80/90s pampers sizes then vs now

[Albertapampers]

I can remember how big the diapers were back in the late 80s. Girls and boys, the pampers phases, stretch, ultra stretch etc… the smell, the pinks and blues, the thickness. Think they went to size 5, and the size 5 were huge on me around 4-5. I wore them around until the baby dry plastic backed 6 came along and I could fit those into my teens. My mom worked at a grocery store so she bought them by the box, and even she agreed when goodnites came out that the diapers were better on me for sleeping on my side and general effectiveness. They held a lot. Felt amazing, smelt amazing.

Now today I believe pampers is even coming out with a size 8 yet they are so small I don’t even think they compare to the size 5 of the late 80s. We all know this is a scheme, but honestly it’s a shame. Didn’t have Luvs in Canada but I sure remember the Pampers and Huggies plastic backed diapers…wore diapers into my late teens, and still wear diapers almost everyday. Sure wished the size 8 was an actual size 8. So glad I never had children, couldn’t imagine buying diapers today. Too many to choose from and the sizes feel the same. What is your thoughts.

 

[dpcare]

the '60s and even '70s fanfold Toddler Pampers were actually fairly large many 9&10-year-olds wore them for bedwetting I would be interested to see how the size compares to size 7 and even 8

 

[kratox]

Persoanlly I feel like a lot of this could have been resolved or prevented if someone had been actually taking down and documenting all diapers from then till now. I'm talking actually including hard measurment data. It honestly sucks so many people refuse to do this and then wonder why we have such a disarray with finding product for people. It really should be a requirment that if you post about a new baby diaper you put data down IMO. (It could still be done but feel because there is no central area for parents to gather information from anymore, you'd have a hard time getting your voice heard. Pampers used to have a forum etc)


If that data had been available, I do think pampers and other companies would have been able to been called out quicker over some of the stuff they do. Cause realistically some of those sizes shouldn't even be called a new size.

IMO they should have did a + for everything that was same size but not a true new size.
so size 7 we have now should have really been called size 6+ and size 8 we have now is more in line with what a size 7 really should have been.

I've said this before but the approach they are taking is basically this:
1-2-3-4-5-6-6.1-6.2-6.3

They are trying their hardest to not have to retool anything because they know that market in between really isn't profitable as they like. Which I understand from a business point of view buts still like one of those situations where, really? Just let those people not have a option because they aren't profitable even though it can be a medical need for said product.

 

[Albertapampers]

Yeah no that totally makes sense. Pampers for example there is still so many older ones floating around wish people measured them and whatnot even if they were selling them on eBay or whatever. I got lucky about 8 years ago and found two new bags of Pampers stretch size 5 (biggest then) and god were they amazing.

 

[Albertapampers]

the '60s and even '70s fanfold Toddler Pampers were actually fairly large many 9&10-year-olds wore them for bedwetting I would be interested to see how the size compares to size 7 and even 8

Exactly, they were huge then

 

[Pampers4Ever]

Stretch in comfort play in comfort.

 

[Honeywell6180]

I can remember how big the diapers were back in the late 80s. Girls and boys, the pampers phases, stretch, ultra stretch etc… the smell, the pinks and blues, the thickness. Think they went to size 5, and the size 5 were huge on me around 4-5. I wore them around until the baby dry plastic backed 6 came along and I could fit those into my teens. My mom worked at a grocery store so she bought them by the box, and even she agreed when goodnites came out that the diapers were better on me for sleeping on my side and general effectiveness. They held a lot. Felt amazing, smelt amazing.

Now today I believe pampers is even coming out with a size 8 yet they are so small I don’t even think they compare to the size 5 of the late 80s. We all know this is a scheme, but honestly it’s a shame. Didn’t have Luvs in Canada but I sure remember the Pampers and Huggies plastic backed diapers…wore diapers into my late teens, and still wear diapers almost everyday. Sure wished the size 8 was an actual size 8. So glad I never had children, couldn’t imagine buying diapers today. Too many to choose from and the sizes feel the same. What is your thoughts.

I can say directly, the Size 8 Pampers of today will cover considerably more area than a 1998 vintage Size 6. And back in the '80s, disposables were thicker but would cover less area than today's Size 5 of any brand, even when they were rated for 35+ pounds. Pampers Size 7 will fit me just fine with Convert-Ups, and the current version of Goodnites XL will also fit as they are, and can be worn until I start sweating. And there are at least several folks on this board who can even wear Pull-Ups 5T-6T.

 

[DiaperTV]

Persoanlly I feel like a lot of this could have been resolved or prevented if someone had been actually taking down and documenting all diapers from then till now.

