When I began my hunt for a good cloth diaper, I spent months researching which brand I was going to buy. I read reviews, I watch videos, I spoke to other moms about their experience and I embraced diversifying my cloth stash with other great brands.
Why should disposables be any different?
One reason may be because the amount of money you place in cloth is usually a large sum up-front when compared to disposables which you pay for over a period of time.
Recently, we’ve switched from cloth to disposables. This is due for a few reasons, one being the care center my daughter (2 yrs old) attends does not support cloth diaper use past the age of 18 months.
I started buying Huggies Pure and Natural because I thought, based on the packaging, they were a good, natural choice.
It wasn’t until I did a bit of research and reading that I found out I was very much amiss in my original assessment.
The rankings below are sourced from online reviews and the enormous amount of information the good people at Baby Gear Lab gathered - who do a great job at testing all types of baby products (I was not paid for any of these reviews).
There are pros and cons to every diaper choice (cloth or disposable) and I encourage every parent to make the best diapering decision for their family.
(SAP is mentioned below in the absorbency category. SAP is sodium polyacrylate and is one reason that disposable diapers are able to be so thin, effective and so absorbent. SAP is understood to be non-toxic (click here for the MSDS) however, if exposed to baby’s skin it can dry the skin out and cause sensitivity which leads some parents to look for diapers with a lower SAP content.)
The Bad, the Good and the Best of your natural diaper choices:
The Bad
Broody Chick Eco-Natural Diapers
Price: $0.55
Overall Score 48 out of 100
Absorbency 2 (contains SAP w wood pulp fiber)
Fit/Leakage 5
Comfort 7
Eco/Health 8
Origin Canada
Biodegradable 100% (compostable too!)
Broody Chick diapers are very eco friendly and boost compostablily too, however these lack performance (and that’s putting it very nicely) in absorption and construction (ex. leg elastic tears easily).
Bottom Line: I’m not going to waste any more of your time with this option – Broody Chick diapers are expensive and horrendously terrible.
Seventh Generation Free & Clear
Price: $0.32
Overall Score 55 out of 100
Absorbency 2 (contains SAP)
Fit/Leakage 8
Comfort 8
Eco/Health 5
Origin USA
Biodegradable No
If you ask a for a natural disposable diaper option, you’ll most likely have someone mention Seventh Generation.
These diapers are no doubt eco/health friendly, boosting chorine free/hypoallergenic/Perfume free/ latex free. The Seventh Generation diaper is slightly brown in color which may give the buyer the impression that it is more natural – unfortunately, the diapers are dyed that tan color during the manufacturing process.
Bottom Line: This brand may be the best known eco-friendly diapers on the market. However, absorbency is ranked middle-of-the-road compared to its other natural competitors. On top of that, it ranked the worst on Baby Gear’s overall performance rankings of natural diaper options.
I guess this goes to prove the power of brand marketing (and couponing) on consumer popularity. Lesson learned. Better to choose something else.
Huggies Pure & Natural
Price: $0.34
Overall Score 62 out of 100
Absorbency 6 (contains SAP)
Fit/Leakage 7
Comfort 7
Eco/Health 4
Origin USA
Biodegradable No
These are the only diaper on the list that is not Chlorine-Free and, in all honesty, should not even be on this list.
If you rely on judging a book by its cover, the name of these diapers is quite deceiving. Huggies Pure & Natural diapers are not eco/health friendly in the slightest.
I take this personally because I used to buy these diapers before I started this research.
Sure, the product is marketed as seemingly natural with “organic cotton” featured on the packaging materials, but the actual material is not.
Bottom Line: This diaper is relatively expensive to similarly performing diapers and it is NOT very natural. If you looking for an eco and hypoallergenic diaper there are much better options that offer better performance at a lower cost!
The Good
The Honest Company Diapers
Price: $0.55
Overall Score 68 out of 100
Absorbency 6 (wheat/corn blend w SAP)
Fit/Leakage 7
Comfort 7
Eco/Health 8
Origin USA Mexico
Biodegradable inner & outer sheet; plant based PLA
Honest Co Diapers offers unique and super cute prints, I mean SERIOUSLY cute, however absorbency was ranked a bit lower compared to other natural diapers that aren’t as hard on the pockets.
It’s not an accident you haven’t seen these in your local supermarket travels, these diapers are not available in retail outlets and have to be purchased online which could be considered a drawback – and just to mention again, they are expensive.
Bottom Line: The Honest Company’s mission is one I share and the diaper does rank pretty high on fit/leakage – not mention the marvelously cute designs available - however, absorbency ranks are dismal and that is one of the main pillars of a good diaper. If you have money to blow and you value cuteness over utility, I would suggest these.
Nurtured by Nature
Price: $0.27
Overall Score 77 out of 100
Absorbency 8 (contains SAP)
Fit/Leakage 8
Comfort 8
Eco/Health 6
Origin USA
Biodegradable Not specified
Nurtured by Nature is an okay naturally manufactured diaper. It’s environmentally friendly, chlorine-free and is hypoallergenic. With an average absorbency rating you can get a better diaper for less cost if you choose Earth’s Best (or if you have the money, opt for BAMBO).
Bottom line: Nurtured by Nature is not a good choice; it’s an average option for a natural disposable diaper. There are better and cheaper options though.
