Pampers Youth?

[the-dude]

So I was chatting online the other day with fellow DL's and one happened to mention that he wears both depends and Pampers Youth. I asked him where to find pampers youth diapers, as he stated they were designed for larger kids. I have not been able to find any such product online that is mfd' by pampers, and was wondering if anyone could validate this claim. Anyone know where to find "Pampers Youth" if they do exist?

Any help proving/disproving/locating would be appreciated.

Thanks!

The Dude Abides...

[MLGTexas84]

I believe that Pampers used to call their larger sizes, such as 6, Youth, but I'm not sure about that.

[messyman]

I think they are a European thing. I have heard that they have an XL size than was bigger than size 6.

[loopy]

I think they are a European thing. I have heard that they have an XL size than was bigger than size 6.

They don't. Not by pampers or huggies anyways. Infact nappie sizes in the UK go up to 5+ in most supermarkets.

[the-dude]

Well, thanks for the replies, all. Knew it sounded too good to be true. Guess I'll stick with good adult diapers. Shame, pampers have amazing performance standards.

[Yvhuce]

It could've been one of those people who uses "pampers" as a term for diapers? Either that, or they're just pulling your leg.

[the-dude]

Perhaps. A lot of people do refer to diapers as pampers, just like people call tissues kleenex. Marketing is quite interesting... especially when your trademark is used to refer to all other industry competitors. Does anyone have a band-aid? lol...

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

Hmm... about a year ago I believe that Pampers had a survey on their website with a question about a "larger/youth" diaper, but whether or not such a diaper was produced, is being produced, or is going to be produced is still something I'm unsure of. There are a couple of explanations, and things worth noting here though:

1. Both Pampers Size 6 (and 7,) and Huggies Size 6 are marketed as "youth" diapers. These diapers are actually intended for children of elementary school age who may not be fully potty trained and/or may suffer from some form of incontinence. The packaging itself is slightly misleading, because these are sold as "disposable baby diapers," but the weight range is closer to the weight range of most elementary school children.

2. Loopy and Messyman may both be correct. It's worth noting that Huggies and Pampers sold in the UK are comparable to Huggies and Pampers sold in the US. I believe that the UK may use a different measuring system than the US for identically sized diapers though. For example, there's no Size 5+ in the US. Continental Europe is another story entirely though. I've heard multiple people claim that baby diapers sold in continental Europe are actually larger than those sold in the US, Canada, or the UK. I think Germany and Austria were mentioned as two countries where Pampers and Huggies are larger than in the US and the UK. Find me a picture of packaging for Pampers from either of those countries, and I can compare the size kg for kg to see if there's any difference. While I can't comment on Pampers from Australia, (not Austria,) I do know that their Huggies are quite different from those in the US, Canada, and the UK. For example, Huggies in Australia are still gender-specific, and the sizes are measured differently than in the US. Huggies also sells a diaper called "convertibles" in Australia, which are a cross between Pull-Ups and traditional diapers, and to the best of my knowledge aren't available anywhere else. Your friend's location (country or state if within the US,) would be very helpful.

3. Pampers Youth Diapers could currently be in the "test market" phase, meaning that they're only available in a select few areas right now, with P&G trying to gauge sales interest. This is certainly plausible given the study conducted roughly a year ago and the time needed to develop such a product. If this the case and Pampers Youth diapers do well, they'll probably become widely available in the near future, if they do poorly, most of us will never hear of them.

