The Best and Worst of Natural Diapers

As should probably be expected with my history of loving to test natural products, when our bundle of joy came into the picture, I was more than thrilled to explore all the naturals available in baby products. Our family has been using Seventh Generation since the day baby girl was born, and have been really pleased with the product. Substantially absorbent, FSC Certified (meaning it only uses ingredients that are sourced from forests that put more trees back into the environment than they take away), and they have cute little woodland animals printed on the outside. What is not to love? We decided on the brand after looking at a report done by Baby Gear Lab. Though they didn'the get an outstanding review from them, I also had a friend who is also into things that are "green" recommend them to me. She said that since she switched to Seventh Generation with her last daughter, she had not had to fight with diaper rash even once. Now that's something I'm into. 

However, when my Aunt asked me if I'd be interested in trying a Sample pack of natural diapers on from Amazon.com, I  leaped at the opportunity. I knew there were more options for natural diaperselection out there, but with my limited exposure, I really hadn'the had the opportunity to try anything else. So of course I said "YES!"
And not only did I sample the diapers, I decided to hold a little science experiment and post the findings for my other Green friends.

The diapers we tested were: Seventh Generation, Earth's Best, Babyganics, Andy Pandy, Bambo Nature, and Naty.

Here's the basics of our search for the best natural diaper:
- The sample pack came with three of each diaper. So we had Baby Girl wear one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one through the night.

And these were the categories we used to judge which diaper was the best:

1. Cute Factor: Although not a super important quality, a diaper will appeal to me a lot more if they have some sort of cute print, rather than being just white. 

2. Absorbency and Leak Protection: Environmental Friendliness is great, but if it doesn'the actually do its job, it'seems just not a good diaper.

3. Environmental Friendliness: I scoured the websites to find ingredients and certifications that would make each diaper low impact on the environment.

4. Availability: Yes, a diaper may be great, but if the only way I can get it is by ordering it from Sweden, it's probably just not practical.

5. Price per diaper: In general, young families are on a budget, so honestly, it'seems a little hard for me to rationalize paying more than 25 cents/diaper. Therefore, I'm really not going to pay $1/ diaper.

Ingredients: This was more surfing the websites and learning about what is actually in the diapers or not in the diapers.

Feel: Finally, what is the texture of the diaper. Soft? Coarse? My baby girl's little butto is going to be sitting in this, so I rather have her be comfortable. 

And these were the results:

Seventh Generation 

These diapers are adorable and covered with woodland animals. The didn'the used to be, and the Amazon subscriptions haven't caught up yet, but if you are shopping at Target, they have all the prints. Also, these are FSC Certified (which I mentioned earlier, but if you follow the link you can learn more about what that means). Baby Gear lab says that "They're not that eco-friendly," and in comparison to what the other brands offer, not they're not the most eco-friendly. However, after reading the FSC guidelines and looking at the price of 23 cents/diaper, I'd say they're a good bargain for the product. They're unbleached, and don't use fragrances or lotion, making them super for sensitive behinds. Also, they work! Also long as they're positioned correctly on the baby's behind, their is great leak protection and terrific absorbency. They even work overnight. I'd say this is a great bang-for-your-buck option.

Earth's Best

These diapers, although not the cutest option, work wonders. With being only 26 cents/per diaper, I was surprised with how well they worked.  They are super soft and super absorbent. These are also a brand that is available at Target, but, again the cuteness factor had swayed me in the past. Still, these provedette to be an excellent choice. They are chlorine free, latex free, dye and perfume free, breathable, and have a moisture barrier. Plus, these diapers are unique, because, unlike the other brands, they are made with corn and wheat , not trees. This means they are more eco-friendly, because they use an annually renewable resource, not a renewable resource that will take hundreds of years to fully renew itself. In addition, after doing some digging around the Internet, I learned that Earth's Best is owned by a parent organization called Hain Celestials. Hain Celestials is also a parent to notable brands like Alba Botanically, Avalon Organics, and Jasons. This kind of puts the organization in the "Big Business" sector, which I'mentioned normally not a fan of, but in this case, the organization provides accountability for the organizations it parents to be Green. It ensures that processing, transportaction, and packaging of all products is done in the most sustainable way possible. I will say this is definitely another great bargain brand for the Green-seekers on a budget. It'seems available at Amazon, Target, and Walmart claims to carry the brand on their website. However, I have never seen it in the store. 

