Friday, October 10, 2008
Generic or Name Brand?
To save on our bugdet after we have the baby, we are trying to stock up on items we know we will needs a lot of. Diapers are one of those items but I want to know what you guys think about buying generic diapers vs name brand diapers. Does it really make a big difference? I would like to spend less and buy the generic kinds, but is it really worth it to spend more for name brand diapers? You experienced parents, please let me know what you think.
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22 comments:
I think when they are tiny the name brand diapers really make a difference. But when they get older and start eating solids then the generic brand works fine.
I might be picky, but I've always used the Huggies from Costco. We tried papmpers for a while and they were ok too--we just seemed to like the huggies better (probably because we could buy them in bulk). I know this sounds crazy but for our next child I'm thinking about cloth.....
I have found that I like Huggies over any other brand. We tried the walmart generics when she was little but seem to stick with Huggies, I don't like Pampers. You get lots of coupons if you register at like Motherhood maternity, and some online sites, plus you get coupons in the diaper bag the OBGYN and hospital give you. Using coupons makes it worth it. What you can do, is buy the little packs of generic and see how they work for you. Then you can switch once those run out and try a new kind. We tried about 4 brand before we started sticking to one. Good luck!!
I wouldn't even waste time getting generic brand. Boys seems to be gross and have tons of poo. Name brand can actually hold things until you change them. I get tons and tons of coupons in the mail so it really isn't that expensive. Also, some places have them cheaper then you use the coupons and it's even better!
Someone already mentioned this, but you could always use cloth diapers. My parent's did it back in the 80s...just rinse them off in the toilet! (You know I'm not being serious, right?)
The only thing I really know about diapers is that immediate diaper changes are crucial. I love the advice from my child develop professor/dr: Potty Training your child starts at birth. If they're used to being dry, then when they're old enough to pee in their panties, they won't be able to stand it, thus, motivated to be more persistent and disciplined to going in the toilet.:-) That's why I'm also open to using cloth diapers because it will force me to change them as soon as they are wet. Good luck, my dear!
We tried a generic brand at first and it was terrible!!! It wasn't even worth it because I had to do so much more in laundry because nothing would stay in the diaper. I found that the cheapest way to buy diapers is to get them at Costco. Huggies are great and I love the Huggies Gentle Care for when they are little. They are more expensive but it is worth it because there skin is so delicate. Costco has their own brand of diapers (Kirkland something or other) but they seem to work really well and they are very soft. Good luck and congrats!!!
I found that the name brand makes a huge difference from the very beginning to when they are older. The gerneric ones don't hold as much in and leak. I personally like huggies the best, they don't leak, but they are expensive so I use something else like pampers (anything that's on sale) during the day and huggies at night bec. she wears the same diaper for 9-10 hours and by morning her outfit is soaking. gross, i know. you will find out what works with you.
So unless you are going to try your friend Sarahlynn's advise don't even think about getting generic diapers. If you are going to try that method you will be changing a lot of diapers and you might want to go cheap. Everyone gets potty trained eventually....
FYI: We like the pampers newborns but after that we do Huggies.
wow, i never realized how many people like Huggies. But I know why, its because their cheaper then pampers. But i'll tell you what, I can only speak for us, but I NEVER buy anything other then Pampers for Nixon. When he was a baby, pampers swaddlers worked so much better then those "not soft" huggies. And then when he grew out of swaddlers, we bought Pampers Cruisers, not the baby dry (their cheaper). I have NEVER had a problem with the pampers leaking through and they hold a ton. Not to mention, pampers cruisers and swaddlers for babies are MUCH more softer then huggies brand. I actually feel bad whenever we have to put a huggies brand diaper on nixon cause their just so papery compared to pampers. But ultimatly you get what you pay for. So if you go generic, no matter how old they are, your going to deal with leaks and messes more then an expensive diaper. Same goes with the diaper wipes too, we always buy pampers brand and usually the sensitive wipes because their so soft compared to generic, the generic ones are like rubbing a paper towel on your babies butt, and who wants that rubbed on their butt? Not me. So i choose the things that I feel like would be most comfortable for him and things i would choose for myself, cause saving $5. just isn't worth it to me for him to deal with a bum rash cause the wipes rubbed him raw or the diaper didn't do it's duty. But if i were you, I would try them all out, cause you know their going to use it. So it's not money down the drain. And see what works best for you guys. GOOD LUCK!
p.s. cloth is always good for your baby, but WHAT A HASSEL! and sooo expensive to buy them all.. but I guess you get back what you would spend in a year in about half a year.
We have tried several diapers over the last few years and My opinion is definitely Huggies. You will go through more diapers with the cheaper brands, eliminating your savings. With my older kids I used to like pampers better, but they have changed for the worse and I think huggies are better. I think the best deal is buying huggies in bulk from Cosco.
