Today we are reviewing Pampers Swaddlers diapers in size three, a Procter and Gamble brand. These are available in sizes preemie through size six in bags of 26, 78, and 136 for size three. For this review, we bought a jumbo pack that has 26 diapers for $8.99 with an average cost of 35 cents per unit. If purchased in the largest available pack, you can expect to pay around $39.99 for a box of 136, bringing the cost down to 29 cents per diaper.
The outer shell has a classic baby diaper design that has a primarily white body with a small design along the front waistline that features the Pampers heart logo. Other designs include dots and X's along the waistline with a yellow border. The front waistline also features a size indicator in the left-hand corner of the tape landing zone, as seen in the picture below. One thing we really liked about this diaper is that the design is so plain that the yellow wetness indicator stands out. We found this helpful as it is very easy to notice the wetness strip turn blue indicating a change is needed, even in a dark room.
The Pampers Swaddlers do not have a stretchy waistband, but they do have extremely stretchy rear wings. The rear wings stretch 15.75 inches between the tabs making this a great choice for babies who are nearing a size 4, but a size 4 is too large. The sticky tabs have a soft pastel yellow color, and they are short in length at only 3/4 of an inch when they are unfastened from the rear wing. We found that the tabs stick very well to the front tape landing zone that runs across the top of the front of the diaper. They also adhere to the body of the diaper very well, but the holding power is not as strong as the tape landing zone.
The absorbent padding is shorter than other reviewed diapers, measuring in at a length of only 10.5 inches. This leaves a larger than average gap of nearly 2 inches between the front waistline and the absorbent padding. The back of the diaper also has a larger than average 3.75-inch distance between the absorbent pad and the back of the diaper. We like that the top sheet of the absorbent pad has perforations (known as heart quilts as seen in the lower picture to the right) that allow moisture to be quickly absorbed into the padding while keeping the top sheet dry. Additionally, the diaper has moisture channels that help wick moisture to dry parts of the absorbent padding to keep your baby dry. This diaper is currently the fastest absorbing diaper tested to date, absorbing 50ml in 6.75 seconds. More importantly, this diaper was extremely fast in our second test, taking only 20.94 seconds to absorb an additional 50ml while keeping the top sheet very dry after an additional 120 seconds according to our moisture meter. We feel that this is one of the most important tests as this means that your baby's skin will become drier faster, thus keeping your baby free from diaper rash. The standing leg gathers are one of the tallest to date at 1.75 inches. This is great for preventing spills from escaping the sides. Oddly, the standing leg gathers, when measured front to back, are the shortest in total length at only 9 inches.
Lightly scented with a baby powder fragrance. Classic diaper design that is primarily plain white with a colorful tape landing zone. Easy to notice wetness indicator. Widest distance measured from front wing tip to front wing tip measured on a size 3 diaper.
Super fast absorbing diaper. Very dry results after 120 second test. Very stretchy and flexible rear wings. Simple white design with easy to see wetness indicator. Tallest leg gathers measured to date. Lightly scented.
Rear waistband is not stretchable like other leading brands. Shortest absorbent padding measured to date. Leg gathers are the shortest in terms of length front to back.
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