Down to the Dirty!

Sorry about the lack of Wisdoms in November, but I was in charge of a Relief Society Activity that took a lot of my time and effort, so I didn't get around to much other than that.   So, since I'm sure I won't be doing another one come Christmas, I'm just going to combine a few that I was going to do and make one really, really, really long one to compensate. ^_^  Hope you enjoy!

Alright mommies!  Time to get down to the dirty!

Yup!  Time for poop-talk!  Let's get dirty!

Diapering is often a subject avoided in regular conversation, but it certainly has a big impact on a mom's daily life.  There is nothing worse than cleaning up someone else's bodily fluids, no matter where they came from.  However, as a mom, this is a multiple times a day activity.  We don't like it, but someone's got to do it.

Little baby buns can be the absolute cutest thing in the world!... unless they're covered in crap ...literally.  To add to it, these adorable baby bottoms are extremely sensitive.  It is very important to take care to keep that little bum happy so the little one can keep you happy too.

Many new moms share the following question:  "Which is the best diaper?"  Well, mommies, there is not a clear answer.  The diapering market is as competitive as the pads and tampons.  There are so many brands out there and a lot of them are very, very different. To add to that, there are a lot of things that need to be taken into account when looking at diapers.  To name just a few:

-Cost (yeah, we all know it's the first on the list.  Baby's are just expensive.)
-Baby's Bottom and Fit
-Baby's Skin Sensitivity
-Diaper Availability
-Personal Preference and Experience
-Etc. Etc.  The list goes on and on.

There is a lot more detailed information on things to look at when buying diapers in this article by Smith's Food and Drug.

Now, before we go any further, we will take a moment to reiterate probably the most common mommy phrases I ever use:

Every Mommy is different.  Every Baby is different.  Every Situation is different.

Mommies, as in any other decision that you face, you will have to make it on your own.  You know your baby best, and they trust you to make the right decision.  Don't rely on what other mommies do to determine how you will raise your child.  The only thing we have is advice and that is for the taking or leaving.

That being said, with there being so many different kinds of diapers out there, I asked several mommies in my area what kinds of diapers they use, have used, what they liked/disliked, and why.  However, though I asked probably over 20 mommies for input, not every mommy had tried every kind of diaper.  For that reason, we will approximate as though there were 10 moms just to make the math a little easier.  We will be rating each on a 5 star system; 5 means most mommies loved it, 4 means more mommies liked it, 3 means most mommies were neutral, 2 means more mommies didn't like it, and 1 means most mommies hated it.

Like I said earlier, there are so many different brands of diapers.  I do not want anyone to think that I am going to cover all of them.  Rather, I will only be talking about the one that are available in my local area.  If you have other diapers in your areas that you would like to share about, loved it or hated it, please share with us in the comments section below. Prices are based on the local prices in Utah, noting that they may be much more expensive or cheaper in other areas.

First, let's start with probably the top 3 known brands: Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs.  I assume that these are available in most areas considering the size of the company and the commonness of the brand names in discussion.  After that, we will talk about other alternatives including off/store brands and cloth diapers.  Remember, these are simply the opinions of a bunch of mommies, there is no professional opinion or scientific fact, just a bunch of talking ladies.  Ready mommies?  Here we go!

Pampers
Cost:  $0.25-$0.31 per diaper
Rate: 5 star  
Mommy Count:  9 out of 10 mommies loved it
Basic Shape: long and slender

Pampers are probably the most commonly heard of brand in my area.   Most of my mommies had at one point at least tried Pampers.

Pros:  The general consensus on Pampers was that they are great for sensitive bottoms.  The variety in types within the brand was also a plus, allowing for more mommies to find a good fit.  The long and slender shape of the diapers was very helpful for little ones with even smaller buns!  They seemed to hold a lot and keep it in.

Cons:  Pampers are the most expensive diapers that we looked into.  Although it doesn't seem like much, a penny or two per diaper can really add up when you use over 3,400 diapers each year!  Also, these long and slender diapers aren't so nice for the adorable chunky bottoms some babies have.  Also depending on which type you get, a high-production bottom may overflow the diaper. 

Huggies 
Cost:  $0.20 - $0.25 per diaper
Rate:  4 star
Mommy Count:  7 out of 10 loved it
Basic Shape:  short and wide

Again, Huggies runs a close race to Pampers as they are still very common.  A fair number of the mommies had at least tired Huggies.

