In search of best diapers for bigger babies...

[daisymommy]

Well, Joshua is turning 4 months next week adn he is already into size 3 diapers. He is probably about 20lbs. (we'll see at his 4 month checkup), but definetly not crawling yet (obviously). The problem then becomes finding diapers in his size that are not made especially for crawling babies (such as Pampers Cruisers). I loved Pampers Swaddlers/Supremes because they were so soft and we never had a leak. When we switched to the size 3's, the part that wraps around the baby's thigh is stretchy fabric--which doesn't keep in leaks! (nor do Huggies Supremes in this size with stretchy sides either...we've had a leaky diaper each night!). Also, the stretchy fabric doesn't quite seem long anough to wrap around to the front to attach the Velcro tab to. Pampers Baby Dry are stiff and scratchy around the legs and feel like paper too me. Huggies Ultratrim seem small for this size (I confess I pulled one out of the package at Target!) So, what should I try next? I'm tired of changing Josh and the bedsheets in the middle of the night! I haven't tried any store brands, or Luvs. I'm looking for something very soft (especially around the leg area). Any suggestions?
TIA,

[egoldber]

If you don't like Pampers BabyDry, you will probably like Luvs even less. They are "less nice" version of BabyDry. If neither Huggies Supreme or Pampers Premium work and Huggies Ultratrim don't fit, then you are left with storebrands in terms of disposables.

If you are looking for a cloth like feel, you could try cloth. Order a sampler and see how it goes. You may be surprised how easy it is.

HTH,

[Rachels]

You might try Nature Boy and Girl diapers. I like them, and they don't seem to leak. You can order them online. I know www.drugstore.com has them, or you can do a search.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[brubeck]

I don't think overnight leaks have anything to do with the stretchy sides. Even crawling babies lie still at night when they sleep. I am a Pampers Premium/Cruisers Mom and have never had a nighttime leak despite stretchy sides.

However if you are having the leaks it might just be that the cut of the cruisers isn't right for your child. You could try the Huggies Overnights (just for overnight, Pampers or something else during the day) and that might be better.

[nohomama]

I agree. I think it's the indivdual fit rather than the design of the diaper. When I've used Pampers of any kind I've had problems with nightime leaks. Not to mention the fact that Lola looks like she's walking around with a load in her pants all the time. Huggies Ultra Trim and Huggies Supreme on the other hand fit her well and have never leaked with overnight use. It just goes to show, what works for one baby doesn't work for all.

Beth also had a good point. If you're looking for a clothlike feel, why not try cloth. There are a number of recent posts regarding cloth diapering if you're interested in finding out more about it. I highly recommend it. We use cloth about 80-90% of the time and love them.

[daisymommy]

Beth,
Thanks for the advice. I really don't think I'm ready for cloth right now, but maybe someday I will. If/when that time comes, what sampler would you recommend trying? Could you provide a web link if you bought it online? Also, how often would I have to upgrade to the next bigger size? Do they run in 3 month increments like clothes? (lets hope not!)
TIA

[daisymommy]

For those of you who have tried both Pampers Swaddlers and Target or Walmart store brands, which store brand diaper would you say comes the closest to Pampers Swaddlers/Supremes? Is there one out there?

[Momof3Labs]

In my opinion, the Walmart store brand (White Cloud) is very similar to Huggies. But the outer covering reminds me of Pampers Baby Dry. BRU's store brand seemed very similar to Walmart's, too.

I haven't tried Target store brand, but the 800# on the package is the same as the number on the back of the Walmart store brand!

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

[egoldber]

I know I read somewhere that all (or at least most) of the store brand diapers are made by one company (just like the store brand formulas), but I have never been able to "confirm" this. The ones I have seen are similar to Huggies, which is part of the reason I don't like them. Huggies never worked for Sarah.

[egoldber]

Amy, I really liked the route I took, a Motherease sampler and a sampler from naturalbabies.com. That gets you about one days worth of diapers of various types and styles to try. The advantage of ordering these 2 particular samplers, in my opinion, is that you get "name brand" cloth diapers that are very well known and very easy to re-sell. If you don't like them, you could re-sell on eBay or on the ParentsPlace Flea Market bulletin board. There a TON of people who buy and sell gently/barely used diapers. You would probably get at least 80% of what you spent back if you decided you didn't like them.

Here's the link for those two sites:
http://www.motherease.com
http://www.naturalbabies.com
(I have ordered from both places and have had excellent customer service and very fast shipping from both.)

In general, diapers come in newborn, small, medium, large and extra large. Some diapers are considered "one size" or "multi-size", where you can change how the diaper fits by snapping them differently. These have a longer lifespan and save you from having to buy, say both a small and a medium.

Many people go straight to small (skipping newborn), then use medium and large. Depending on when your baby potty trains, many people never need an extra large either. If Joshua is at least 15 pounds, you would probably start with mediums at this point. When he gets to about 22-24 pounds, then you really start to need larges. (Although many mediums still fit Sarah at almost 23 pounds.)

HTH,

[juliasdad]

Is the world really divided into Huggies and Pampers people? It really seems as though for any given baby, the parents will swear by one and swear at the other! So far, Julia's had very few blowouts with Pampers; but Huggies don't seem to do it for her. We're giving the Huggies Supremes a try now (had a coupon...), but so far, the Pampers Swaddlers seem to serve her well. But we're about to embark on stage 3, since she's pushing 16 lbs, so we'll see...

-dan

[egoldber]

There do tend to be distinct "styles" of diapers, the Huggies and Pampers style. From my personal experience, Pampers Premium/Swaddlers/Cruisers, Baby Dry and Luvs are all basically alike in terms of style and function. Huggies Ultratrim, Supreme and "store brand" (or private label) diapers are a different style. In general, one style may work for your baby and the other doesn't. That was our experience.

In a fit or boredom, I did do a little research on private label diapers. A company called Paragon makes 80% of private label (store brand) diapers, including the Walmart White Cloud line. And Huggies and pampers aco**** for 80% of disposable diapers sold in the US.

If you want a whole 'nother world of variety, check out cloth diapers. Yowza! :)