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The Best Diapers for Skinny Babies

The Best Diapers for Skinny Babies (Pros, Cons, and Advice)

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I feel for all of the parents out there looking for the best diaper for their skinny baby. Babies that are skinny won’t always quite fit into all diapers and it can be frustrating to deal with blowouts, leaks, and poor fit.

The best diaper for skinny babies should be sized according to the shape of their body rather than the recommended weight on the package. Special care should be taken to ensure the leg flaps are positioned correctly and the waist is folded over and snug.

Our son has been in the 90th percentile or higher in height since he was born while staying at an average weight so he has definitely been skinny all of his life. We’ve tried almost every diaper on the market at this point and we’ve found our clear favorites that help keep our skinny baby clean, dry, and happy. Let’s check out our recommendations along with what I consider to be more important than the brand itself – sizing and fit.

My top pick for the best diaper for a skinny baby

Parents, I know that you are here because you are having a tough time diapering your skinny baby.

Because of those long, skinny legs and tiny waist, most diapers that you’ve tried just don’t work that well. Maybe they are too short in the back or front, leading to blowouts. Perhaps the leg holes are too loose and you are getting pee or poop leaking down your baby’s legs. Every diaper change turns into a change of clothes and maybe even some extra cleaning on the bed and sheets. It’s a mess.

To fix this problem, you need a diaper that is cut to fit skinnier babies, absorbent, soft, and affordable.

My personal recommendation is a diaper that meets all of these requirements, plus it has cute designs, it’s chemical-free, and it’s great for babies with sensitive skin. It has a high back to help prevent blowouts, large adhesive flaps, and excellent design around the leg holes to keep everything inside – where it should be!

The diaper that I recommend is the Pampers Pure and you can check it out here (check out the latest positive reviews and buy on Amazon). I know that if you choose this diaper you will have a much easier time dealing with your skinny baby’s diaper needs!

Even if you choose my favorite diaper to fix your problem I still highly recommend that you read the next section because finding the right size for your baby is just as important as which diaper you choose to use. I’ll also list out my top three picks for disposable and cloth diapers for skinny babies – one of those might work better for you!

Things to consider when buying diapers for skinny babies

Every baby is shaped a little differently and when it comes to diapers, it’s impossible to find a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody’s little one.

Skinny babies, in particular, are usually going to have a smaller waist and thinner legs compared to the average baby, which can create problems with sizing and fit. They are also often on the taller end of the height spectrum, which means longer torsos and legs.

The best way to address these issues is to pay special attention to the size of the diaper that you buy as well as how you are putting it on your baby. Let’s dive right into what to look for in diapers for skinny babies.

The right size diaper for skinny babies

Baby diapers are sized according to weight and they are based on the average height and weight of all children so that they can fit as many babies as possible correctly without having custom sizes. Since skinny babies are going to weigh less than other babies compared to their height and age it can cause problems when parents start looking at which diaper to buy.

The size and shape of your baby is going to be a much bigger factor than her actual weight when picking a diaper size.

Think about it like this, a size 1 Pampers Pure diaper is rated for a baby that weighs 8-14 pounds. That’s a great recommendation for an average baby, but a skinny baby might be ready for the next size up even if they don’t necessarily meet the weight requirement.

Ensuring the right fit for skinny baby bodies

Once you’ve made the correct choice for the diaper’s size then you’ll need to move on to getting the right fit out of your diaper. This is especially true if you chose to go up a size for your baby to help prevent blowouts but now you are struggling with getting the legs to fit or some other issue.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

  1. For boys, keep the back of the diaper a little higher up on his back because most boys blow out the back of the diaper. Just ensure his little pee-pee is pointed down!
  2. For girls, keep the front and the back more even because it could come from either direction!
  3. Before you fasten the diaper ensure that the bits of material around the leg are pulled out and sitting right into the crease of the leg. This will create a seal around the leg hole and prevent leaks.
  4. If the diaper is a little bit big because you’ve gone up a size, fold over the front of the diaper before fastening it to make it shorter. This can also help cinch up leaky leg holes.

The best diapers will have sturdy double-elastic around the legs and, ideally, elastic around the backside.

Absorbency, comfort, and design

It should go without saying, but absorbency in a diaper is probably the next most important thing after size and fit. If the diaper can’t absorb all of the pee that your baby throws at it then it will leak no matter how good it fits because there won’t be any place for the liquid to go. Most diapers these days have pretty good absorbency, but I’ve noticed that the Pampers Pure, Hello Bello, Honest Company, and Huggies Special Delivery diapers offer the best absorbency overall. Luvs probably has the worst absorbency of any diaper that we’ve used with any of our babies over the years.

While your baby might not complain you definitely want his diaper to be comfortable because they are often wearing them all day and night. The most comfortable diapers will have a cloth-like feel to their material that is both soft and durable. In my opinion, this is really what separates a cheap diaper from a good one and I can immediately tell the quality of a diaper when I pick it up because premium diapers have a certain weight and softness to them.

