One product that every parent could not escape from buying regularly once they have a baby is disposable baby
diaper. I keep bags of diaper stocks in my house as running out of disposable diapers in one day is unimaginable to me. My husband and I started buying few brands of diaper on sale since I was about seven months
pregnant.
Back then, one thing that we didn't really take into consideration before when purchasing diapers was the fact that not every diaper brand works for all babies. Some babies are fine with wearing any diaper brands and some can easily experience skin redness/red marks on their diaper area due to some particular diaper brands. My baby happens to fall in the second category. Needless to say, the husband and I had to 'dump' or 'sit' almost full bags of diaper that we've just opened simply because we noticed our baby's diaper area gets red too often after using specific diaper brands - even after we apply some nappy cream to protect it.
The following are some popular diaper brands (available in Malaysia) that we've used and short reviews on each diaper brand. Please note that the below is based on our personal experience; thus, the brand that may works wonder on our baby may not do the same favour on yours and the brand that may not do so well on our baby's diaper area might just treat your baby's okay.
1. Pet Pet
The first time we decided to use Pet Pet diapers was actually quite accidental. My Mother-in-Law happened to bring home two bags of Pet Pet newborn diapers when my husband roped her assistance in buying disposable diapers for newborn. In the end, my husband and I exclusively used Pet Pet newborn diapers for more than a month on baby Naomi and we didn't encountered much problem with the brand. Pet Pet diaper is kind of thin so we need to change it regularly as it gets wet pretty fast. When Naomi was still a newborn, I didn't mind using this brand even for night use because Naomi woke up almost every 2-3 hours for feeding anyway. Every time she woke up, I used that opportunity to check and change her diaper too. Another good thing about this brand is that it's very affordable.
Recently, we bought a bag of M size Pet Pet diaper again, intended for Naomi's day use, and so far I love this diaper brand.
2. Mamy Poko
No question, Mamy Poko is one of the superior baby diaper brands in the market and after using it, I must agree with what the market says. The price of this brand is more on the high side but I think it is a good investment. Every time I see redness on my baby's diaper area after using other diaper brand, I quickly let my baby wear Mamy Poko diaper to avoid further red marks. This diaper's material is soft, comfortable and has excellent absorbency ability. For the past couple of months, I always use Mamy Poko diapers on my baby at night so she can sleep longer as Mamy Poko diaper absorbs lots of urine and doesn't leak easily. One drawback of this brand is that Mamy Poko diaper is kind of bulky on baby's between-the-legs.
3. Drypers
My husband and I started using this local diaper brand after seeing our Sisters-in-Law using this brand on their babies for quite some time. One of them recommended me to try this brand because it is relatively cheap and good in quality. The diaper itself is quite thin in design and gets wet pretty fast so it's best used on baby during the day - not so good for baby's night sleep. I tried this brand on baby Naomi for few weeks when she was younger but Naomi's diaper area often got red after using this brand, so I stopped using this brand for a while. Recently, I began purchasing this brand again after receiving some sample from a supermarket. I put Drypers on Naomi for two days and she had no problem at all with redness on her skin. Guess her skin is less sensitive as she grows older? Anyway, Drypers is always a good option for day use and of course, the price or freebies promotion that it often offers in the market is so tempting!
4. Whoopee
When my husband and I checked out the
Parenthood Expo in Kuala Lumpur few months ago, we saw lots of people buying this diaper brand. It was on promotion so my husband immediately bought 2 bags of this diaper brand at the Expo. I tried using the S size Whoopee diaper on Naomi when she was around one-month old but I was really disappointed to find red marks on her diaper area. I let Naomi to wear Whoopee diaper again for few more times but I always discovered the same red marks on her diaper area and she got a little bit fussy too. Not long, I decided to stop using Whoopee diapers on her again and now we have almost one full bag of Whoopee diaper sitting quietly at our room. I think this diaper's material is not stretchy enough and a little bit 'stiff' as well. This said, I guess I won't be making any further Whoopee diaper purchase in the near future.
