than any of the above mentioned brands (except the Walmart store brand -- EVIL) and are ugly. They have a very faint image of Mickey Mouse and/or Minnie Mouse for decoration that looks like something from the 1970's. I don't mean vintage. Vintage designs on diapers might be fun, but these just look old -- like the diapers themselves were produced 40 years ago. So I don't like the way Huggies diapers look -- I'm just being silly, right? Well, I suppose I could get over the ugly design if they at least functioned like a good diaper should. My biggest problem with Huggies are the tabs that secure the back of the diaper to the front. I used a box of Huggies on Scout recently and at least twice a week he would have a painful looking rash under his belly button where the sharp corner of one of the tabs had rubbed his skin. I know you're thinking that this must be a user error, but seriously, I KNOW how to put a diaper on a toddler. AND I've never had this problem with any other brand of diaper that I've used. The tabs are just too stiff and shouldn't have pointy edges on them. You've disappointed me, Huggies. With a cute little name like "Huggies" I was expecting so much more......
WHEW! It feels really good to get that off my chest. Congratulations to anyone who made it this far. You must be REALLY interested in diapers to have read all this diaper drivel. By the way, did I mention that Huggies are just as expensive as Pampers? If you're going to spend that kind of money, spend it on Pampers. Or save yourself a few bucks and use Luvs or Target diapers. Your baby's bottom will probably never know the difference.
Trust me -- I'm an expert.
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