There are a lot of diaper brands on the market, and walking down the diaper aisle can be intimidating for any new mom.
How do you decide between Huggies vs. Pampers? Are store brands the same quality as name brands? What if your baby has sensitive skin? Or if you want to try reusable cloth diapers?
To find out what diaper brands moms like you love, I asked 50 moms to share their preferred diaper brands (and why) and received feedback from nurses, business women, stay-at-home moms, authors, artists, physical therapists and more. These women ranged from first-time moms to moms of eleven! Some like to stick with one brand, while others have preferred a different diaper for each child or each season of the diaper years.
Here are the brands these moms love best. Use their experiences to help you prepare for your little one—and soon you’ll have your own wisdom to share too!
Best overall: Huggies
The most preferred brand among moms was Huggies diapers. While Pampers and Huggies are close contenders in the diaper market, there was a reason why over 25% of the women interviewed chose Huggies, while only about 15% opted for Pampers:
Huggies just fit better.
Two moms reported that Huggies was best for keeping poopy messes where they belong, especially for chubbier babies. And a mom of four reported that Huggies provide a snug fit for babies with skinny thighs, too!
Moms in the medical profession, who diaper their own kids in addition to hundreds of others, agree. A NICU nurse and mom of two told me that “Huggies are best for preemies because they make sure the small babies’ hips stay in the right position.” Huggies, she said, is also the only brand to make micro-preemie diapers for the smallest newborns of all.
Best for cost: Store-brand diapers
Surprisingly, Pampers wasn’t the runner-up for favorite diapers. Instead, store-brand diapers and Luvs tied for second place, with nearly a quarter of moms opting for each.
Because when it comes to diapers, cost matters. Most babies go through about 2,000 of them in their first year.1 That cost adds up quickly— in addition to wipes, diaper pail refill bags, and diaper cream.
For my 22-month-old son, I opt for the lowest-cost diaper. In my town, the cheapest diapers are the Walmart store brand, although I’ve also found good buy-one-get-one deals at Sam’s Club.
A mom of one 20-month-old agreed that Walmart is the best option. She said they are “pretty much the most cost-efficient diaper on the market. And they don’t leak or cause a rash.”
Of course, the Sam Walton empire isn’t the only resource for store-brand diapers. In addition to Walmart’s Parent’s Choice and Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark, many moms like Target’s Up & Up, Safeway’s Signature Care, and Costco’s Kirkland.
Best for busy moms: Amazon diapers
If you’re an online shopper, check out Mama Bear, Amazon’s diaper brand. Not only is this a cost-efficient option, it’s also a great way to save time. If you’ve shopped on Amazon recently, you’ve probably noticed their “subscribe and save” program—this includes diapers!
Sign up to have diapers shipped to your house every month, and you’ll get a discount. This saves time and can take a little bit off your mental load. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to make an emergency diaper run after forgetting to add them to my weekly shopping list!
Of course, if you’re not a fan of Amazon diapers, you can still order your favorite brand online and have it shipped to your house. One mom of four loves this option. “I can’t take all these kids to the store,” she said. “Not going to happen. So it gets shipped to my door. Boom!”
Best quality for less: Luvs
Unsurprisingly, many moms report that store-brand diapers seem to sacrifice a level of quality to offer a lower cost. However, as a mom of two put it, Luvs are the “best of both worlds” when it comes to quality and price.
I also found this to be true when my son was younger and had frequent blowouts; Luvs helped prevent leaks and kept these explosions inside his diaper better than the store brands. So if you need something more heavy-duty but don’t want to pay Pampers’ prices, Luvs could be a great option for you.
Best for comfort: Pampers
Pampers may be less popular than Huggies, but there’s a good reason several moms named this brand as their number-one choice. Pampers are more expensive than Huggies, but they have extra comfort features and are easier on diaper rash-prone bottoms.2
A mom of two explained that her girls screamed every time they peed unless they wore Pampers. It’s no wonder Pampers’ website claims to be the number one brand preferred by pediatricians and hospitals.3
Best for sensitive skin: Hello Bello & other natural brands
While only about 10% of the moms I interviewed use natural diaper brands as their first choice, they’re a must-have for babies with sensitive skin. Natural diapers help prevent diaper rash and don’t contain the synthetic ingredients found in regular diapers.
Of course, your baby doesn’t need to have sensitive skin to opt for natural diapers. Even babies who aren’t bothered by synthetic ingredients benefit from having natural ingredients close to their skin.
If you want to try disposable diapers with natural ingredients, there are many brands to choose from. Seventh Generation, Hello Bello, Honest Company, Dyper, and Earths were all mentioned by the moms I talked to, with Hello Bello being the most popular. Some larger brands also offer natural options, like Pampers Pure.
An additional perk of natural brands is their tendency to be more earth-friendly. Dyper, for example, is unprinted and compostable.4 This is a great option for environmentally-conscious mamas who don’t want the commitment of cloth diapers.
Best for low-waste: Alva & other cloth diapers
Of course, if you’re up for the challenge, cloth diapers are a great option for both sensitive skin and low-waste diapering. They’re even cheaper to use than store brands—but you’ll need to take into account the money you’ll spend on your energy bill doing extra laundry.
Although reusable diapers are the most popular kind of diapering in some areas of the world, that’s certainly not the case in the United States.5 Only three of the moms I talked to use cloth diapers, and none of those women used them exclusively. On the plus side, there are many online communities who will support you through your cloth diapering journey if you opt for this method.
The only cloth diaper brand recommended was Alva. But there are endless cloth diapering brands to choose from. You can even purchase reusable diapers with adorable prints on Etsy!
Find the best brand for your baby budget
In the end, there is no undisputed “best diaper brand” on the market, because every mama, baby, and budget is different. And your priorities in a diaper won’t be the same for the next mom or even your next baby.
Consider planning a diaper shower, where guests bring their favorite brands of diapers to try. Or, if you already know which brands you want to try, ask for those in particular. You’ll be prepared for those newborn diaper days, save money, and avoid any emergency diaper runs during those first precious weeks (or months) postpartum.
If you’re still wondering what else to put on your registry, download our checklist for “Baby Registry Must-Haves,” or read our article on must-have baby items, written by a mom-of-three, so you know you’ve covered the essentials (with a few bonus “fun” items for your list).
Sources:
- “How Many Diapers Do I Need for My Newborn?” Munchkin, https://www.munchkin.com/blog/how-many-diapers-do-i-need-for-a-newborn/.
- Anderson M.S.Ed., Lorie. “Huggies vs Pampers: Which Brand Is Best in 2024.” Mom Informed. https://mominformed.com/huggies-vs-pampers-which-brand-is-best-in-2020/.
- “Pampers Swaddlers Diapers.” Pampers. https://www.pampers.com/en-us/products/pampers-swaddlers-diapers.
- “DYPER Sustainable Diapers & Briefs.” DYPER. https://dyper.com/.
- Thaman, Lauren A., and Lawrence F. Eichenfield. “Diapering Habits: A Global Perspective.” Pediatric Dermatology 31, no. s1 (November 2014): 15–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/pde.12468.