The Best and Worst Diaper Brands I Have Used

After almost three years of parenting, I’m ready to break down my experience with the various diaper brands we’ve tried since day 1 of our first child’s birth.

My short answer: For an inexpensive daytime diaper, I would start with Luvs, Kirkland or Mama Bear. If softness and absorbency matter more than the lowest price, Coterie and Kudos stood out to me. The right choice still depends on your child’s fit, skin and how long the diaper needs to last. This is a comparison of diapers I’ve used with my family, not a promise that one brand will work for every baby.

If you’re trying to solve a more specific problem, use my sensitive-skin diaper guide for material and irritation considerations. My non-toxic diaper guide is about how brands describe materials and ingredients, while this list focuses on my overall experience across price points.

There’s a lot to know about diapers, and if we can be real, they form a BIG part of your budget as a parent, as well as your lifestyle.

For example, are you into the cheapest diaper option possible? Or do you want to go plant-based, hypoallergenic, organic and luxury-level?

There is a diaper for everyone out there, and now I’m going to break down for you how I feel about the following diaper brands, as well as what to know before you try a new one.

Key takeaways in this review

• When it comes to diapers, you really do get what you pay for. Not all diapers are created equally, and the price you see will reflect the quality and usage experience!
• If you want cheap (and acceptable) daytime diaper brands for daycare, I recommend Luvs, Kirkland (Costco) or Mama Bear (Amazon brand) for sure.
• For luxury-level “clean-ingredient” diapers that you’ll actually feel good about, I can suggest Coterie, DYPER, Honest brand and Kudos.
• The two most famous go-to brands for parents are Pampers and Huggies, and they perform great. I prefer Pampers over Huggies, but you’ll find that some families are sold on one or the other for life.

Coterie

I never really meant to try Coterie diapers. I got half a package from a friend whose child outgrew them, and voila: I had been introduced to “the Rolls-Royce of baby diapers.” When asked what they were like, I described them as “thick and soft like T-shirts.” I was not joking: these Coteries are the upper echelon of diapering.

Want to skip to the full details? Read my Coterie diaper brand review with what to know before buying.

What to know

• Coterie is often regarded as the #1 most expensive diaper. Many people will also say the brand is the #1 best in the world of diapers.
• And why? Coterie diapers are engineered “to perform”—that means the brand is serious about preventing leaks and blow-outs for your child.
• Coterie diapers are made from plant-based ingredients whenever possible, and eliminate fragrances, dyes and parabens to be hypoallergenic and cruelty-free.
• In my own words: Coterie diapers are just really thick, and nice. If I were in diapers, I’d want to wear a Coterie diaper.
• One more thing: they run small (in my experience!). My child wore them in size 1, and I tried to use them first before they’d get grown out of. Coteries also make an ideal overnight diaper because of how much volume they can hold.

Why get them?

Once you use a Coterie diaper on your child, you “get it.” You might think, “Ah, that’s why everyone’s holding these diapers in high regard.” They feel luxurious, and soft, and well-made. If you hear of someone who only buys Coterie diapers for your child, you may think, wow, that is quite an impressive investment.

There are barely any bad reviews for Coterie, anywhere (if there are, it’s from people who may not think they’re worth the high price). But remember: they really do run small, as most parents would agree!

Where to get them

You can try the Coterie website, where you can also sign up to subscribe & save, or simply shop on Amazon at the Coterie store. (Coterie also makes wipes, as well as baby skincare essentials, which you can see more about at my Coterie skincare collection review).

Kudos

Kudos is a new diaper brand—you may have first seen Kudos on Shark Tank! And if you missed that episode, I’ll tell you right here what you should know!

What to know

• Kudos diapers are the first to replace the plasticky liner found in normal diapers with cotton, making them safer for babies and toddlers.
• This modern company is applying strict material sourcing, safety certifications and rigorous testing to the diaper production model.
• Kudos has a boutique and small company feel compared to the other giant brands out there.
• The fit: In smaller sizes, Kudos runs shorter and wider. I used sizes 1-3 with my baby, and sizes 4-5 with my toddler. Both of my children run narrow, but I found that the smaller sizes run more “compactly.”

I came across Kudos diapers because, like you, I have been searching for the “best diaper brands” for two years now. I wanted to know if there were any brands I had yet to discover. After my great experience with DYPER and Coterie, I was game to try another certifiably baby-safe diaper made responsibly without latex, chlorine, fragrances and parabens.

