Pampers Versus Huggies

On the TV, in parenting and lifestyle magazines, and on the Internet, parents like me are bombarded with advertisements for baby products, especially diapers (or nappies, as they are called here in the UK). Is one brand, like Pampers, really any better than another, like Huggies? Are they really any better than cheaper store brand disposable diapers (Boots, Tescos, and Wal-Mart all sell their own diapers)?

Since about two months before my daughter was born, we have received a steady stream of complimentary parenting magazines, coupons and vouchers for baby products ranging from clothes to nursery furniture and baby food, and free samples. We have had free samples of everything from 'magic cream' for diaper rash to Huggies disposable changing mats and Pampers diapers. Now we are about to celebrate her first birthday, and so have had a year's experience of sampling and buying baby things. Obviously the single most important baby product is the diaper. Other products can be nice to have, but we use multiple diapers daily. I tend to buy them in the big, industrial sized boxes now just to make sure that we don't run out. Also, they are cheaper that way.

For newborn size diapers, there is a huge difference between brands. In my experience, Huggies diapers leaked on a daily basis. If you have ever had a baby's diaper leak on you, you know it's not a pleasant experience. I've had baby poo on my lap, in my shoes, and on my bed. I think part of the reason is the design of Huggies diapers. They were made for short, chubby babies, and so the leg holes are large and only weakly elasticated. Therefore, if you have a long skinny child like mine, they will leak. Also, the waist never tightened quite enough on her back, and so it would leak up her back inside of her clothes. Often she would wake up in the morning crying with the inside of her sleep suit filled with the contents of her dirty diaper. Stain remover sprays make a fortune off of me when my daughter wears Huggies, because I have to try to salvage her clothes afterwards.