1 October 2026 · Jennifer Wijaya
Finance Director · Mother of one, expecting
Little Rei vs Merries, Pampers, Huggies, Drypers, Offspring and Applecrumby
We sell one of the 8 brands in this table. Read every row with that in mind, and check the packet yourself before you trust a column.
Every claim below comes from the brand's own Singapore page or packet, as of 1 October 2026. None of it is a lab test. Where a brand doesn't state something, the cell says so, and a blank isn't a fault, it's a gap in the marketing.
What each packet says
| Brand | Layer against the skin | Dryness claim | Chlorine | Testing stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rei Luxury | Bamboo-infused, double-layered, naturally cooling, no cooling additives | Up to 15 hours | Totally chlorine-free | Dermatologically tested, halal certified |
| Merries (Kao) | Wavy topsheet, half the surface touches skin; triple-layer air-through | Not stated in hours | Not stated | Not stated |
| Pampers Premium Care | Cotton-like non-woven with a lotion on the inner sheet | Up to 12 hours | Not stated | Not stated |
| Huggies Platinum Naturemade | Plant-based liner with vitamin E, ultrathin | 12 hours | Not stated | Not stated |
| Drypers Skinature | Soft non-woven, Derma-Care | Up to 12 hours | Chlorine-free, fragrance-free, EU26 allergen-free | Dermatologically tested; wetness indicator |
| Rascal + Friends | Soft non-woven | 12 hours | Chlorine-free, fragrance-free, latex-free | Dermatest certified |
| Offspring | Plant-based non-woven | 12 hours | Chlorine-free, FSC pulp | Dermatest tested |
| Applecrumby | Non-woven with wheat protein | Up to 12 hours | Totally chlorine-free, patented core | Dermatest, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, halal |
2 things stand out once it's laid out. Only 4 of the 8 say anything about chlorine, and only 1 states more than 12 hours. The rest of the table is softer stuff: liners, lotions and holes, which every brand describes and nobody measures the same way.
Where the real differences are
The layer against the skin. 6 of the 8 use a polypropylene-type non-woven, with a lotion, a wave or a plant-based blend to soften it. Little Rei puts a bamboo-infused topsheet there instead, which is the smoother fibre and the reason parents in our reviews mention softness first. Merries' wavy sheet takes a different route to the same problem: less of the sheet touches the skin at all. Both are real answers. Neither is magic.
Cooling. Only Little Rei says its topsheet is naturally cooling with no cooling additive. I'm not sure how much of that a baby feels at 2am, but in a flat where the aircon timer cuts out at 3, I'd rather it was there. Everyone else talks about breathability, which is the backsheet letting vapour out, and is a different thing.
Chlorine. Drypers Skinature, Rascal + Friends, Offspring, Applecrumby and Little Rei all say chlorine-free; Applecrumby and Little Rei say totally chlorine-free, which is the stricter standard (no chlorine compound at any step, not just no elemental chlorine). Merries, Pampers and Huggies don't say. Not saying isn't the same as using it, but you can't tell from the packet.
Hours. 7 brands say 12; Little Rei says up to 15. Treat both as a ceiling under ideal fit, since every overnight leak we've diagnosed on this journal was a tucked cuff and not a full core.
Sizes, and where Little Rei is thinner
| Brand | Tape sizes | Pants sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rei | NB 2–5 kg, S 4–8, M 6–11 | M 6–11, L 9–14 |
| Merries | NB to 5 kg, S 4–8, M 6–11, L 9–14, XL 12+ | M to XXL |
| Pampers Premium Care | Size 0 (to 2.5 kg) through XL | M to XXL |
| Huggies Platinum Naturemade | NB 0–5, S, M, L | M to XXL |
| Drypers Skinature | NB under 5 kg through XXL (to 29 kg) | M to XXL |
| Offspring | NB to XL | M to XXL |
| Applecrumby | S to XL | S to XL |
This is the honest weakness. Little Rei stops at M in tape and L in pants, so a 15 kg two-year-old is on another brand. The big names run to XXL. If your child is above 14 kg, this table ends the comparison for you.
Price per piece
Pack prices are theatre; divide by the count. These are one retailer on one day (1 October 2026) and the supermarket ones move weekly, so price your own basket before you trust the gap.
| Brand | Pack | Price | Per piece |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rei trial pack | 2 | S$2.60 | S$1.30 |
| Little Rei full pack | 32 | S$16.90 | S$0.53 |
| Little Rei large box | 64 | S$29.90 | S$0.47 |
| Merries tape M (FairPrice) | 64 | S$27.10 | S$0.43 |
| Applecrumby (listed from) | 54 | S$12.50 | S$0.23 |
So Little Rei's box is about 4 cents a diaper above Merries and roughly double Applecrumby's entry pack. Over a first year of 2,550 diapers that's S$100 against Merries and S$600 against the cheapest. Whether a bamboo-infused topsheet, 3 more hours and a cooling claim justify S$100 is a question only your baby's skin can answer, and the trial pack is the S$2.60 way to ask it.
Mentioned above
Eco-Conscious Luxury Tape Diapers (Trial Pack, 2pc)S$2.60Shop now
Eco-Conscious Luxury Pull-Up Diapers (Trial Pack, 2pc)S$2.60Shop nowThe guides behind the columns
How to run your own test
Buy the smallest pack of 2 or 3 brands in the same size. Use each for 2 full days, including a night. Score 4 things: red marks at the thigh on removal, whether the morning diaper is wet through, how the topsheet feels dry, and the smell of the bin. A brand that wins 3 of 4 on your baby beats any table, including this one.
The numbers people ask for
Which diaper brand in Singapore is totally chlorine-free?
Two state it as totally chlorine-free (TCF) on their packets: Applecrumby and Little Rei. Drypers Skinature, Rascal + Friends and Offspring say chlorine-free. Merries, Pampers Premium Care and Huggies Platinum Naturemade don't state a chlorine position.
Which Singapore diaper claims the longest dryness?
Little Rei states up to 15 hours. Pampers Premium Care, Huggies Platinum Naturemade, Drypers Skinature, Rascal + Friends, Offspring and Applecrumby state 12 hours. Merries doesn't give a figure. All are ceilings under a correct fit.
Is Little Rei more expensive than Merries?
By about 4 cents a diaper at the box size: S$0.47 against S$0.43 at FairPrice on 1 October 2026. Over a first year that's roughly S$100. The trial pack is S$2.60 for two if you want to feel the difference before paying it.
Which brand should I pick for a baby over 14 kg?
Not Little Rei, which stops at L pants (9–14 kg). Merries, Pampers, Huggies, Drypers and Offspring all run to XL or XXL.
Figures and sources
- Kao Merries Singapore: product range
- Huggies Singapore: Platinum Naturemade tape diapers
- Drypers Singapore: Skinature by Drypers
- Offspring Singapore
- Applecrumby Singapore
- FairPrice: Merries Tape Diapers M, 64 per pack
This guide is general information, written to help you understand a topic and ask better questions. It is not medical advice and does not replace your own doctor, midwife or paediatrician. Anything that worries you about your baby belongs with them.