Why get them?

There’s nothing irritating for your child in these diapers. They’re a top-of-the-line modern innovation that sets them apart from other brands in this list. They have a special kind of new leak protection that’s great for the times when you need leak-free: overnight, car rides, stroller rides, plane trips and travel.

Size: They’re also good to get if your child runs wide or short. This is because they have some of the most forgiving width design, as I’ve experienced it, and my kids actually run too narrow and tall for Kudos to last them past a month of use until they need the next size. Other brands run “taller” past the belly button, but if your child isn’t a long string bean, Kudos can be a good fit.

I wrote an in-depth Kudos diapers review you can check out to learn more about the backstory of the company, as well as the benefits of the diaper itself. (Plus, I tried their wipes!)

Where to buy

The Kudos online store, or Target (select sizes only).

DYPER

DYPER is for sure one of my favorite new baby brands. I’ve been so impressed with the company’s commitment to plant-based products and their launch of the diaper composting service (called ReDYPER™).

What to know

• DYPER is perhaps one of the few B-Corp certified companies in this list, meaning they meet high standards of environmental friendliness and transparency. 5 stars!
• DYPER is a brand that parents are really, truly happy with. Their “kind” materials and sustainability practices are appealing to modern and savvy parents.
• They clock in at twice the price of the other run-of-the-mill brands like Pampers or Huggies.

Want to know even more about my experience with DYPER? Head to my full DYPER diaper brand review.

Why get them?

DYPER is a feel-good brand. The company has cut out the nonsense of toxicity in diapers. In using the regular white original DYPER diapers, the closure flaps are strong, the diapers are highly absorbent and they even look comfortable.

I also tried the DYPER Charcoal line: there’s a bunch to say about these, because they’re EVEN softer and thicker, yet they don’t have a yellow/blue indicator line. We use them for overnight with a child who sleeps 12+ hours, and that has been awesome. So, 10/10 from me.

Where to get them

If you get DYPER diapers at the DYPER website, you can set up a subscription and save.

They’re also available on Amazon. Shop here and use code SIMPLYKIND at checkout for 10% off!

Kirkland (Costco)

There have been many a time that I very fortunately “won” some Kirkland diapers on my Buy Nothing group—and that was before I even realized that I should be getting Costco’s cost-effective diapers by default.

What to know

• Kirkland diapers are nothing fancy, but in all my experience, they totally do the trick. I’ve used them for daytime and nighttime and they’re very absorbent.
• My only gripe about them is that the material can sometimes get “stringy.” You may find the material having stringed-up on the inside and it may be on your child’s skin. I’m not sure how this happens. (You get what you pay for?)
• They’re also not the most attractive diaper. They tend to look baggy, even if they fit right.
• Some people, including myself, have experienced the closure tabs breaking off. Again, these diapers are some of the cheapest you’ll find, and for all the success I’ve had with them, there’s going to be imperfections. I have to roll with it.

Why get them?

They’re affordable. People seek them out specifically at Costco because buying them in bulk is a huge money-saver, and you may know by now that babies can cost a lot of money.

They come in a gigantic box of 222, 198, 168 or 132 count, depending on the diaper size. And the price per diaper is typically the lowest I’ve seen, especially when you get a box of 200+.

Their redeeming factors are the wetness indicator, which is perfectly sensitive to moisture indication and they are claimed to be made of “23%+ plant-based materials” (take it as you will).

As you can see here, Kirkland diapers have come with us on trips and vacations and perform up to expectation.

Where to buy

Of all the diapers in this list, these are going to be best purchased at your local Costco, if you are a member. If not, don’t worry: you can get them online at Costco’s website or at Instacart.

As a last resort, if you really want them, you can buy Kirkland diapers on Amazon, but note: they will be MORE expensive, therefore (in my opinion) negating the fact that they’re really cheap.

Huggies

Of course you’ve heard of Huggies: coupled with Pampers, they are two of the most famous diaper brands of all time.

