Diaper Review

A diaper primer

Diapers range from disposables specially designed for various stages of growth, with leak-proof guards and wetness indicators, to washable, reusable cloth diapers that feature fancy designs to eco-friendly (made with renewable resources like wheat and wood pulp) and hybrid styles (which have reusable outer shells and disposable liners).

If you're totally new to diapers, you should know that disposable diapers are designed to be used once, with Velcro-like tabs that fasten the sides, holding the diaper in place. Cloth diapers typically have washable, reusable inserts that are meant to absorb waste and outer covers that fasten with Velcro or snaps. Some parents send out their cloth diapers for laundering to a service, but this can be expensive (*Est. $15 to $20 per week for 60 diapers).

Parents who want the convenience of disposable diapers with less waste can opt for hybrid diapers, which have reusable outer shells and compostable, flushable or disposable inner liners. Yet another option is eco-friendly disposables, which aim to reduce the amount of energy, chemicals and plastic used in manufacturing by using natural ingredients like corn, wheat and natural wood pulp. However, even eco-friendly diapers end up in a landfill in the end; only one brand says it's biodegradable, and even then, cities don't have facilities for processing biodegradable diapers.

Diapers come in special designs for different purposes. Training pants can be pulled up and down like regular underpants for toddlers who are potty training, yet still offer some of the absorbency of a diaper -- and they're disposable, too. Overnight diapers are made to be especially absorbent for babies who are heavy wetters, and swim diapers are made to contain leaks during swimming. Overall, we found special-purpose diapers to be more expensive than traditional diapers, and user opinions are mixed on whether some of these are necessary. For example, most parents say you don't need to spend extra money on overnight diapers; traditional diapers work fine for most babies overnight. Some parents also say training pants can actually hinder the potty-training process instead of helping. The book "Baby Bargains," an excellent guide to baby gear by Denise and Alan Fields, provides the best reviews of diapers that we found, with some comprehensive evaluations of brand-name diapers and several store brands. It also has a nice section for those considering eco-friendly disposables or cloth diapers, and a useful comparison of prices. Unfortunately, ConsumerReports.org has not conducted head-to-head testing of diapers in many years.

Other sources include user comments from Amazon.com, Diapers.com, Drugstore.com, Viewpoints.com, DiaperPin.com and ToysRUs.com. We also found three informative reviews of cloth diapers on blogs run by parents. Because every parent is a diaper expert, comments from satisfied (or frustrated) parents have significant value. These comments also provide evidence that some of the most important testing must be done by parents, because different babies and caregivers have different experiences and preferences. In fact, different ages and body shapes of babies can result in some parents loving one diaper and others experience lots of leaking.

We found several articles that address the ongoing debate between cloth and disposable diapers, yet no reviews compare different brands of cloth and disposable diapers against each other in head-to-head testing. The general consensus is that cloth and disposable diapers pose hazards to the environment, but in different ways. Disposable diapers take up landfill space, and cloth diapers require energy and water consumption for laundering. Most articles discussing this issue conclude that the decision about which to use is really a matter of parents' personal choice. ConsumerReports.org estimates that disposable diapers will run you in the neighborhood of $1,500 to $2,500 per child; editors say going with cloth diapers costs "hundreds of dollars less" -- if you launder them yourself.