A Decent Diaper for a Decent Price
Written: May 07 '06 (Updated May 31 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: absorbent, stretchy waistband, nonirritating, affordable
Cons: requires a still baby, sizes are off, loose leg elastic, only three sizes available
The Bottom Line: We use these almost every day. They're not perfect, but they do the job for a decent price.
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| jeavinl's Full Review: Kirkland Signature Supreme Diapers |
After having bad experiences with the Huggies diapers I purchased at Costco, I had my reservations about buying a giant economy size box of Kirkland Signature diapers there about six months ago. My luck with store brands up until then had been hit or miss but I decided to take a chance. I’ve been pretty happy (at least with the diapers) since then.
THE BASICS
Kirkland Signature diapers are disposable diapers sold only at the wholesale discount store Costco. They are available in three sizes (medium 3, large 4, and extra large 5) and are only sold in economy-size boxes (size 3 has 184 diapers per box, size 4 has 160, and size 5 has 140). Each size is distinguishable by the different animal printed on the front of the diaper (size 3 has a cheetah, size 4 has a zebra, and size 5 has an elephant) and by the size number printed on the back. The diapers themselves are made with a stretchy waistband, adjustable Velcro fasteners, a soft outer cover, and “Dual-Protection Leak Guards.” Each box sells for $29.99 ($.16 a diaper for size 3s, almost .$19 a diaper for size 4s, and $.21 a diaper for size 5s). Occasionally, Costco offers $3 off coupons that can be applied to several boxes.
INGREDIENTS (from the box)
“Kirkland Signature diapers contain mild cosmetic ingredients to help keep skin soft and healthy looking: petrolatum, ozokerite.”
SIZES
Size 3 - 16-28 lbs./7-13 kg
Size 4 - 22-37 lbs./10-17 kg
Size 5 - over 27 lbs./12 kg
ABSORBENCY
Despite their thinness and flimsy feel, I’ve been pretty happy with the absorbency of these diapers. Even overnight they do a good job of holding everything in. The inner lining does stay moist, especially with overnight use, but it draws fluids into the inner chamber and locks most of the moisture in. When the diapers are very saturated, the inner padding tends to break up and bunch up into two or three sections. This doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable and it hasn’t resulted in any significant leakage or any rashes.
We have had some leaks with these diapers but they’ve been because of the somewhat loose leg elastic rather than because of the actual absorbency of the padding.
One other point related to absorbency is the smell of these diapers. They do not have a baby powder scent like some premium diapers. But unlike other unscented types I've used, the odor from my daughter's urine seems to get absorbed into her clothing faster when she's wearing Kirkland diapers, especially with overnight use. I'm not sure why this happens since the diapers themselves don't actually leak (there are no wet spots on the clothing or sheets), but perhaps their thinness makes the odor transfer faster. In some ways it's a good thing. I can catch a whiff of her as soon as she goes and change her right away. But her pajamas need to be washed after one use.
COMFORT AND FIT
These diapers did worry me at first. They feel a lot cheaper than some other brands I’ve tried. They are very thin and their outer layer has a tissue paper feel to it. But they haven’t irritated my daughter’s skin and they have performed well. There was another store brand we tried that had a tight fit around her thigh that cut into her upper leg, not so with the Kirklands. The elastic waistband is very stretchy and the Velcro tab even has a bit of stretch to it. It isn’t a tight fit but it does keep waste from slipping out the back and it does hold the diaper closed. There have been a few times recently when my 17-month-old daughter has been able to pull open the tab while I was diapering her. I haven’t seen her do this with any other brand (we currently have three that we’re cycling through). That said, it isn’t a big deal. The Velcro resticks without any problems. I just have to work a little quicker to close her up.
The leg elastics on these diapers do seem a bit loose, especially now that we’ve had to move up to the size 5s because of my daughter’s height and waist size. We have had a few leaks that dripped right through the openings and onto her pants, floor, etc., but nothing out of the ordinary. I can count the incidents on one hand.
My daughter squirms a lot during changing time and it does seem to be harder to get these diapers to close properly. I really need my daughter to lie still while I close the tabs or else the diaper ends up crooked and I need to start all over again. The elastic in back and around her legs gets bunched up and requires adjustment. Other diapers, even Huggies, didn’t pose as much trouble. They usually can be adjusted once I have the diaper on and stand my daughter up. This is my main complaint about these diapers. When I’m able to diaper a quiet baby, they work wonderfully, but how often do I get to diaper a quiet baby? So it does take a little longer to get a good fit with these diapers, which makes changing time a little longer than usual.
My other complaint is typical to all diapers we’ve tried. As with every other brand we’ve used, the weight limits are off. When my daughter weighed in at 24 lbs. we had to move up to the size 5s. I can’t remember when we started using size 4s, but she was probably around 20 lbs. I think this discrepancy has more to do with her height—she’s about 34”—than with the weight limit.
DURABILITY
We’ve gone through at least four boxes of these diapers and I have only encountered one dud—it didn’t have Velcro on one side. Other than that, the tabs have never broken off and the diapers perform well. Despite my concerns over their thinness, they haven’t ever fallen apart.
OVERALL
Kirkland Signature diapers are a good value for my buck. They do have some issues—sizes are off, my daughter can release the Velcro tabs, leg elastic is loose, requires a still baby for a proper fit—but they’re still a staple in our household.
FROM THE MANUFACTURER
Stretchy waistband for comfortable fit
Breathable, ultra-soft outer cover
Super absorbent
Trim-Fit design
Adjustable fasteners
Dual-protection leak guards
For questions or comments please call:
U.S. & Canada 1-800-446-5104 Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT
www.costco.com
Here are some other diapers I’ve reviewed:
Huggies
Pampers Swaddlers
Pampers Baby-Dry
Recommended:
Yes
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