Tuesday, June 26, 2007

An Open Letter to Pampers

Dear Pampers,

I have been a loyal customer for over two and a half years now. We started out with Swaddlers on our not-so-little baby girl, then progressed naturally to Cruisers. We tried other diapers, but always came back to yours, because they were the most absorbent, most leak-proof diapers out there. My daughter has what you might call a wide butt, and most other diapers simply couldn't cover it well enough to keep everything contained within. I also liked the soft, cloth-like feel and the velcro tabs.

However, you have recently changed your product, and I don't know how to tell you this, but...well...they suck. Really suck, honestly. Your new Cruisers seem to be cut smaller and more narrow than the old style, and based on our use, seem to hold about half as much as they previously did. We rarely had a wet-thru with the old Cruisers, but with the new ones, she's wetting through roughly every third diaper. I've had to resort to changing her diaper every hour or so to keep her from leaking through. How hard is it to create a diaper that can hold out for at least two hours?

Our daughter weighs about 38 pounds and is two and a half years old. Your diapers should still fit her. In fact, with the new design, you even created a new Size 7 diaper for 41+ pounds. We tried the new size along with her old Size 6 - they both leaked and barely fit her. She's not an overweight child, she's just tall and solid-built. Not all toddlers are skinny wisps who live on air and dust bunnies. Mine appreciates her food, and has inherited a solid frame, so she needs diapers that are wide enough to meet her needs.

So lately we've been scouring the stores looking for the "old-style" Cruisers. Luckily, you changed the font on the packaging and added a tiny amount of extra decoration to the diapers, so we can spot the old style packages. (Hint: if the name "Cruisers" has a capital "C" on the package, it's the old style - new one have a lowercase "c".) However, I'm so fed up with these lousy new diapers that it's time for us to find something new.

Pampers, you have disappointed me with your new design. I used to highly recommend your product, but now I must warn everyone away from your diapers. My laundry chores have increased dramatically since we bought these new diapers. With a new baby in the house now, I don't have time to deal with leaky diapers, more laundry, or changing diapers twice as often.

I can't understand why you chose to mess with a perfectly good design. My only guess it that it was profit motivated - you wanted to create a cheaper product. Well, if that's the case, you certainly created a cheap product. I hope you will reconsider these design changes and work on creating a product that is truly leak-proof and highly absorbent. Until then, my children will be wearing another company's diapers on their little bottoms.

Sincerely,
Tired of blowouts

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

You might try Luvs. I also have a solid, well eating toddler and the only ones that have held up to her diet as well as the wear and tear of a two year old are the Luvs.

But, whatever size you think she needs (5?) get the next one up. According to the package, Annie should be in a 5, but they were too short. So she's in a 6. A little high on the back, but no leakages - ever.

Hope that was at least a little helpful.

Anonymous said...

White Cloud! I swear by White Cloud. You can buy them from Walmart or Stop and Shop. They are clothlike, absorbent, hypoallergenic, latex-free. My daughter wears a size 5 at 14 months, but she could be in a four.

Momma Phoenix said...

I would also suggest White Cloud. We started out with Huggies... those were awesome until my son hit like size 3 or 4... then the diaper was all of a sudden REALLY thin and nothing at all like the ones we had previously. We switched to the White Clouds, which were awesome, except Wal-Mart is about half an hour away and I hate having to drive that far... so we're stuck with the nasty new Pampers. (I dunno what I'll do if he outgrows these, since my store carries limited products.)

Anonymous said...

White Cloud - never heard of it - I wish we got the same stuff in Canada as you do there.
Anyhow, I tried pampers many times and they just never worked for our girls. I didn't like how they fit and don't like the scent, and I didn't like the mesh - it left imprints on their little bums. I LOVE my Huggies Natural Fit. My 8 month old has a wide bum too and they never leak. They aren't that much more expensive than the no name brands and if you have a Costco go there. Actually apparently the Kirkland brand is really good too - I just wouldn't want to buy a case and be disappointed. Good luck with finding one that works.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, I have to agree with your letter. Why did they mess with such a great thing?

Anonymous said...

CVS (at least in Zanesville & Cambridge) still have the old style Cruisers on hand. We're also not digging the new style.

Anonymous said...

OMG!I thought I was going crazy! They leak EVERY night! I've had to go buy more PJs! I feel a little better just knowing its not just me!!

Anonymous said...

Okay, I didn't even KNOW they had changed the diaper. We use cloth and only use disposables when going somewhere overnight. I've always bought Pampers Cruisers. Last time I bought them, my son was soaking through the diaper 2-3 times a night. I literally changed his sheets at least once every night. His pjs more often. I thought he was just wetting more than he did the last time I bought Pampers (2-3 months ago). Good to know the product changed. I'll buy something else next time.

Anonymous said...

Hi Christina,

I’m interested in sharing this cool opportunity that I currently have going on with LUVS new Bear Hug Stretch diaper. I couldn’t find your email and thought perhaps this would be the best way to reach you.

I read up on one of your entries that you’ve experienced some leakage with diapers in the past and thought maybe you would want to try the Luvs with their new stretch feature.

Please email me if you’re interested in hearing more about it.

Take care,
Andrea
andrea@rocketxl.com

Anonymous said...

Just learned this today while googling...

Luvs Ultra Leakguards (*est. $.23 per diaper) stand up to the competition in leakage and dryness. Luvs are recommended by experts not only for quality, but also for competitive price as a name-brand. The main features of Luvs are the stretch-to-fit sides, triple layer protection, and a liner with aloe and leak barriers.

(and the kicker....)

Luvs are made by Pampers.

found on http://www.consumersearch.com/
www/family/diapers/review.html

Anonymous said...

BOTH luvs AND pampers are made by Proctor and Gamble.

Check them out on PG.com

Anonymous said...

Yes Yes I noticed luvs are identical to pampers baby dry. I like huggies fit and they don't leak as much but they don't seem to draw away the moisture as well as pampers swaddlers with the dry weave so i end up with a red bum. After the first few months i definately recommend luvs for price and quality. I wasn't real happy with white cloud myself. I have heard people swear by the ones at cvs and shoppers has the same ones as cvs.