Classic Brands: Huggies

New parents have an endless fascination with poo that others find hard to understand. Quite frankly, it is amazing that such little people can produce so much of it. With an average of 6-8 nappy changes a day, you spend so much time elbow deep in the stuff that one of your main priorities, to the complete bafflement of childless acquaintances, becomes finding a product to fit snugly around your little one’s bum, minimising discomfort, mess and hopefully odour.

I admit I have always been one of those “eeew, dirt/bugs/mess” kind of girly girls, and for this reason I only ever wrapped my daughter’s behind in  Huggies. It’s all about the power of branding – they are the most expensive disposable nappy brand on the market, they have the most attractive packaging, and they are positioned as the most ‘trustworthy’. And, personally, they didn’t disappoint. Ever. Except for a mild case of indie anxiety when I saw that the nappies were emblazoned with various Winnie The Pooh (teehee) prints, as far as I could tell she was always comfortable, secure and thankfully we had minimal leakages and barely any nappy rash. They’ve got you covered from Newborn to Junior (16kg) with a total of 6 handy sizes in boy and girl designs. If it’s getting increasingly frustrating trying to get your tot to hold still long enough to be changed, Nappy Pants are the answer – just as absorbent as a nappy but with the pull on-off function of underpants.

And after nappies? Toilet Training Pants, which have the same pull up function but with a Wetness Liner, helping your little one to understand the difference between wet and dry. These were a godsend during our toilet training sessions, and thanks to the mass-marketed wonder that is Disney the girl versions come with Princess prints (boys get Disney Cars). You can grab a free sample from the Huggies website, and they also have nifty information pages and a free, personalised toilet training encouragement chart you can print out and stick on the back of the loo door (kids LOVE them, once we got this it was a matter of days before my daughter was fully trained).

Just as new parents eventually find there is more to polite conversation that poo habits, there is so much more to Huggies than just nappies. Their baby wipes get the thumbs up from a massive percentage of parents, and come in Fragrance Free (Newborn), regular Fragrance Free and Lightly Fragranced with Shea Butter. You can get Baby Wash in Lavender & Chamomile for Normal skin; a hypoallergenic version for sensitive skin; and Shea Butter for dry skin. Travelling? Take a pack of disposable Washcloths  – just add water for instant lather. Phew!

If you are a new parent, or indeed an old hand after some advice, support or information, the Huggies website has a heck of a lot more than info about absorbency layers. Of course, it is all geared towards influencing you to purchase Huggies products; but there is so much information on everything from pregnancy through to early learning activities and online tv, with an active forum and various (free!) clubs to join.  It might feel like giving in to our consumerist culture, but any platform which offers information, inspiration and assurance goes a long way to making parents feel secure in their roles. And it’s nice to know that big companies can offer more than cute little bums and catchy reworked tunes (‘It must be love, love, love…’)!