Diaper Download

Diapers are typically the #1 or #2 biggest expense in your baby budget. Newborns will typically go through 10-12 diapers per day, while older babies use six to eight per day. How many diapers will you need in the first year? An average eight to 10 diapers per day x 365 days per year = 2920 to 3650 diapers a year. If each diaper takes approximately two minutes to change, changing nine diapers per day for one year equals 109.5 hours, or 4.5 days of diaper changing!

Conservative baby cost calculators estimate that parents spend about $72 per month on diapers and $20 per month on wipes. This means that keeping a child in disposable diapers until three years of age will cost roughly $3,312, and this does not include prices for eco-diapers, night time diapers, or pull-up training pants. Everyone can see why diaper companies are working around the clock to keep children in diapers well into preschool.

Did you know?

The Diaper Industry

• Diapers are big business: By 2022, the global baby diaper industry is expected to reach over $64 billion. 32
• In 2012, Pampers became Procter and Gamble’s largest and first global brand to generate over $10 billion in annual sales.³³
• Oligopoly alert! The diaper industry is pretty much cornered by two companies: Procter and Gamble (PG) and Kimberly Clark (KMB). These two companies account for the majority of disposables sold in the U.S.
• Pampers and Huggies premium brands represent the leading edge of diaper research and development, and PG and KMB have a chubby leg up on competitors because they can borrow technology from other divisions which require disposable absorbent materials. For example, PG owns Pampers, Tampax, Always, Charmin, Bounty, and Puffs brands, while KMB owns Huggies, Depend, Poise, Kotex, Cottonelle, and Kleenex brands.
• Many private label diapers are simply older styles made by PG and KMB. For example, Luvs are made by PG for a target market who prefer a more affordable, older-style diaper without an elastic waistband, and Huggies manufacturer KMB makes Costco’s Kirkland diapers.
• Final random diaper fact: 60% of people who buy beer also buy diapers, especially on Friday evenings after work. It is not by accident that beer and chips are often placed near diapers in the supermarket, increasing sales for all products.³⁴

Diapers in landfills: out of sight, out of mind

The EPA report on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), a riveting read, points to the same conclusion every year. We are one seriously wasteful nation, and disposable diapers are the third largest consumer item found in landfills behind food and beverage packaging and newspapers. Here are some other alarming diaper statistics, which might encourage you to begin potty training sooner rather than later:

• Diapers represent 30% of non-biodegradable waste in the U.S.
• Disposable diapers generated 7.2 billion pounds of garbage in 2012—the weight of one billion newborn babies.³⁵
• At least diapers break down eventually, right? Well, not really. Disposable diapers, sometimes called ‘sposies in cloth circles, take 450 years to decompose. That means if William Shakespeare had worn ‘sposies (including trendy, tan-colored eco-diapers), his poopy diapers would still be in tact in a landfill today.³⁶

Delayed potty training

• In the 1950s, 97% of children were potty-trained by 36 months. Today, the average age for training is about 30 to 36 months. The biggest factors which have led to parents potty training later are: initiation of toilet training at a later age, presence of toileting refusal with stool, and frequent constipation.³⁷
• Diaper manufacturers have profited greatly from delayed potty training in the U.S. Training pants and pull-ups are particularly big money-makers. Pull-ups not only generously extend the consumer life cycle, but they are also 35% more expensive per unit—about 15 cents more per diaper.

Other sneaky diaper practices

Opaque pricing

Diaper manufacturers do a masterful job of making per diaper cost comparisons just about impossible. They put odd numbers of diapers into various packs and sizes, allowing only the customer with a calculator to come up with a per diaper cost.

Product placement

Baby stores intentionally make you walk past high profit marginbaby gear to get to the diapers and baby food. Marketers know that tired, frazzled parents just might grab an over-priced high chair on the way to the diaper section.

Buying diapers and more in online stores

Online retailers use similar techniques. Popular baby web sites, such as Amazon and Boxed, are hoping that you will pay more for your car seat because you are pleased to have diapers on your doorstep in one or two days. Some of these retailers may not be price leaders in diapers or baby gear because their value is in fast shipping.

