First Review: Baby Diapers: Store Brand or Name Brand?

I am a busy stay-at-home Mama of two. I have been searching and searching for a website that compares store brands to name brands and have yet to find one so I have decided to create my own in hopes that I can help other people out there like myself. I am always looking for ways to save but refuse to do so if it compromises quality. Please join me in my review and comparison of products and comment on which you prefer be it store or name brand and why. Let's get started!

Product #1:

Diapers

I was a die hard Pampers fan for the first 9 months of my daughter's life. I then discovered Target's store brand diapers and I never turned back.....well, until I had a newborn again. I will explain....

Target

I have found that Target's Up and Up Diapers provide just as good of leak protection as the name brand. The quality of the elastic and staying power of the fasteners is also just as good. The print on the diapers is adorable with a white background and green and blue polka dots. I have found that they hold just as much as do the name brands. I would say they do not feel quite as "dry" as the name brands do when they are wet but this has never been an issue for me as I do change my baby's diaper often enough (as one should). The diaper does tend to bubble out a bit in the front when it is full but again, all you need to do is change the baby regularly and this is not a problem. I have found this to be more noticeable on a smaller baby than an older one or a toddler. At night, I have experienced occasional leaking but I had the same issue with the name brands. I switched to an "overnight" diaper for night time and it was a huge improvement. The one issue that I have found is that this diaper is not quite as soft as the name brand but I believe this to only be an issue with a newborn when you want everything their skin touches to be soft as silk. You may find that you will want to wait to make the switch once the baby is past the newborn stage but it is not something that I would find to be a deal breaker at all. I used Pampers Swaddlers again for the first 2 months then switched back to Up and Up for my second baby. Overall, this diaper is a great buy and well worth the savings without sacrificing quality.

The Cost Comparison - Target's Up and Up to Pampers (Prices as of 2/8/11 at Target.com)

Pampers Cruisers size 3 (160 count): $39.87 or .25 / diaper
Up and Up size 3 (96 count**): 14.69 or .15 / diaper

If you used 8 diapers per day, the Pampers Cruisers would cost you 2.00 per day. The Up and Up brand would cost you 1.20 per day. Over the course of one year at 8 diapers per day, the Up and Up brand would save you 292.00!!!! That is a huge savings in my opinion and well worth the switch.

**The Up and Up brand's largest size box, though currently they have a "Club Size" that is larger.