5. Pampers
On one weekend, my husband and I took a stroll at a local supermarket. When we were browsing baby disposable diaper at the baby stuff department, suddenly my husband came to me carrying a bag of Pampers diaper and said
"Hey, should we try this classic brand? It's on sale. Super cheap." I replied,
"Why not?". The packaging says "Up to 12 hours dryness" so I thought Pampers should do the justice alright when used at night and might be a good alternative for Mamy Poko. In the beginning, unlike Mamy Poko, I was quite surprised to see that Pampers diaper is rather thin for type of diaper that guarantees baby's good night sleep. However, it seems that its thinness doesn't mean it doesn't absorb lots of urine. Apparently, it does and I am quite pleased with its soft material that doesn't cause red marks on Naomi's diaper area. Other good things about Pampers diapers are its smaller size of soft re-attachable tape that makes the tape readjustments on baby's body a whole lot easier and the diaper design is not as bulky as Mamy Poko on baby's between-the-legs.
6. BabyLove
Based on my blog readers' recommendations (see their comments below this post), I finally tried using BabyLove diapers on baby Naomi last week. This diaper brand didn't cause any red marks on my baby's diaper area. It's soft, not very thick in design, not bulky on baby's between-the-legs and absolutely good to be used at night.
7. Diapex Easy
I heard of Diapex brand for a long time already but in the beginning, I always underestimated this brand. Whenever I heard the name of this diaper brand, I always associated it with some familiar women sanitary brand like Kotex and Softex... Got it? Thus, I never actually bought this diaper brand before. Anyway, my prejudice about this brand was all wrong. I had the chance to try Diapex Easy on Baby Naomi and I loved it. I think Diapex is one of very good diaper brands available in the market. Diapex Easy is suitable to be put on babies for their day use, like Pet Pet or Drypers. It's not too thick so it gets wets rather fast. I love this brand's diaper because it's affordable, has stretchy and soft material and doesn't leave red marks on Baby Naomi's diaper area especially her thighs.
8. Diapex Premium
I've tested Diapex Premium diaper on my baby and I fell in love with it. This diaper brand like the affordable version of Mami Poko and BabyLove. It's great to be used for babies at night. It's thick, not bulky on baby's between-the-legs, soft and stretchy plus I find that the animal face cartoons that decorate every piece of Diapex Premium diaper are not boring (for Mommy to see!). I am totally going to switch to this brand for Baby Naomi's diaper use at night.
9. Huggies Dry
In the past few months, I have been buying Huggies Dry for Baby Naomi. What I like about Huggies Dry is the fact that it doesn't cause any red marks on my baby's diaper area and this diaper is not as bulky as compared to Mamy Poko. However, I find that it's absorption level is just average, hence I would suggest using Huggies Dry for day time. Also, Huggies Dry is sold at really affordable price, despite its long-established brand in the diaper market, and often gives away lots of cool stuff as part of its promotion activities. So far, I've gotten fold-able plastic pool and float for Baby Naomi from Huggies Dry!
Further, here are some simple regimes that I always do on my baby to prevent red marks and rashes on her diaper area:
- I slather Bepanthen nappy care ointment on my baby's diaper area almost after each diaper change. I also apply the ointment on the red marks too whenever I see one.
- I use baby powder on my baby's bottom every time I change her diaper to ensure that her bottom is always dry and fresh before putting on a new diaper.
- I check my baby's diaper frequently and change the disposable diaper almost once every 4 hours or every time it feels rather 'heavy' or 'full' to avoid skin redness on her buttocks, thighs and genital area. Also, I immediately change my baby's diaper whenever it becomes soiled.
- I do consider changing the diaper brand whenever I notice that some particular diaper brands don't work so well on my baby. Seemingly, some parents have better luck with one brand of disposable diaper over another anyway.
- I use fragrance-free and alcohol-free baby wipes to clean my baby's bottom area.
Last but not least, let me know if you know any diaper brand worth trying! I'd love to know and hear your experience too on this topic.