Before I had my first child, I’d never changed a nappy in my life. I’d certainly never considered what brand I should buy. But the results of our latest survey show the brand you choose can make a big difference.
When I came to buy my first pack of nappies, I simply bought the brand I’d heard of – Pampers. Over time, the way I changed a nappy evolved – you learn all sorts of tricks to avoid getting covered in a fresh delivery of what you’re trying to clean off.
But over all that time, the brand I used didn’t change. So I was fascinated to see the results of our latest survey, in which we asked nearly 1,500 parents about their experiences with nappies.
Best nappies for value
Our survey found a real mix of how well brands did. Some of the more expensive brands did well while others were rated poorly, and some basic brands did better than I’d have expected. However, I’m not alone in my choice of nappies – as 41% of people we surveyed buy Pampers, making it the most popular brand of disposable nappy.
Even with my second baby, I stuck with Pampers. So why didn’t I shop around to see which brand offered the best value? A combination of extreme tiredness and the nappies doing what they were supposed to, meant I didn’t see the need for change.
It can be hard to try a range a different brands and see how you get on. After all, you can’t really afford to throw nappies away if you don’t like them. A year’s worth of nappies from one of the most expensive brands could set you back £438 a year at current prices.
And even if you go with a cheaper brand, the money you save can turn out to be a false economy. Particularly if you end up using your washing machine more often as your nappies regularly let you down. However, you might amuse friends and family as they watch you try to cope with the fallout.
But our survey found that you don’t necessarily have to spend huge amounts to get great nappies. In fact, the two best nappy brands varied in price by a not insignificant 6p per nappy. The cheaper of the two brands came in at 7p per nappy, while the more expensive brand came in at 13p or 14p per nappy, depending on where you shop.
Reusable or disposable nappies?
Considering that a baby can go through more than 4,000 nappies until they’re potty trained, many parents choose to use reusable nappies instead of disposables. However, they didn’t fare quite so well in our survey, as the top scoring reusable nappy brand gained a customer score of 67%, compared to 73% for disposables.
Did you chop and change nappy brands, or stick with the same one? Did you ever try reusable nappies, and did they save you money?