Kirkland Diapers Review: What Costco’s Diaper Is Now

AvatarBySaima Mostari

Short answer: Kirkland Signature is Costco’s own diaper, and the one in the warehouse today is probably not the diaper most reviews describe. Bloomberg reported in December 2024 that First Quality would replace Kimberly-Clark, the company behind Huggies, as the maker of Kirkland Signature diapers from January 2025. BabyGearLab, whose lab test is one of the most cited, now says its own Kirkland review “does not reflect the current product.” So any verdict written before 2025, good or bad, is about a different diaper. We have not tested either version.

Kirkland Diapers Review, What Costcos Diaper Is Now

“A warehouse-size diaper box makes me much more cautious when the product behind the familiar label has changed. With Kirkland, I would not rely on an older review or assume it still fits like the version parents bought before 2025, because the reported manufacturer change means the current diaper may have a different cut and materials. I’d rather judge the box I can buy now by how it sits at the waist and legs over the first couple of days than let an outdated “Kirkland is basically Huggies” comparison decide for me.”

What this Kirkland diapers review can and cannot tell you

Nothing on this page was tested. Kirkland Signature diapers are listed, not tested: we have not put either the older or the current version on a baby, and we are not going to borrow someone else’s verdict and present it as ours.

That shapes what you will find. You will find what has been reported about who makes the diaper and when that changed, what the most-cited test says about its own results, and a way to read any Kirkland review so you know which diaper it is about. You will not find a size table, an absorbency figure, a price or a star rating. Costco’s own Kirkland Signature diaper page returned an error to us on September 11, 2026, so we could not read the retailer’s current claims, and we will not fill that gap from a resale listing or another blog.

If you only need the practical part, skip to judging the current box yourself, further down.

What changed, according to the reporting

On December 9, 2024, The Fly summarized a Bloomberg report (read September 11, 2026) by Bloomberg’s Leslie Patton. The summary says: “First Quality will replace Kimberly-Clark as the new diaper manufacturer for the retail giant, with the official change set to occur next month.” It gives the reason as Kimberly-Clark shifting “away from store brands in an effort to bolster profitability,” and says the report cited people familiar with the decision.

Three things are worth being precise about.

  1. This is reporting, not a statement from either company. The report attributes it to people familiar with the decision.
  2. First Quality’s own website (read September 11, 2026) describes the company as a manufacturer of baby diapers and of “retail store brands,” and lists Cuties among its own brands. It does not mention Costco or Kirkland on its homepage or its newsroom.
  3. Costco’s product page could not be read on the same date, so we cannot tell you what the current Kirkland box itself says about its maker.

So the fair summary is this: a major outlet reported the switch, the most-cited tester says the diaper changed, and no page we could read from either company contradicts it.

Why most Kirkland reviews are now out of date

The single most useful fact about a Kirkland review is its date.

BabyGearLab’s Kirkland Signature review (read September 11, 2026) is dated June 2, 2023. The site has since added a note saying: “We understand Kirkland changed the manufacturer and composition of their disposable diapers at some point in 2024. It is no longer a diaper we’d recommend to a friend.” It also says its results cover “the previous version of the diaper” and that its review “does not reflect the current product, and is invalid.”

That is an unusually candid thing for a tester to publish, and it cuts both ways. It means the strong 2023 scores you may have seen quoted belong to the older diaper. It also means the site’s new, negative view is not backed by a published test of the current one, and the note does not claim to have run one. Neither the old praise nor the new warning is a measurement of the diaper you would buy today.

The same problem runs through the rest of the search results. The idea that “Kimberly-Clark makes both Kirkland and Huggies” was widely repeated for years, and many pages still carry it. Some of those pages show a recent “updated” label while their product history stops years earlier. A claim can be true when written and stale by the time you read it.

How to tell which Kirkland diaper a review is about

Before you trust any Kirkland review, including a video or a friend’s post, run it through this table.

What the review shows What it most likely describes
Written or tested before 2025 The earlier diaper, from the period when Kimberly-Clark was reported as the maker
States that Kimberly-Clark or “the Huggies company” makes it The earlier diaper, or a writer repeating an older claim
Updated date is recent, but the product details and photos are old Treat as the earlier diaper until the review says what changed
Says it tested diapers bought in 2025 or later, and shows the box The current diaper, and the only kind of review that can tell you about it
Compares it to Huggies as “the same diaper in a cheaper box” A pre-change comparison; the reported switch makes this premise out of date

The last row matters because it is still the most common reason parents look Kirkland up. If the reporting is right, that shortcut no longer holds, and the current diaper has to be judged on its own.

What Kirkland diapers are not

Not Huggies. Kirkland Signature is Costco’s label. Even when Kimberly-Clark was reported as its maker, it was sold as a separate diaper under a separate name. According to the December 2024 reporting, it is no longer made by the Huggies company at all.

