Pampers Diapers: Features and Types

Pampers is one of those world brands that literally everyone has heard about, and we can safely say that at least once in their life at least a billion people used our products. Another thing is that for the average person this name is just a diaper, and when it comes to choosing such means for their own child, you suddenly remember that alternative manufacturers are possible. In short, responsible parents probably will not be limited to the information provided in advertising, because it is worthwhile to carefully understand what the products of this brand represent.

No wonder diapers in our country are often called “diapers” - the fact is that it was Pampers that invented and first introduced such child care products. Interestingly, this company is American, and in the times of the Soviet Union, its products, of course, did not reach the current post-Soviet countries, which, however, did not prevent its primacy here, which is why diapers and diapers in Russian became almost synonymous.

As is often the case, childcare products are better managed to be invented not so much by laboratory specialists as people who care for their own children at home. In our case, the inventor was still not the father, but the grandfather, but what - Victor Mills (1897-1997), being an exemplary family man, combined this humanly good quality also with the corresponding work, because he worked as a chemical engineer at Procter & Gamble, which already by that time it was widely known for children's products. However, family ties played a more important role in this invention, since the author of the first diaper did not initially see an industrial component in his development, just trying to simplify the change of diapers with his grandson.

There are, however, earlier attempts to create diapers, in which, in particular, sawdust was used instead of modern fillers, but for obvious reasons they were not widely used, and therefore Mills, who was late for several years, was often considered a full-fledged inventor. closer to the modern version.

The first attempts to create such a product for home use came in the 50s of the last century, but when Victor Mills realized that he managed to come up with a hell of a convenient thing, he immediately decided to launch it into production. Already in the next decade, Pampers diapers flooded the store shelves, but at that time it was a product so different from everything else that it was difficult for him to choose a department, so these child care products were sold. Interestingly, the official history of the brand recognizes the merit in spreading the new-fashioned invention thanks to hippies and young people sympathizing with them, because such people did not believe that having a child obliges a woman to sit in four walls.

Realizing that thanks to the diapers can be enriched, the manufacturer has become even more effort to spend on their improvement, and the 70s of the last century became the decade of this breakthrough diapers.First of all, the usual for us stickies on the "pampers" were not always present - before, instead of them there were button closures, which is not too hygienic for parents. In addition, in the first decade of sales, such products were too monotonous and did not take into account the individual characteristics of children. Accordingly, in the 70s, Velcro was introduced, as well as the gradation of “diapers” by purpose - according to the age and size of the baby, as well as models for early-born crumbs, and special diapers for the whole day that can absorb more.

In the 80s, the process of improving child care products continued. First of all, diapers, previously sold by the piece or in small packs, now began to be produced in large packages - manufacturers realized that young parents do not have much time to constantly visit the store. Up to this point, all the absorbing panties were quite thick and voluminous, but the invention of the gel filler made it possible to somewhat reduce this “airbag”.

The developers realized that the parameters of the child change constantly, and you should not limit the "diapers" to standard sizes - the result was stickies that allow you to adjust the size of each copy. The panties themselves have become more convenient, since special elastic inserts next to the legs have been added to their design.

For parents, a very convenient solution was the appearance of a special dryness indicator in the form of a strip, showing the filling level of the diaper.

By the 90s of the last century, when the Pampers finally got to the market of now post-Soviet countries, their products were close to the ideal. However, the development is constantly underway until now, because the ideal, as you know, is unattainable. Thus, much attention was paid to increasing the absorption of the “diaper”, since even with an increase in the cost of each copy, this means a reduction in the frequency of its replacements, which is very convenient. Not without improvements in terms of convenience for the child - the modern elastic belt clings to the waist of the baby very tightly, but at the same time does not hinder movement.

Contrary to the hard work of the developers, which has been going on for more than half a century, the diapers are still not perfect. Even Pampers, whose products are traditionally considered advanced due to the active introduction of their own new technologies, cannot yet offer a universal solution for all children, because parents have to choose from several options, which will be discussed a little lower.

However, for all the varieties of "pampers" are characterized by some common advantages, which are forced to make a choice in their favor.

• Long lasting effect. No diaper, of course, is eternal, however, in general, each of them is able to keep the baby’s skin dry for several hours, and this is still the minimum figure. For mom, this is a big plus - now she is not obliged to respond to a child's surprise immediately, and in general she has more free time. The baby from this also turns out to be only in the plus, because the mother can really be busy at this moment, and the “pampers” will save him from dermatitis and other skin troubles due to getting wet.
• Deep sleep. It is extremely important for newborns to sleep a lot and fast - in a dream they gain the strength necessary for rapid growth and rapid development. At the same time, it is uncomfortable to sleep wet, because the baby, involuntarily getting wet every time, would surely wake up, which creates a significant stress load both on the child and on his parents, who would have to lull the baby every time.Modern technologies allow the diaper to absorb moisture so quickly and efficiently that its small carrier usually does not even wake up.
• Ease joint exits. A small child is a model of helplessness, which means that his mother is often literally attached to him. Moreover, she constantly needs a lot of care products, which should always be at hand, and a few decades ago, this meant that a woman could not go not only to visit, but even at least to the store or clinic with the same child .

Of course, before the appearance of diapers of any kind, humanity did without them, having grown up billions of its representatives, among which were even very successful personalities. Moreover, even today, in the third millennium, the rapid development of technologies did not lead to the general use of “diapers” - they, being very popular, still could not completely replace either the diaper, or such a domestic alternative in the form of reusable gauze diapers.

The reason for the continuing competition is that the invention of Victor Mills, albeit very much developed since then, still needs a lot of work for their main disadvantages to disappear.

• Price. First of all, you need to understand that a good diaper is a whole technology. You can spend a banal experience by trying to wrap the child in thick blankets of different matter - none of them will provide the same effect as the "diapers". This means that the manufacturer spends huge amounts of money on research and uses special materials, which affects the cost of the final product. As a result, disposable diapers cost the family budget a tidy sum, and it is also good if the baby of the corresponding age in the family is only one.
• The possibility of overheating. The most modern models of Pampers already know how to breathe without letting in excess moisture, however, when buying such products, the disadvantage in the form of high prices is even more aggravated. This forces many parents to buy cheaper diapers, in which, of course, not all the advantages of more expensive models are observed - in particular, there is no such protection against overheating. As a result, the baby is still at risk of getting any skin problem. To be fair, it should be clarified that in case of too hot weather even technologically advanced models are unlikely to provide 100% protection against overheating.
• Subtleties of choice. As is often the case, a large variety of models, created specifically for everyone to choose the best option, in some cases can only further confuse the consumer. There are quite a few series in the Pampers lineup, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages; therefore, young parents often have to first select products by trial and error.

For strangers who did not have their own children, all the kids seem to be about the same, but the parents know that at every stage of development the child’s needs are completely different. The developers of Pampers are also aware of this, and therefore they have proposed a different series of diapers, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Naturally, it is desirable to navigate in this topic - this is the only way to be sure that the money spent will bring maximum benefit.

For example, the “Sleep and Play” series rightly refers to the most demanded ones, in particular, for the reason that, given the good quality of such a diaper, it is relatively inexpensive.Here there is also a soft top layer, due to which the material does not irritate the skin, and a rather roomy inner one, which in some cases stays steady all night. The manufacturer was not too lazy to pick up a "breathable" fabric that allows you to avoid diaper rash, and also used in the production process chamomile extract for additional skin care.

However, the latter for some children may be an allergen, and the diapers themselves should be periodically monitored - with a strong filling, it can also leak. By the way, he will not prompt you about the need for a change in the most pleasant way - a slight, but still characteristic chemical smell will appear in the air, which frightens many parents. The clasp here is also imperfect - it doesn’t stretch too well, which can be a problem for bellied kids.

The “Active Baby-Dry” series, as the name implies, was created specifically to increase the dryness rate, and the series described above served as the basis for this model. All the benefits of “Sleep and Play” are preserved, but this “diapers” is able to withstand much longer - for him even 12 hours is not an incredible feat. For enhanced skin protection, an aloe vera extract is also used, but the flaw with velcro is corrected - they are much more elastic.

In this case, the same aloe can be another reason for the emergence of allergies, and the chemical smell, which does not disappear, was added to the purely biological notes that this "breathing" fabric misses a little. Substantial capacity affects the shape of the product - with a strong filling, it simply sags, and tightly fastened velcro, by the way, can come off, which will lead to a real domestic catastrophe.

The “Premium Care” series, as the name implies, was conceived as a premium-quality product, so it’s not surprising that absolutely all the advantages of the first two series are preserved here. Moreover, the absorbent present here is capable of absorbing a volume of moisture thirty times its own volume. With such a “diaper”, leakage is impossible due to double cuffs, and reinforced reusable fasteners are designed to withstand any weight of the diaper, having a special neckline around the navel for the convenience of babies of any age.

The moisture indicator complements the picture, thanks to which even inexperienced parents immediately realize if it is not time to change the “diapers”. There are only two drawbacks to this solution - the notorious smell of "chemistry" and the price, which also falls into the premium category.

The New Baby Dry series is a slightly improved version of the classic Active Baby Dry. New diapers, in contrast to the older version, absorb moisture much faster and do not leak due to double cuffs, and the carefully worked out form of the product and very elastic velcro means freedom of movement for the child with complete safety for the surrounding interior. As is often the case with improvements, only one minus is the price.

The Pants series is a new look at the old Sleep And Play series, designed to meet the needs of older children, who are already quite active, creating an additional threat of leakage. The advantages and disadvantages are generally very similar to the original series, and the fundamental difference is that such a diaper is already classified into options for boys and girls, being more comfortable for movement and more effective in terms of absorption.

Choosing the right size for a diaper is one of the most important moments in child care.Too small a copy may not fit at all, or it will fit, but it will significantly limit movement, and as it is filled, it will bring real discomfort. Too large "pampers" will also disappoint - there will be a higher chance of leakage, but even with a reliable girth of the leg cuffs minus this choice will be in the free space between the skin and the diaper, due to which the probability of diaperity will greatly increase.

To avoid all these potential problems, special attention should be paid to the size of the diaper.

It is quite rare, it is designed for babies weighing 1-3 kilograms, that is, prematurely born. Corresponds to the size of SSS from competing firms.

Much known as size 1, does not even have specific weight recommendations. As the name implies, such a diaper is designed specifically for a newborn baby, and he grows out of it extremely quickly, because the period of its use is limited to literally the first weeks.

Designed for tots weighing from 3 to 6 kilograms. Many parents completely miss the purchase of diapers for newborns, if the baby was born quite large, and start with a “two”. On average, the use of such a "diaper" is appropriate until the age of two months, although it all depends on the individual parameters of the child.

It assumes that the baby weighs about 4-7 kilograms. It is easy to see that the weight parameters largely duplicate the previous size - this is done because of the difference in minor dimensions and in order that parents could afford to buy large packages in a fast-growing baby. Usually such diapers are appropriate for up to about seven months of age.

It assumes a significant increase in weight norms - up to 18 kilograms. Here you should pay attention to the specific numbers, because different manufacturers of diapers under the same size can be specified and the limits of 9-14 kg, and with an upper ceiling of 16 kg, and some set a rather high lower weight bar, and then the product suits only for babies weighing 12-18 kg. Pampers products have quite elastic fasteners and securely wrapping cuffs, so there is no lower weight limit.

Also known as “Junior”, it allows a child to weigh up to 25 kilograms and can be used until going to school. Demand for such a product is relatively infrequent, but the manufacturer takes into account the individual characteristics of each child. By the way, in this category there are even larger sizes, but now they are really hard to find.

Separately, you need to talk about choosing the size. Many sizes are not for nothing partially intersect - this is done specifically so that the rapidly growing child does not force parents to throw away unused, but already too small diapers. Accordingly, if the child fits immediately under the two weight categories, it is reasonable to choose a larger one.

Due to the constant risk of allergies, many parents are interested in what the Pampers diapers are made of. It should be noted that the technologies used by the company are constantly updated, because the materials may vary somewhat even in separate series produced in parallel, but in general it’s easy to describe the materials needed to create a diaper.

Any quality diaper consists of several layers, each of which performs its own tasks. Outside, we see a bright and shiny layer, whose task is not only to create an attractive look for panties, but also to prevent leakage.Accordingly, materials for this purpose are taken to be waterproof - usually this is a non-woven material, additionally protected by polyethylene lamination.

Immediately under the moisture-proof layer is a layer, thanks to which the diaper is able to absorb moisture, not allowing it for a long time in contact with the skin. Here we need materials that literally attract liquid to themselves - fluff pulp acts as a base, which is additionally impregnated with a polymer with superabsorbent properties.

Even closer to the baby is a layer, which is called distribution. Here, too, there is an absorbent that can absorb moisture, but it is not so active, because the task of the material is to pass the liquid deep into the diaper and provide space for the circulation of air masses. This material is the so-called thermobond.

Finally, the layer in direct contact with the skin should simply pass all the liquid through itself, without irritating the skin with its touch and even helping it recover from regular contact with moisture. Polyester synthetic fabric that does not cause allergies is often used as a base. For a peculiar treatment of the skin from the potential development of dermatitis used herbal impregnation.

The abundance of synthetics in children's products of parents usually scares, because a lot has already been said about the dangers of such materials. In the case of the Pampers do not need to be afraid - this company is the best in its field throughout the world, because All of its products comply with the strictest quality standards, which in the Western world are known to be much higher than ours.

Interestingly, the synthetic nature of diapers implies an abundance of complex materials that would have survived in nature for more than a century and require complex technologies for disposal, but such a popular product still does not create particular pollution. The likely reason for such an imbalance is that in countries with a high standard of living, the government allocates significant funds for waste disposal, including high-tech, and in poorer states, people simply opt for less well-known brands with cheaper products that are not giving all the necessary benefits, yet decomposes much faster.

To expensive packaging does not become the cause of great disappointment, it should be understood how not to be mistaken with the choice of diapers.

Choosing Pampers, parents pay tribute to the high quality of their products, but this does not negate the fact that you need to always remember some points.

• Shelf life usually typical for food products, but for diapers with vegetable impregnation, it is also very appropriate. If you want the purchased child care products to match the price and provide the maximum effect, pay attention to how long this package is valid. Please note that by the deadline it is desirable to use all the diapers from the pack.
• Depending on the particular series, the company Pampers produces packaging diapers completely different roominess. So, “diapers” in 5 sizes can be produced in a very small pack of 11 pieces, whereas packs marked “mega box” can contain, say, 88, 96 or even 120 copies. Many parents still buy in advance so as not to go to the store again, but here it should be understood that in the first months of life the child grows rapidly and its size changes very quickly, which is why the old diapers may turn out to be too small. A monthly supply in the form of a pack of 104 pieces is worth buying only in the case of a size not less than the third, when the growth rate of the baby slows down somewhat. As for the smaller sizes, which are also sold in huge packs, here the manufacturer took care of more likely happy parents of twins.
• Many parents claim that if the baby is two sizes at once should buy no larger, but initially smaller - as opposed to what the manufacturer recommends. In part, such an observation is true, because the denser the product fits the child’s body, the healthier the latter will be and the less chance there will be of leakage. However, if you decide to go this way, you should abandon the purchase of large packs, because the choice in favor of a smaller size is always a short-term phenomenon.
• It so happens that the build of a child does not always correspond to weight - for example, in general, a slender baby may have relatively plump limbs. In such a situation, the standard sizing table can be deceiving, because It is worth choosing products one size larger. If it is obvious that the diaper squeezes the legs and rubs them, then you should replace as soon as possible.

• The child will grow for a long time after giving up the "diapers", he does it all the time, which means Velcro on the product must be fastened with a certain margin, Otherwise, a large pack or the next purchased one of a similar size will soon be useless. If the product is fastened at the side, then the baby is ready to move to the next size.
• Diaper size It concerns not only the amount of fabric used and the diameter of the openings for the legs and the body, but also the amount of absorbent used. If a child has a good metabolism (which is expressed, in particular, by rapid growth), a diaper suitable for its dimensions will not quite unexpectedly cope with the task, being filled too quickly and allowing leakage. There is only one way out - to buy “diapers” larger.
• If the choice fell on panties that have a gradation of the child’s gender, then it is unacceptable to ignore this moment. Perhaps no one sees the inconsistency of the baby’s floor pattern, however, the design of such a product itself assumes a particular location of the absorbent, which is located exactly where it is needed by the corresponding floor. Consequently, a diaper for the opposite sex, even of the highest quality, will certainly disappoint - it will fill up too fast and often leak.
• Any theory is often faced with defeat, being tested in practice, because no detailed advice does not give an absolute guarantee that thanks to them you will choose the best option for your baby. Without trial and error is not enough, because initially each version of the diapers should be tested by buying small packages. Some sellers even offer “diapers” by the piece, but to check it is exactly what you need - and the error will not cost much, and you will be able to compare all the options in the shortest possible time.
• In some cases, even the best diapers, created specifically to counter the occurrence of diaper rash, do not cope with their task. Parents may knock off their feet, looking for the best version of “diapers”, but it is worth considering whether there is any reason at all - the fact is that too dry and warm air in the room provokes sweating, which often causes skin problems.

Pampers diapers are so common that almost all parents should have their own opinion about such products. As is often the case, it can be represented by opposing points of view, although the negative quite often comes from the wrong choice of model.

As for the frequently mentioned advantages, they all relate to different areas of compliance of such products with the expectations of consumers. These diapers are almost always comfortable for the baby, he is comfortable in them, and the occurrence of a properly worn and timely replaced product is a very rare phenomenon. In terms of absorbability, “diapers” are, if not the best in the world, then at least one of which is facilitated by the active use of new technologies and our own research.

But what all or almost everything complains about is the chemical smell - unfortunately, the synthetics used in the production process has a noticeable aroma. In addition, this smell is usually enhanced if the diaper was used for its intended purpose, although this can be seen and a plus - parents will be notified even without visual contact with the child.

About what diapers to choose, see the following video.