Your choice may seem endless when searching for a disposable diaper. It's almost impossible to know from glancing at the package how one brand compares to another in absorbency, fit, and comfort, or whether or not a more expensive diaper is worth the price.
In the Beginning ...
- First, consider your infant's needs as well your priorities. Every family has their own bottom line. Is it cost? Health? The environment? The perfect fit? Or do you just want it all?
- Second, don't buy in bulk until you are satisfied with a specific diaper's performance and fit.
- Third, wait to buy baby's first diapers until just before or after he/she is born and you know their weight. A few packages of newborn diapers (up to 10 lb) may be all you need before heading onto size 1 (8-14 lb).Ordering diapers online is a breeze and typically they can arrive at your doorstep before you even get home from the hospital.
- Last, cost per diaper will be best once you are ready to buy in bulk.
Absorbency is the most important trait of any diaper, disposable or cloth. Absorption covers how much liquid a diaper can hold, how well that liquid wicks away from baby and distributes throughout the diaper's core, and how well it continues to hold that moisture away from baby's skin. Poor absorption can expose baby's skin to persistent dampness, which can lead to diaper rash.
Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) ...
SAP powder (which looks like a very fine white sand) is sprinkled into the middle of the absorbent core layers between the outer cover and inner liner of the diaper. SAP is the meat of your diaper's absorbency sandwich; it provides the primary method of absorbing urine and wet fecal matter and trapping it in the core. Even green diapers like Action , rely on SAP for absorption and consider it safe.
Find a Good Fit to Help Avoid Leaks ...
Diapers are sized by the weight of your baby. However, much like baby's clothes, fit between disposable diaper brands vary. Most diapers help ensure a leak-free fit by providing a double elastic sealing edge; one edge just along the absorbent core, and one along the outer shell of the diaper.
However, despite this similarity, we can say that not all diapers were equal in fit and they performed differently in leak tests. In the testings , you can easily see that materials differed significantly from diaper to diaper and that this affected fit and leakage. Some were softer and conformed to the body nicely, while others were stiffer leaving small gaps that created a poorer fit.
Every Baby is Unique
Of course every baby has different proportions, so finding a disposable diaper with the perfect fit can involve some trial and error. Let's face it, even the best absorbing diaper may leak if the fit is not right. Parents may need to try a handful of brands to find the diaper that fits their baby best. Again, try to avoid buying in bulk until you find your "go-to" diaper, and remember to pay attention to the weight range so you know you are buying the right size.
Baby's Comfort
Keeping your baby comfortable requires not only stellar absorbency and an adequate fit, but also materials that feel soft on baby's skin. Securing tabs need to stay put and should have soft or rounded corners. In addition, edges and seams need to feel seamless to avoid chafing. Becauese it is impossible to really know what you are getting your baby into without buying and comparing them all side-by-side, we reviewed these qualities for you. Of course, baby will be the first to let you know if there are issues, and as one of our little in-house testers did, might even start indicating which diapers they like the best .
For the Eco-Health Minded
Save the Earth
Much debate surrounds which is more earth-friendly: green disposable diapers or cloth diapers. Some brands of disposable diapers are manufactured with attention to minimizing their carbon footprint. However, they end up in the landfill where even compostable diapers will fail to biodegrade if in a dark, airless environment. Alternatively, cloth diapers require lots of precious water and electricity to clean over and over. Nonetheless, if you and your family do not want to commit to cloth diapering, but still want to make an effort toward being eco-conscious, more green diapers exist than ever before. These options may include chlorine-free processing, use of renewable resources, boast minimal packaging, use biodegradable materials, and often contribute to charities in an attempt to offset their footprint.
Keeping Baby Healthy
Whether your child has chemical sensitivities, true allergies that require diapers free of perfume or latex, or you are just a parent that is concerned about minimizing your baby's exposure to synthetic chemicals, health-conscious qualities in disposables are now more commonplace . One word of caution would be the industry's use of the word "Hypoallergenic", which is a non-regulated word that actually means very little and is not an indicator of a product designed with baby's health in mind.
Our recommendations are:
- Chlorine-free - recommended. Chlorine treatment of diapers can leave trace quantities of a dangerous chemical called Dioxin. We don't feel it is worth the risk, and there are a lot of chlorine-free options available.
- Fragrance-free & Dye-free - recommended. Fragrance and dyes are unnecessary in a diaper and some babies can be allergic to them. Leave them out. A best way of dealing with dirty diaper smells is changing the diaper, not adding fragrance to it.
- Super Absorbent Polymer - You will be hard-pressed to find any disposable diaper, even a green diaper, without Super Absorbent polymer (SAP). If that is your desire, the only functional option may be cloth diapers. However, we have been unable to find any evidence-based literature to suggest SAP use in disposable diapers is harmful.
- Consider Cloth Diapers - without a doubt, cloth diapers are better than ever before, and represent a superior choice for eco-health metrics. They cost much less, reduce environmental impact, come in colorful, cute patterns, and do not contain materials that leave us anxious. What's more, modern cloth diapers are a lot easier to work with than the ones your parents might have used.
Price per Diaper Estimates
New parents commonly price compare using newborn or size 1 diaper prices. However, we advise caution in using this approach. Here's why:
- The cost of size 1 diapers is deceptively low when compared to a weighted average diaper cost across all sizes and typical amounts used per size.
- Manufacturers may offer their size 1 as a low-cost loss-leader, knowing that most parents stay with the brand they start with. Then they set higher prices for the larger sizes, seeking profits in the more frequently used size 2, 3, and 4 diapers.