Pampers vs Huggies Diaper Reviews: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Diaper for Your Baby

Pampers vs Huggies diapers: Which are the best name brand diapers for my baby? In this article, I’ll compare Pampers and Huggies diapers.

The short version: Both diapers are premium brands and work great. Both are extremely absorbent, sturdy, and have wetness indicators. The differences:

• Huggies have an elastic waistband so they fit more snugly and hold blowouts in better
• Pampers are less bulky and are more contoured to the baby’s body

Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Huggies fit my pudgy baby better, so I prefer those. But Pampers may fit your baby better, and they may have a more contoured fit on your baby’s body.

Check out Huggies and Pampers on Amazon. They are about the same price. I’ve linked the big boxes, which are the most economical.

Now onto the detailed reviews! Let’s start with the outside of the diaper. I’m comparing size 2 diapers here today.

Pampers vs Huggies: Best Diaper Tabs: Tie

Tab Color- Pampers vs Huggies diapers

Pampers has yellow tabs and Huggies are white. So Huggies tabs may look better, but Pampers stand out more and are easier to see. We’ll call that a tie.

Tab Sturdiness

Parents used to like that Pampers tabs were integrated into the diaper, which made them stronger and sturdier. But that isn’t the case on these size 2s. Both Huggies and Pampers tabs are separate layers in the diaper. Another tie. Maybe the larger size diapers are different.

Tab Fastening Power

Why is this important? For a first-time parent like me, I often mess up the tabs and have to redo them. Or my baby squirms and the tab doesn’t land where I wanted it to. Or I think my baby has a poopy diaper, and she doesn’t.

In all those cases, I have to redo the tabs. Most store brand diapers I’ve tried have crummy tabs that won’t refasten well once they’re removed!

Pampers tabs have strips of velcro, while Huggies tabs are completely velcro. The Pampers tabs feel a little bit stronger than Huggies.

To test this out at home, I took one Pampers Swaddler, Size 2, and one Huggies Little Snuggler, Size 2, and fastened and unfastened one tab onto the same spot on the marked strip on the diaper ten times.

Results: Both tabs held just as strongly after 10 fastenings and un-fastenings. I rate this as another tie when comparing Pampers vs Huggies diapers.

Related post: Want to learn the differences between Huggies Snugglers and Huggies Little Movers?

Best Diaper Design: Huggies

Pampers has a design along the area where the tabs fasten so parents can tell the front from the back and the size of the diaper. Right now, they have cute little animals and patterns, mostly yellow and blue. Huggies design covers the whole front and back of the diaper with gray Winnie the Pooh characters and a few splashes of color. Huggies wins for the soft, fun design that covers the whole diaper. 

Cord clearance

Huggies have much more cord clearance compared to Pampers. This means the umbilical cord stump won’t rub against the diaper. Sure, parents using Pampers can roll down the top of the diaper, but that’s just one more step to remember while changing your baby. Huggies wins this round!

Related post: Pampers Baby Dry Diaper Review

Wetness indicators

Huggies and Pampers both have wetness indicators that are the same length, but Huggies is slightly wider. When they get wet and turn blue, both wetness indicators are obvious. Since they both meet the basic function of a wetness indicator, I’ll call this a tie.

Outside Feel

Pampers has a softer, quilted feel, and you can even see the textured pattern in the photo. To me, Huggies feels soft as well, but less soft than the Pampers.

Best Fit: Pampers

Bulkiness

Pampers have a more profiled fit. Huggies bunches up and hang down more between the child’s legs. But they don’t absorb any more or less than Pampers. Winner: Pampers.

Leg Cuffs

Leg cuffs are gussets with two elastic bands that prevent leaking around the legs. I know they’ve saved me from a number of blowouts by trapping poop between them before it can escape onto me, the couch, crib sheets… Huggies are much more elastic and stretchy than Pampers. The pictures below really show this. 

Look at how strong the elastic is on the Huggies diaper. It curls up, almost into a “U” shape. The Pampers diaper elastic is much looser, it looks more like a Nike swoosh. Huggies will really fit snugly on your baby’s legs!

I also measured the diapers with a ruler. The Huggies could stretch from about 6 inches to 8 inches when the elastic was fully extended, or an elongation of 33.3% (repeating, of course). And the Pampers extend from 7 inches to 10 inches, giving an elongation of 42.9%. So the Huggies give a tighter fit since they are smaller, but the Pampers are stretchier.

Pampers leg ruffles stick out way further than Huggies. In the picture below, you can see they almost come down to my daughter’s knees! I don’t know how this affects fit or prevents leaks. Perhaps some parents like how it looks.

Waistband

Pampers waistband goes higher up your baby’s back than Huggies, but Huggies has an elastic band that holds it snugly. The Huggies diaper is slightly shorter than the Pampers, as well. So if you are looking to prevent diaper leaks and explosions up the back, go with Huggies.

