Nothing is too much for our children, is it? They can have the best of everything, as long as we can take another loan out at the bank to help pay for it. Before the birth of our daughter 20 months ago, we said there was no way we could ever afford to buy Pampers nappies but of course as soon as she arrived she was suddenly catapulted (although not quite literally; actually I dont know about that, the birth WAS quite traumatic!) to the top of the list of most precious things in the world today. And still is, although treading a very fine line!!
So that was it, throw away the bags of shops own brands that we had bought (we actually gave them away!) and rush down to the shops to buy the King of Nappies (or Queen depending on whether you are buying the male or female variety of course).
This review is for the Pampers Baby Dry Nappies, but the full range is as follows:
***Product Range***
There are lots of different kinds of Pampers Nappy. They are listed below:
New Baby
Handles pee and soft poopie better than ever before. If only they were around when we needed them! These have shaped sides for excellent fit and comfort.
Active Fit
The stretchiest nappy for perfect fit. High stretch back tabs and soft front tabs for comfort.
Easy Up Pants
The driest pull on nappy for happy, easy changes, allegedly! These are a little like proper pants. To put them on you just pull them up, and then tear down the side when you want to remove
it.
Baby Dry (this review)
These have a double layer topsheet and absorbent centre to take the wetness away from babys bottom as quickly as possible. The tapes work like Velcro and can be opened and closed as often as required, so you can check to see if they really have done a poopie or if they were just letting off steam, so to speak!
Sensitive
For those little bottoms that require a special touch. These are clinically tested and proven to care for sensitive skin. They are reputed to be one of the most breathable nappies available, because of a new material that allows more air to low through to your babys skin. They also include a Dermaprotect lotion to help minimise the risk of skin irritation.
Also included in the Pampers miscellaneous range are:
Baby wipes (standard and sensitive)
Change Mats and Bed Mats
Swim Pants, which work in the same way as a nappy, but are water resistant so they can swim with them, whilst keeping the pool free from urine and little floaties.
UV Wipes (SPF30 sun lotion, in a wipe)
The product range is comprehensive but is clear and concise, making it easy to choose the right product for your little one.
***Experiences***
We have had leakage problems at the leg (as described below) with Pampers, but they were predominantly before she was three months old. Their new nappy, New Baby Total Care should hopefully counteract that problem.
Up to Rachel being 3 months of age I breastfed and so her poopies were of a fairly runny consistency, bright fluorescent orange, and particularly offensive! I used to strip her off quite often and leave her on the floor to kick around in just her nappy.
One day, when she was lying on the floor, gurgling away, I popped into the kitchen for a moment and as I got closer back to the lounge, that familiar smell grabbed at my nostrils and shot straight to the back of my throat, making me heave. Yes, she had done a rather nasty one. As I entered the room, I could see her lifting her legs and to my horror, orange goo was trickling out of the side of her nappy. I could see she was getting curious as to what this strange sensation was, and saw her hands go in search of the aforesaid goo. Well I am no sprinter. But by golly how I tried. I just caught her hands in time. Luckily I had my Pampers wipes to hands and managed to avoid sure disaster with a second to spare. Phew.
And then again a couple of weeks ago. My dear husband offered to get Rachel ready for bed. At 3am Rachel woke and started crying. At 3:30am she was still awake so I went to check on her and sure enough, she was wet. Her nappy had leaked rather badly, and she required a full clothing change, as well as bed linen. Now whether I can blame the nappy for this or my husband, I am still not too sure. It's safe to say that we haven't had any new leakage problems up until this date and so I am sure it was a one off. It certainly doesn't put me off buying them again.
***Quality***
The quality of the nappy is far superior to any other I have tried. They have a cotton-like feel to them, which makes them very breathable, and they hold a lot of fluid without becoming damp underneath. When Rachel gets up in the morning from an 11 hour stint in hers, it is fairly heavy but still dry to the touch. On average, she can usually wear them for approx. 4 hours during the day (depending on how much they have had to eat or drink) without needing another change. Even at this point the nappy is still quite dry, which means that unless your baby is prone to it anyway, nappy rash is a rare occurrence.
The tabs are of good design too; similar to Velcro they stick well and as said previously, you can undo them as many times as you like and they will still fasten sufficiently.
***Price***
Prices are standard in most supermarkets. In most corner shops you will find that £1 has been added to the price and so if you can wait, I would advise buying them at the supermarket. When Rachel was first born we got quite a few vouchers from Pampers through the post with £1 vouchers for both nappies and wipes. Quite often in the supermarkets you will find that the larger packs have a special offer attached to them, and are reduced by £1. So you won't have to take that second mortgage out after all! Prices are as follows:
New Baby 28pk £3.78
2 to 5kg (4 to 11lbs)
Baby Dry Mini 45pk £5.63
3 to 6kg (6 to 13lbs)
Baby Dry Midi 38pk £5.63
4 to 9kg (9 to 20lbs)
Baby Dry Midi 70pk £8.97
Baby Dry Maxi 34pk £5.63
7 to 18kg (15 to 40lbs)
Baby Dry Maxi 62pk £8.97
Baby Dry Maxi+ 32pk £5.63
9 to 20kg (20 to 44lbs)
Baby Dry Maxi+ 46pk £8.99
Also available in the range are Baby Dry Junior 11 to 25kg (24 to 55lbs), and Baby Dry Extra Large 16+ kg (35+lbs), although not every supermarket stock these sizes.
*Prices taken from Tesco.com.
***Website***
If you register at www.pampers.com, they will send you vouchers on a fairly regular basis. You also gain access to their product information list, as well as a learning centre (information on development stages), playing centre (ideas for things to do), and sharing centre (tips from other mums).
***Summary***
And so although we have had some near disasters as far as leakages go, this is my only gripe and hopefully the new design for the newborn nappy should avoid that problem anyway.
On a price comparison with supermarket own brands, they come in at approx. £1.50 more expensive but if you can afford it they are well worth the extra money as they really do keep your babys skin soft and fresh! As for my baby....upon opening her nappies, her skin is anything but soft and fresh, but hey ho; that's the joy of parenting!
********RECENT COMPLAINT*********
I've had a bit of a falling out with Pampers this last week or so. After spending £12.50 on a box of 80 size 5 nappies, I found most of them to be defective in that the wing where the left hand tab is attached is not very stable and tears away with the slightest pressure. Also they are not holding as much fluid as they should be and after an hours wear, are coming away at the seam inside the nappy, which means Rachel ends up with the nappy filling stuck to her little private parts. I know of two other people who have had the same problem with this box of Pampers too.
After a few harsh phone calls to the Pampers careline, I have eventually received £15 worth of Pampers vouchers. I'm still using this box of nappies, albeit changing them once every couple of hours as I just can't bring myself to throw away so many nappies - they're bad enough for the environment as it is! So, be warned, and don't be scared to call them and give them a good old telling off like I did!
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This product has not yet been reviewed.
12.06.2009 17:16
very thorough review! great
31.05.2005 15:23
Try Moltex eco nappies. They're price comparative to leading brands and good for the environment. Ask at your local pharmacy they can get them for you through UniChem or Sigma wholesalers
31.10.2002 16:46
i used pampers on my little ones they are good jacky