Every Mother's Struggle

Decisions, decisions...

In 1999 I had my first baby, or should I say, in 1999 I became a mother. People have babies every minute of the day I am sure, but not everyone really becomes a mother. I cannot remember my life prior to being a mother, it's weird, it's like that is what I was meant to do.
In came Julls into my teenie bopper world. The world that, at the time, consisted of the shortest shorts I could get away with and when the next pep rally was. My hearing became keener as I could now decipher my child's cry amongst thousands of others. My vision and reflexes became sharper because I could now catch a falling pacifier seconds before it tipped itself off the edge of the table and last my expectations became extremely high. It was, it is exhausting!
Here is what every single mother struggles with, are you ready for it? "Which brand of diapers should I buy!?"
So, when one delivers a child the hospital kindly provides us with diapers, formula, nipples, wipes and more and then they charge you $10,000.00 for it. When I had my first little monkey the hospital provided me with Huggies so I thought they were medically recommending I use Huggies. Then, when I had my second little bumble bee, 7 years later, the hospital provided Pampers so I thought Huggies must have gone downhill and now Pampers are the best. Finally, when I had my third little pirate, 5 years later, the hospital provided me with Huggies again. Go figure.
Unfortunately moms, you must do your own research. I used to feel so guilty for buying the off-brand of anything, but I have become more level headed and realized I am only cheating myself. I work hard for my money and it should be spent wisely! I always hated the diaper commercials that boasted how much their diapers could hold versus what is really important and that is whether it was actually made for comfort. Would you buy yourself uncomfortable underwear as long as they lasted years? Uh, no (I hope). My goal when I buy diapers for my little screamer is comfort. For the first one she used Huggies, the second used Pampers and the third has become momma's wittle ginny piggy :)
I liked Pampers over Huggies when I used them with my second child. I liked the texture and the feel. They seemed soft and flexible. I did not like the price, which is a few dollars more than Huggies, nor did I like how soggy they became during wear (they often leaked because the fit would loosen). When my first little bundle was born I liked Huggies as long as they were the supreme, the designs were cuter and they seemed comfortable, but they always had this weird gel that would form with moisture. For the third little cake boy I used the cheaper of all the Huggies and they still seemed to have that gel formation, they seemed stiff and really uncomfortable. I moved to a more expensive version of Huggies and I did like those, but they still had that same gel I mentioned before. I then tried the Huggies natural version diapers and my baby's fussiness reduced tremendously. He seemed to be in the recliner version of all other Huggies or diapers for that matter. In addition to comfort, the Huggies Naturals did not have the gel issue that had bugged me so much before. I then tried the Kroger organic brand of diapers and those worked well, did not leak, are chlorine free, but they do not have all natural materials. My baby just did not seem as comfortable. Next, I tried the Kroger off-brand diapers (non-organic). They have cute little bumble bees on them, they are a bit stiff, but they are priced well and work just as well as the regular Huggies brand. I never tried Pampers again because once I found the Huggies natural brand I found those to be comparable to Pampers, but better because Huggies Naturals used better materials that are partly biodegradable and have never leaked (so far).
The verdict is in, I am sticking with Huggies Naturals. Though Pampers are seemingly comfortable I ran into a lot of leaks along the way with the middle cupcake. No one likes sleeping in pee :( The third little sweety just seemed so comfortable and relaxed in the Huggies Naturals that I was sold. Word to the wise, pay attention to your baby's body language and keep in mind how hard life is with out words. It is much more important to me that my child is at ease and comfortable than a diaper that can hold 8oz. of blue liquid from a beaker.
Lastly, it is best if one does not depend on a diaper to reduce diaper rash, this is something that amongst all three of my children has only happened twice. Diaper rash, I feel, is dependent upon how clean and dry one keeps their baby. I know diapers are an extra expense, but save a baby's bum and change a diaper.

Let me know if you have come across any better.

Until Next Time,
Urban Mom