Best disposable nappies 2024: Which? Best Buys and expert buying advice

We regularly test disposable nappies in our lab to find out how effective they are at absorbing liquid quickly, keeping moisture away from your baby's skin and holding onto liquid so it doesn't leak out.

We also get parents to try out the nappies with their baby and they rate them on the same factors as above, but with the benefit of parental insight. 

Which? members should log in now to view our recommendations below. If you’re not already a member, join Which? to get instant access to all our nappy reviews.

Best Buy disposable nappies for 2024

Here's our pick of the top Best Buy nappies that excelled in our independent lab tests - including nappies that won't break the bank. 

Highest scoring nappy

Cheapest Best Buy nappies

Join Which? to get access to all our Best Buys and nappy reviews. We’ve tested nappies from big brands including Pampers, Kit & Kin and Rascal + Friends, but only the very best make a Best Buy.

Best and worst disposable nappy brands

In our biannual baby and child survey, we ask parents to rate five key features of a nappy brand: absorbency, comfort, ease of use, fit and value for money. 

We also calculate a customer score for each brand, which is based on parents' overall satisfaction with the nappies and how likely they are to recommend them. You can see a preview of the best and worst customer scores below:

• Best brand: 81% This brand impressed in all areas, but parents were particularly pleased with the comfort and value for money of this brands' nappies. 
• Worst brand: 65% Parents were most disappointed with the fit and ease of use of this brands' nappies. 

Disposable nappy brand ratings

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? for access to our test results.

Best eco-friendly disposable nappy brands

Each nappy can take hundreds of years to naturally degrade, so the sheer number of disposable nappies thrown away presents serious problems to the environment. This is particularly true when you consider that each baby could use more than 5,000 nappies before they are fully potty trained.

While most disposable nappies are recyclable, the UK doesn’t currently have the facilities to process them in the right way.

However, there are more eco-friendly disposable nappy options available, with some brands offering nappies made using sustainable wood pulp or packaging sourced from renewable materials.

Eco by Naty

Eco by Naty nappies are free from chlorine, latex, fragrances and tributyltin. The core is made from 100% FSC-certified wood pulp and the packaging is sourced from renewable materials.

See all our Eco by Naty nappy reviews.

Kit & Kin

Kit & Kin nappies are made using chlorine-free fluff pulp harvested from sustainably managed forests. It funds the protection of tropical rainforest and supports sustainable community development projects in Guatemala through the World Land Trust.

See all our Kit & Kin nappy reviews.

Rascal + Friends

Rascal + Friends proudly boasts that its nappies have ‘no nasties’, meaning they’re free of latex, chlorine, fragrance and lotions, and use water-based inks. Its nappies contain sustainable pulp, are vegan and are certified by animal rights organisation PETA.

See all our Rascal + Friends nappy reviews.

How to buy the best disposable nappies

The nappy size, fit and cost are all factors to consider when deciding which nappy to buy.

Nappy sizes range from newborn all the way through to potty training pants. You can check the nappy’s size guide to help you pick the right size for your baby's weight.

Most disposable nappies are designed with easy-fastening Velcro tabs, an elasticated waistband and elasticated leg holes to give a snug fit. You might need to experiment with different brands to find one that best fits your baby.

The cost of nappies can vary depending on the brand you choose. Supermarket own-label nappies are generally cheaper than big brands such as Pampers.

Disposable nappies: the pros Can simply be thrown away after use, widely available in supermarkets, easy to carry around when you're out and about, high absorbency.

Disposable nappies: the cons Can't be recycled in the UK, need to be continually restocked, some contain chemicals such as chlorine, perfume and dyes. 

If you're considering switching to cloth nappies, see our round-up of the best reusable nappy brands. 

How many disposable nappies do babies use per day?

It's likely that your baby will use between six and 12 disposable nappies a day in their first few months, with this decreasing as they get older.

This adds up to a lot of nappies. If your child went through eight nappies a day until they were two years old, it would total more than 5,300 nappies.

Nappy size guide

Brands may slightly differ when it comes to size and weights but most will follow the size guide below:

• Size 0 (1-2.5kg, 2-5lbs)
• Size 1 (2-5kg, 5-11lbs)
• Size 2 (3-6kg, 7-14lbs)
• Size 3 (4-9kg, 8-20lbs)
• Size 4 (7-18kg, 15-40lbs)
• Size 4+ (9-20kg, 20-44lbs)
• Size 5 (11-25kg, 24-55lbs)
• Size 5+ (13-27kg, 28-59lbs) 
• Size 6 (16+kg, 35lbs +)
• Size 6+ (17+kg, 37lbs +)

It's not just nappies that are sized by weight, so are some car seats. See our guide to child car seat weight groups to find out what kind of car seat your baby should be in.

