Best Disposable Diapers

I’m a big fan of cloth diapers, and always will be. From cheap Baby City diapers, to Smarti Pants, and Fuzzibunz, I love ‘em!

But sometimes, it just makes sense to use disposable diapers. Over the last three-and-a-half years of diapering, I’ve tried nearly every inexpensive brand of diapers you could think of. Not being brand loyal has saved me a lot of money – but it’s also cost me sometimes in compromised quality.

So here are what we’ve found to be the best disposable diapers – and the worst!

1. Pampers. These are hands down my favorite. From the way they fit, to their power of absorption, they’re nearly perfect. After an entire night of diaper wetting, the babies wake up with a soggy diaper, but dry bottom.
2. Huggies. These are similar in quality to Pampers, but have a slightly different fit. For my children, the Pampers fit worked better, but for many, Huggies are where it’s at.
3. Walgreen’s. I tried Walgreen’s brand one time when they had an amazing sale + coupon match-up, and was very happy with both fit and quality. As far as I could tell, they were just like Pampers.
4. Luvs. These are the diaper I’ve used the most. Their absorption and fit is just as good as Pampers, but there are two drawbacks:
   a). They’re made slightly more cheaply, and so occasionally, the tab will tear off during a diaper change.
   b). They’re scented, and dyed. I don’t know what chemicals make up the scent and coloring, but I’d rather not have those next to my baby’s bottom.
5. Walmart. These are nothing special, but also not terrible. Very similar to Luvs, but without the scent and dye.
6. Rite Aid. The absorption power of these diapers is unimpressive. We also had some blowout problems with them – they didn’t seem to hold things in as well as the diapers listed above.
7. Dollar General. Another not great, but not terrible diaper. These got soggy really quickly. But at half the price of the Pampers and Huggies, I can’t complain!
8. Lullibies (Aldi Brand). Guys, you know I love Aldi, but I don’t love their diapers. There is no moisture wicking at all as far as I can tell. When babies wet themselves, they just stay wet, which makes this diaper a poor choice for nighttime – and that’s when I most often use disposable diapers. For day use, they’re okay if you’re attentive. We’ve also had the occasional tear problem when taping them on.
9. Amazon Essentials. My experience with these is very, very limited. In fact, I almost didn’t include them, because I was just gifted with my first package a few weeks ago, and since they’re size fives, I’ve only used them as overnight diapers a few times. BUT, I have been happy with them so far.

The best advice I think anyone can give when buying disposable diapers, is to plan ahead. Start when you’re pregnant for sales to match up with coupons. Build a stash, and continue building even after baby’s born. there are many, many ways to prepare for baby on a budget, and that’s one of ’em.

The second best advice is to try a few brands and see what works best for you and your baby. Everybody’s different. I’ve had people tell me that they hated Walgreen’s brand. I know other folks who use Walmart brand exclusively. It’s very much a “to each their own” proposition.

So play around. Buy a package of each. Except Lullibies. You get what you pay for there. 😉

Did I miss any brands that you recommend? Let us know!