I taped diapers to my dining room table and then wrote about it. I need a hobby.

You've noticed all the cutting back at the grocery store right?  No, I don't mean YOU cutting back.  I mean the suits who make the things we buy.  There's a conference room somewhere in America where they are rubbing their hands together with glee and saying something like,

"Oh, Suzie Housewife will NEVER NOTICE if we make the box 3 ounces smaller and keep the price the same!  If we do this we'll make enough to hand out bonuses this year!  I know you were thinking about putting in a pool Clark."

Yes, it's the oldest retailing trick in the book: things keep getting ever so teeny-tinier so you don't really notice when you're at the store, but they stay the same price.  It's a price increase on the sly and it's so annoying!  

A few weeks ago I was changing Claire and I opened a new box of diapers.  I noticed that they felt a little...different.  But since I had a squalling child writhing around, in imminent danger of Toes In Poop, I didn't really pay much more attention.  I changed her and sent her off running towards her next adventure.

The next time I changed her I noticed the diapers were weird again.  I checked the remainder and they were ALL thinner, papery-er and not a soft as I'd remembered.  Because I am stupid I thought I had a bad box.  Like, "Oh no!  There's been a mistake at the factory!"

I continued to think that as I used up the box.  Bad box, factory error, whatever.  But the next box was all screwed up too.  And the next one!  I was flummoxed.  My mind set to wandering.

How did I get so many bad boxes of Pampers Cruisers Size 4?  I mean, I've been buying Pampers since day one and I've never had a bad box before.  Maybe my Wal-Mart got ALL of the bad boxes from that day?  That would be so weird.  I should Google that and see if they'd had a factory mistake in the south or...WHOA, WHOA, WAIT A MINUTE.  I'VE BEEN HORNSWAGGLED.

I walked directly to a diaper bag I hardly ever use and plucked a diaper out of it.  A diaper that had been purchased weeks ago.  And dudes, it was completely different.

EXHIBIT A

New diaper on the left, old on the right.  They look the same right?  That is, to the uneducated eye.

EXHIBIT B

Let's open these dipes up.  The new one looks similar to the old one, on the right.  But they're not the same!  NO! NOOOOOOOOO!

Look at Old Diaper - see how the absorbent strip ceases about 2/3 of the way up?  Where all those convenient, angry red circles are?  Yes, that's where the absorbent part ceases and the thin, ridiculous layer of mere PAPER begins.  I know these are, at their core, paper products, but I didn't really mean to purchase JUST paper.  Paper will not do the job!

Proctor and Gamble: I AM NOT PAYING FOR PLAIN OLD PAPER, OKAY?

EXHIBIT C, THE OLD, AWESOME DIAPER, IN MACRO LENS DETAIL

Look at how pillowy it is.  It's so soft and fluffy.  And...quilted!  I don't know what that does but the toilet paper people seem to talk about it a lot so it must desirable.

EXHIBIT D THE NEW, CRAPPY DIAPER (HA, I MADE A FUNNY!) IN MACRO LENS DETAIL 

Look at this!  You can SEE THROUGH THE DAMN THING in the back.  Hi Grover!  It looks like printer paper in there.  There is a total lack of soft fluffiness, plus the part about the whole section of diaper functioning material that is AWOL.

This is a KEY DIAPER FUNCTIONING AREA, if you know what I'm saying.  It is ALARMING to look at this photo and think of the near-disasters.

EXHIBIT E (WHERE I START USING MATH AND GET SOME SERIOUS EVIDENCE TOGETHER)

So, at this point I did what any normal, sane, pissed-off Mom would do.  I opened the diapers, got out some packing tape and taped them to my dining room table so I could measure them side-by-side.  And, LO.  There is a stunning SIX INCHES of absorbent material missing from the new version.  (I rounded up.)

I was very scientific when measuring, as you can see below.

Obviously, Proctor and Gamble have switched up how they make Pampers Cruisers, and it looks pretty clear that it's a cheaper way to make them at the consumer's expense.  I'm still paying about $20 for a box of the stupid things so I am definitely feeling tricked, cheated, duped, etc. 

While we have not had any incidents with the new dipes I'm definitely annoyed.  It's just so devious of them.  Now would certainly be a good time to switch to cloth, and yet...Oh Lord that sounds like a lot of work and toting around of dirty diapers every day.

Has anyone else noticed products getting smaller/lower quality on the sneak?  I'd be interested to see what I haven't noticed.

Updated 10/20

I've decided that we're going to switch to Costco Diapers.  I also messaged Pampers on Twitter with a link to this post and (OF COURSE) they have said nothing.  They don't care.  I mean, I already bought a freaking YEARS worth of dipes from them already.  So, so, so annoying.

