8.22.2008

I don't know when ass covereings became so important

When I was pregnant I was a novice at all things baby. No one was walking around handing out advice (like I love to do), so I was left to discover it all on my own. One of the things I really worried about were diapers. I wanted the best one. My theory has always been that diapers are gonna touch my kids special parts and their tushy they should be the best and softest possible. My solution to this, short of opening every bag in the store and pulling out a diaper was to register on the diapers websites. Before long I had samples of Pampers and Huggies in my mail box. A friend had given me a ton Luvs so there was no need to register there. First I opened the Luvs and I HATED THEM. They were stiff and scratchy and not at all stretchy. Then I opened the Huggies. Again, it was awful. Finally I tried the pampers swaddlers and I LOVED THEM. I was hooked. For the first 5 months that was all Brandon wore. But they only made Swaddlers up to size 3. I set out finding a new diaper. I tried Huggies with the GIGGLASTIC waist band and was so disappointed. They leaked, and were still scratchy and so on. After researching I settled on the Pampers Cruisers. They worked fine for a while.

One of the oddest parts of the story is the part where Pampers started changing their diapers almost weekly. My cousin would make fun of me because for a period of 5 months every single box of Pampers I bought was different. The straps would change colors or size, some would have elastic some didn't, some would rip, some were even glued together rendering them unusable. In fact, at one point I had started saving all the diapers that sucked and I mailed them off to Pampers to ask what the fuck. I received coupons and gift cards and it was nice.

Fast forward to Codi's birth. I again registered on the diaper sites. Again I chose pampers. And yet again they changed. When I arrived at the hospital I was dismayed to find the diapers were awful. They were small, and stiff and scratchy but the worst part of all, they had this awful net lining in them that would stuck to the babies butt. One particular day I was really complaining about it when I went to my mail box to find a sample of the NEW Huggies Gentle Care Natural Fit. I opened it up to find a nice quilted interior. It was crazy soft. The back stretched nicely and the outsides were soft and bendable but sturdy. I packed up the Pampers to donate and went right to the store for some Huggies. I've been thrilled with them since.

This last trip to the store I figured I would buy a small bag of Pampers Cruisers to see how they were. I opened them to find flimsy extra wide no shape diapers. The inside is still shitty, the outside has no leak barrier and the back doesn't lock in shit. In fact the first time I put the diaper on Codi he blew right out the back.

There is a commercial on for Huggies right now where some parents walk around with their baby brick. They say other diapers are find if your kid is shaped like a brick and I fully agree. The pampers are huge. They have no soft little leg cut outs, no shape what so ever. Codi's Huggies are cut so there is no bunching at the legs. They even have a stretchy belly panel now for babies like him with a little chub in the tummy region.

While I'm really glad I've finally settled on a diaper with Codi I can't lie and say it is not really frustrating how drastically Pampers has changed. I supported Pampers for a long time. I don't understand why a company would go from a great product to a mediocre product to an AWFUL one.

What brand do you use? I know a lot of people use Target or Kirkland but for me I can't imagine them being extra soft and smooth. Did anyone else notice the immense change in Pampers over the last year and a half? Are there other products out there that you think have changed? I still swear by the Pampers newborn sensitive wipes. All the others are scratchy. What are your baby items you will never stop using, and the products you can't banish from your house fast enough?

**Edited to add: On the TWO mile drive to work (I guess about 6 miles if you count the drop of to Brandons school) Codi pooped and it leaked out of every single side of his stupid fucking pampers cruiser.

** Edited one more time: If these diapers suck so bad, and I don't want them and have a full bag, what do I do? Do I donate them? Because why would I donate something so awful? But maybe if I donated them they would find their way to someone who could use them? So, do I donate them or just trash them and waste the money entirely?

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