What to know

• I think Huggies are “fine.” I’ve had good luck with Huggies Overnights (thicker and more long-lasting protection for children who sleep 10-13 hours at night). I think the quality is average, now that I’ve experienced every diaper in this list.
• Price: average. Huggies diapers are affordable and with Pampers, I’d put them right smack in the middle of the cost-per-diaper range, with Luvs/Kirkland being lowest and Coterie/DYPER being highest.
• Huggies now makes lots of “types” of diapers, from Huggies Special Delivery (which uses, vaguely, “more plant-based myaterials” than regular Huggies), to Huggies Overnites, Little Swimmers and Pull-Ups. The number of products is a bit overwhelming, so I recommend shopping by size and price-per diaper, alone.
• I find that Huggies are better for girls than for boys, due to where the wetness gets centered. I know girl moms who swear by Huggies, and as a new “boy mom” I find Pampers just works better for the anatomy of baby boys. My experience!

Why get them?

Huggies has (according to them) been blocking blow-outs since 1997. They have a claim for the entire brand being fragrance-free. At their website, you can transparently see all their diaper ingredients (I’m not able to pronounce them all).

Second, Huggies makes size P, which is important to us because our baby was in Preemie diapers for a week after birth. Not every family will have to experience this, but when I found a brand that made diapers small enough for my newborn, I was very happy. (Size P diapers are for babies under 6 lbs.)

Where to buy

I don’t think I know anyone who shops for Huggies via the Huggies website, although I am sure that would be fine, so I’ll recommend Amazon, where we’ve gotten Huggies (and were able to compare the cost per diaper when looking at how many we could get at once).

You can also get Huggies at your local drugstore, pharmacy or supermarket, typically.

Pampers

It is my humble opinion that I think Pampers is just a fraction of a step up from Huggies. Pampers is, as I see, it, coupled in top popularity among parents for straight-up no-nonsense diapers when you need ‘em. Pampers diapers are everywhere, and they’re perfectly affordable.

What to know

• You probably have already heard of Pampers, so I don’t have much explaining to do. What I do think is important to know is that I think the inside of Pampers diapers proves more efficient at absorbing moisture than Huggies (my experience!).
• For this reason, I’ve chosen to bring Pampers with us on flights, car rides and day trips. I found they were useful in the 0-6m phase, when diapers are messier and less solid.
• Pampers Splashers seem to be the #1 swim diaper; I always have 2-3 when I pack my toddler’s pool bag in the summer.

Why get them?

Pampers are sold anywhere you’d buy diapers, so they’re readily available and you won’t have to look hard! I’ve trusted Pampers through every step of the way with my baby, who is now a toddler, and I also appreciated that Pampers makes a Size P (Preemie), just like Huggies.

Pampers claims their diapers have premium comfort and are ultra absorbent, all at what I’ll call a great price. Depending on how many you get, you can bring the price-per-diaper down almost to a Costco diaper level. For fewer, you’ll see a cost-per-diaper closer to those mid- and mid-upper brands I’ll continue to mention below.

Bonus: if you’re buying from the Pampers website, don’t forget to sock away those Pampers Club codes for savings & rewards, one of my favorite ways to save money with a baby!

Where to buy

We buy our Pampers diapers on Amazon.

Pampers Swaddlers 360°

I have something really interesting to share with you: our neighbor gave us an unopened package of Pampers Swaddlers and I had never had “pull-ups” before, for a baby. Well, here’s what I experienced…

What to know

• Pampers Swaddlers 360° seem anonymous with Pull-Ups (a diaper that does not have tabs, but rather is a fully stretchy “put it on like underwear” diaper). Now I see where “360°” comes from.
• I would have NEVER considered this Pull-Up style of diapers for a baby under 1 year, but as it’s working out: they are great.
• The only hard part is getting them on, but for taking them off, you rip the sides and then roll it up for disposal with the included adhesive tape that’s attached to the diaper.

Why get them?

These are NOT Pampers diapers with traditional side-fastening tabs: they are a different product. They’re a bit thinner, but with the same liquid guards on the side, and they go up VERY HIGH on a baby’s body.

They are good for:

• Active babies who squirm and do a lot of physical moving (babies who may cause the tabs to fall off their diapers and have them open)
• Babies who start taking their diapers off by themselves!
• Babies who run LONG. I find that even as my son was in regular Pampers, they were getting short on his middle, even though they were fine in the width. The 360° Swaddlers go HIGH up the torso, and prevent leaks in the front and the back.

My note to clarify is that I don’t think the Pampers Swaddlers 360° are meant to be Pull-Ups for small babies who are far from potty training. It would seem they have a lot in common, but the Swaddlers 360° work great for active babies who need a diaper that goes high up and is super stretchy.

Where to buy

You can get them on Amazon or at Target or Walmart.