I guess I better make my statement! Here it is: I use Huggies newborn because of the dip they have for the belly button. and then I use Pampers swaddlers size 1 and 2's (really if they had them all the way up to size 6 I would still be using them) and then from size 3 on I use Huggies, I havent seen much of a difference with Huggies regular and Gentle Care so I just get what comes in the biggest pack.
I agree with Heather. When they were little I used Pampers. But as they got older. I buy the generic. I've had 3 kids though, And boys need different diapers then girls. I used a name brand with preston. But my girls didnt seem to leak as much so I use the generic. You'll love buying in the bulk at costco. It saves on gas, not having to go to the store so often.
We buy whatever is cheaper at Costco. It doesn't make sense to buy them anywhere else when you can get them in bulk. For newborn we used Huggies because they were cheaper at Wal-mart, but still expensive. Stock up on those for sure. And start buying wipes at Costco too, you'll go through a ton. I know it sounds funny, but we cut our wipes in half. Not because they are too expensive but because our babies come out so tiny their bums never needed a whole wipe and mostly got in the way. Then by the time their bums were big enough for a whole wipe we were just used to half wipes. Might as well try it.
Annie- I didn't know you were prego, but that is great news! As for the diaper thing, some generic brands are good, and some are just plain awful. I really like the Costco brand, and as a bonus you can buy tons at a time. Then you don't run out as fast. I also like Luvs and they are cheap too. I know Huggies are supposed to be good, but from my experience, they didn't work well for messy newborn diapers.
Yes, it is worth the name brand diapers when they eat nothing but milk. They pee too much for the generic. My favorite for the first four months are the Pampers Swaddlers. But once they start eating solids, go for the generic.
This is Doug-not Jessica.
I just though you needed a man’s opinion—a.k.a. a voice of reason, understanding, concern and a wealth of knowledge and experience in poop!
But the truth is that this is about more than your soon to be new baby's bowel blunders. It's about the moo-la. Or should I say more-la, because the cheaper you go the more la you will have.
I figure that since you (and everyone else in the world right now) are concerned about collecting all the cash-currency you can—then you should go cheap.
And by cheap I of coarse mean naked.
I have been pushing this for years with my own child and even my wife. I've even established "naked" rules and times in my house. Sadly, no one follows these rules but me.
Speaking of not following my rules I think I need to enact a new family rule that I’m sure no one will follow (especially not me) - which is never listen to my wife. As you have noticed from her post she is pushing for all the most expensive diapers. This is a typical response by my lovely wife. If there is a choice I have learned that she will always pick the most expensive. No wonder we are always broke!
(p.s. Jessica, if you read this I just want you to know how much I love you!)
So... I have found some other things that you can get generic and it is the same. So, call me and I will tell you all about it! (801)859-1085
Although I am another highly opinionated diaper user, I will try to give a short opinion.
Every bum is different and ick will be caught differently by different bums. When I did my pre-baby stocking I bought a smallish pack of several diapers so that I knew what worked best for my baby bum (in other words, how cheap I could go without poo sneaking out). I would recommend trying Pampers, Huggies and Luvs for the first round. When Madi got a little older (around 3 months) I switched to Kirkland diapers and I like them a lot. They aren't perfect, but for the savings it was totally worth it. Some people even put their kids in a cheaper brand during the day because they are frequently changed and then put a nicer diaper on at night since the baby will sit in it for a while. Anyway, I'd try all three to start and then once they are a little older (at least 2 months) and their skin is less sensitive and inclined to diaper rash I would switch. If you have any friends having babies around the same time I would get together and buy several packs and split them. If you aren't already exhausted by the extra info, call me or send me a message (facebook, on my blog, whatever) and I'll be glad to overwhelm you. Good luck!
Wow, I can't believe I just read/skimmed all those posts about diapers. I guess its because it applies (kaiya is 3 mos). Anyway, we often go generic. Although, we have had some good blow outs and its not fun to try and get that out of clothes. I just don't think about diapers that much. As for wipes, we also use 1/2 wipes often. Then you don't have to fold them as much while wiping and you don't waste.
The kirkland brand from costco is made by huggies. Our home teacher worked at the Kimberly Clark factory up here. They make Huggies Diapers and other things. He told us to buy the Kirkland brand of diapers at Costco because they were made at the factory and the very same as Huggies but way cheaper.
Okay, so since this post, seeing that everyone is COMPLETELY biased towards huggies for newborns ( and I have always done generic or whatever people have gifted us) I decided to give them a try.
I must say I am converted. Kaiya only blows out of 1 in 4 or 5 diapers that would have been blowouts in the generic ones. And what she does have, is much less than before. That equals less time in my basement soaking and scrubbing onesies and/or pants and less ruined clothes = happier parent.
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