Disposable nappies review and compare

Our trialists put 14 disposable nappy brands and five different types of cloth nappies to the test.
 
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02.Disposables - What to buy

Update - April 8, 2010

After a review of the results of the trial the following three brands are now included in the Best Buy list:

  • Snugglers
  • Comfy Bots
  • Especially for Baby

HuggiesHuggies - Crawler (Boy/Girl) 85%

As in our last test, Huggies outperformed all other nappies by a significant margin. We ascertained that 64% of our trial participants regularly use Huggies. To make sure this didn't influence the results we compared their ratings with those of fellow trialists who use other brands. We found no difference in any of the performance measures.

Trialists’ comments

  • "Let's just say my daughter really put this nappy to the test today - and it managed to contain it all, quite a feat."
  • "Super absorbent and excellent leak protection. Not flimsy or thin like some of the other nappies trialled."
  • "A little too trim widthways, so we had some leakage issues. Otherwise, seems well made, durable and good absorbency."

SnugglersSnugglers – Crawler 74%BestBuy_70

Second in our overall rating, Snugglers was one of the best nappies for guarding against leakage, keeping baby dry, staying in position and fit.

Trialists’ comments

  • “Nappy was quite narrow through the crotch/leg area and this was where it leaked a little.”
  • “I found this nappy to be very good. It was soft, had good, sturdy fasteners, felt very secure on my baby, and looked neat and tidy.”
  • “My favourite so far. My daughter seemed very comfy in this particular nappy.”


Comfy botsComfy Bots - Medium 71% BestBuy_70

Comfy Bots achieved its best scores in fit and staying in position.

Trialists’ comments

  • “We did not like this nappy. Baby was wet and the nappy became uneven and uncomfortable for baby.”
  • “A good product. Fits well and is very absorbent. If this nappy is reasonably priced, I'd be happy to use it”.
  • “A good fitting nappy that protected well against leakage with good absorbency. Very cute jungle print design on nappy.”

Mamia crawlerMamia Toddler 71% BestBuy_70

Trialists rated Mamia nappies (Aldi) well for durability, keeping baby dry and guarding against leakage, but weren't as impressed with its performance for fit and staying in position.

Trialists’ comments

  • "These nappies were very bulky. They did hold up well with good absorbency, this was mainly due to the thickness."
  • "A good nappy that keeps bub dry. No leakage. Just a bit on the large side around the waist (tabs overlapped once done up) but at least they'd be a good fit later on. Nice and stretchy around the legs, they don't cut into the legs like some other brands."
  • "We had a few leakages from this nappy, especially up the back as the nappy was not fitted well across the back."

supreme01Especially For Baby - Size 3 69% BestBuy_70

Especially For Baby achieved its best ranking against the other brands in durability, trialist also rated this nappy well for fit and staying in position.

Trialists’ comments

  • “Not a good nappy for boys as it leaks at the front when wet, over the "top" of the nappy, not from the sides. All of the liquid seems to collect in the very front top, instead of seeping down into the nappy.”
  • "Very happy with this nappy, cute design, great fit, nice and soft. Would buy if it was priced right.”
  • "Stretchy tabs on the back are great - it means the nappy fits really well. Only real downside is that they don't seem to draw the moisture away or hold much moisture at all which makes them smell bad quite quickly."
Bambo

Bambo Nature - Midi 68% GreenBuy_70

Bambo's environmental credentials are independently certified by Nordic Ecolabel and at 62cents per nappy it's cheaper than the two other nappies with green claims. It is therefore a CHOICE Green Buy. It's overall score was in the middle of the pack against the other brands.

Trialists’ comments

  • "Great fitting nappy! Held liquid and number 2's in really well. Nice, roomy fit."
  • "The writing printed on the front of the nappies faded as the nappies became wet, this was a handy wetness indicator."
  • "This nappy was extremely full when it came time to change it. so not certain about the absorbancy, and did not contain the poo that son did, so that was diappointing."

Comfy Bots is placed in the recommended category and achieved its best scores in fit and staying in position.

 

 

Also recommended

Dry fitColes Dry Fit - Crawler 72%

Coles Dry Fit rated well for guarding against leakage, staying in position, keeping baby dry and especially for durability.

Trialists’ comments

  • “The one thing I think would have really improved this nappy was if it had some elasticity in the fasteners at the waist. I felt that in order for the nappy to feel secure and leak-resistant I had to do the nappy up quite tightly.”
  • “The hip fasteners only just did up on my 8kg baby, so not a lot of room. “
  • “Seems like a really premium nappy - only complaint is that the tabs might be too easy for the baby to remove and don't stick well to each other (if you have a very skinny baby!).”

Pampers cruiserPampers Cruisers - Active Fit Size 3 71%

Pampers was rated second for fit, staying in position and guarding against leakage but was only ranked average against the other brands for keeping baby dry and durability.

Trialists’ comments

  • “Nappy fits ok but baby was wet and found it to be a bit smelly"
  • “Like the smell and the elasticised tabs. Only downfall is that it is not as good as some others in keeping baby dry.“
  • “Nappy is nicely contoured and fits well, however it is extremely thin - this seems to result in poor durability and low absorbency. May be suitable for very light occasional daytime use only. Possibly the worst nappy I've ever used.”

BabyloveBabylove - Crawler 70%

Babylove archived its best rating for fit and staying in position.

Trialists’ comments

  • “Does not provide adequate protection against leakage at the front for little boys. Only used three of these nappies as all three leaked at the front. “
  • The nappy provided exceptional protection when faced with a massive poo explosion - very impressed.”
  • "Fitted well. Kept skin dry. Absorbent. Ticked all the boxes but I wouldn't buy it because the patterns were so loud you could see them clearly through clothes.”


HomebrandHomebrand - Crawler 70%

Our trialists rated Homebrand (Woolworths) slightly better for guarding against leakage and staying in position but it scored only average for all other criteria.

Trialists’ comments

  • “Fitted well around waist. No leaks but the gel does tend to bunch up, I can't imagine that it was comfortable to wear, I changed him more frequently due to this.”
  • “Seems to be a bit short on padding. Poo leakage from posterior-top - but it was a pretty big poo, so I don't hold too much against the nappy for that one!”
  • “Great fit, good leak protection, very happy.”

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