I'm trying to do this by keeping one diaper in my archive, after the practical review is done. So it's possible to compare them. A good example is the Tykables Puppers: They stopped producing the current version, but announced a successor for this year (2023). If it's there, I'll place them next to each other to see, what has changed. It would be even cooler to keep more than one, like a full package in the best case. So there could be a deeper comparison like unfolding both to see if the new one got bigger or smaller.

In case of the Puppers I'll do that, since I still have 2 left in addition to the archived one, so I just keep them until the new one got released. But doing something similar in a larger scale for multiple diapers is expensive: It requires buying a lot of diapers, which can't be used. And it takes space. I already have a large box even for just keeping one and it's growing.

When you get down to it, it's not even enough to keep a few or an entire pack of a specific diaper just one time. For example, we had discussions about decreasing quality from Betterdry and also others, but let's take it as an example: If this is true, then it's time to buy some of the new Betterdry. So we can see, what's the difference between version 1 and 2. And we also need to keep some of version 2, making it possible to compare them again, if there may be a version 3 in a few years. Or even more, in case of pampers we're talking about decades.

Unfortunately, this is something which has to be done in time and regularly over the years. It's hard or at least expensive to get older diapers now. Sometimes there are some findings in basements. However, despite the price, it may be also hard to tell, in which year those diapers were bought. Beside of those practical issues, it's definitely a good idea, not just for pampers. I see it useful for all diapers. It's sad to see that some diapers seems to be completely gone after just a few years. Maybe they could be found on random pictures, but there is little to no documentation. Would be interesting to see which diapers were common some more years ago, where I was not so much into this topic like today. Some are probably lost there over time.

 

[odd1inSyde]

Here's a question: do we really think diapers have gotten smaller, or is that our perception? I mean, I remember plastic backed diapers in the 90s, and I remember fitting in them... But I was a little kid. Our bodies change as we age. I'm 33 now, and I would never spend the ridiculous amount of money they charge for vintage plastic backs on Ebay because I'm pretty sure they wouldn't fit, even though I'm very skinny.
Generally, babies have stayed the same size. We've grown.

 

[LittleScotty]

I was always small for my age and I was still wearing nappies on occasions up until I was 10 years old and I just fit into them and Huggies Pull Ups.

When I finally stopped needing them I remember the time trying again in my teens they didn't fit

 

[DiaperTV]

Here's a question: do we really think diapers have gotten smaller, or is that our perception?

It's a fact. I already asked this question to myself, since I'm too young to looking back about longer diaper experience in the past - I didn't even had plastic backed pampers. Your question is a good one. Following several conversations, I also thought if it could be true, that people only remembering the old ones larger, since they were smaller.

So I took some research and found a comparison between current (2021) pampers and older ones, up to 20 years old, so around the early 2000s. You can clearly see, that the current pampers in the front is noticeably smaller than the old one:


Also the new (second one in the following picture) is less wider & thicker than the old (first):


Even the absorbent pad of the Pampers 8 is smaller. It's harder to see, since the Pampers 8 made it in the same color, as the rest of the diaper. It mostly ends at the line, Pampers 8 is on the left. Compared to the older Pampers 6, where the pad is larger and nearly present until the end (on the back) of the diaper:


It's worth mention that we're just comparing Pampers 6 from ~2001 with Pampers 8 from today. This proves that Pampers have never grown in size, as some thought/expected since 6+ was the largest size for a long time. They just replaced "+" sizes with the new numbers. Also the plus sizes weren't larger, but they could holt a bit more.

In fact, the new Pampers are much thinner and noticeable smaller. This maybe doesn't have a real negative effect on the suction power, since technology improves over time. Except the shorter pad, which likely leads to easier leaking/less comfort on the back. But that's not the topic here, we're speaking about the smaller size. And this is definitely true: Pampers were relatively large in the past, so that they also could be worn by older kids with e.g. bedwetting issues. Probably they found out that smaller ones still fit the babys/kids, where they're made for. So they can "improve" the product by saving material and money with that step. As a result, Pampers won't fit less people, than they did in the past.

This is a thing, which P&G seems heavily interested in. At least here in Europe, they're known for several hidden price increases: They reduced package size for the same price multiple times since ~2006, leading to nearly 30 percent more expensive diapers, if calculated per piece. From an ABDL perspective, we pay much more for less (smaller) diapers, that fit less people than in the past.

 

[Albertapampers]

I

I can say directly, the Size 8 Pampers of today will cover considerably more area than a 1998 vintage Size 6. And back in the '80s, disposables were thicker but would cover less area than today's Size 5 of any brand, even when they were rated for 35+ pounds. Pampers Size 7 will fit me just fine with Convert-Ups, and the current version of Goodnites XL will also fit as they are, and can be worn until I start sweating. And there are at least several folks on this board who can even wear Pull-Ups 5T-6T.