Comments

[Heather]

Bastards! Now I feel like I need to pull out our unused boxes and take them back. BUT, I don't know what other brand would be any better?

They are a HUGE company, they could make lots of things one ounce smaller or something - but diapers are important. Don't dick around with those!!!

[ANNIE]

Wow. I've been noticing this trend too...and I think it was Emily who commented recently on how the graham crackers are smaller in the box....and it's SO ANNOYING.

We use Huggies. I haven't noticed a change in them. And they've always been great - if you're looking for a switch.

You should start a group on FB or something - or a letter writing campaign to teach P&G that, even if they don't change back, WE ARE NOTICING WHAT THEY'RE DOING. And it's NOT okay with us.

Moms are powerful people, you know?

[AmyM]

I too thought about switching to cloth but didn't because I didn't want to face the up front cost or the extra laundry or carring around dirty diapers. Instead I switched to target brand which, unlike papmers, have gotten better with time! They are a little slimmer than Pampers but just as absorbant and the stretchy tabs have improved tremendously. There are a few less diapers in the package than there were in the past but they remain HALF the price of pampers! did you hear that, H-A-L-F! If you are going to throw your money in the landfill, you might as well toss in HALF as much. We do use Huggies overnights at night just in case, but I don't mind spending that money since we only use them once a day. Pampers swaddlers were worth the extra cost (newborns NEED that super soft cushy diaper) but once they outgrow the swaddlers Target is the way to go.

And I too notices that my graham crackers are no longer 2 squares stuck together...they are too skinny rectangles stuck together! I HATE that!

[Mel]

What crap! I hadn't noticed a change, but went and checked this today and you are so right. What a crock.

For me, it always seems that bags of chips come stocked with more and more air. Because I paid $3.95 for more air, thank you Tostitos. Maybe they are trying to help me out with having less to eat, therefore less to go straight to my ass?

[Stephanie]

OMG, seriously, cloth? So. Easy. I was so nervous and it is so incredibly awesome and easy and I can't even start because I will be gushing about cloth diapers for the next hour. I. Love. Cloth. (Did I mention easy? SO easy.) I never thought I would have been a cloth-diapering parent, but I'm very glad I tried them. I have a 4 month old and he just started day care last week where they won't use cloth (wah!!!) so we use disposables at day care, but still cloth at home. When he was in cloth all day, I washed diapers every other day and usually I don't put them in the dryer because a) it saves on electricity and b) they get so sparkling white out in the sun. And as for toting around dirty diapers, they make these washable bags that you can throw in your diaper bag and put the dirty ones in there and then just put everything in the wash when you do a diaper load. I had so many worries about cloth diapering and it turns out to be fabulously easy. Plus: OMG cute bums. Holy cow, the cuteness.

That is all. I'm sorry if I gushed too much. ;-)

[Morgan S.]

So, I have been sort of happy with my Pampers Baby Dry 70 diapers to a box size 5's for $18.99 a box (even though they used to be 80 to a box, I SWEAR). But TODAY, I went to Target and they are now $19.99 a box with a "5% per box donation to St. Jude's". WHA????? I am all for donating to St. Jude's, but don't raise the price the EXACT AMOUNT of the donation. And then I went home and opened the box and they have gone all small and slim just a you described above. Sigh. I am still cramming my 3 year old into them at night, since the price of Disney Princess Pull-Ups makes my eye twitch, esp. now that her new nighttime stall tactic is "Mommy, I peed and please change my diaper!"

[Lisa]

Well, now I am no longer enraged at the lack of Pampers coupons out there. That does SERIOUSLY suck! I personally use cloth but my babysitters use Huggies b/c I have been able to snatch up so many on the cheap. I guess I won't be scouting for Pampers deals anytime soon...

[Kristi Stone]

Girl!! I feel your pain. I have 2 yo twins!!

We didn't use the Pampers Cruisers we used the Pampers Baby Dry and they (P&G) did the same thing to those diapers as well. But did we get a price cut? NO!! We just got leaks.

So I went to Huggies... but they cost $$ since I used the Little Movers. Anyways, a friend told me about Target's Up&Up diapers and they are FANTASTIC!!!

I get a box of 82 size 4 for $13.69!!!

I wrote up a little review if you want to check it out. http://stonemonsters.blogspot.com/

[Erin]

Ugh. that totally stinks. Pampers have been my favorite, and I used to be really brand loyal. But now that I have baby #4 I'm more willing to try other brands that I can get cheaper. I've tried some store brands, but most of the diapers I've been buying have been Huggies. I do have 1 pack of Pampers we are using right now so I'm off to check it out.

