In our review of the best disposable diapers, Target brand Up & Up diapers are affordable, practical, and feel soft and comfortable. In comparison to the competition, they also provide durability performance that is above average with fewer faulty tabs and SAP leaks. However, this product did not perform well in our tests for leaks or absorption, two crucial performance indicators for diapering.
In addition, it contains common skin irritants and is not environmentally friendly. Therefore, even if you don’t consider these features to be particularly important, we believe that the product’s inability to hold liquids away from the baby’s skin constitutes a serious flaw. Preventing leaks and accidents from escaping the diaper and landing somewhere they shouldn’t is equally crucial. This low-cost diaper is unattractive in our opinion due to its lack of absorption and leak protection.
Target Up & Up Pros & Cons
Cons:
- Comfortable
- Durable
Pros:
- Poor absorption
- More leaks
- Not eco-friendly
What is Target Up
Affordable prices and high-quality merchandise are hallmarks of Target stores. In recent years, Target has started to sell a variety of items under the Target brand, including over-the-counter medications, diapers, and paper goods. Parents and families familiar with Target might be interested in learning more about their branded goods, such as the reasonably priced Up & Up diaper.
Performance Comparison
Likes
This item is soft and comfortable against the skin. In comparison to most of the competition, the elastic and motion points are friendlier, and the closure tabs are also ski-friendly. The majority of babies, we believe, will find this choice to be a comfortable diaper to wear when dry.
In our tests for toughness, this diaper performed above average. It is somewhat of a rarity in this group because the special blend of comfort and toughness is not as common as one might hope.
Dislikes
Unfortunately, this diaper did not perform well in absorption tests, leaving more simulated urine on the test paper than the majority of its top-ranked rivals. Due to the lack of absorption, your baby’s skin will be more wet and there is a chance that urine and other waste products will get on their clothes or the surroundings. An increased risk of diaper rash or skin irritation can also be attributed to more moisture on the skin.
With below-average results in our tests for leaks and online research, the Up & Up also struggled with leaks. We found that this diaper leaked more often than other diapers we’ve tested, and many Amazon reviewers agreed. It received a low score in our leak tests. Although this might be caused by an inadequate fit or going too long between changes, the low absorption score lends support to the notion that liquid escapes the diaper rather than getting caught in the core.
The lack of environmentally friendly materials and the thoughtful design of this diaper bothered us. Transparency is essential when taking into account a baby’s health and the environment, but Target doesn’t provide much information about the ingredients, how the diaper is made, or how it is packaged. The diaper doesn’t seem to provide much for either, aside from recyclable packaging.
Target offers little information about the diaper’s composition as well. However, it does state that they are free of sulfates, parabens, petroleum, perfumes, and dyes, and that they use pulp devoid of elemental chlorine. The packaging and website do not specifically mention the use of latex. The claim is at best ambiguous and possibly deceptive, but they are not alone in this situation because the diapers have pigments of some kind and have prints and wetness indicators. They don’t say whether they are latex-free or not, and they appear to have lotion on the inside.
Are Up and Up Diapers Safe?
The product description on Target’s website for Up and Up diapers states that they have a “gentle touch dryness liner clinically proven to be gentle and hypoallergenic” as it contains aloe and vitamin E, which naturally calm the skin. In addition, the diapers make the claim that they are free of latex, lotions, sulfates, parabens, dyes, fragrance, petroleum, and chlorine.
Considering that this diaper is more well-known for its financial advantages than its health advantages, this is a fairly respectable list of features.
The last two items on that list, which I don’t think are entirely true, do raise some questions for me.
Wood fluff pulp and sodium polyacrylate, also known as Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP), are two ingredients found in nearly ALL diapers, at least those that I have researched. The substance in the absorbent core known as SAP is what holds liquid inside the diaper and traps it there. Today’s diapers are made with SAP, which is derived from petroleum. Some parents might be concerned about the chemicals or allergens in this. According to diaper makers, SAP is safe for humans and does not cause cancer. I still think that the jury is out because there aren’t any studies with solid supporting data yet.
The online description on Target’s website states that the diapers are “chlorine-free.” A portion of this is accurate. Only elemental-chlorine free (ECF) diapers are available, including those from Up and Up and the majority of other well-known diaper brands. This means that a chlorine derivative, typically chlorine dioxide, was used to bleach the wood fluff pulp instead of chlorine itself. Although dioxins are reduced by this process, they are not entirely removed. Chlorine dioxide’s potential for harm is still not clearly demonstrated by the data.
If Up and Up diapers were totally chlorine-free (TCF), the safety profile would be even higher. TCF diapers signify that chlorine OR chlorine derivatives were not used in the bleaching process of the wood fluff pulp in the absorbent core. TCF diapers are bleached using oxygen, peroxide, and ozone based bleaching systems, which is a more natural process. As they don’t produce any dioxins, this is currently the safest method for bleaching the wood pulp used in diapers. The natural, environmentally friendly diaper brands will frequently have TCF options available.
How Much Are Up and Up Diapers?
Of course, depending on the size of diaper your baby needs, there may be some regional variations in price as well as price differences per diaper. But if you have to stretch your diaper budget the furthest, Target’s Up and Up diapers are among the most cost-effective options on the market right now.
You will pay roughly twice as much per diaper for the major diaper brands like Huggies and Pampers, which I would actually classify as being in the middle of price ranges. The higher end diapers, including the more natural, eco-friendly brands, are going to cost you roughly 3-4 times more per diaper as compared to Up and Up by Target. Finding a different option that offers a similar value for the money will be challenging.
Should You Buy the Up & Up?
There are times when the Up & Up brand feels cozy and has a tempting price. Many parents are enticed to try out this diaper because of the association with Target, which conveys a sense of quality at an affordable price. The results of the absorption and leak tests, however, were not good, showing excessive moisture transfer from the diaper and more leakage than the average diaper as the simulated urine accumulated in the test pan. These test results demonstrate the potential for diaper rash, skin irritation, and waste escaping from the diaper, which makes the Up & Up option disappointing. In contrast to the higher ranked diaper competition, we don’t recommend this diaper because, despite being inexpensive, we think it will cost you more in the long run.
What Should I Consider Before Buying Target Diapers?
Parents should think about a few things before choosing the Target brand of diapers over a well-known national brand, such as Huggies vs. Pampers.
You ought to think about your baby’s size and how it relates to the diaper size. As many mothers have expressed dissatisfaction with the fit of the diaper, I would advise against purchasing these for newborns. Parents of infants who are small for their age may also experience this issue; in this case, it would be best to hold off on using the Up and Up diapers available at Target until the infant is a solid size 2.
The second thing to consider is whether your baby has severe skin sensitivity or skin condition that would be better served by using more natural disposable diapers. Although neither of my kids, who both have eczema, has ever developed skin irritation or rashes from the Target brand, every parent should take their own circumstances into account.
Overall, Up and Up diapers are for parents looking for less expensive diapers that perform on par with the major brands, like Pampers and Huggies.
Summary
In conclusion, Target Up and Up diapers and wipes have been a useful addition to our toolbox of frugal living. They perform on par with or better than the Huggies brands we were previously using and are almost half the price. If you’re looking for an easy way to make your diaper budget stretch, try Target’s Up and Up diapers and see if they work for your family’s needs!
