Let’s ditch decision fatigue, and settle the debate.

This post is in partnership with Coterie. I only endorse products I believe in.

You all know by now, I’ve let my type A tendencies get the best of me when it comes to product research because I want the best for my babies! In the land of parenting, there are just so many choices to constantly make. Decision fatigue is at a maximum in this season of life.

So I’m doing you all a favor, and putting my research across all (and I mean all) the popular diaper brands in one spot. If you want to know what the best diaper is… welcome, you’ve come to the right place!

Quick legend: 🥇category winner |🥈category runner-up | ⛔ don’t recommend in the category

Absorbency Test

To evaluate absorbency, I did two tests. First, I poured 1 ounce of water into each diaper, waited 60 seconds, then assessed dampness inside and outside the diaper. Second, I repeated this again 60 seconds later.

🥇Coterie: Coterie diapers absorbed liquid instantly and felt incredibly dry. 5/5

⛔ Dyper: While this diaper absorbed quite quickly, these felt the wettest of all the options. 2/5

Kirkland: The liquid rolled on top of the diaper, resisting absorbency. Once absorbed it didn’t feel sopping wet, but it certainly didn't feel dry. 3/5

Millie Moon: This performed the same as I’d consider your average diaper – absorbed the liquid (not instantly like Coterie though), and feels damp on the touch. 3/5

⛔ Pampers Swaddlers: The liquid resisted absorbing into the diaper, and took even longer to settle in. These definitely felt wet. 2/5

⛔ Pampers Pure: Just like the OG of this brand, these resisted absorbency of liquid, and definitely feel wet. 2/5

Healthy Baby: This diaper absorbed fast, but felt wet still after several minutes. 3/5 

⛔ Honest: This diaper absorbed slowly, got bulky when wet and the surface felt damp to the touch. 2/5

Freestyle: This diaper absorbed decently quickly, but definitely feels wet to the touch. 3/5

⛔ Hello Bello: This diaper absorbed slowly, and felt wet to the touch. 2/5

Clean Ingredients

An important note on safety terms: TCF, or Total Chlorine Free, means the diaper was bleached using a process that does not use chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Whereas ECF, or Elemental Chlorine Free, means the diaper materials were bleached with chlorine dioxide. If given the choice, I feel safer going with TCF to ensure chlorine bleaching was not part of the process.

🥇Coterie: Total Chlorine Free (TCF), latex free, fragrance free, lotion free, dye free, alcohol free, paraben free, phthalate free. They are the first brand to release a Diaper Safety Report.

Dyper: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), latex free, fragrance free, lotion free, paraben free, phthalate free, alcohol free. 3/5

Kirkland: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), latex free, fragrance free, lotion free. 3/5

Millie Moon: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), latex free, fragrance free, lotion free. 3/5

⛔ Pampers Swaddlers: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF). Latex free. Dye free. Alcohol free. Paraben free. Phthalate free. Contains fragrance and lotion! 1/5

⛔ Pampers Pure: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), Latex free, Fragrance free, Paraben free. Contains lotion. 2/5

🥇Healthy Baby: Total Chlorine Free (TCF), free of parabens, phthalates, fragrances, optical brighteners, latex, and lotions. EWG verified, OEKO TEX certified, allergy certified, plastic neutral certified. 5/5

⛔ Honest: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), latex free, fragrance free, paraben free, phthalate free. Contains lotion. 2/5

🥈Freestyle: Total Chlorine Free (TCF), free of fragrances, parabens, allergens, phthalates, alcohol, lotion and latex. 4/5

Hello Bello: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), latex free, fragrance free, lotion free, paraben free, phthalate free. 3/5

Comfort

🥇Coterie: OMG these are so soft! The material is like cashmere for diapers. 5/5

🥈Dyper: These diapers are soft, but are missing the fluffy, cloud-like feel that Coterie has. 4/5

Kirkland: These are softer than your average diaper, but flexibility of the material is strongly lacking. 3/5

Millie Moon: These have a slight plasticy feel to them, like layers of tissue paper crinkling between your fingers. 3/5

⛔ Pampers Swaddlers: These feel exactly as you’d expect a diaper to – plastic and crinkly. 2/5

🥈Pampers Pure: These diapers are very soft, for a big name brand. Not like the Pampers Swaddlers, but definitely not like Coterie. 4/5

Healthy Baby: These are very thin, but do have a touch of softness. 3/5

Honest: These have a crinkly paper-like feeling. They are super stretchy, which makes movement more comfortable, but it also makes it harder to lay them out flat under your baby during diaper changes. 3/5

Freestyle: These are soft on the outside, but the inside top sheet is a bit rougher. 3/5

Hello Bello: These are softer than your average diaper, but they still have a plasticy feel to them. 3/5

Cost

Coterie: A subscription of 198 diapers in Size 1 = $90 ($0.45/diaper)

Dyper: A subscription of 216 diapers in Size 1 = $99 ($0.46/diaper)

🥇Kirkland: 192 diapers in Size 1 = $34.99 ($0.18/diaper)

🥈Millie Moon: 108 diapers in Size 1 = $25 ($0.23/diaper)

Pampers Swaddlers: 164 diapers in Size 1 = $43 ($0.26/diaper)

Pampers Pure: 198 diapers in Size 1 = $63 ($0.32/diaper)

Healthy Baby: A subscription of 210 diapers in Size 1 = $105 ($0.50/diaper)

Honest: 78 diapers in Size 1 = $32.99 ($0.42/diaper)

Freestyle: A subscription of 204 diapers in Size 1 = $105 ($0.51/diaper) *includes 4 packs of wipes

Hello Bello: A subscription of 225 diapers in Size 1 = $69.99 ($0.31/diaper) *includes 4 packs of wipes

Coterie is my top pick for best diaper without question!

After testing all of these, here’s what I know: my babies slept in longer stretches with Coterie over any other diaper we tried, and rarely experienced blowouts or diaper rashes! And here’s more reasons Coterie is my most recommended diaper:

✅ Ingredient safety: independently lab tested

✅ Brand transparency: third-party testing and published results

✅ Top-notch absorbency: Highly absorbent and remains dry to the touch

✅ Softness: Super soft, cashmere-like feel

✅ Availability: can be purchased at multiple retailers and has a hassle-free subscription option

Get 10% off your subscription of Coterie Diapers ($81 for a month): EXTRA10

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