I a mother of two children under the age of three, so I feel like I have become well versed in the use of diaper wipes. The main things that I look for in a quality wipe are: accessibility (how quickly can I get them out of the packaging), functionality (how well they actually get the job done), scent, and cost efficiency. The two brands I have used most often are Huggies wipes and Pampers wipes.
Accessibility
Huggies wipes come in a 72 count pop up dispenser tub. There is a good sized slit in the top of the tub that you can thread the wipes through. From my experience, the pop up feature does not work very well because the wipes tend to stick together inside the tub. It is fairly easy to stick your hand through the slit to pull a wipe through, but the wipes are very thick and many times, I have had them tear as I have tried to separate them to pull them through. Refills are available in 144 count and 208 count packages. One thing that I do not like about the packaging for the Huggies refills is that they are all in one big resealable bag. You can only use them in the original dispenser tub and since they are so thick, they tend to dry out quickly and quite a few wipes end up being wasted.
Pampers wipes come in a 70 count “one touch tub” which is similar to the pop up dispenser that the Huggies wipes are packaged in. The slit in the top of the Pampers tubs is very small, so if your wipe does not pop up, you have to actually open the tub and thread it back through. From my experience, the pop up feature works much better with the Pampers wipes than it does with the Huggies wipes. Refills are available in 70 count individualized packages and typically come in boxes of three, six, or twelve. The refill packages have a tab that is resealable so you can use them individually (which means they are easy to throw in a diaper bag) or you can place them in the tub. Either way, the wipes stay moist and I have never had a problem with them drying out.
Functionality
Huggies wipes are quite a bit larger than Pampers wipes and are very thick. You can easily clean up a dirty diaper with one or two wipes. The problem is that the wipes dry out very easily because they are so thick and they have ridges on them, so they end up feeling like a slightly damp paper towel. This is hard on little bottoms and when I have used them on my older child, she begs me to be “so soft” because it is so rough.
Pampers wipes are fairly thin and are smaller than the Huggies wipes, so it usually takes three to five wipes on average to take care of a dirty diaper. They are very moist, though, and are gentle on children’s bottoms during clean up.
Scent
I do not like wipes that have an overpowering articifical scent. Huggies wipes come in a variety of scents ranging from Lavender and Chamomile and Shea Butter to Naturally Refreshing. They also have several fragrance free wipes. Their scented wipes, particularly the Naturally Refreshing line, have a pleasant scent that is not overpowering.
Pampers wipes offers Calming Lavendar and Baby Fresh scented wipes. They also offer unscented wipes such as Sensitive – Hypoallergenic wipes and Unscented – Natural Aloe Wipes. Although they claim to be “lightly scented,” their scented wipes are pretty overpowering. I was glad when we finished our tub of Calming Lavendar wipes. I made the mistake of purchasing a refill pack of Baby Fresh and couldn’t wait to finish it off because the smell was so strong. If you are going to buy Pampers wipes, stick with their unscented products. My favorite is the Sensitive – Hypoallergenic wipes.
Both Huggies wipes and Pampers wipes are comparatively priced. A tub of wipes typically runs between $2 and $2.50 and be purchased at any store that carries baby products. Refill packages typically run between $6 and $12 depending on the size of the package. When considering cost effectiveness, you also need to consider the functionality of the wipes. I have found that we often end up throwing out quite a few Huggies wipes because they dry out. Pampers wipes have been more cost effective for us.
Overall impressions
Although Huggies wipes definitely have some good features, Pampers wipes are gentler on my children’s skin and are also more cost effective. In addition, all Pampers products come with a “Gifts to Grow” code. You enter the codes online to earn points and then the points can be exchanged for children’s products such as toys, books, and DVDs.
