Which Diapers to Buy and When

Deciding which diapers to buy can be a big decision as throughout your baby/toddler's diaper wearing days you will spend a lot of dough on them and whether or not they leak will greatly impact your day (and your costs for laundry supplies!).  I have used (all?) of the major brands and varieties and am confident that I can help you decide which diapers will suit your needs during different baby poo and pee "stages."  Some of the brands that I have tried/will be critiquing are:  Pampers - both Baby Dry and Swaddlers/Cruisers as well as Easy Ups, Huggies - diapers as well as Pull Ups, Target (Up and Up) brand diapers and pull ups, Sam's Club diapers, and Seventh Generation diapers.

Diapers
For brand new babies I recommend Pampers Swaddlers.  They feel the most soft and cottony (more like a cloth diaper) and seem to hold runny baby poop in the best.  They have a netting-type lining on the inside that catches watery bowel movements including the seedy breastfed baby poo.  I also like that you can purchase them with the wetness indicating line down the center.  This is particularly helpful when you have a new baby and you want to change them right away if wet but don't want to disturb them if they're still dry; also, when babies are brand, brand new, some of their pees are so small that you can't tell if there was any in the diaper at all without the line since it is so completely absorbed and if you're keeping track of the number of wets to make sure they're getting enough to drink this will help.

Pampers Baby Dry diapers are nice, very clothlike (although not as soft as Swaddlers/Cruisers) and will generally do the job.  They don't, however, have the netting that the Swaddlers and Cruisers do, however, so I don't feel that they hold runny poo in as well.  They are cheaper than Swaddlers and Cruisers though, so if you're looking for a soft diaper that isn't quite as expensive you may want to try these.

If you happen to have a newborn that has explosive poop that flys out the back of the diaper practically every time, you may be better off going with Huggies Little Snugglers/Little Movers.  They seem to go higher in the back and have a nicely cinched edging, perhaps catching what a Pampers or other brand of diaper couldn't and thus resulting in less poopy clothing/bouncy chairs/bedding/etc.

Once your baby's poo has firmed up a bit I definitely recommend switching over to Target (Up and Up) brand.  Since they are significantly cheaper than Pampers and Huggies (which are comparably priced), you get a lot more bang for your buck and they absorb urine just as well as the other two and keep in the slightly firmer poop, too.  I have used these from "firmer poop" all the way through to the potty training stage.  They are not quite as soft but by the time your baby's a little older, unless they have sensitive skin, they should be fine.  They're not sandpaper hard, just a little rougher than the Pampers varieties.

I have tried Walmart and Sam's Club diapers and have not been happy with them.  To me they feel a little harsher/more like paper and don't seem like they would be as comfortable.  I also think they are slightly less absorbent overnight.  I found the same to be true of Seventh Generation diapers.

Pull Ups/Easy Ups for Potty Training
For the potty training toddler I recommend Pampers Easy Ups.  You pay a bit more than you would for a generic brand, but they feel more cloth/underwear like and stay in one piece throughout an entire day of up and downs (assuming your little one keeps them dry!).  Other brands that I have tried (Target's pull ups, Huggies Pull Ups) fall apart at the tear-away sides after your child pulls them up and down a few times and you have to throw out a dry pull up just for that reason.  All of these brands are designed to pull away at the sides if your child does have an accident in them, so they are easier/less messy to remove (much like a diaper) but you definitely want them to stay in one piece until you are ready for them to come apart...  Pampers Easy Ups come in boy and girl designs and have wetness indicators so you can show your child if they've wet their pull up with the disappearance of the design.  They also have a strip that is less absorbant inside so your child can feel a little bit of the wetness. 

Huggies Pull Ups also come in boy and girl patterns and have learning designs.  As an alternative you can get Huggies Pull Ups with a "cool" wetness indicator.  I've heard bad things about having something cold against your kid's private parts for too long and it's not for me.  Huggies also makes a nighttime pull up that is more like a diaper.  I just buy Target brand diapers for the night - you don't really want your kid waking up at night when they've wet when they're just learning anyways so why torture yourself?  Also, again, Target is cheaper, so if you're just needing a diaper, go with the Target brand.



"Special Occasion Diapers"

Nighttime/Extra Protection Diapers - I have not had a need for these but Pamper and Huggies both have an extra protection variety. I think that as long as you are buying diapers that are big enough for your baby, Target brand does just as good of a job overnight as the pricy Pampers and Huggies nighttime diapers do.

Swim Diapers - I have tried Huggies and Pampers brand swim diapers and they both seem to do the job.  I haven't had any horrible, runny poop incidents while my kids were swimming, though, so lets cross our fingers and hope that never happens - and if it does, the chosen swim diapers hold it in!  (I'm sure I just jinxed myself - we're going to Wisconsin Dells next month...).

Hopefully my extensive knowledge on poop, pee, and the products that keep said nastiness where it belongs helps you out!