Luvs

Yes, Luvs are a super cheap diaper—probably the cheapest aside from the Costco diapers. Are they awful? Are they even the worst?

Everyone knows that if you want ways to save money with a baby, cutting your diaper budget might help quite a bit. So let’s take a look.

What to know

• Luvs are really thin. That’s why they’re cheap. It’s also why a lot of parents think they’re the worst diaper out there.
• They do the job for regular daytime wet diapers.
• AND, they’re helpful to have in your diaper bag because they’re not thick, so you can take more diapers on the go in the same allotted space you have in your bag or luggage.

Why get them?

In being very transparent, I decided to get Luvs for daycare, when I had missed the boat on getting my usual monthly Costco diaper supply.

I figured that I know exactly what a “daycare diaper” needs to be, especially in the toddler phase. It needs to hold pee, or a #2, and I know that the teachers are changing diapers every 3 hours.

I would not use Luvs for overnight. I would also not use them for long car rides, plane rides or times when I wasn’t sure when we’d be able to change next. So, Luvs have a time and place, but if you want to go cheap, you can try Luvs.

Where to buy

I get Luvs on Amazon. There aren’t many products within the Luvs brand, so buying them is pretty simple.

Amazon Gentle Touch (Mama Bear)

When we were expecting our first child, we had no idea where to start with diapers. We went by ratings on Amazon, and tried out Amazon’s “Mama Bear” Gentle Touch diapers in Newborn size.

What to know

• Of all the diapers in this list, Amazon Mama Bear diapers feel the most plastic-like.
• They are affordable. In fact, they’re super affordable if you get a box of 184 or 196. They’re on par with the “cheap” factor of Costco diapers and Luvs.
• They are OEKO-TEX certified, and are also free of parabens, fragrances and perfumes; despite this, they have one of the farthest from “natural” feelings of any diaper in this list.
• They inflate a lot when wet and feel heavier than other diapers. (see below)
• Some parents complain about the “absorption gel” which can come out, when wet. If this sounds concerning, well, um, I guess it is. Amazon says you can wipe it away and it is not toxic.

Why get them?

Well, they’re cheap. You could use them for daycare (we did), or just daytime use. I used them overnight before our child was sleeping 12ish hours. They held up pretty OK, with not a lot of complaint to write home about. They’re just cheap quality.

Where to get them

Amazon, of course. We are also frequenters of the Mama Bear diaper genie refills, and the Mama Bear wipes.

Honest Company

I was lucky enough to have been gifted Honest diapers as a baby gift. After all, isn’t a box of “earth-conscious” baby diapers one of the best gifts for new moms? (I’ll wait for your opinion on that!)

What to know

• Honest is a company that makes a wide array of hygienic products, from baby diapers and wipes, to skincare, makeup, baby clothing (we have the pajamas) and cleaning products.
• The brand makes responsible products, and the core of the Honest diapers are made from the wood pulp from trees. There’s no added latex, parabens nor fragrances.
• For sustainability-focused parents (like me), shopping from Honest can feel good, BUT: you will notice that the price per diaper falls somewhere between Pampers and Coterie, so I’d call it upper-mid-level diaper pricing.
• I really like that Honest focuses on baby age-specific features in their diapers, like a “Belly Button Cutout” for Newborn diapers, and “Super Stretchy Sides” in sizes 3-7 for active toddlers.
• They run small (in my experience)!!! (Size up if in between sizes)

Why get them?

There are a lot of really good reasons to get your child Honest diapers, and one of them is the VERY COOL prints (literally 30 choices of prints, and they’re not annoying cartoon characters—they’re classy patterns that please parents like me).

They’re also thin, yet absorbent. This is one of the most impressive things about Honest diapers. You can sack away quite a few in the diaper bag and they won’t be bulky. They’ll also hold leaks and prevent blow-outs. So overall, they can be a good buy if you have the budget.

Where to get them

You can easily get Honest diapers on Amazon, or at the Honest website.

Bambo Nature

Have you heard of this somewhat under-the-radar diaper brand? I had not, until (you guessed it!) my friend gave us a package of Bambo overnight diapers, saying they weren’t going to work out for her son. I wondered why. Now that we’ve tried them, I have thoughts, and you might like to hear this.

