What Brand of Diapers is the Best?

Rachel discusses Don’t underestimate the cost of diapers.

They are a major baby expense. Especially, if you are buying name brand diapers like Pampers or Huggies.

Since we stick to a strict budget, I keep track of how much we’re spending on diapers each month. The cost sure does add up quickly so I’m always looking for ways to save.

Staying true to our budget is essential since I’m a stay-at-home mom, a fact that I absolutely love and wouldn’t trade for the world. But it does mean we have to keep careful track of our finances.

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.

I try not to spend too much, which isn’t too difficult with generic diapers, but requires some great sales and coupons for name brands. One way to save is to use Amazon Subscribe & Save with Amazon Family (20% discount!).

Another way I often save is using generic, store brand diapers. With my first, we regularly bought the “cheap” diapers and really didn’t seem to have any problems.

In This Guide:

So it got me wondering if the name brands are really worth the price…

My background is in science and I love a good experiment. So I set out to test several diapers.

I wanted to determine if I could actually see a difference between the brands, in either softness, fit, leaks, blowouts, skin reactions, or number of diapers used.

How I tested the diapers…

While the scientist in me would have loved a better experimental method, I tried my best to limit other variables.

I tested the following 7 brands of diapers:

Pampers Swaddlers
HUGGIES Little Snugglers
Luvs
Up & Up (Target store brand)
Parent’s Choice (Walmart store brand)
Comforts for Baby (Kroger store brand)
Little Journey (Aldi store brand)

Obviously, there are more brands out there. I simply picked the most common name brands and the stores I shop regularly.

Over the course of a week, I used each brand for 24 hours.

My son was a month old and still having many newborn poops per day so I had multiple opportunities to see how each diaper performed.

I changed his diaper before every feeding (approximately every 2-3 hours including at night) and in between if I noticed a poop.

My Ranking	Brand	# diapers/ 24 hours	Blowouts	Fit & Feel
1	HUGGIES Little Snugglers	9	0	Softest inside, wider fit
2	Up & up	9	1 (small)	Similar fit to Pampers
2	Little Journey	8	1 (small)	Similar fit to Pampers
3	Pampers Swaddlers	9	1	Largest, Longer fit, strong smell
4	Parent’s Choice	8	0	Plastic feeling, smaller fit
5	Luv’s	10	0	Strongest smell, similar fit to Pampers
6	Comforts for baby	9	2	Smallest

** No pee leaks or skin reactions occurred with any of the the diapers.

The Winner…

Overall, HUGGIES Little Snugglers were the top diaper.

Not only did I have no leaks, they were also the softest diaper.

The interior feels the most like fabric instead of paper like the other generic diapers. While Pampers also has a very soft interior, they were beat here due to a big blowout and their smell.

The Bargain Winners…

For about half the price, the Up & Up diapers (Target store brand) and Little Journey diapers (Aldi store brand) were a close runners-up. These 2 brands are almost identical making it too difficult to choose between them.

Though I had very small leaks with both due to overnight poops, I still found them to be very high quality for their price. They have wetness indicators and fit similar to the Pampers, (but seemed slightly smaller). Also, the insides are softer than the other bargain brands.

The Loser…

The Comforts for Baby (Kroger store brand) performed the worst of all of the diapers. This was especially disappointing for me since these had been our go-to brand with my first son!

It was the only diaper tested to have 2 blowouts in 24 hours. It also did not have the features of the name brand diapers. The interior was rougher and it had no wetness indicator.

The Comforts diapers did fit smaller than any of the other diapers, I think probably causing the leaks. They likely would have fit better a few weeks earlier when we were switching from newborn to size 1.

So… which diapers will I be buying?

Ultimately, the differences between the brands were not huge.

The real difference between the name brands and the cheaper generics was the softness. The higher price tag did not necessarily mean fewer leaks.

At about half the price of the name brands, I would have to use twice as many of the generic diapers to negate the cost savings. It is important to note that I used around the same number of diapers each day regardless of brand.

While I do like the softness of the Huggies, I can’t justify the everyday cost just for that.

However, I’ll definitely stock up when they are on sale and I can snag a deal. (Amazon has Huggies coupons all the time that can be added to the 20% Amazon Family discount you get with Subscribe and Save!)

Otherwise, I’ll stick to my store brand diapers.

Now that you’re stocked with diapers. Do you know how to best pack your diaper bag? We spill all the best secrets here: