Baby J's guide to choosing a good diaper (Advertorial)

Hello! It's Baby J here today checking in. Mama has been pretty tired of late, and asked me to share about something I wear every single day: diapers. According to her, and my Ah Kong and Ah Ma, I am the squirmiest baby amongst the three of us boys. I guess I love giving them a challenge, so I'm usually up and crawling/running once my diaper is off! Because of that, they had to switch to pull-up/walker pants instead of the regular tape diapers, since walker pants are a lot easier to wear with one hand (so that the other hand can be free to grab me as I try to make a quick getaway). Also, I enjoy peeling off the tapes on the tape diapers, so my parents figured pants diapers would stay on better!

My parents have tried a few brands of pull-up diapers for me, and recently, I got to try the Merries Walker Pants again when Merries kindly sent some over. After all my rigorous testing, here are some tips for choosing a good diaper:

:: Softer is better, no plasticky bits please: 

Softer diapers usually are more comfortable. I tried some tape diapers where the tapes were plasticky, and I didn't like them because sometimes the tapes cut me. Also, some diapers have gathers that are rather rough too, and those caused abrasions for my brothers when they wore them. The Merries Walker Pants had nice soft gathers, so I was comfortable, and was all the more able to run away to hide when Mama was looking for me!

:: A good fit is important, but you'll only know if you try them:

How the diaper fits is important, because a good fit means less friction/abrasions, and also reduces the chance of leaks. (You should see Mama yell when my diaper leaks after a poop. Someone should tell her to lighten up. After all, it's only poop right? Everyone needs to do it right?) Also, it's helpful if the diaper has the front and back clearly labelled, especially in the case of pull-ups, and grandparents (who have worn my diaper wrongly before because the pants didn't have labels).

In the case of Merries Walker Pants, I've yet to have any leaks (phew!), and no rashes or abrasions too, even though I'm always climbing everywhere and getting into trouble. The pants have various features to ensure a good fit: soft gathers around the waist, small diagonal cuts in the crotch area to allow for a better fit and flexibility, and a flexi-fit "W" shape. (Sorry, all these adult terms are confusing for me, but I can tell you they fit well. Even the adults think so, because Merries was awarded a "Good Design Award" for the fit of their diapers.) The front is clearly labelled as such, so Kong Kong won't get confused if he has to change my diaper. 

It's hard to tell about how well diapers fit by just looking at them though, so its always good to ask for samples so you can test them out (if you want Merries Walker Pants samples, go here!). 

:: You'll want something breathable. Or you'll be stinky, or rash up:
If you're sitting in something that holds your pee for a couple of hours, you'll want it to be breathable. Especially if you live in sunny Singapore, where you're usually sweating buckets when you head outdoors. The Merries Walker Pants are designed to allow air to flow freely between the diaper and the skin, and allows moisture and heat to escape, so it means no diaper rash for me. Yay!

:: Wetness indicators can be useful. Otherwise just do the patting and smell test:

Merries Walker Pants have a wetness indicator which turns from yellow to green, which indicates that it's time to grab the baby and give him a change. Mama tells me that these are pretty useful for first-time parents, who aren't too sure about when to change a diaper. She says that she and Papa usually do what seasoned parents do: they just pat my diaper to see if they need to haul me away for a change. For poop, they do the "pull-or-smell" test: if my diaper is accessible they pull it to take a peek, and if I'm in an overall or onesie they do the sniff test! Works every time. 

This is another feature of the walker pants that Mama really loves: the tape at the back of the diaper, which you can use to wrap around the diaper when you're done with it! For tape diapers, you can use the tapes to secure the dirty diaper closed, so that you don't get runaway poop. You can't do that for walker pants, so the tape is a really useful feature!

Here's something else that I liked: these limited edition Merries Japanese dolls! For the month of August, you can redeem a pair of these really cute Japanese dolls with a minimum purchase of $50 worth of Merries diapers in a single receipt. Just visit this page, and submit your details along with a scanned copy of the receipt of your purchase. (Terms and conditions apply, and there are only 2000 pairs available for redemption!)

These dolls are now my friends at parties, and love eating the food I cook for them. At least I think they do. Thank you Merries! 

[This post was sponsored by Merries, and Mama was also sent 3 packs of walker pants for me to try. For more information, please visit their website and FB page. All opinions are my and my Mama's own.]