4. P&G might have just released them. March/April is generally the time of year when P&G and KCWW update their products. For example, Pampers Extra-Protection, which are essentially P&G's answer to "Huggies Overnites," were released earlier this month, but they weren't available in my area until about a week ago. Likewise, Pampers is releasing another new/redesigned diaper that they're referring to as "Pampers Cruisers Dry-Max." They've changed the "Cruisers" logo and made the diapers smaller. KCWW introduced new/redesigned Pull-Ups earlier this month, and I've started to see new/redesigned GoodNites making their way into stores, and the new Depends that were recently announced have also shown up in a couple local supermarkets. P&G and KCWW have also updated their feminine protection lines. KCWW just brought their Australian "U by Kotex" line to the US and added it to their website; I've yet to see this line in my area though. Likewise, I have a friend who works in one of the big chain drug-stores/pharmacies, and she told me that they just received a bunch of new feminine products, which she'll likely be putting on their shelves this week. These vary from new packaging designs, to different quantities of the product within the packaging, to entirely new products, and new SKUs. Oddly enough, her store hasn't received any of the new products that I've mentioned yet. If the Pampers Youth were just released, you might need to wait a month or two before they show up or are readily available.

5. Pampers Youth may currently be limited to brick and mortar medical supply stores. Sometimes chain-stores, such as supermarkets and pharmacies don't want to take a risk on a new product, even if it's from a reliable company that they do business with regularly. It should go without saying that the current state of the economy doesn't help this situation. I remember back when Pampers and Huggies introduced Size 6 diapers that many of my local supermarkets were afraid that they wouldn't sell. One independently owned and operated supermarket in my area known for niche items decided to stock them. Eventually the chain supermarkets began receiving requests for the Size 6 diapers, and decided to take a chance on them. Needless to say, they sold and continue to sell rather well. It wouldn't surprise me if Pampers Youth diapers are currently only being sold to brick and mortar medical supply stores. They're a niche item and P&G probably wants to generate some sales data to prove that they can sell before approaching a supermarket if such a product exists.

I should also note that it's not uncommon for new products to be "silently recalled" in the event that there's a problem with them. For example, when Kotex updated their product line last year, several women noted that the pads were coming apart while in use. This problem "disappeared" within a month, most likely because KCWW corrected the issue quickly and without making a public statement about it. Some people have reported that the new Pampers Cruisers Dry-Max have caused what they're calling "chemical burns" on their baby's skin. There's a good chance that P&G will likely correct this issue without ever publicly acknowledging its existence. If Pampers Youth are a new product with a similar issue, P&G might simply keep them from shelves until the problem is fixed. Silent recalls are relatively common and affect all types of products, but the ones we usually hear about are in the electronics/technology sector. Examples include the first run of the Playstation 2, toy lightsabers from Star Wars Episode I, and batteries for the Apple PowerBookG4. In the case of the latter two, safety concerns caused a formal recall to be issued as well. In the case of the lightsabers, a repair kit was available upon request, (reissues and additional runs featured a redesigned battery compartment,) and in the case of the laptop batteries, Apple replaced them free of charge, while correcting the problem on new batteries before even allowing them to be sent to stores. The reason diapers and similar products aren't usually issued formal recalls is that they've usually been used, and the problem corrected by the time a formal recall could be issued. Now if there was an immediate safety issue involved, (think of the toxic baby food from China a few years back,) a formal recall would likely be issued.

Perhaps. A lot of people do refer to diapers as pampers, just like people call tissues kleenex. Marketing is quite interesting... especially when your trademark is used to refer to all other industry competitors. Does anyone have a band-aid? lol...

You're right, and companies absolutely hate that, because they then have to protect their trademark from trademark dilution by filing what are almost frivolous lawsuits to prove that they're protecting their trademark so that they don't lose it. The term "Thermos" used to be a trademarked term for a "vacuum-bottle," which I guarantee you most people here have never even heard of before. Thermos did nothing to protect their trademark, and when others began to dilute it, the court basically said that because they didn't protect it, they had effectively lost it, which is why you can now buy a Thermos that's not made by the Thermos brand, and nobody knows what a vacuum-bottle is anymore.