Nature Babycare
Price: $0.35
Overall Score 77 out of 100
Absorbency 8 (SAP w natural material PLA)
Fit/Leakage 8
Comfort 7
Eco/Health 7
Origin Sweden Turkey
Biodegradable Partially
Fragrance free, chlorine free, breathable, biodegradable, natural & renewable material, Nature BabyCare is closely comparable to Earth’s Best- yet just slightly more expensive.
This diaper was reviewed as being soft on the inside with a good fit, but the outer layer is more stiff than comparable diapers.
Bottom Line: With the absorbency layer incorporating more natural material in combination with SAP, this diaper still has high scores in absorbency. Nature Babycare is constructed well and performs pretty good – if you choose this diaper then you’ve made a good choice.
The Best
Earth’s Best TendeCare Chlorine Free Diapers
Price: $0.30
Overall Score 86 out of 100
Absorbency 9 (SAP w corn/wheat mixture)
Fit/Leakage 9
Comfort 9
Eco/Health 6
Origin USA
Biodegradable No
Earth’s Best diaper was the winner of the BabyGearLab Editors’ Choice award.
True, this diaper is priced slighter higher then conventional name-brands (like Pampers) but it offers the benefits of being a more natural disposable choice – however, it is the cheapest among the top 3 natural diaper choices.
Bottom Line: The absorbance (which is partially made of more natural materials of corn and wheat), fit and price are all there in this choice which explains why so many moms recommended this brand to me when I asked for personal feedback.
Attitude
Price: $0.45
Overall Score 88 out of 100
Absorbency 10
Fit/Leakage 8
Comfort 9
Eco/Health 7
Origin Canada
Biodegradable Partially - Inner shell & padding
Attitude diapers have the same high rank in absorbency as the 1# contender, Bambo Diapers. These diapers are made with high quality construction (with environment and health as top priorities by the company based in Montreal
The fit on this diaper may run a bit big – so if you have a bigger baby, then this might be the ideal choice for you (as long as you have deep pockets too!).
Bottom Line: This diaper is an awesome natural choice, if it weren’t for the just slighter higher price tag, it probably would have been ranked number one.
BAMBO Nature
Price: $0.44 ($0.36 each in 168-pack)
Overall Score 91 out of 100
Absorbency 10 (less SAP w added wheat starch)
Fit/Leakage 9
Comfort 9
Eco/Health 7
Origin Denmark
Biodegradable 80% Biodegardable
This diaper won the Top Pick Award for Best Green Diaper at Baby Gear Lab and was also the highest scoring diaper overall (out performing popular name-brand diapers like Pampers and Huggies).
Also worth noting, BAMBO Nature scored highest in absorbency testing and claims to use less SAP by adding wheat starch absorber.
Another plus - The wood pulp in the absorptive layer is from sustainable forestry.
This diaper does run a bit larger than other brands, but it made of flexible cloth-like materials so it fits well with minimal effort.
Bottom line: Although more expensive than most diapers on the market, it is worth the price (whether you want natural or not!) and highly recommended. Also speaking loudly for the brand, Bambo is a partner of Healthy Child, Healthy World which is one of the world’s leading advocates of educating and helping families learn about living a non-toxic lifestyle!
Thanks for this. We had to switch to disposables for my 3rd son for various reasons (one being that he is our 3rd kid in 4 years). I've been looking for a good, natural diaper. I've been using Earth's Best sometimes, but sometimes not even those. :(
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion honest diaper are best suit for every baby. These diapers doesn't contain any harmful chemicals and make free from rashes.
ReplyDeleteDiapers from The Honest Company are really much better than they rank in this review... I've tried almost every "overnight" disposable on the market and not a single one holds a candle to the way Honest diapers perform. And the wipes from that company are simply the best quality!
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to read your articles it’s very useful for me,
ReplyDeleteand I am completely satisfied with your website.
All comments and articles are very useful and very good.
Your blog is very attention-grabbing. I am loving all of the in.
turn you are sharing with each one!….
I've learned through MUCH trial and error that different brands fit differently, depending on your little one's shape.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this! I needed it!
ReplyDeletePregnant with my 12th baby, you would think I knew everything about diapers by now, but I don't! LOL! My 11th baby has super sensitive skin and my cloth diapers make her break out. I have even tried new cloth diapers! I have been using Pampers Cruisers but just do not feel great putting those on her with the chemicals! Luvs and all the others gave her chemical burns!!!!!!!!! What???? So surely, the same chemicals are in the pampers so how are they working????
Sorry, long winded. I am a crunchy mama, I just found your blog, I love it!!!!!! Your posts are very well written and informative! Thanks.
Oh, I found your blog through pinterest, I think it was your diaper ointment post....I've read so much I can't remember now.
I noticed on the Absorbency section of the Attitude diapers you don't reference SAP like all the others. Is this because Attitude diapers contain NO SAP? Our last baby we used Tushies Diapers as they were gel free but now they are discontinued and we are expecting our second child. Looking for SAP free diapers. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to have stumbled across this. I am pregnant with my fifth baby and debated cloth vs. natural disposables. For me, time is money, so I appreciate an in-depth look at my options. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you came across Babyganics in your research? I recently saw them in Babies R Us and wanted to know more about them (more than what they say about themselves on their website).
ReplyDeleteVery nice review! But I do not have idea about using natural disposable diaper brands because I never used these brands for my baby. My friend uses disposable diapers for her little daughter and she is happy with its results as she was saying to me.
ReplyDeleteDo you have links to which site you got these prices?
ReplyDeletevery helpful review.
ReplyDelete