I can fit xl well, can fit into 5-6t kind of tight but they fit. Can’t wait to try these 8s to see how they are for myself. Have you seen them

 

[kratox]

Normally you don't see the upper limits on weight for size 5+ but huggies seems to have put it on their chart.

Thought some people might find it interesting to compare to previous sizes...

 

[Honeywell6180]

I

I can fit xl well, can fit into 5-6t kind of tight but they fit. Can’t wait to try these 8s to see how they are for myself. Have you seen them

If you have more than a 25" waist, Pampers Size 7 or 8 Swaddlers will require extenders. They have a good fit length, but waist size is small. I use mine exclusively as guards.

 

[Deleted member 56273]

the '60s and even '70s fanfold Toddler Pampers were actually fairly large many 9&10-year-olds wore them for bedwetting I would be interested to see how the size compares to size 7 and even 8

In Europe and the UK P&G introduced a Maxi Plus size designed for heavy wetters weighing up to 22kg (though the description in the box erroneously stated 9 to 18kg as the average maximal weight).

 

[baliebox4916]

i remember when i was 4 i was put back into diapers until i was in kindergarden (which was around 2000-2002)

i even remember my earliest abdl experience of putting an off brand diaper from 2000 (a life brand diaper) on my bear
only to then wear the diaper and it fit like a glove
(i even wet it because i remembered that diapers are supposed to get squishy overtime)

eventually when i would go to the pediatrician i would steal diapers to put on my plushes
by then the diapers were way too small and i even tried to put one of my moms friends daughters huggies on me and it didn't fit at all (i was 10 at the time and didn't know about adult/teen diapers until i was 13 and didn't know that abdl diapers were a thing until pamperchu reviewed the early abu cushies in 2010 and i was amazed before that there was only that one video of some guy putting 90s style diaper tape rolls on his adult diapers) i wanted cute diapers like you see on deviantart like the ocs wearing diapers with a big heart printed on the butt area

had they had something like the bunnyhopps, the og tykables unicorns, lfb diapers, pastel puffies or any girly diaper thats actually cute and didn't have crap like ballerinas, off brand disney princesses or pixar characters in my size in 2007-2011 or so i probally would have begged to wear them

 

[Cavvet8993]

the '60s and even '70s fanfold Toddler Pampers were actually fairly large many 9&10-year-olds wore them for bedwetting I would be interested to see how the size compares to size 7 and even 8

Yeah I wore Pampers day and night till age 7 and they fit me really good

 

[RothwellBC]

i wore the Pampers Phases back in the 90s. i was in them every night for bedwetting and sometimes in the day too. I'm totally convinced they were definitely thicker and louder than the pampers we see today - today they are like paper thin... its crazy how small they are.

I also totally remember that the Phases were impossible to hide - they were thick under clothes and I pretty much usually wore sweats or elastic shorts over top and my mom would even buy me pants that were a little bigger around the waist so that they would fit over top a diaper. At night it was usually pj's to be loose or a onesie to keep it snug overtop cause in the mornings they were super thick. I've love to see an old phases today and compare them LOL...

 

[AJFan2020]

i wore the Pampers Phases back in the 90s. i was in them every night for bedwetting and sometimes in the day too. I'm totally convinced they were definitely thicker and louder than the pampers we see today - today they are like paper thin... its crazy how small they are.

I also totally remember that the Phases were impossible to hide - they were thick under clothes and I pretty much usually wore sweats or elastic shorts over top and my mom would even buy me pants that were a little bigger around the waist so that they would fit over top a diaper. At night it was usually pj's to be loose or a onesie to keep it snug overtop cause in the mornings they were super thick. I've love to see an old phases today and compare them LOL...

I wore Pampers back in the mid-1970s and into part of the 1980s. Back then they weren’t using super-absorbent polymers yet so they were just paper and plastic. In order to work at all they needed to be pretty thick.

I was no longer in Pampers in the 1990s so I don’t know what the 1990s Pampers were like. If they used a combination of paper, plastic, and super-absorbent polymers (in some fashion) then they probably were noticeably thicker than today’s products. If they used this kind of design I would assume that the paper was there for small bladder leaks and that underneath that there was a fluid-repelling top sheet and super-absorbent polymers below that to accommodate larger leaks up to and including full bladder voids.

If I am right about this then today’s products are thinner because over time they got rid of the paper to make the product more discreet. Since the fluid-repelling top sheet and super-absorbent polymers are still there the product continues to work for larger bladder voids (which are the most common type in any case). The downside of this is that smaller bladder voids might not pass through the fluid-repelling top sheet and this could cause some leakage.

 

[PaKo66]

It is possible but the chart from 1977 shows that the sizes are still the same.