Price matters most when parents buy nappies - study

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Kiwi mums and dads care more about cost than the environment when it comes to choosing nappies - but that doesn't stop them feeling guilty, a survey has found.

A total of 70 per cent of respondents relied solely on disposable nappies rather than reusable cloth nappies, reaveled the independent Colmar Brunton online poll, commissioned by consumer satisfaction ratings company Canstar Blue.

Of the 488 respondents who bought or used disposable nappies in the last six months, 62 per cent rated price and convenience over environmental friendliness.

But putting price first comes at cost to the conscience, with 37 per cent saying they felt guilty about using disposable nappies.

Women were more likely to feel guilty, with Aucklanders especially wracked with remorse - 41 per cent felt guilty compared with 36 per cent in Dunedin, and 35 per cent in Christchurch and Wellington.

Canstar New Zealand manager Derek Bonnar said despite guilt over the environmental impacts of disposable nappies, the survey showed money and time were what many Kiwi parents were short of.

"Nappies can become a big chunk of the household budget for new parents. There are clearly multiple considerations in choosing a nappy brand."

The survey found 57 per cent of parents only bought nappies on special, while 15 per cent bought them in bulk online.

Almost a third of parents had switched to supermarket brand nappies in a concerted effort to save money.

Canstar's five star rating system was used to compare nappy brands across five criteria - overall satisfaction, value for money, leak prevention, baby comfort, and look and style.

Brands needed to receive at least 30 responses to be included.

Woolworths Homebrand nappies came out on top for overall customer satisfaction, getting a full five stars - ahead of big brands Huggies and Treasures, which picked up four and three stars respectively.

Homebrand also picked up five stars for comfort and value for money, while Huggies received five star ratings for comfort and leak protection.

Canstar Blue does not get paid to carry out its surveys, but category winning brands are able to licence the Canstar ratings for a fee after the survey is conducted.