Sunday, August 1, 2010

Live & Learn

When Noelle was born, she only wore one kind of diapers. Pampers. Preferrably, Pampers Swaddlers....so soft and even with that handy yellow line that turned colors when she peed. Oh yes, Pampers, you made my life easier. I wasn't wild about the baby Sesame Street characters at the waist, but at least it wasn't that hellish Winnie the Pooh and his little friends (i.e. Huggies are not allowed in our home).

Then, as Noelle got bigger, I grew tired of the Pampers price tag. Yeah, I used coupons, but still...I much preferred spending money on a cute little dress for the nugget or a gallon of ice cream instead of making sure she had a fancy booty. So, I decided to give Luvs a try. They were a few bucks cheaper than Pampers, so I thought, "Why not?" Tried them...luv'd them...I saw no difference between them and the Pampers Baby Dry.

So, after a couple of weeks with Luvs, I tested my luck once more. I thought to myself, "I could save even more money if I tried Target diapers!" Yes, I did the unthinkable. I bought generic diapers. I got just a small pack to see if they were worth anything...and to my surprise, they were great! No leaks, not stinky, and they even fit her better than the Luvs did. Not to mention the fact that they are super soft and have a cute blue and green polka dot design on the entire diaper. And the price? Around $7-$8 cheaper than Pampers. That's a savings of about $15-$20 a month on diapers.

Now, maybe in the beginning when Noelle's poop was runny and highly prone to leaks and PUBS and all kinds of traumas, the Target dipes might not have worked, but now, they are just fine....and I have no problem saying that I will put generic diapers on her now so that we can have more money for more important things later. Also...I have tried the Up & Up (Target brand) wipes, and they are lovely. They are the same exact weight and texture of Pampers wipes. In a related note, I buy Meijer brand formula as well because it has the SAME EXACT ingredients as the Enfamil Premium with the same exact amounts...and it is literally under $12 for the large can and Enfamil is $23 for the large. Say wah?

All that being said (giggles nervously)...I did succumb to the Cynthia Rowley for Target designer diapers (by Pampers). They were sooooOOOOOooooo cute...and she can't even fit in them yet....but I thought for "special occasions" (OK...let's face it...her wedding wouldn't be special enough to wear these expensive things) they would be adorable. So what if I paid nearly $1 PER diaper? Luke's exact words were, "She better be pooping golden turds in those things!"

So...my point in this post is this...don't be afraid to try generic...it's not as bad as you think and doesn't scream "I'm a bad mom!" It might, however, scream, "I needed some extra money for a shopping trip and potty training my 4 month old wasn't a realistic option so I got the cheapest diapers I could find, k?"

2 comments:

  1. Good for you! We are still stuck (like glue) to Pampers Cruisers---I have even found Pampers Swaddlers in larger sizes (3 & 4) at Target specifically (I LOVE Swaddlers). We did the Up&Up diapers when Cole was about 3 months old (they are SOOOO cheap and incredibly cute!) Sadly they ended up fitting him weirdly and leaked a crapload (excuse my french...but it is a fairly accurate depiction of what happened a few times). I really need to try these again now that he is older!!

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  2. Hahah! That's the thing with diapers...they do fit kids differently and every time you research them online, one person will say Pampers are great, the next will say Pampers are awful! It does depend on the kid...for now...Noelle is a Target kid :-)

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