Taking advantage of loyal customers

Diaper companies know that once parents choose a diaper brand, they generally stick with it. So while newborn diapers are priced very competitively, the pricing quickly ramps up for bigger sizes. For example, the price for a single newborn diaper from The Honest Company is going to be right in the middle of the pack between mainstream and eco-brand diapers. This company is smartly and aggressively offering free trial kits, stylish bundles (with dahlia flowers, plaids, and little rocker skulls), and lower prices for newborn diapers to hook new parents. However, as baby grows out of newborn sizes (typically in a few weeks), the prices shoot up. By sizes three to six, Honest Company is leading the pack as the most expensive mainstream brand, charging $.40-.88 per diaper, depending on the size and type of diaper. Honest offerings at Target stores aren’t any cheaper ($.47/diaper for size 3, $.51/diaper for size 5, and $.74 for a 4T/5T training pant). I commend Honest Company for being a legitimately eco-friendly business. But those prices average out to roughly $5 per day ($1825 per year and $5,475 for three years), and all that bundling is just plain confusing—making it hard to figure out per diaper cost. The Honest Company “free trial” kit also costs $6 for shipping and handling and signing up for it automatically enrolls you in a monthly subscription service, unless you cancel within seven days.

Deceptively marketing eco-diapers

Before you walk out of Whole Foods with your brown eco-diapers thinking that you are saving the planet, consider this statement from the Seventh Generation web site: “All disposable diapers, including Seventh Generation’s, rely on man-made materials to deliver the high-level performance that parents expect of modern diapers. These materials are mostly petroleum-derived and are not renewable, which adversely impacts the environmental footprint associated with these products.”

Companies newer to the eco-diaper scene, such as Bambo Nature, The Honest Company, gDiapers, and Nature Babycare all use Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP), just like Pampers and Huggies. Most SAP used today is petroleum derived. For more information about disposable and cloth diapers, including my specific brand recommendations.

Donating Leftover and Unopened Diapers

Most people aren’t trying to decide whether they should buy gingham or bloom-styled diapers. In 2013, a heart-breaking study found that three in ten low-income mothers cannot afford diapers for their children at all. Federal assistance programs, such as WIC and food stamps, do not cover the cost of diapers, as they do for infant formula. Moreover, many families living in poverty are forced to purchase expensive diapers in convenience stores, due to lack of transportation. Many also do not have washing machines for cloth diapers, and most coin-operated Laundromats do not allow the laundering of cloth diapers. Babies and toddlers cannot participate in day care and early childhood education without diapers (students who attend early childhood education are 2.5 times more likely to go on to higher education), and parents cannot go to work without child care.³⁸ You can help by donating leftover and unopened diapers to your local food bank or pregnancy center. Visit the National Diaper Bank Network to find a center near you. Many facilities will take partially opened packs.

Brand recommendations:

Best Disposables for Newborns

Pampers Swaddlers ($0.21-0.26 each, depending on size).

These are softer than Huggies, with a long runway of soft material up the back vs. an elastic band and a pocket to “catch” runny messes.

Pros:

• Swaddlers are what many hospitals use (in the green and yellow pack)
• Three sizes fit babies up to 18 pounds
• Extra padding in back (great for inactive “back is best” babies)
• Has a fold-down section for navel area in newborn size
• Sign up on the company web site for digital coupons, or for coupons to be sent to your home

Cons:

• More expensive than store-brand or private label diapers
• Not available in larger sizes
• Some parents do not like the powdery smell of Pampers
• Signing up for coupons comes with the price of sharing your personal information

Huggies Little Snugglers ($0.22-0.34 each).

These can be helpful for bigger eaters, leakers, and poop-up-the-backers. However, test different brands for fit. You may love one brand for your first child and then figure out that another brand is better for the next.

Pros:

• Little Snugglers are designed to “catch” runny messes with a pocket
• Elastic strap in back tries to keep in the “runny mess”
• Huggies are more available in big-name warehouse stores.
• Sign up on the company web site for digital coupons, or for coupons to be sent to your home

Cons:

• More expensive than store-brand diapers
• May not mold as well around the legs as softer Pampers
• The elastic band in back may irritate sensitive skin
• Signing up for coupons comes with the price of sharing your personal information 

Best Disposables for Older Babies

• Conventional brands: Pampers Cruisers ($0.21-0.24 each), Pampers Baby Dry ($0.18-0.21 each),or Huggies Snug and Dry ($0.17-0.21 each). Best brand depends on fit with your baby.
• Budget Choice: Kirkland Signature Supreme ($0.11-0.15 each)diapers from Costco or any private label that fits your baby, such as Parent’s Choice ($0.12-0.20 each)
• Eco-Friendlier: Earth’s Best TenderCare ($0.26-0.45 each), Nature Babycare ($0.37-.057) or Bambo Nature Diapers ($0.38-0.48 each)
• Hybrid Choice (part reusable, part disposable): gDiapers with gPants ($2.40-3.33/gPant + $0.39/insert). gPants are colorful, reusable diaper covers that you use with gDiapers disposable inserts.