How much do disposable nappies cost?

Disposable nappies can cost anything from 5p to more than 20p each, depending on which brand you choose.

Opting for cheap nappies is likely to set you back around £15 a month, while choosing more expensive options could bring your monthly nappy spend closer to around £50.

Spending more doesn’t guarantee a better nappy either. In fact, our nappy survey results have uncovered a top-rated brand that offers some of the cheapest nappies around, as well as expensive brands that left parents dissatisfied.

To save money on disposable nappies consider buying larger packs to reduce costs, but be wary of buying too much in one size as your baby may outgrow them sooner than you expect.

Also, take advantage of special offers - subscription services such as Amazon Family offer up to 15% off nappies, including Pampers - and look out for free nappies and money-off nappy vouchers through baby clubs. 

We now highlight Great Value nappies - these nappies must score 65% or more in our tests and, when it comes to price per nappy, are at least 20% cheaper than the average cost of nappies we've tested.

Is it cheaper to use disposable or reusable nappies?

Reusable nappies are more expensive to buy initially, but they’re cheaper in the long run as you won't have to continually buy new packs of nappies. Some councils offer incentive schemes with benefits ranging from a free starter pack to vouchers that you can put towards the cost of reusable nappies.

How much do reusable nappies cost? We reveal how much you can save by switching to reusable nappies. 

How do I dispose of nappies?

Before disposing your nappies try to empty the nappy waste into the toilet first, then roll it up and reseal with the tabs. 

You can then place the nappy in a plastic bag kept only for nappies, tie it up and place it in the outside rubbish bin. 

Disposable nappies can't be recycled, but some councils do offer a disposable nappy collection, so you may want to check locally. 

See our round-up of the best reusable nappy brands for a more eco-friendly alternative.

Where to buy cheap Pampers

We looked for the cheapest place to buy stage 4 nappies as these are popular with parents of young babies, and they're the size we test in our nappy reviews.

We tracked the price of a 44-pack of Pampers Baby-Dry size 4 maxi (8-16kg) nappies and looked for the best price for a single pack.

Our table below shows where you could get these Pampers size 4 nappies for the cheapest price from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. 

Based on the average price per nappy, Asda, Sainsbury's and Ocado were the cheapest places to go for Pampers size 4 nappies over the last year. This is based on the average price over the entire year.

However, as you can see from the table, the cheapest price for a pack varied enormously between retailers and went as low as £4.50.

Morrisons and Waitrose were the most expensive with an average price of between 10.42 and £11.18 per pack. 

It's worth noting that while Tesco sits mid-table, you may get better deals if you're using a Clubcard as there are frequently deals on Pampers nappies.

Best price for supermarket own-brand nappies 

Most supermarket own-brand nappies tend to work out cheaper than premium brands such as Pampers. 

We also compared the price of a 48-pack of size 4 nappies across supermarket nappy ranges and looked for the best price for a single pack from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. 

The best place to grab a bargain was Lidl, with an average cost of £2.80 over the course of a year – around 5.8p per nappy. This is an increase on last year, where Lidl nappies cost £2.63 on average which was around 5p per nappy. 

Aldi wasn't far behind with an average cost of £2.93 for the year. 

Sainsbury's nappies stayed around the £3 mark for most of the year, but did go as high as £3.35. 

Asda's Little Angels nappies were the most expensive on average which is different to last year, when it was Baby Ocado. 

Most supermarket offerings work out at an average of around 6p per nappy, so it's worth picking up a pack during your next shop to see how you get on with them. 

Aldi vs Lidl nappies: how do they compare? 

Disposable nappies vs reusable nappies

While disposable nappies are convenient, reusable nappies could be worth considering if you’re looking for a more environmentally friendly option.

You will need to pay more up front for reusable nappies, but they’re cheaper in the long run as you won't have to continually buy more. 

However, reusable nappies are less convenient as they have to be washed and dried after use.

Some parents decide to use a mixture of both, opting for reusable nappies at home and disposable nappies on days out or holidays. Others use disposables during the night and reusable nappies during the day.  

Find out more about the pros and cons of reusable nappies in our guide on buying the best reusable nappies.