Sooo totally bummed Pampers! Why remove the absorbent material from a VERY important part???

[Ashley]

Ugh...that's highly annoying. I don't have a kid yet, but I can just imagine what they'll be like in 2 years down the road when I have a baby.

[Rmenda]

I use to love Pampers.. then they got expensive..so I switched to Luvs..

But they are so paper thin nowdays and I never really noticed until I switched to Target brand.

Target brand is MUCH thicker...and i will continue to use them or walgreens brand but no more name brand paper thin diapers.

[Tammy]

Amazing how they still want us to pay the same amount of money for a less absorbent diaper. I use to use nothing but Pampers brand diapers until about 3 months ago. I switched overt to the Target brand Up&Up and I love them. They are more than half the price of Pampers and they work a lot better than Pampers brand. I would highly recommend Target Up&Up to all moms.

[Amy]

I use Luvs now, and am constantly either battling changing entire outfits bc she wet thru or changing her every 2 hours religiously. I just didn't know which to switch to. Thanks for the Target suggestion. I will def go there today and try them!

[Jennifer]

My Mom complained for years about how soda cans were all flimsy and crinkly now and always blamed it on recyling producing an inferior product. Until, that is, I pointed out that making a thinner can cut production costs so the manufacturer could make more money without doing anything terribly obvious to the product.

And as far as diapers go, I used Pampers religiously with my first daughter. For whatever reason, they were the only brand that didn't leak things all down her legs. With my second child, I was overjoyed to find she could wear the El Cheapo's without leakage, so that's what I've been buying for the past two years now. As much as I hate to give money to Walmart, their store brand is probably my favorite for right now. Target's Up & Up brand isn't bad, either, if you can get past the sagginess when they get wet.

[Sarah]

Man that sucks. I am one of those people who is not brand loyal - I buy what is cheapest - and I have gotten some pretty cheap diapers. I do have mostly Pampers right now since I have gotten some great deals on them, but I also have Huggies, Luvs and others. I have never used Cruisers so I haven't noticed a change - the baby dry have always been thinner. Same with Luvs. I do agree though that many companies are cutting back and hoping we don't notice - though I don't think it is always out of greed - I think they are just trying to cut back without raising prices - which I get, but it still sucks for us.
I do agree if you aren't brand loyal to give Huggies a try - they seem to have tons of coupons out right now! The other thing to consider too is this - when my kiddo was under 6 months, we couldn't use Huggies since they just didn't fit him right and seemed to leak all the time. Now, he has changed in shape a little and they fit him great and we rarely have a leak. We use Huggies overnites too since they are thicker than even the Pampers Extra Protection. If at all, we maybe had a leak only once!

[amy b]

Ever consider that they may be just as effective and more eco friendly?

Just a thought.

[Michelle]

They've done the same thing with Swaddlers I think. A couple weeks ago I noticed the outsides felt papery/cheaper but didn't check the inside for changes. I thought it was just a bad package too...I mean, one of the reasons I love Swaddlers is because of the soft outer covering. My other packages weren't like that but I bet it's because those have been sitting on the shelf and are older.

[Amanda]

I use Huggies and I suspect the same thing because I noticed that the last box I bought felt different. And speaking of another product; a few weeks ago I bought a new pack of toilet paper (Quilted Northern) and noticed that the roll didn't sit quite right on my toilet paper dispenser. It seemed more narrow. I grabbed my old bag and compared the dimensions. Lo and behold! They've made the rolls a half inch narrower! This is happening with so many products, yet we're paying the same prices!

[Kris]

I don't have any of the new Pampers handy because I haven't bought them in awhile, but it looks like they kept the padding in the new "Premium Absorbency" diapers so they could claim they are 10% more absorbent or whatever they're claiming. Well sure, of course they're more absorbent if you make the regular ones less absorbent!

[S.H.]

Get rid of the fancy brands and use Target. I agree with those that use them, they are awesome. I've always kind of hopped around hoping to find something that works and ended up with Luvs on a budget, but now that Target has fixed up their brand and has the up and up ones now, I'm all over them. They usually include a coupon in their boxes, so you can get a BOX for less than $12 and they are awesome. Do yourself a favor and change. There is no reason to be loyal because they aren't loyal to you.

[twitter.com/jackattacked]

I've been going down the P&G line over time with my son. We've dropped from Cruisers to Baby Dry and now to Luvs. A year ago, I could tell the difference between them, but now they all seem about the same. We tried Huggies and Target, but we just couldn't get the fit right and had a lot of leaks. Something about my son's tiny butt demands a P&G product.