Pros:  Huggies have a pretty average price for their diapers all around, they are only slightly more expensive than the off brands while still being cheaper than Pampers.  Their wide build made them great for chunky babies with lots of cheek to go around.

Cons:  Although the price is better than Pampers, they are still very pricy in the long run as those pennies catch up.  Many mommies also commented on how although they rarely leaked, they also rarely breathed.  If you weren't on top of your poop-smelling game, the baby would end up with a nasty diaper rash.  Others complained that the bigger sizes and slip-ons were easy to rip.

Luvs
Cost:  $0.20 - $0.21 per diaper
Rate:  1 star
Mommy Count:  1 out of 10 loved it
Basic Shape:  wider bottoms and skinnier tops with midrange length

Most mommies tried the Luvs only once, but the ones that kept going really loved it!

Pros:  The one mommy that loved the Luvs said that they were great for sensitive bottoms.  Another mom said that they were okay, but she extremely preferred other brands.  These are the cheapest of the major brands and have a comparable price across their different types and box sizes.

Cons:  Most mommies complained that Luvs simply crumbled.  On top of ripping when putting them on, the diapers left little pieces of residue on the baby's bottoms after they did their business.  The mommies also said that the pear shape never seemed to fit and that the diapers often leaked.

Store Brands

 Now mommies, there is nothing wrong with going with brand names.  Evangeline had a very sensitive bottom and therefore had allergic reactions to many different brands, so we pretty much exclusively use Pampers.  However, that's not going to work for everyone.  Don't be ashamed to check out other alternatives. There are so many different knock offs out there.  Each major store line comes up with their own eventually.  Again, we will focus on what is in my area, since I have no idea what is anywhere else.

Wal-Mart
Parent's Choice
Cost:  $0.17 - $0.21 per diaper
Rate:  1 star
Mommy Count:  0 out of 10 loved it
Basic Shape:  No description given

There was only one mommy who had tried these diapers and she hated them.  She didn't really give specific reasons why, but she was very insistent that they were terrible for sensitivity as well as leakage.  Not really enough information to go on, but I couldn't just leave them out.

Smith's
Comforts For Baby
Cost:  $0.16 per diaper
Rate: 3 star
Mommy Count:  4 out of 10 loved it
Basic Shape: Similar to Pampers, but slightly wider

Mommies were rather mixed with these diapers.  They were excellent when it came to cost; every mommy agreed on that!  However, mommy's were at a debate on sensitivity, but that really depended on the baby.  They are not the best at preventing leaks, but they are by far not the worst.  If your baby pees a lot, these may not be the best ones, but they make great emergency diapers, especially with the super low cost.

Target
Up & Up
Cost:  $0.17 - $0.18 per diaper
Rate:  5 star
Mommy Count:  10 out of 10 loved it.
Basic Shape:  Similar to Huggies, but slightly taller

Of all the diapers out there, this was the only one with a perfect score.  Every mommy that tried it loved it!  They were very cost efficient as well as being able to hold a lot.    Most mommy's felt that they were great for sensitive babies as well.  Way to go Target!

Wal-Mart & Target
Munchkin
(There is a debate as to which brand this is or if it is simply another brand altogether, but you can buy them at either location.)
Cost:  $0.21 - $0.34 per diaper
Rate:  No Information
Mommy Count:  No Information
Basic Shape:  No Information

These diapers were not even considered with the mommies from my area.  Many of them felt that the price varied too much and the brand names were the same cost.  If you've tried these ones, please let me know what you thought!

Western Family
I wasn't able to find any information as of yet as far as prices and such, but I did have one mom mention that she had tried these diapers out of being in a pickle for them and she loved them.  With previous negative experiences with Western Family, she said that she was pleasantly surprised at the quality of their diapers. 

Costco
Kirkland Signature
Cost:  $0.23 per diaper 
Rate:  4 star
Mommy Count:  8 out of 10 loved it
Basic Shape:  Similar to Huggies

Mommies really liked the Costco diapers and said that they were very comparable to Huggies in shape and in quality.  Other mommies, however, felt that the price for membership to Costco wasn't worth it as well as the price for the diapers not being any lower than average for Huggies.