Another tip- fasten them tightly, which will hopefully help poo from escaping up the back.

Best Diaper Interior: Tie

It may be hard to see in the pictures above, but the Pampers diapers have a “liner” layer over the absorbent diaper layer. According to the Pampers box, this helps wick moisture away from your baby’s skin to keep it dry and prevent irritation.

Personally, I found that the “liner” on the inside of the Pampers diapers tended to get stuck to my baby’s skin, while the Huggies didn’t. However, I did see the little quilted “bumps” on the inside of the Huggies leave impressions on my daughter’s butt.

Neither diaper seemed better or worse for keeping away moisture, both absorbed quite a bit, and I didn’t notice any difference in redness or diaper rash on my baby.

Best Absorbency: Tie

I did not have any pee leaks with these diapers!

When using both brands of diapers on my baby, I found that both Pampers and Huggies held plenty of solids and liquids. The only leaking I saw – from both brands – was that they leaked out the top when I didn’t fasten the tabs tight enough. So that was on me, not on either type of diaper. (Related post: click here to read my tips and hacks to prevent diaper leaks and blowouts!)

They hold an amazing amount of liquid. To me, this is well worth the price difference between name brands and store brands. If I bought a store brand diaper, I might have to change it twice as often since it holds less pee!

Best Cost: Pampers vs Huggies Diapers are a tie!

Price is extremely important to many parents since they may be spending $50 or more per month on diapers! (related post: how much do disposable diapers cost per year?) On Amazon, I found the best prices for both Huggies and Pampers, and they are about the same price. At places like my local Target, I found that Huggies were slightly cheaper than Pampers. My local Target also usually has deals – like buy two boxes of diapers of any brand, get a $10 Target gift card! I also got lots of Pampers coupons from my baby registry. So, I’ll have to say again, tie!

Related post: Looking for a budget diaper option similar to Pampers? Learn more about Luvs here!

Purchasing through the Amazon Family subscription service (click to learn more about the service on Amazon) can save you 20% on all diaper brands. You just set how often you want a box of diapers delivered to your door, and you can change the brand, size, and delivery frequency to what you need.

Considering Costco’s store brand diapers? Read more in my post on Kirkland vs Pampers diapers here!

Most skin-friendly ingredients: Pampers

Pampers website lists that their diapers are free from: bisphenol a (BPA), dioxins, disperse dyes, elemental chlorine, ethanol/ alcohol, latex (natural rubber), lead and mercury in printed inks, organotins, parabens, pesticide residue, phenol, and polyvinyl chlorine (PVC).

According to Huggies website, their diapers are “elemental chlorine free and free of natural rubber latex. They are also fragrance-free, parabens-free and EU allergens-free.”

So Pampers definitely says they have fewer nasty chemicals in them. That doesn’t necessarily mean Huggies has those bad ingredients, but they don’t list them on their website. For transparency of ingredients, Pampers wins!

Where are Huggies made? Where are Pampers made?

Both Huggies and Pampers are made in the United States.

Pampers are made by Procter and Gamble, in the United States. P&G has manufacturing plants for Pampers in Mehoopany, Pennsylvania and Cape Girardeau, Missouri (source 1, 2).

Huggies are made by Kimberly Clark, in the United States. I wasn’t able to find information on where their manufacturing plants are located within the US.

Related post: Check out our detailed review of Huggies Little Movers here!

The bottom line on Pampers vs Huggies Diapers

So, in the great debate of Pampers vs Huggies diapers, I personally prefer Huggies for my baby. She’s very long and has chubby legs, and it seems like the Huggies fit her best. I like the fitted waistband and the cute patterns. The pocket in the back has saved me from a ton of blowouts.

But both types of diapers work really well. If your baby has a different body shape, you may find when comparing Pampers vs Huggies diapers, one brand works better for you. At the end of the day, the premium, brand names like Pampers and Huggies are more expensive, but have good quality product from my experience. They are worth the extra price in my mind so that I don’t have to deal with diaper leaks and blowouts.

Click here to buy Huggies on Amazon, or Pampers on Amazon. I’ve linked to the big boxes, which are the most economical way to buy diapers.

Related posts: Pampers vs Huggies Diapers

• New to diapers? Read our Diapers 101 Frequently asked questions here!
• For a broader look at other brands of diapers, check out my post on disposable diaper comparison.
• Considering buying from Costco? Check out my post on Kirkland vs Huggies Diaper Review.
• Read our answers for Huggies Diapers FAQs
• Does your baby squirm and wiggle during diaper changes? Learn about Pampers Cruisers 360 and if they might be right for your baby in size 3-6 diapers.
• Interested in Pampers training pants? Read our review here!