When you have a baby, so many must-have items are on your shopping list. But perhaps none is as important as what diapers and wipes you’ll use, since you’ll be using them all the time. Plus, diapers are crucial to preventing wild messes you’ll be charged with cleaning up. So as you peruse the baby essentials aisle, here are some tips on selecting diapers and wipes.
Diapers are sized by a baby’s weight range. For example, Pampers diapers marked "Size One" are made for infants between 8 and 14 pounds, and "Size Two" diapers are for babies from 12 to 18 pounds. Almost all diaper packaging, no matter the brand, state size and weight range, so use these as guidelines. A too-big diaper will likely leak pee or poop, or fall off completely as your baby wiggles around, and a too-small diaper can lead to the infamous “blowout,” which we all want to avoid. Some parents also swear by some brands being better for one gender than the other, so make sure to ask around.
Parents get by with a little help from things like wetness indicator lines. This very cool design feature on some diapers reacts to moisture (in this case, usually urine), turning a yellow line on the outer diaper blue, so you know it’s time to change your baby. It’s not a must, but some parents find this visual reminder helpful during busy days with an infant.
Read the packaging carefully so you’re not struck by a smell you dislike once you’re back home. Some diaper brands have their own mild fragrance, some do not, so consider buying a few small packs across brands to test them out. Wipe scents vary too; Honest Diapers, for example, sells wipes with “sweet almond” and “aloe water” scents. And if you prefer zero added fragrance, there are plenty of unscented options out there. Just read the packaging closely.
If you’re someone who pays close attention to what things are made of, you’ll likely do that with diapers and wipes, too. Wipes are nontoxic, of course, but different brands use different additives, so read the label closely. Water Wipes are moistened with water and a tiny drop of fruit extract only, for antimicrobial purposes, for example. Ingredients in Babyganics wipes include chamomilla flower extract and red raspberry seed oil.
Not all wipes are created equal when it comes to thickness, and not all parents want a super-thick wipe, either. This is another reason it can be wise to do a test run: Buy individual packages of three different brands accessible to you (or recommended by your mom friends), consider how well they wipe a bottom (especially if it’s sticky with you-know-what), and go from there.