We did cloth at home and disposables when out for about 15 months, til I broke my foot, then became pregnant, both requiring me to simplify things, ie, less laundry the better. I was really happy with BumGenius one-size diapers. They're worth a look.

[Michelle]

OK I just confirmed the same thing happened to Swaddlers...in a size 1 the absorbent stuff on the back used to end about an inch from the top. Now it's at least 3 inches from the top (sorry, don't have a ruler) and the newer diaper is thinner, rougher on the outside, and actually has a plastic crinkle sound when you scrunch it. Fabulous. I'm pissed.

[Sarah]

in my experience huggies are the best. luvs ARE pampers baby dry, they look, feel & smell exactly the same, the only difference is one has blues clues & the other sesame street. pampers swaddlers were awesome, but we swytched to huggies/costco which ARE huggies! i've heard that babies r us are also made by huggies, but i haven't tried them yet.

[heather]

I have used Huggies since day one & even brought huggies to the hospital w/ me when i had my daughter! as a baby i was allergic to luvs & pampers & wasnt even gonna try them on my daughter! they are a lil pricey but i recieve coupons in the mail & look for sales on them! i have not noticed a change in them & have been buying them for over a year! i LOVE huggies & will always use them. I'm a single mom so i dont have the time & my daughters child care provider won't handle the cloth diapers! Thank you for this post & also taking the time to put it together!

[laribrook]

wow.... makes my blood boil!!! i have been using huggies lately but sometimes use the cruisers and this makes me mad. i kind of noticed something but hadn't paid too much attention.
the Target brand is ok but gets saggy to the point of falling off if my son isn't wearing pants (even if not peed in).
RIght now he is in the new Fisher Price diapers i found at Toys R US and they are awesome. Not sure of the cost difference, but they didn't *seem* too expensive. My favorite most awesome diaper ever is Huggies Pure & Natural but can only afford them when they are on sale plus the $3 off coupon you get frequently. But they are AWESOME. WIsh they were around when my first son had eczema from pampers and huggies!! i had to use seventh gen which didn't give a rash but i thought they were kind of flimsy.

[renee]

Another reason I love me some cloth diapers.

[Cloth Diapers]

They were interviewing customers on the news a few weeks ago about how everything is getting smaller. One lady says, "I am glad they are making things smaller instead of raising the price!" THIS is why we need to teach better math in this country!

We've used cloth from when my daughter was still in the hospital. I love how soft, absorbent and easy they are. Seriously, cloth diapers are much easier than people imagine them to be. It takes me 18 minutes a week to wash diapers (3 diaper loads)- and you can get started for as little as $90 for a 2 day supply.

I actually put her in sposies for the last few days because she and I have both had some horrible tummy bug and I could not deal with nasty, icky diapers plus my own fever and such. Turns out - we have had MORE leaks with the disposables. I am so glad she is over it and we can go back to cloth!

[Tina]

Cloth is a serious option! Every single pampers I put on my baby as a newborn leaked. EVERY ONE. And the blowouts! Oh my!

I don't didn't have leaks or blowouts with cloth. And it really isn't hard.

You dump the poop (you're supposed to do that anyway!), put it in the pail, and every other day, you have an extra load of laundry. When you go out, you use a wet bag (or a zip lock if you're cheap like me) and take them home. Yes, there is an initial outlay, but you use them over and over, and can even use them for subsequent children. And they are so stinkin' cute these days!

Say cloth and most people think those gerber prefolds you use for spit rags, pins and horrid plastic pants. OH, think again!

Added benefit? My dd started telling me she was wet before she was 2, and trained on her own at 2 years 4 mos.

Go to www.hyenacart.com and search the cloth diapers to see what you could be spending your money on instead of that paper garbage.

[heidi]

cloth is not bad! it is so simple to do, and it may cost a bit more up front but not in the long run but think about it this way:

each box of pampers is about $20...
each name brand cloth is about $17 new/$10 preowned thats the big companies like bum genius or fuzzibunz, smaller companies on hyenacart and etsy are less expensive
i bought about 3 boxes of pampers each month when my son was in them.

i bought about 3 days worth of cloth diapers from diaperswappers (preowned) for about $150... and have been sewing more of them in the style i like best for about $5/diaper... so all tolled i've spent about $300 for diapers and supplies for more diapers that will last until my son is potty trained... and then can resell them and get at least half of that back, possibly even more than half...

thats about 5 months of pampers... for 3 years (approx average age of potty trained child) of pampers at 3 boxes per month its just over $2100!!! i'd rather take a tiny little bit of time to wash a couple time a week than pad any companies wallets... especially since i lay my kids down for bedtime, start a load of laundry, watch a tv show, change laundry to dryer and go to bed... then in the morning fresh diapers... i do that every 3 days...

top that all off with i control if the absorbancy part is thick or thin, front to back or all in front or more in front than in back, and i LOVE my sons adorable padded bum... :-D

as for cost, there is also companies that can assist with getting a person started...

