The Premium Diaper Showdown
I’m a busy mom. As the head of marketing at a fast growing tech company and repeat offender of over-scheduling our social lives, I never thought I’d be a parent to have time (or care) to obsess over a diaper brand… but here I am being that parent spending her time writing an article all about diapers. It’s time for the premium diaper showdown. I selected 2 premium direct to consumer brands, and 1 premium drugstore brand to determine the ultimate premium diaper winner.
TLDR: Coterie is the clear winner
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Criteria 1: Absorbency
The entire purpose of a diaper can be wrapped up in this criteria. This one factor alone makes or breaks a diaper. High absorbency means no leakage, no blowouts, no diaper rash, and very critically, a full night’s sleep. To test this feature, I poured water on all 3 diaper brands, then felt how dry it was after 30 seconds… clever right?
Coterie
Coterie says its diapers wick moisture away from baby’s skin in less than 16 seconds versus the industry average of 30 seconds. Like magic, this diaper felt incredibly dry despite pouring water on it! And this is a fact: my baby who mostly has been in Coterie his whole life only has had a diaper rash a couple of times and I’d equate that to him staying nice and dry under that diaper of his. 5/5
Dyper
Dyper says its diapers are engineered for dryness, absorbing 2x more than the traditional big-name brands. After pouring water on this diaper, I’d say it’s wetness fell somewhere in between Coterie and Pampers Pure – not too wet, but not too dry. These seem to perform better than your average diaper. 4/5
Pampers Pure
Pampers Pure says its diapers lock away wetness from skin for up to 12 hours. But upon testing, I’d say these diapers have average absorbency, nothing to rave about or distinguish themselves from other diaper brands. 3/5
Absorbency Winner: Coterie
Criteria 2: Softness
Coterie
OMG these are so soft! They feel like actual cloth, not crunchy disposable diaper materials. These certainly take care of keeping your baby’s sensitive skin all nice and cozy. I’m sure you’ve picked out several higher price-point, organic cotton and bamboo outfits for your baby, think of this diaper material as that same high-end quality as the onesies you’ve obsessed over. Seriously you just need to feel them for yourself. 5/5
Dyper
These diapers are soft without a doubt, none of that plastic crinkle feeling you’d get from a big-name brand. However, they are missing the fluffy, cloud-like feel that Coterie has. 4/5
Pampers Pure
These diapers are very soft, for a big name brand. Not like the Pampers Swaddlers you may have tried before. But compared to Coterie they don’t stand up on their own. 3/5
Softness Winner: Coterie
Criteria 3: Safety
Coterie
- 0% Chlorine bleaching
- Fragrance free
- Lotion free
- Latex free
- Rubber free
- Dye free
- Alcohol free
- Free of heavy metal
- Clinically proven hypoallergenic
- Dermatologist-tested
- Paraben free
- Phthalate free
- Free of harsh chemicals
- No VOCs
- No optical brighteners
- No animal testing
5/5
Dyper
- Chlorine free
- Latex free
- No PVC
- No TBT
- No Antioxidants
- Fragrance free
- Lotion free
- Phthalates free
4/5
Pampers Pure
- Chlorine free
- Latex free
- Fragrance free
- Paraben free
- Clinically proven hypoallergenic
4/5
Safety Winner: Coterie
Criteria 4: Eco-friendly
Did you know that no diaper is fully compostable, 100% biodegradable or truly eco-friendly? Synthetic materials are required for a diaper to function properly.
Coterie
Coterie diapers are made with wood pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests. Overall they are built with 25% plant-based materials. Coterie has invested a portion of proceeds to accelerate the transition to truly sustainable diapering solutions for all. Coterie also takes part in a Carbon Offsets program, and each time you make a purchase you’ll see in your cart a CO2 Offset added for free. While not an actual compostable diaper, Coterie is thinking about the environment and planning for a sustainable diaper future. 3/5
Dyper
Dyper diapers are made with responsibly sourced Bamboo. Dyper offers a disposal service for an extra cost through their program REDYPER. They then dispose of some diaper materials and compost the parts that are biodegradable. Note though that this process releases significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, but they do take part in a Carbon Offset program that is purchased each time a box ships. 4/5
Pampers Pure
Pampers Pure diapers are also made with wood pulp from sustainably managed forests similar to Coterie, and the diaper's top sheet layer is plant-based. They are produced with 100% certified renewable energy. 2/5
Eco-friendly Winner: Dyper
Note: The disposal service gives them a lead against Coterie and Pampers Pure. But remember, this service costs extra and the composting process still isn’t good for the environment. All three of these brands should be considered eco-friendly compared to traditional diaper brands.
Criteria 5: Cost
Coterie
198 diapers for $85 on monthly subscription for size 1 (8-12lb baby) = $0.43 each
Dyper
224 diapers for $80 on monthly subscription for size 2 (6-16lb baby) = $0.36 each
Pampers Pure
198 diapers for $63 for size 1 (8-14lb baby) = $0.32 each
Cost Winner: Pampers Pure
And the Premium Diaper Showdown Winner is…
Taking these 5 criteria into account, Coterie is the clear winner of the Premium Diaper Showdown. Try them for yourself now, and check out my full review of Coterie here.
Get 20% off your purchase with code: NEWMODERNMOM
This post is in partnership with Coterie. When you make purchases through links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only endorse products I believe in. Thank you for supporting New Modern Mom!
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