Saturday 15 March 2014

Battle of the Budget Nappies- Asda or Aldi?

Aldi Mamia Comfort Dry 4+
versus
Asda Little Angels Comfort Dry 4+
I've recently become a Mumsnet Blogger, and I certainly know how expensive having a little one can be, if you let it! I've written before about how I save money on baby furniture and clothing by buying second-hand, and cheerfully accepting hand-me-downs from friends. However, there are some baby-related expenses you just can't get for next to nothing, and nappies are one of them. 

I have friends who swear by cloth nappies. Better for the environment, cheaper in the long-term, not to mention the cute designs available. I'm sure this is all true- there are enough advocates- just Google "cloth bum" and you'll see the countless Facebook pages and forums dedicated to it! Already staggering under mountains of laundry, however I decided that this avenue was just not for me, and instead I would use disposables. 

I have tried just about every brand of nappy out there, and even testing big brands like Pampers Comfort Dry for free. Through trial and error (and many changes of baby clothes!) I found a firm favourite: Asda Little Angels comfort dry nappies. Simply, they stood out for me in terms of absorbency- in the 7 months or so I have been using them, I have never had a leak, even overnight!  

While shopping in Aldi a few weeks ago, I spotted their own brand, Mamia, on the shelf. I have heard such rave reviews about this brand of nappies, with friends insisting they are the best ones out there, so I decided to give them a go. Here is my verdict on the battle of the budget Comfort Dry nappies- I have judged on aesthetic design, performance, price and comfort.

Aesthetic design
Aldi Mamia have chosen a series of cute waving animals, while Asda Little Angels nappies have multicoloured polka-dots. Both brands of Comfort Dry nappies share the same colour scheme. In my opinion, the Mamia nappies have a more "premium" look to them, as the Little Angels logo on the back does make them look like an "own brand" product. 

Winner on design: Aldi Mamia

Performance
For during the day, there was little difference. However, the real challenge was performance at night: my baby goes to bed at 7pm, and normally wakes up at 7am the following morning. Therefore, she wears the same nappy for over 12 hours at night, so performance matters! She is also a very wriggly sleeper, never staying in the same position for long and often sleeping on her front. This category had a clear winner: Asda Little Angels consistently absorbed much more liquid than Aldi Mamia, and retained its shape noticeably better. After a whole night, Mamia feels squishy, heavy and "gel-like". My baby's bottom can feel a little damp to the touch, and there has been the occasional leak at the front. By contrast, Asda's Little Angels nappy stays in position, and does not turn heavy or squishy in the same way. Baby's bottom stays dry, and I have never experienced leaking. 

Winner on performance: Asda Little Angels 

Price
A pack of Mamia Comfort Dry (size 4+) is £4.49 for 44 which equates to 10.2p per nappy. Little Angels retail at £5.97 for 44, working out at 13.6p a nappy- although when bought on Asda's 2-for-£10 offer, they are 11.3p per nappy.

Winner on price: Aldi Mamia

Comfort
Asda's nappies are stiffer, and feel more  rigid to the touch. They are quite long from front to back, so they offer a lot of coverage. Aldi's are soft straight from the pack, and they definitely feel like a more expensive nappy. They are fairly short from front to back, however, and don't reach far up the baby's tummy. My baby sleeps on her tummy, so front coverage is important! Since Aldi's nappies are shorter, I tend to pull them tighter, and I noticed minor red marks a couple of times round Heather's legs after she'd worn them for a while. I have never noticed marks from her wearing the Asda brand. My little one also seems to sleep better when she is wearing Little Angels, which suggests to me that she finds them comfier than Mamia, despite my original observations about their stiff feel. 

Winner on comfort: Asda Little Angels

Overall verdict
Winning two categories each, I am very impressed with both budget brands. I would consider both to be excellent value for money and would recommend both to a friend. Hand on heart, I would say that in my opinion, both budget brands out-perform leading premium nappies! However, performance is key when it comes to nappies, and the reason we buy nappies is to keep our babies' bottoms dry day and night. With that in mind, I declare Asda Little Angels the winner, and they remain my nappy of choice! 

Please follow Make Thrift Love Life on Bloglovin'
https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11924471 

2 comments:

  1. This is really interesting. We shop at both Aldi and Asda but I must confess I have only ever used Pampers. After reading this I might just give Little Angels a try with Little Miss. They do seem good value. Thanks so much for sharing with the Monday #pinitparty. It is a really useful post. Have pinned :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Mum of One! I'd say the Mamia nappies are most similar to Pampers, in feel, appearance and performance- I just prefer the Little Angels ones as they absorb more. Good luck with the budget nappy switch and I'd love to hear how you get on.

    ReplyDelete