Natural ingredients and eco-friendliness

In our house, we pay special attention to the ingredients list of any baby products that we purchase and we try to think about the environmental impact of what we buy as often as possible. With diapers, we want to avoid certain plastics and other materials as well as any harmful or irritating chemicals that could be added during the manufacturing process. Since diapers generate about 3.3 million tons of landfill waste each year in the United States, it’s also great to find a diaper that is biodegradable if possible.

Price

Affordability and value are incredibly important for everyone and it might even be the biggest factor of all for some parents. More expensive diapers will often have a better feel, more absorbency, and cuter designs.

Fortunately, a higher price tag doesn’t always mean that it’s a better diaper and there are many great options that won’t break the bank.

The best disposable diapers for skinny babies

Although I’ve already given you my top pick, I need to go into more detail about why it’s a great choice for your baby. I’ll also look at two other excellent options that should help a lot with your skinny baby diapering needs without breaking the bank. Any of these three options can provide a great fit for your baby, feel soft against her skin, and perform well in its job. Depending on your situation and preferences, one of these might stand out for you as the best!

1. Pampers Pure – the best overall pick

I mentioned this one already because it’s mine and my wife’s favorite overall and we buy these all of the time for our son. They fit great, almost never leak, have cute designs, and are one of the most affordable ‘natural’ diapers out there in the market. Here is a rundown of the features, pros, and cons of this diaper.

Features

  • Made from cotton and plant-based materials with a polypropylene liner that helps keep moisture away from your baby’s skin
  • The absorbent pad offers up to 12 hours of protection – great for overnight use or throughout the day
  • The materials are hypoallergenic which makes it great for sensitive skin and pairs well with sensitive wipes to help avoid diaper rash
  • Double elastic bands around the legs to create a better seal and prevent leaks
  • Large, durable flaps on the front and back to ensure that the diaper stays attached properly

Pros

  • Chemical-free
  • Soft and comfortable
  • Incredibly absorbent and almost never leaks
  • Affordable
  • Wetness indicator

Cons

  • No elastic on the back of the diaper
  • Limited design options
  • Outside feels a little stiff

Again, you can check them out here (with the latest reviews on Amazon).

2. Hello Bello – the most affordable (but still great) option

We absolutely love Hello Bello diapers because they are one of the most affordable natural options in the market today. Since they are sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, we don’t buy these all of the time because we don’t often go inside the store to shop. Still, they are available online and you can get free shipping on orders of $35 or more so if you are planning on picking up a few items you can check them out here.

Unlike the other two options on this list, Hello Bello also releases a TON of cute styles and designs for their diapers and they are constantly changing. In fact, the picture below probably won’t even be relevant a week after this post goes live. Feel free to shop around and look at all of their designs – I think they had 25 just for the holiday season. That’s insane!

Features

  • Plant-derived absorbent core liner that is soft against your baby’s skin
  • Fluff pulp inside the diaper is sustainably harvested
  • Made without lotions, fragrances, phthalates, latex, or chlorine
  • Specially-designed absorbent material uses less material to make them more eco-friendly

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Chemical-free
  • Super cute prints
  • Wide elastic on the back and legs
  • Very soft

Cons

  • Only available at Wal-Mart or their own website
  • We’ve had a few leaks in these overnight
  • Back doesn’t go up very high
  • No wetness indicator on larger sizes

Again, you can check them out here (with the latest reviews on Walmart.com)

3. Huggies Special Delivery – the best option if the cost is not a factor

We tried these diapers shortly after they first came out and I was very impressed with the quality of the diapers from the beginning. I’m not sure what it is but these just feel like a more premium diaper option when you have them in your hand. There is a weightiness to them and they feel so incredibly soft that I found myself wondering if they weren’t, in fact, made from cloth.

While Huggies has never been hugely focused on providing a more natural or eco-friendly product, it looks like they have been paying attention to the trends over the past few years and decided to release something that checks both of those boxes. While this diaper is about 35 percent more expensive than the Hello Bello option, it’s a solid choice if you aren’t worried about the money!

Features

  • Diapers are made from more plant-based materials which are proven to be hypoallergenic
  • Made without any parabens, fragrances, or chlorine
  • Huggies’ softest diaper ever!

I’ve taken a closer look at the Huggies Special Delivery diaper with an in-depth review of all of the features. You can find it here!

Pros

  • Incredibly soft inside and out
  • Great absorbency and leak protection
  • Great elastic on the backside
  • Cute designs available

Cons

  • More expensive than other options

Again, you can check these out here (with the latest reviews on Amazon).

Last Thoughts

Remember that finding the right diaper for your little skinny baby might involve a little bit of trial and error. Since every baby has a unique shape and size, what works for one baby might not work for you. You might want to pick up a couple of options just to see which one you like the most.

Still, I think that any of the options I recommended, along with proper sizing and fitting, will help you keep your skinny baby clean, dry, and ready to play!

Joshua Bartlett
Joshua Bartlett

My name is Joshua Bartlett I run this blog with my wife Jarah. We have more than 11 years of parenting experience including three girls and one boy. I started this blog in late 2018 when I realized that I was dealing with baby-related issues on a constant basis…please read more about me here!