Babyganics

I really wanted to love this brand, and when I say really, I mean really wanted to. It'seems super-duper cute, with brightly colored jungle animal print. It's widely available on Amazon, at Target, and at Toys R Us. 49 cents/diaper makes it a little more expensive than the ones that were just discussed, but that should mean that is all the more to love, right? Wrong! This brand is free of chlorine, latex, and petroleum-based lotions or fragrances. However, there product information on the website leads to wondwrite what is actually in their products. They seem very proud of using a 100% Natural Neonourish Seed Oil, but have no information on what that really is, or what seeds are used. This information could be useful when trying to avoid potential allergens. Also, there is no mention on their website of any certifications. Certifications are something most "Green" products love to brag about, because it shows they have accountability for what they are claiming is green. With out the certification,  it's hard to know if the product really is green or just trying to brand itself to make a bigger buck. The one thing this diaper did have going for it was a wetness indicator, a line down the front that fades when wet. However, they really could have gone without this, as they are tragically unabsorbent. It's kind of an issue when your diapers blow-out at the Mall of America. They also leaked while we were at home, no blow-out. 

Andy Pandy

Do not buy these diapers. Again, I repeat, do NOT buy these diapers. Again, a brand that I really wanted to love, because they are made from bamboo (which is so cool). Their website that bamboo renews itself fast, has no need for fertilizers or pesticides (so naturally organic), hypoallergenic, and antibacterial. This diaper was super soft, almost cloth like, and had a wetness seal indicator. However, this is yet anot her brand that definitely did not need a wetness indicator. The pee literally soaked right through. Yes, I mean soaked, not leaked, soaked. The outside of the diaper was wet. It may be because they are 100% biodegradable, but when this was the result in all three diapers, I think the product needs to be altered a bit. I think my expectations were set to high for brand that is 53 cents per diaper and only available at Amazon. They offer a free sample on their website, but honestly, I wouldn't bother unless you'really really curious and like to make your own mistakes. 

Bambo Nature

These were by far my favorite. They have cute jungle animals on the waistband. They are super soft and feel almost like cloth. They also were super absorbent, this was by far the most absorbent. Best of all, they are free of all toxins and have multiple certifications, including the United Nations Global Compact Certification and the Nordic Swan Eco Label. They are made from wood pulp from forests that us sustainable practice. They are even available through Amazon, Toys R Us, and Sears. The one drawback is they are 40 cents per diaper. If you are on a budget these may not be a great fit.

Naty

Finally we have Naty. If Ikea sold diapers these would be it, which make sense, because they are manufactured in Sweden. They even call them Nappies (haha). They are all white with simple,blue suns printed on the diaper. Very Ikea-esky. They also are super absorbent (stopped a blow-out while out at a festival) and their softness was comparable to that of Seventh Generation. In addition, they are free of chlorine, fragrance, latex, and TBT. They are also hypoallergenic.  Plus they are certified by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association, FSC Certified, and Certified Compostable. These are a greaton, moderately priced diaper, at 34 cents. However, it would seem they are only available at Amazon, though I did spot them at a Marshall's once. If you are so intrigued though, they do offer a free sample on their website. 

Summary

The best of the best was definitely Bambo Nature. If these were cheaper, I would snag them up in a heartbeat. However, if you're on a budget, the best options are probably Earth's Best or Seventh Generation. The big difference in the two is Seventh Generation is so cute with their woodland animals print, but Earth's Best has a more plushy feel, so it depends what you value. However, I would steer clear of Babyganics and run (yes, run far away) from Andy Pandy, unless you want more problems than just a dirty diaper. Hope you find this helpful, and as always, please share your opinions of your green diaper experience.