Tuesday, December 2, 2008

What's the 411 on diapers

As Steve and I prepare for the arrival of our little mathlete, one thought keeps coming up that we should stock up on diapers and wipes. Unfortunately, having never been a mother before, I have no idea what are good brands and what brands I should stay away from.

I am asking all mothers (and fathers) what are good diapers? Are there preferences depending on if you are having a boy or a girl? Do types of wipes matter? What other household products did you find you used often but never thought to buy at the beginning?

11 comments:

dawnawanna said...

This is where the Costco membership repaid itself. We bought cases of Huggies diapers and cases of the Kirkland brand wipes at Costco.

We were also fortunate that Leah did well on Kirkland formula too.

Cailean said...

We are 100% Huggies all the way. Partly because that's what Costco sells and we had a membership when our oldest was born but I slowly realized, after trying other brands, that I prefer it (for girls and boys). The other brands seemed flimsier. Costco does not sell newborn size however so you'll have to spring for those (usually you'll only need 1-3 packages until your baby gets bigger). Also, the cheapest wipes are Costco's own but Target has good deals sometimes on their own brand. The only options with wipes is scented or not and we opted for unscented. I also love Desitin for diaper rashes although doctors might tell you to use A&D on your boy's little...part. Another helpful thing is a portable changing pad that is essentially made of vinyl or some other wipeable material (we got ours at IKEA way back when) but a changing table we didn't ever have and didn't really need. Very helpful too is a stack of white (bleachable) washcloths (cheap at Target). Good for when they spit up, burp, etc. I've also heard moms put them on their boy's....part during diaper changes so if they do spring a link mid-change then it doesn't go everywhere. Sorry this is long!

Dan said...

hopefully our kid comes pre-potty trained. I shiver just thinking about this.

Anonymous said...

You're going to have to go green and pave a new path.

peapod said...

I'm clearly not an expert yet, but my friends use http://www.seattlediaper.com/ and per their calculations, it was 30c a diaper vs 20c of disposable....a green way to go about it.

WendyJ said...

It's funny that Cailean loves Huggies, because for some reason our kids don't do well in those, except for the 1-2 size of Huggies. The bigger sizes leaked about half the time. We like Pampers, but with 2 in diapers we go for the Kirkland brand and save some $$ and they don't leak. I'd recommend trying out several kinds to see what fits your little one the best. I looked into a diaper service, but it was more expensive and reviewers said they leaked often, however kudos to those that do it.

P.S. As far as other things to stock up on: maxi pads. I won't go into details, but trust me.

Dan said...

Maxi Pads, Poopie Diapers, a child gnawing on your chest. Wowza...!

Megan said...

We loved Pampers for newborn and then switched to Kirkland brand when he was about 12 lbs. He has been in those ever sense and they NEVER leak. Huggies leaked all the time, and we liked Pampers, but they didn't work any better than Kirkland and they were more expensive.

We also tried out pampers and huggies wipes, but both of them smell terribly. We like the Kirkland ones the best, they don't smell at all.

Also, if you're thinking about cloth, I have several friends who have done it for a year, and a couple who have gone the route of switching to cloth once the kid is 12 months, after "things" are more solid and easier to clean up. I can get websites, info, ect. for you if you want.

BrianJ said...

30c (cloth service) versus 20c (disposable) x 5-8 diapers per day x 3 years = something for two mathletes to consider. Oh, and the fact that they wash the diapers in kitty-cat tears. I guess if you can live with that....

I'll second Cailean's call for lots and lots of washcloths.

BrianJ said...

Oh, I just thought of what nags me the most of anything we purchased for baby care: our glider. It's a really nice glider---pretty, sturdy, comfy cushion. But it has no padding on the armrests. That spells murder on your elbows when you're holding a baby for hours at night. Murder!

Steve said...

Brian- we're ok with washing things in kitty tears. And, after the baby comes I think Scooter will produce a lot of kitty tears for us to use-he's the jealous type.