[Kay]

I used paper diapers with my first 3 (over a span of 19 years) but if I had any idea how easy the cloth diapers were, I wouldn't have EVER used the paper ones! Esp one-size cloth like Butzie Covers or KCKs. They are just as easy to put on and off as paper diapers, and I never have to run to the store in the middle of the night beucase no one noticed we were out of diapers. My DS's preschool uses his cloht diapers, and I have even had mom's come up to me and comment on how they "have to stop by the 1's room" just so they can see what cute diapers DS is wearing today.

[Maria]

OMG! Thank you. I thought I was losing it but couldn't find an old diaper to compare. I inherited Costco diapers recently. I LOVE THEM!!!!
I am emailing and calling Pampers and telling them I am telling everyone I know (about 25 moms) DO NOT USE PAMPERS!!!!

[Maria]

I apologize. I am really infuriated about this. I went to shespeaks.com to post a comment. I am planning to go to other blogs and sites to spread the word. I can't believe P&G would do this.

[theresa]

i have noticed the difference in the diapers,i left i comment a while back ago,all packages of diapers are getting smaller.i dont know,would like to know if huggies is any different other than price.ive bought as many larger bags as i could.since that ive bought some cvs brand diapers which wind up being cheap ,i buy them on sale in bulk,with cvs coupons or rewards.

[Jennifer]

I use Luvs and I wouldn't dream of switching to a different brand. I can go 5+ hours between changing my 3 year old daughters diaper without worrying about leaks. I haven't noticed any changes to the diapers except the blue diamond pattern on the outside of the diaper disappeared around this time last year, probably to cut manufacturing costs but of course that wasn't passed down to the consumers.

[Sarah]

The Costco diapers didn't work for my kids--gave them diaper rash. Luvs, however, work great and are comparatively cheap.

Target also reformulated their stuff with the "up and up" brand--their pull-ups now give my daughter (and another friend's daughter) horrible rashes. Kirkland wipes reformulated with "tencel" fibers that, while stronger, are a lot rougher. WTF, people? If you're going to change your product, you have to make it BETTER.

[Emily]

Just so everyone knows, Luvs ARE Pampers and the same thing probably has gone on with them too.

[Jessica]

That's awful. I use the pampers dry baby and you can't see through the backs of those yet. BTW I believe that's the cookie monster.

[Staci]

I am so angry about this and I recently contacted Pampers and they are refunding my money for a HUGE box that I bought! I hate them and cannot believe that the back part of the diaper is MISSING...R U KIDDING ME....what about a "blow out" - where is the protection...Let me just put some wrapping paper around his butt...that will be sufficient, right? I hate these companies so now I'm looking for another diaper that is cloth and not paper and that covers the BUTT COMPLETELY! Suggestions? I truly hate these "paper" diapers!

[AedansDad22908]

Thank you SO much for taking the time to make this well informed article! I have posted reviews all over the internet about this horrible downgrade! I have had the number one thread for weeks on Pampers.com Village Forums under "Pampers Low Blow" Any support would be much appreciated. Also a friend of mine has started a Facebook group called "Pampers Bring Back The Old Cruisers" please if you could show support there as well. This has actually gotten to the point where P & G VP knows who i am! check this out ----> http://adage.com/article?article_id=141552 Thanks for your time. GREAT article here!! I will share it!!

[AML]

The downgrading is annoying indeed. Luvs have been working great for my daughter, who's just about 11 months old. I wish I had tried Luvs sooner than I did b/c I could have avoided the numerous car seat messes. My daughter's BMs were always very loose (blame the breastmilk) and 4th of July-esque (think of adult version of a blow-out) and no diaper but Luvs could keep the mess IN her diaper. I haven't had leak issues w/ Luvs, but it could be b/c she voids less than other babies. Who knows. But I'm a fan of Luvs not only b/c they're effective, but also b/c they're not as pricey as the other brands, namely Pampers & Huggies. The only thing I wish could be different about Luvs is the scent. They're overly scented for my liking. I prefer diapers to be unscented.

Good luck!