Best Unscented: Amazon Elements Baby Wipes

Let’s talk diaper wipes.

Yes, the average baby goes through 2350 diaper changes in their first year. And since most folks use a couple of wipes per diaper change, you can see how this expense could add up quickly.

Buying diaper wipes in bulk makes financial sense—even when you trim a few pennies per wipe, it can add up fast when you are going through hundreds of wipes per month.

For this article, we tapped our parent readers, over million strong. We asked for their most recent experiences with diaper wipes, looking for the ones that worked best.

One thing we realized from our years of research into this topic is that are a couple of camps when it comes to diaper wipes: some folks prefer scented wipes. Other parents prefer unscented versions. (Then there is a group of folks who prefer wipes designed for sensitive skin, which we address below).

For the best wipes, we tested and compared 11 different brands before crowning Amazon Elements as the best bet here. Performance is excellent and the price (about 37% less than similar name brands) is easy on the wallet.

What We Liked:

• Unscented. No perfumes or strong odors.

• Thickness, softness and texture. These wipes hit the right notes in this trifecta.

• No dyes, or alcohol.

• Transparency. Ingredients are listed clearly both online and on the package.

What Needs Work

•  Thinner. While these wipes are the same size as name brand wipes, Amazon Elements wipes are just a touch thinner. In our testing, we thought they were still effective—but we know thickness is important to some folks.

• Additives. While these wipes are free from parabens and phthalates, they still contain preservatives like Phenoxyethanol and Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate. Based on our research and conversations with pediatric researchers, we believe these additive are safe and help keep the wipes from being contaminated during shipment and storage from heat/humidity. However, we can understand why some parents would prefer to avoid them.

Best Sensitive: Pampers Sensitive Baby Diaper Wipes

This one is a reader favorite, especially for parents who are looking for wipes for a baby with sensitive skin. And we know from our interviews with pediatricians for this article, there are babies who do better with wipes that are formulated for sensitive skin (no alcohol, for example, which can dry out skin).

What We Liked

• Soft texture. Compared to other brands we tested, our parent testers thought these wipes had just the right balance between softness and thickness. Less expensive wipes tend to be thin . . . and curl up on themselves when you take them out of the container. Pampers, on the other hand, are substantial.

• Toughness. If you can tear a baby wipe with minimal effort, it’s going to fail at cleaning up messes. Pampers Sensitive Baby Diaper Wipes topped our toughness tests—they didn’t tear until pressure.

• Size. Pampers hits the size just right—big enough to get the job done. We could handle the worst diaper blowouts with only two wipes.

• Perfume free.

What Needs Work

• Smell. Some folks don’t like the scent of these wipes—yes, they are unscented . . . but even unscented wipes still have a slight smell. But we know some folks are super sensitive!

Best Scented: Pampers Baby Wipes Complete Clean

For parents who prefer scented wipes (and let’s best honest, even “unscented” wipes still have a bit of a smell), we surveyed our  readers and tried out a dozen brands. The clear champ this time around: Pampers Baby Wipes Complete Clean. 

The key feature here is strength: the brand touts it is “four times stronger” than other brands and our tests confirm this—these wipes are sturdy and do get the job done.

What We Liked

• Love the scent.

• Soft texture.

• Sturdy to get the job done.

• Bulk container lowers the price per wipe.

• Tried and true brand name.

What Needs Work

• Could be easier to get a single wipe out at a time.

• Somewhat smaller size than others we tested.

Best Tried & True Brand: Baby Wipes, Unscented, Huggies Simply Clean

When it comes to diaper wipes, we know some folks prefer a tried and true brand—let’s be honest, if you are cleaning up a diaper blow out, you want a wipe that is dependable. 

After surveying our readers, there is a clear winner when it comes to this fave: Huggies Simply Clean. And after testing the latest version ourselves, we’d agree: these are excellent wipes. Yes, they cost a bit more than other discount brands, but if you prefer a trusted name, you will be happy here.

What We Liked

• Bulk package saves over individual packs.

• Thick, absorbent wipes.

• Easy to use.

• Super soft.

What Needs Work

• A few dissenters thought these wipes are too wet in our tests.

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!