This Mother Would Recommend Them (Huggies)

Member Name: krazykat2005

Product:	Huggies
Date:	22/01/06 (1165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: re-fastenable tabs, absorbent, no nappy rash

Disadvantages: price, occasional leaks, availabilty

Before I had my baby I was determined that I was only going to use terry nappies as I didn’t want to spend a fortune on disposables, which were bad for baby’s bottom and bad for the environment. I even went as far as buying the terry nappies.

However, I quickly realised that things don’t always go to plan when you actually have your baby. What we had decided to do pre-baby was use disposables for the first week until we had the hang of things, then switch to the terry nappies. What actually happened was that we got so used to the disposables that we haven’t even looked at the terry nappies yet.

Why did we choose Huggies? Well, we didn’t really. On finding out I was pregnant, my mum want a bit crazy and spent hundreds of pounds on numerous shopping sprees (yes, my shopping addiction comes from the maternal side). On several occasions she purchased Huggies nappies, which is what we are still using now.

I am reviewing Huggies Newborn Sizes One and Two.

Also in the Huggies range are:

- Huggies Super Flex (Sizes Three, Four, Four Plus and Five)
- Huggies Supreme (Sizes Three, Four and Five)
- Huggies Convertibles 2in1 (Sizes Four and Five)
- Huggies Pull-Ups (Sizes Medium, Large and Extra Large)
- Huggies Little Swimmers (Sizes Small, Medium and Large)

-- PRODUCT DESCRIPTION --

Huggies Newborn come in two sizes, appropriately named sizes One and Two.

Size One nappies are suitable for babies who weigh 2 – 5 kilos (4 – 11lbs).

Size Two nappies are suitable for babies who weigh 3 – 6 kilos (7 – 13lbs).

Apparently these nappies are made with soft materials especially designed for delicate newborn skin. They are definitely soft to the touch. They also have re-fastenable tabs and Winnie the Pooh pictures on the front of the nappy. Inside the nappy there are some blue elasticated bits, which are there to keep the poop in.

-- PRICE --

I get my Huggies from Boots as I am a member of the Parenting Club, of which one of the benefits is triple points on all Huggies nappies. For those who do not know how the Boots Clubcard points work, triple points means twelve pence back on every pound I spend. Quite a good offer really!

The Size One nappies cost £3.58 per twenty-eight pack. They are currently on a special offer which is two for six pounds, plus triple points of seventy-two pence, so I was getting each pack for £2.64.

In comparison, you can also get them in Asda for £2.98, Tesco for £3.00 and in Sainsburys for £3.54 (also on the two for six pounds offer), but you don’t get twelve pence back for every pound you spend, so I would recommend you join the Boots Parenting Club (you have to be pregnant or have children up to the age of two) and use the triple points offer.

The Size Two nappies cost £5.65 for a forty pack. These are also on special offer in Boots, two for ten pounds, plus triple points of one pound twenty, which means that I am getting them for £4.40 each.

The only other place I could find them was on the Tesco website for £5.61 per forty pack. These are also on a two for ten pounds offer at the moment, but no triple points, so Boots wins again for me.

-- PACKAGING --

The packaging (for both sizes) is mainly yellow and blue, with a big Huggies Newborn logo in white letters. The size information is below the logo – it tells you the size in kilos and pounds and also how many nappies are in the pack.

There are perforations along the top and down one side to make this product easy to open.

One thing that I will add here is that because the nappies are so tightly packed they get all squashed and you need to fluff them up as you take them out so that they work properly.

-- WHAT I THOUGHT --

I have tried a couple of other nappies and found that after a couple of days they made my little one’s bottom a bit sore. Huggies are the only nappy I have tried that doesn’t give him nappy rash, so obviously these are the ones I use. I wish they were a bit cheaper as they are more expensive than a lot of other brands, but I pay the extra because I love my son and do not want him to have a sore bottom.

I am very impressed with the velcro-like fastenings, which are especially useful for new parents who find the need to check baby’s nappy every ten minutes almost impossible to ignore. These tabs mean that you can open and close baby’s nappy as many times as you want/need to. They also don’t get stuck to baby’s skin.

These nappies are shaped to fit baby’s bottom, and to begin with (remembering that this is my first baby) I found this a bit hard to get used to. I found that when I didn’t get them on quite right they could occasionally leak (usually overnight) and the elasticated bits could be uncomfortable on baby’s legs. However, after a little bit of practise, I can get these on Oliver no problem and now I prefer the shape of Huggies nappies as they fit my baby’s bottom perfectly.

I went through about six packs of the Size One nappies as Oliver was a hefty 9lbs 9oz at birth and it only took two and a half weeks for him to get to eleven pounds. At this point the Size One nappies were a bit tight and rubbed on his bottom, so I made the switch to the next size up.

I would advise that if you are buying in nappies in advance not to buy too many of the first size as I found that they got too small for Oliver quite quickly. Oliver before he reached eleven pounds And I would advise you not to follow the guide weights which advises that they are suitable for 4 – 11lb, use your own judgement as they were too small for

For some reason I find the Size Two nappies a lot harder to get hold of in the shops than the first size. This might be because they are not exactly essential – you can make the jump from Size One (4 – 11lbs) to Size Three (11 – 20/22lbs) – which I have only just realised whilst writing this review. I will continue to use the newborn until they get too small for Oliver as the have been designed with newborn babies in mind. (Also because I have got three packs still to use)

Since using the Size Two nappies, there have been no leaks in the night, as long as they have been put on correctly (my partner doesn’t put them on tight enough). I can put the nappy on Oliver at 10pm and come 6am they are still dry to the touch! I have never had any poop leaks with either size.

One thing that I really don’t understand about nappies for newborn babies is that they are usually covered in pictures. Huggies nappies are covered in Winnie the Pooh pictures. This is a sore point with me as I have an inexplicable hatred of everything that is Winnie the Pooh, except (and this is even stranger) for Eeyore, who I don’t mind. I have no idea why. Perhaps a Tigger teddy fell on my head when I was young, giving me my Winnie the Pooh phobia. Or maybe it is because people who dress their nursery with Winnie the Pooh products have no idea when to stop. Someone should explain the meaning of the word moderation to them and burn at least half of their maddening Disney collection.

-- CONCLUSION --

Size One I’ll give three out of five. This nappy did leak wee after the first week and, although I think this might be because Oliver is a big baby and just needed to be on the next size up, I think the weight guide was inaccurate. However, Oliver never suffered from nappy rash and I liked the shape and soft feeling of these nappies.

-- Good Points --
- velcro-type fastening very useful
- shaped to fit baby
- never leaked poop, even the really runny, filling the nappy type poop
- lovely soft feeling

-- Bad Points --
- leaked wee at night after the first week
- weight guide inaccurate
- Winnie the Pooh pictures a waste of time
- bad for the environment

Size Two I’ll give four out of five. These have never leaked (unless my darling partner put them on because he just can get it right – rubbish man!) wee or poop, which is fantastic. The only reason I haven’t given them the full five out of five is because of the price, they are not exactly the cheapest in the market. If only they cost a little less… or were free (now there’s an idea I like, free nappies).

-- Good Points --
- velcro-type fastening very useful
- shaped to fit baby
- last overnight without leaking
- never leaked poop, even the really runny, filling the nappy type poop
- lovely soft feeling

-- Bad Points --
- hard to get hold of in the shops
- bad for the environment
- Winnie the Pooh pictures a waste of time

Summary: A great nappy!