What to know

Well, they seem to run a big small. They’re also very FLAT. What I mean by that is if you have a stack of Bambo diapers, they are a lot more flat and compact (and maybe dense) than other diapers like Huggies. There are a few pointers I want to get across:

• Because of how flat they pack, they could be good for diaper bags, or for travel.
• The tabs are really glue-y and strong.
• They run a little on the small side (not as small as Coterie, in our experience), so I was able to use Bambo overnights while my baby was still in size 2 for daytime diapers.

Why get them?

Bambo Nature may be a good fit for some babies. Therefore, check out what I’ve learned about Bambo:

• They are surprisingly absorbent for how “flat” they feel. Note: I’m speaking to our use of the Overnights only.
• A few impressive notes are that they are the first diaper to get the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, they’re made with 100% wind power and they’re hypo-allergenic, free of chlorine and free of harmful chemicals.
• The brand has actually been around for 35+ years.

Where to get them

You can get them at the Bambo Nature Amazon store where there’s also the Overnight collection.

Hello Bello

Hello Bello Diapers are another brand that your mom probably hasn’t heard of. Their motto is, “Serious leak protection. Seriously soft. Insanely cute.” And in all honesty, I find that they have a lot in common with Honest diapers, so much so that I tend to confuse them because they have the same thin-but-strong feeling.

Did you know that Hello Bello was founded by actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard? I just found this out. I never intended to really try Hello Bello; instead, one of my mom friends from my mom group handed half a pack off to me when her child outgrew them.

What to know

• Hello Bello explicitly states in their mission that they want premium baby products to be available at reasonable costs for parents. In addition to diapers and wipes, HB makes vitamins, supplements, bath & body products and sun & bug repellent products for babies and toddlers.
• Is it true? I find that (well, this is often the case) Hello Bello diapers are surprisingly affordable in the smaller sizes (which are always priced at less of a cost-per-diaper than larger sizes. Makes sense!).
• They have a cloth-like feel, with a plant-derived liner, and no parabens, lotions, fragrances, chlorine nor latex.
• The patterns are really darn cute.

Why get them?

Hello Bello caters to the modern parent, and the company reminds me of a cross between Honest and Kudos: friendly, fun and young (in terms of how old the company is).

Hello Bello has also been highly-regarded for their nighttime diapers.

Where to buy

You can check out the Hello Bello subscription options on Amazon.

Other diapers (yes, there are more!)

Yes, there are other diapers out there! In fact, this section stands to propose that you can try new diapers when you travel. We went to Mexico and when I was trying to figure out the most cost-effective diaper in the smallest package (we were flying home the next day), I wound up with these:

They’re called bbtips. Do they exist in the US? I’m not even sure. But do you know what? They are great quality, and then run TALL, which is excellent for overnight, or just sitting in the car seat and having avoid them sliding down with pants.

Moral of the story is, you never know what you’ll find if you try a new brand while you’re away from home, and that includes being out of the country. These “bbtips” diapers are thick and nice, with good closures. After doing some more research, it seems they might be available in some stores in the US, but are not at all popular. They’re showing up on Amazon for Singapore, and that is about it.

If you find another diaper brand you’d like to say is the best or the worst, let me know! I’m glad to add to this list with real parent experiences to help out our audiences.

Conclusion: best and worst diapers?

In this list, I’ve tried to point out the best and worst diapers, as well as the most expensive diapers and the cheapest diapers, and how they hold up.

As for which diapers you’ll choose for your child, it’s really up to you, and every parent has VASTLY different opinions on how to go about the decision.

I know families with brand loyalties to certain brands, and I know families who’ll use any diaper as long as it’s a diaper. I do think that with adding a bit of a nudge to diaper spend, you can get a quality product that’ll protect against headaches like accidents in the car, or in the crib.

I think all in all, I’m continually learning about the diapers out there and I’m always ready to try a new diaper brand so that I can make a comparison against the other ones I know! If your baby struggles with frequent redness or eczema flare-ups, jump over to my roundup of the best diapers for sensitive skin, or explore plant-based options in our guide to the best non-toxic diaper brands.

Why trust me?

I’m a mom of two little ones, and controlling both our spend on diapers, as well as managing the balance of budget plus clean and smart buys are both priorities.

You can see how I’ve talked at length about topics like avoiding overnight leaks (in the video below) and my very own diaper bag essentials.

I’m the first to be honest and truthful about my experiences with these brands, showing you the good, the bad, the brilliant and the downright ugly about what I’ve found. I hope this outline of the best and worst diapers in our experience has been helpful for you!