19 Best Diapers From Our Tests

We performed two tests on size 1 diapers from popular brands. 

Absorption: We added 25 milliliters of saline to a tube 1 inch in diameter and let the liquid empty into each diaper, timing how long it took for the diapers to absorb the saline. We did this four times for each diaper. 

This test showed us how quickly the diapers absorbed liquid, so you can be sure that your baby’s tender skin won’t be exposed to urine for long.

Dryness: We looked at whether the diapers held moisture in after absorbing it or let it seep back out after we applied pressure. We did this by placing a folded paper towel over the saline-soaked diaper, placing a weight atop the paper towel, holding it for 30 seconds, and then weighing the paper towel to see how much saline seeped out of the diaper. This was to simulate if a baby sat down or was held with an arm around the bottom. 

At Consumer Reports, we take baby and child safety seriously. In the past, we’ve screened core diaper sections for heavy metals and phthalates, and discovered that the diapers fell below the regulatory guidelines, as determined by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, for each contaminant. Because we found nothing of concern in our previous test, we didn’t test for harmful chemicals this time. 

Rascal + Friends Premium Diapers, BabyCozy Bouncy Soft Baby Diapers, VeryVery Ultra Absorbent Extra Soft Diaper, Terra Plant Based Diapers, Dyper Diapers, Happy Hues Cuddlers Disposable Diapers, Believe Baby Premium Bamboo Eco Friendly Diapers, and The Honest Company Clean Conscious Diapers. 

Most of these scored decently in our dryness test, so you can rest assured that your baby would probably stay dry when he plopped his diapered butt down in his crib. 

Absorption speed, however, was a different story. All of these diapers lagged in this area, so when your baby pees in one of them, there’s a bigger risk of leaks than if he wears one of the highly rated diapers.