Not a tested product on this site. We say “listed, not tested” and mean it. Any page that ranks the current Kirkland diaper should be able to tell you when it bought the diapers and how it tested them.

Not something a label word settles. If you see “hypoallergenic” on any diaper box, including this one, it is worth knowing that the FDA’s page on hypoallergenic cosmetics (read September 11, 2026) states: “There are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term ‘hypoallergenic.'” That page is written about cosmetics, and we did not find a separate US definition for diapers.

Not a health product. No diaper, from Costco or anyone else, is a treatment for a skin condition, and nothing on this page suggests otherwise.

Judging the current box yourself

Because nobody we could find has published a dated test of the current Kirkland diaper, the most reliable review is the one you run at home over a couple of days. The catch is the box. Costco sells diapers in large counts, which is the point of buying there, and it also means you commit to a cut you have not yet seen on your baby.

A few things make that less of a gamble.

  • Think in weeks, not boxes. Babies move through sizes on their own schedule, and a very large box of one size can outlast the fit. How many you are likely to use at each stage is worked through in how many diapers of each size you actually need.
  • Expect the fit to feel different from the old Kirkland. A new maker can mean a new cut at the same size number, the same way two brands with identical weight bands can fit differently. The diaper size chart by weight and brand explains why the number on the box is only a starting point.
  • Check the fit, not the count, after two days. Red marks at the waist or thighs, tabs that barely meet, and a waistband riding low are the signals. The four signs a diaper is too small walks through each one.
  • If your baby has solid thighs, look at the leg first. Leg-cuff leaks on a new diaper are usually about cut rather than capacity, and fit for chunky thighs versus skinny babies covers what to try before you give up on a box.

If the current diaper fits and holds for your baby, that is a better answer than any review can give you. If it does not, the reported change is a reasonable explanation for why a diaper you liked before now behaves differently.

If your baby’s skin reacts after the switch

A change of maker can mean a change of materials, and some parents notice skin changes when they change diapers. Here the American Academy of Pediatrics, not a diaper box, is the source to read.

On its HealthyChildren.org page about diaper rash (read September 11, 2026), the AAP says: “Occasionally, babies with sensitive skin may have an allergic reaction to a specific ingredient in diapers, wipes and/or creams. Common allergens include dyes or elastics in the diaper, and fragrances or preservatives in diaper wipes or creams.” It adds: “Switching brands or types of products for a 2-week period can sometimes help sort this out.”

The same page lists when to call your child’s doctor: a rash that is not improving after two to three days of treatment, a rash with pimples, peeling, blisters or oozing sores, a bright pink or red rash in a baby taking antibiotics, a rash that is especially painful, or a fever along with the rash. If any of those apply, this is a question for your pediatrician, not a question about which box to buy next.

FAQ

Who makes Kirkland diapers now?
Bloomberg reported in December 2024 that First Quality would replace Kimberly-Clark as the maker of Kirkland Signature diapers, with the change set for January 2025. That is reporting that cites people familiar with the decision. Neither company’s pages that we could read on September 11, 2026 confirmed or denied it.

Are Kirkland diapers the same as Huggies?
No. Kirkland Signature has always been Costco’s own label, sold as a separate diaper. For years it was reported to be made by Kimberly-Clark, which also makes Huggies. According to the December 2024 reporting, that is no longer the case.

Did Kirkland diapers change?
BabyGearLab says so. Its note, read on September 11, 2026, states that Kirkland “changed the manufacturer and composition of their disposable diapers at some point in 2024,” and that its earlier review “does not reflect the current product.”

Are older Kirkland reviews still useful?
Only as history. A review written or tested before 2025 describes the earlier diaper. The reviews worth weighting are the ones that say when the diapers were bought and show the current box.

Last checked

Every source on this page was read on September 11, 2026. Costco’s product page could not be read that day, so this page publishes no Kirkland specifications. It will be re-checked at least quarterly, and sooner if Costco’s page becomes readable or either company publicly confirms who makes the diaper.

Author Profile

Saima Mostari
Saima Mostari
Saima Mostari is the founder and author of BelovedTots. She has raised two young children, Pona and Ruku, and spent years working in child development at Neurosparks, a therapy center that provides Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and ABA Therapy for children with developmental needs.

It was there, watching long therapy sessions get interrupted by leaking, ill-fitting diapers, that she began researching which products actually perform under real-world conditions, not just on the packaging.

She holds a Master's in Psychology and Guidance from the University of Dhaka, and brings a behavioral observation lens to every product she reviews. When she's not testing diapers or writing guides, she's probably negotiating bedtime with a 4-year-old.