Other companies that have protected their trademarks, include:

- Johnson & Johnson and Band-Aid and Tylenol trademarks

- Kimberly-Clark Worldwide and the Kleenex and Kotex trademarks

- Proctor & Gamble and the Pampers trademark

- LEGO and the LEGO trademark, right down to the all CAPS spelling

- Xerox and the Xerox trademark (I still remember the "there are two R's in Xerox campaign)

- Apple and the iPod and iMac trademarks

I guarantee you, every time a person says "Can I have a Band-Aid," "Xerox this," or "hand me a Kleenex," within earshot of an employee from one of those companies, that employee cringes, because they're listening to their trademark being trampled on. I admittedly have Band-Aid brand bandages of virtually every size in my house, and when I ask for a Band-Aid, I'm really asking for a Band-Aid made by Johnson & Johnson. I've only asked for a Kleenex when I've had Kleenex brand tissues around, and even then I rarely refer to them by their brand name. I've said that "I'll Xerox it for you," once, and that was because I was literally using a Xerox brand machine to photocopy something. I own iPods and iMacs, and I literally cringe when I hear someone refer to a cheap MP3 player as an "iPod," or any Mac in existence as an "iMac."

Finally, I should point out that it's interesting that Pampers became the name that was associated with all disposable baby diapers. The first disposable baby diapers were introduced by Johnson & Johnson in 1946 and were essentially sold as a luxury item. It was only in the late-1960s that Proctor & Gamble's Pampers brand became accessible to the general public, and only in the 1970s that Proctor & Gamble added tape to Pampers to hold them in place. Ironically, Johnson & Johnson no longer manufacturers baby diapers in the United States, (I think that they stopped in the mid-90s,) and Huggies brand diapers have now outsold Pampers brand diapers. I believe "you've come a long way, baby" would be a fitting cliche for this situation.

[Torgen]

Huggies also sells a diaper called "convertibles" in Australia, which are a cross between Pull-Ups and traditional diapers, and to the best of my knowledge aren't available anywhere else.

These are definitely available outside Australia.

[Guest]

because they then have to protect their trademark from trademark dilution by filing what are almost frivolous lawsuits to prove that they're protecting their trademark so that they don't lose it.

Are you in law school? This sounds almost verbatim out of a trademark law class lecture...

[Honu]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Pampers UnderJams. That is the only product P&G makes that is larger than Pampers Cruisers 7.

On a side note, I'm very disappointed that the best baby diapers are made in America and exported to Europe, but the best adult diapers are made in Europe and exported to America. I'm not intending to insult all the British and other Europeans on this forum but we would all benefit if P&G made adult diapers with the same technology they have developed for their new Pampers Dry Max Cruisers size 6 (not available for size 7 yet).

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

These are definitely available outside Australia.

Torgen, if you don't mind my asking, what other countries have you seen Huggies Convertibles in? They're not available in the US, I didn't see any mention of them on the Huggies UK website, nor did I see any mention of them on the Huggies Canada website. I'd be curious to know what other countries sell these, and if any others also sell the gender-specific Huggies that are sold in Australia as well. I should also point out that I'm not counting small shops that might import diapers from another country, but only diapers that are manufactured/distributed by the local branch of a diaper manufacturer.

I have to admit, I'm not sure if we'll ever see Huggies Convertibles stateside. Then again, I doubt we'll see gender-specific baby diapers here again either. Of course, Kimberly-Clark has surprised me on occasion. They just added their "U by Kotex" line of feminine products to their US website, and they're supposedly making their way into US stores. This line was previously available in Australia for at least a year. My guess is that the "U by Kotex" line was received well by Americans in studies, while Huggies Convertibles likely weren't. (I could see parents thinking that they were too much like Pull-Ups, but then again, I could be wrong.)

Are you in law school? This sounds almost verbatim out of a trademark law class lecture...

No, I'm actually not in law school, but I've had basic knowledge of copyright, patent, and trademark law since I was a young teenager if not earlier. I did have to take one law course prior to graduating college, and the professor was actually quite impressed with my knowledge of various aspects of the law. Every professor I knew, including my advisor told me that the law class would be my hardest, but it was probably one of if not the easiest classes I had taken, in part because of what I already knew regarding the subject matter. Oddly enough, I think that when we reached the subject of trademark law, my professor made a similar comment about my knowledge of the subject.