Stiftung Warentest: Many diapers keep advertising promises – and babies’ buttocks are dry
Parents of young children know how important well-fitting diapers are for their offspring. Stiftung Warentest has therefore tested a large number of diapers. The good news first: most size four nappies stay tight and baby’s buttocks stay dry.
The best news for parents first: Diapers tested by Stiftung Warentest often keep what they promise. They stay tight for a long time and the skin stays dry in them for a long time. Even better: “There are no critical contaminants in critical amounts in these diapers. All diapers are clean,” says Stephan Scherfenberg from Stiftung Warentest. This tested eleven size four disposable diapers – often also referred to as maxi.
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The overview: Why and how was the size four tested? “Maxi diapers are the best-selling size,” explains Scherfenberg. They are usually awarded by the providers for children between seven and 18 kilos, some only between eight and 14 kilos. So for little ones from about one to three years – a large development span. In the beginning, the children would still crawl, later they would run and climb – and in all situations nothing should actually go wrong, according to Warentest editor Scherfenberg. “Neither during the day while playing nor at night while sleeping.”
Therefore, the criteria included wearing comfort in the different age groups, skin compatibility and leakage protection as well as possible pollution of the materials. And very important: also the handling for the parents. Almost 53,000 diapers were changed for the test. And each of the diaper types had to prove itself in 104 families – for one pack. “The mothers and fathers then kept accounts of the machinations of their little ones,” says Scherfenberg. In addition, all criteria were checked in the laboratory.
Cheap diapers as an alternative to branded products
The most well-known brands on the market were tested – inexpensive brands from discounters, drugstores and online retailers as well as products from well-known brand manufacturers. How well did the diaper brands perform? According to the magazine “test” (edition 8/2021), seven of the eleven diapers meet the requirements set for the products. Two of them achieved the overall grade “very good”, five products a “good”. Three other brands were at least “satisfactory”. They are also recommended for heavy children up to 18 kilograms, but this did not work well enough in the test.
Overall, the Stiftung Warentest judges: “Children up to 14 kilograms in weight fit all diapers in the test well.” One diaper didn’t go down well with many families in the test – it didn’t hold enough liquid, leading to sore butts in the children. So which is better – brand name or cheap product? The two test winners come from a brand manufacturer: Premium Protection and Baby-Dry from Pampers. According to Stiftung Warentest, they cost 21 or 26 cents apiece. “For comparison: We have several good brands that only cost 12 to 13 cents per diaper,” says the goods test expert. “They kept you dry just as well and are a good alternative to expensive branded diapers, at least during the day.” With five diapers a day, you could save around 250 euros a year.