Best Overnight or 12-Hour Disposables

• Huggies Overnites ($0.32-0.43 each). Want to decrease your chances of waking in the middle of the night with a leak? Bring on the Overnites, which are well worth their cost.
• Pampers Baby Dry ($0.18-0.26 each). These diapers are really thin, yet 10-12 hours later your baby’s diaper remains packed, but not leaky. The tabs on these diapers are also very flexible, expanding and contracting as baby sleeps.

Best Eco-Friendlier Disposables

Nature Babycare Diapers ($0.37) each.

Pros:

• Good performance for absorption and leakage
• Won the BabyGearLab Editors’ Choice award in 2018
• Diaper has an allergy certification and is totally chlorine free (TCF) and latex free
• These diapers use FSC TCF pulp, bio-based plastics, and GM-free corn to be mostly mostly biodegradable and compostable

Cons:

• Not quite as durable as competitors (due compostable materials?)
• Complaints online about durability
• Some complain about the stickiness of the closure tabs, too

Bambo Nature Diapers ($0.38-0.48) each.

This brand receives praise for excellent construction and performance from an eco-diaper, in addition to stricter adherence to eco-friendly practices.

Pros:

• The company claims they are 80% compostable
• They have less SAP; it is replaced with wheat starch and acrylic polymers
• Least amount of SAP among popular eco-diapers
• No phthalates, heavy metals, chlorine, or AZO-pigments
• Excellent overnight absorbency

Cons:

• They are twice the cost of regular diapers.
  • The back of the diaper is not stretchable.
• These diapers use sodium polyacrylate (SAP) for absorption

Earth’s Best TenderCare Chlorine Free Diapers ($0.26-0.36 each).

This is a Best Value eco-brand, and it is available in most mainstream stores.

Pros:

• They are latex, dye, and perfume free.
• Some parents prefer to support companies trying to be sustainable.
• One of the most affordable eco-brands
• These receive some of the best reviews for not leaking among eco-brands.

Cons:

• There are reports of rashes among multiple review sources.
• These diapers contain corn and wheat, which can be allergens for some babies.
• These diapers use sodium polyacrylate (SAP) for absorption.

Eco-Friendlier Disposables (Needs Improvement)

Seventh Generation Free and Clear Diapers ($0.25-0.38 each).

This well-known, widely available green brand has a track record from parent reviewers and diaper testers that is less than stellar but improving, due to complaints of leaks and low absorption.

Pros:

• The wood pulp used in these diapers is harvested from sustainably managed forests.
• No fragrances, latex, petroleum-based lotions, or chlorine processing
• Excellent brand recognition and availability
• Reasonably priced for an eco-diaper

Cons:

• These diapers are dyed a brownish-tan color to make consumers think they are all natural or biodegradable in appearance. Seventh Generation states on its website, “We use brown pigments to help distinguish Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Diapers from others in the marketplace that are bleached with chlorine-containing substances.” Note: The actual color of diapers is translucent like a milk jug.
• Parent reviews are mixed for absorption and leaks.
• These diapers use sodium polyacrylate (SAP) for absorption

For a comprehensive review of diaper brands, cloth diapers, and all diapering supplies, read BABY REGISTRY: BEST DIAPERS AND DIAPERING SUPPLIES.

Sources

32.       Transparency Market Research. Baby Diaper Market Projected to Reach USD 52.2 Billion Globally by 2017: Transparency Market Research. 2012; Available from: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/baby-diapers-market.html.

33.       Procter & Gamble. Pampers: The Birth of P&G’s First 10-Billion-Dollar Brand. 2012; Available from: http://news.pampers.com/about/history.

34.       Kelly, S., Data warehousing : the route to mass customization. Updated and expanded. ed. 1996, Chichester ; New York: Wiley. xiii, 196 p.

35.       Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Table 15. 2014; Available from: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/2012_msw_dat_tbls.pdf.

36.       National Park Service Mote Marine Lab. Time it takes for garbage to decompose in the environment. 2014; Available from: http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/coastal/trash/documents/marine_debris.pdf.

37.       Blum, N.J., B. Taubman, and N. Nemeth, Why is toilet training occurring at older ages? A study of factors associated with later training. J Pediatr, 2004. 145(1): p. 107-11.

38.       Smith, M.V., et al., Diaper need and its impact on child health. Pediatrics, 2013. 132(2): p. 253-9.