Sam's Club
Simply Right
Cost:  $0.17 - $0.21 per diaper
Rate:   4 star
Mommy Count:  7 out of 10 loved it
Basic Shape:  Similar to Pampers

Most mommies that tried Costco had also tried Sam's Club.  Again, many felt that the quality was great, but others disagreed noting that they sagged much more than other diapers when they were full, making it easier for them to leak.  However, mommies agreed that the price was better than the brand name, but debated on whether or not the membership cost was worth it.

Buy It In Bulk
Many people recommend buying things in bulk to save money.  Now, as we stated before, there may be times when that is correct, but there are also times when it is not.  For the sake of comparison, I've looked into this as well.  Some bulk stores have their own brand, but they also sell brand names.  Here are their comparisons to the local general stores.


Pampers
General Stores Cost:  $0.25-$0.31 per diaper
Sam's Club Cost:  $0.24 - $0.30 per diaper

Huggies
General Stores Cost:    $0.20 - $0.25 per diaper
Sam's Club Cost:  $0.24 per diaper
Costco Cost:  $0.21 per diaper

Luvs
General Stores Cost:    $0.20 - $0.21 per diaper
Sam's Club Cost:  $0.16 per diaper

So, at this point I will again remind you that you buy so many diapers in the first 2 years of a baby's life that cents eventually add up.  However, I will also remake the point that there is a membership cost on top of it all to buy at Sam's Club or at Costco.  Make sure that you take those into account when considering the cost to you.

Cloth Diapers
Now, I really have no idea about much cloth diapers.  I could only find 2 mommies who had ever used cloth diapers and neither of them had used them on their own children, but rather in a day care or babysitting setting.  It may behoove you to find someone who has had more experience with these diapers to get more information.  If I find someone, I will probably make an additional post to tell you about it.  However, for now, I'm afraid that my information with be very naive and lacking greatly.  Sorry about that.

Due to my lack of information, I will be talking about these diapers in a purely price oriented direction.  I know that there is more that goes into choosing to buy cloth diapers, such as environmental awareness and such, but I'm not going to get into that since I don't have a reference for these opinions.  If you would like to share your experiences or your opinions, please do!  We would love to hear about it.

Okay, so I was able to find prices for basic and locally available diapers from Wal-Mart and Target websites.  I'm not sure where else to look, but I have been told there are other online-only stores that sell cloth diapers for fair prices.  I will also add more information on these sites as I find them.

Back to business! 

From what I found, there are the stereotypical cloth diapers that come to mind, and their are the fancier ones with buttons, velcro, and colors.  I'm going to be very general with my information since I have no idea about the differences within these two groups.

Gerber
These are more of the stereotypical cloth diapers.  These were sold for about $1.24 per diaper.  Now, this is quite a bit more than the $0.16 - $.35 range we have been looking at so far, but remember that these are reusable.  They can be washed and put away just like a shirt or a pair of underwear.  For the price of one cloth diaper, you could buy around 5 disposable diapers, but how long do they last?  Use each on 6 times and they have paid for themselves!  However, They do require a lot of effort on the laundry front. 

Charlie Banana
I know that this is technically a brand name, but it was a generally available one so I'm using it as a "or similar to" example. These are the more fancy cloth diapers with the buttons and gizmos.  As I understood what I was reading at the store websites, the way these work is that you buy the outer shell for one price and then just add disposable inserts and liners to catch the bulk of it.  This way, you are only throwing away the part of the diaper that is disgusting instead of the outer case.  In addition, many of the liners are made to be flush-able so you can send them down the toilet instead of stinking up the garbage. 

However, this whole addition system does add to the cost thereof.  The general prices I found were around $20 per outer shell!  In my mind, this is crazy, but remember that you get to reuse this diaper over and over again like a pair of undies.  The inserts that go inside come to a cost of about $0.50 per insert.  You do the math.  Again, I'm the naive person who has never tried them and doesn't know anyone who really has, but I'm willing to hear more information if you have it.  It doesn't make sense to me, but I'm more than happy to keep looking.

Well, my mommies, there you have it.  This is all the information about all the diapers we could think of!  Let me know if you have any more information to share with us!  We love your input! 

Hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderfully Merry Christmas as well as any other holidays you may celebrate!  Hope that your holiday season is a wonderful one! 

HAPPY DIAPERING!!!