Helping Mummy Choose a Diaper

So if you are a soon-to-be mother, or already a mother, you know how important diapers are in a baby’s life. There are two main categories of diapers: the imported and locally made diapers.

This blog post will be about the imported ones readily available in Nigeria. There are two of these: Huggies and Pampers.

Huggies Diapers

Huggies diapers come is a carton with red detailing. They are brightly coloured and attractive, and can sometimes seem a little busy. I love Huggies diapers because of the SURE-FIT waist band. Makes the diaper snug around baby’s waist, without being tight or restrictive.

The diapers come in various sizes: Premie, Newborn, Size 1, Size 1-2, Size 2, Size 3, Size 4, Size 5 and Size 6. Huggies diapers have lovely Disney cartoon characters on them. The images however are not vibrant. Huggies comes in 3 major variants:

• Little Snugglers/Movers: This is the best of all the variants. It has a very soft and plush surface, like cotton wool. Retains urine and poops, and accidents are very rare. They are quite expensive but good value for money. Baby sleeps 10 hours without needing a change, add to that an 18 month toddler with high urine output. No spills or leakages. Let me point out that Little Snugglers is usually for babies age 0-6months, while Little Movers is for babies on the move –Crawling, Standing and Toddling.

• Snug and Dry: This is a very good product. While it is of very good quality, you may need to change baby’s diaper about an hour before you would normally do if baby had on Little Snugglers/Movers diapers. There’s been a recent re-design of the diaper that resulted in a reduced quality. I have lots more leakage and have to change baby at night, or else we’ll have a wet patch on the bed by morning. 

•  Snug and Dry Plus: This variant has the most quantity per carton, but it’s the lowest in quality. The texture is a bit rough to the touch. The diaper works fine in basic conditions, but accidents happen more often. Poop spills and droopy diapers after about 4 hours of baby wear. I would recommend this diaper only if you cannot afford better quality diapers.

Pampers Diapers

Pampers diapers come in a white or green carton with yellow and green detailing; minimalist but lovely. The diapers come in similar sizing as Huggies above. Pampers diapers are off-white in colour, with lovely vibrant-coloured designs around the waist. The major variants are:

• Swaddlers: This is the best quality. It certainly feels very luxurious to touch. No accidents, leaks or spills. It’s quite pricey, about the same range as Little Snugglers.

• Baby-Dry: This is also a soft and high quality diaper. Much better than Huggies Snug and Dry. There are the occasional spills, but not as often as with Snug and Dry. The waist of the diaper is not elasticized, so the fit is quite awkward. The diapers tend to slide down towards the hips because the waist isn’t snug. It can also appear restrictive around the waist if you make the waist flaps too tight (in an attempt to have a better fit at the waist).

• Premium Care: This is the least quality diaper from the Pampers range, however the quality is still top notch. Baby still needs a change overnight, but with the price, that’s not too much of a hassle.

Niyoola’s Take

My review is listed in order of quality:

Huggies Little Snugglers/Movers and Pampers Swaddlers are of very high quality. I am happy to use either of them for baby, especially if baby is prone to diaper rashes and very active. Both diapers seem to hold their contents in without any fear of spills. I find them both interchangeable in quality. I'm partial to Little Snugglers though, because of the elasticized waist. They are also quite expensive, but if you can afford it, they are a very excellent choice.

Pampers Baby-Dry is next for me on the list. Whilst the waist can be an issue, it delivers in the area of keeping its contents confined within the diapers. Baby-Dry costs about the same as both Snug and Dry variants. Snug and Dry would have been in this category, but the new products out there are of a lesser quality. 

Snug and Dry, Snug and Dry Plus and Pampers Premium Care are about the same quality. They both have a number of Pros and Cons that make them seem at the same level with one another. Pampers Premium Care is the cheapest diaper on the list, it costs about half the price of Snug and Dry and Baby Dry; this may give Premium a little edge depending on what qualities you want in a diaper. Premium Care is also softer to touch, so baby may find it more plush on his/her bottom. Snug and Dry however has the Elastic waist band.

Also note that Diapers made in the United Kingdom are usually of better quality than those made in the United States of America.

What’s your verdict? What has been you experience with these diapers? Please leave a comment below.

Photo Credit: walmart.com