Baby Talk
The entire Comforts line from Kroger got new packaging last year and the For Baby and For Toddler options offer many diaper and feeding hoices for a range of ages.
Store brand diapers offer many features in bigger packages, while children’s food gets more sophisticated.
Parents today are looking for ways to save money when shopping for their families and between in-store marketing and the Internet they have endless resources educating them on how to do it. Social networking sites provide a wealth of opinions for moms searching for product reviews.
Launched in late 2006, www.cafemom.com is already the largest social-networking/community site for moms and members have created more than 60,000 groups. Searching for “store brands” turned up plenty of topics on the site, including this recent post in the “Advice for Moms” group: “I was at Target yesterday and they were out of the Enfamil AR that my baby uses. I picked up a can of the Target brand and read it and couldn’t find one thing different besides that it was only $16.99 compared to $25.99! Did any of you guys use this and did you have any problems?”
The post was followed by a stream of discussion and is just one example of shoppers talking about and comparing store brands online. While packaging can attract attention, consumers are growing more and more savvy and require value in their baby care products.
Bigger Diapers
When moms are looking for the best diaper for the money, two main things they want to know are if it absorbs and if it fits. Whether they shop the shelves or research products online first they’re likely to notice more stretch and dry lock features showing up on store brands. More store brand training pants options are available as well, and club box sizes are appearing in many stores as retailers consolidate SKUs.
On a recent visit to a CVS Pharmacy, Woonsocket, RI, Private Label saw a “value size twin jumbo pack” box of Supreme diapers spotlighted by a bright red “new item” hangtag on the shelf. The 72-count pack of diapers for 16-28 pound children was priced at $15.99. Supreme diapers have a stretchable panel, secure grip and Dry-Lock liner, according to the package.
According to a recent review of the diapers on www.associatedcontent.com, “The same large box of Huggies or Pampers would run $19.99 at a Wal-Mart or for $23.00 to $24.88 at a grocery store.” The review goes on to say they have a structure similar to Luvs or Pampers and also “don’t have cheesy designs like the average bargain diapers [green outlines of the Caillou characters from PBS adorn the diapers] or cheap velcro tabs. They stretch a bit more than the average store brands or bargain diapers do and I have been very pleased with these. They are a good fit and don’t hang after they are soiled right away like most generic bargain diapers that have little elasticity. I have tried generic diapers with both of my children starting after 8 months of age and I can say these are the best bargain diapers I have found so far!”
CVS was also selling training pants for boys and girls, with “new” written on the package for girls, as well as CVS Ultra-Thins and CVS Ultra Soft-Stretch Diapers For Boys & Girls.
Ultra Fits from Rite Aid, Harrisburg, PA, are packaged in teal and read “New look and great fit.” The mega pack contained 46 diapers and retailed at $13.99. A jumbo pack included 26 diapers for $9.99. A review of the Ultra Fits on www.babycheapskate.blogspot.com read, “I usually only change my daughter every 4 hours but I was afraid that their thinness would cause them to leak faster so I started by changing her every 3 hours. I found that the Ultra Fits seemed to be holding their own so I went to 4 hours between changes. By the end of the first day, I was confident enough to leave her in them overnight! Needless to say, they didn’t leak after being worn for 12 hours! Impressive!” The reviewer ends by saying they started buying Ultra Fits over Huggies.
Rite Aid also sells Teach & Change Kids Pants with Dragon Tales pictures on the front. The package explains the Wet Sense liner “Allows your child to play an active role in potty training by feeling wet and learning when to use the potty.” The diapers also have improved Dri-Guard Leg Cuffs to help stop leaks and tear away sides for accidents.
Dollar General, Goodlettsville, TN, has rolled out crisp white packaging and the Premium Diapers feature stretch-grip tabs and a stretchy waistband for a comfortable fit. Pictures on the packages reflect happy children of multi-ethnicities playing. Whole Foods Market, Austin, TX, on the other hand, keeps packaging simple with no photos on its 365 Everyday Value Disposable Training Pants. Diapers come in bright-colored, polka-dotted packages and are chlorine free, latex free, dye free and fragrance free. The super-absorbent gel is what keeps “your little bundle of joy comfortable and dry, in the most ecologically conscientious way possible.”
Comforts of Kroger
Kroger Co., Cincinnati, OH, has created a brand image across its entire baby care line with new packaging for its Comforts brand. The baby care line is smartly dressed in green with a signature yellow firefly logo and includes an extensive array of products for newborns to toddlers.
Diapers are a staple of the line and the Kroger website reads, “Look for Comforts products for toddlers that flex, stretch and bend, as well as nutritious snacks for energy and growth.” Packages of Comforts diapers advertise features like the Dry-Lock System in both English and Spanish.
At the PLMA 2009 Trade Show, Comforts products showcased under New Packaging at the Idea Supermarket included an array of baby accessories, from pacifiers to teething rings, and baby shampoo to cups and dishes. Comforts For Toddler edible items offer many options with items such as Little Puffs in flavors like Sweet Potato and Blueberry, Little Meals Tri-color Rotini Pasta or White Chicken & Rice, and Cereal Bars in Mixed Berry or Strawberry Banana. The cereal bars promote themselves on the package as: “Made with real fruits and Oats! On-the-go snack! Perfect size for little hands.”
Target, Minneapolis, MN, also offers options for hungry toddlers. Up & Up brand Little Puffs come in blueberry, sweet potato, peach-mango, apple-strawberry and banana flavors. The package, with photos of babies balancing fruit on their heads, claims it compares to Gerber. Puffs retail at $1.67 compared to $2.09 for the Gerber choice. Up & Up Baby Food 2nd stage compares itself to Gerber 2nd Foods and boasts a reclosable lid, however, the national brand offered an organic option and the Target Private Label visited did not have a comparable Up & Up product.
For organic store brand baby food shoppers can look to Supervalu, Eden Prairie, MN, which sells Wild Harvest Organic for babies who are either four months and up or six months and up. Flavors include carrots, vegetables and pasta, and sweet peas and brown rice, and the nutritional information can be found on www.wildharvestorganic.com. The website touts that “Wild Harvest Natural and Organic products are the foods your family already enjoy—only healthier, and free from preservatives and manufactured additives.”
In addition to the Mom to Mom baby line from Safeway, Pleasanton, CA, which includes Everyday Diapers, Supreme Diapers, Kiddie-Ups, Nutritional Drinks, Formula, Toiletries and Wipes, Safeway offers O Organics as well. According to the website, O Organics has over 300 certified organic products, and believes “that great tasting organic food should be available to everyone and sold everywhere at a great value.”
The jar baby foods come in three stages with the flavors getting more involved as you go up in stages. The organic line also includes Baby Milk Based Infant Formula With Iron, cereal and O Organics For Toddler Cereal Bars, Toddler Cookies, Toddler Crackers and Toddler Fruit Snacks.
From club box diapers to organic baby food, private label provides the trends moms are looking for in baby care. Whether parents research store brand products online or make decisions in-store, they’ll find an abundance of value when it comes to diapers and food for families.
