Jul
14
Filed Under Dear SafeMama, Product Reviews
Dear SafeMama,
How safe are the new Earth’s Best diapers/ new Huggies Pure and Natural diapers?
We get these two questions a lot. I’m pretty much a devout Seventh Generation user when I do use disposables, because they work well for us (and lately, with a newborn, I’ve been using them more, just because getting around to doing more laundry isn’t really happening at this point). As a sidenote, a SafeMama reader wrote in about Seventh Generation going back to using SLS’s in their products. I just want to clarify, that this is only in cleaning products, not diapers.
Anyway, in the interest of research, I thought I would buy a package of both, and put them to the test.
Earth’s Best Chlorine Free Diapers: Truthfully, I was forced to pick these up, becuase the store didn’t have my son’s size in stock. I had read that they were softer than Seventh Generation’s diapers, and that’s probably my only beef with chlorine free diapers, is that they’re not as soft as your standard Pampers and the like. The diapers themselves work pretty well. They’re also very generously sized, to the point of running on the larger size. I have dubbed these the “granny panties” of the diaper world, because they are so large that they go halfway up my son’s back. The other thing that I don’t like, is the giant Earth’s Best label across the front. I’m not one for silly characters, or even a label, plain diapers suffice just fine, but overall, it’s not a huge deal breaker. They work well, and they’re the same price as the other diapers in the same class. Overall, great safer disposable alternative.
Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers: We get a lot of questions about these diapers, and I hate to have to be the one to be the bearer of bad news, but these are not really a natural alternative, but more Huggies greenwashing the public to make them believe. Basically, the outer part of the diaper is made with organic cotton, which is great, but the rest of the diaper is no different than a conventional disposable. They’re bleached with dioxins, and as for the organic cotton outer, there’s no law that mandates exactly how much the product has to be organic in order to label it as such. So the diaper could be made from 100% organic materials, or 10% organic materials. I picked up the newborn size for my daughter in the interest of seeing what the hype was all about, and also because they had a cord cut out (something Seventh Generation doesn’t have). However, greenwashing aside, I found the diaper to be sub par and 99% of the time it leaked. SafeMama gives this diaper a thumbs down.
So what are our top picks for disposables? Seventh Generation, Nature Babycare, Earth’s Best and Tushies. There’s also the little g hybrid diaper, which could be considered disposable, however, they’re a more expensive option.
Related articles:
- SafeMama Review: Nature’s Babycare diapers
- Weekly Link Roundup: New Resources and Fun Stuff
- Renaming safe mama: The Hippie Blog.
Comments
3 Responses to “Dear SafeMama: Disposables edition”
Giveaways on Mommy Likes
Win some Episencial Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath from SproutBaby.com! Ends March 19th!
Win a Boon Squirt Baby Food Feeder from Boon, Inc! Ends March 12th (extended!)
Giveaways on LovelyMama
Win Aloe Cadabra Lube from LovelyMama! Ends March 14th!
Latest CPSC Recalls and Product Safety News
- Infant Deaths Prompt CPSC Warning About Sling Carriers for Babies
- Noncontact Electrical Tester Recalled by Fluke Due to Shock or Burn Hazard
- CPSC Issues Warning on Children's Winter and Holiday-Themed Charm Bracelets with High Levels of Cadmium
- Coil Nailers Recalled by Hitachi Koki Due to Serious Injury Hazard
- Byer California Recalls Girl's Jackets with Drawstrings Due to Strangulation Hazard
Latest FDA Recalls
- McCormick Recall Due to Possible Health Risk from HVP Ingredient Expands to Include Additional "Best By" Dates
- Austinuts Of Dallas, Inc. Announces Voluntary Recall of Honey Mustard Pretzels
- Orval Kent Food Company, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Culinary Circle Dips Due to Possible Health Risk
Latest Recalls in Canada
- Enameled Steel Tea Kettle recalled over loose handle
- Big Rex kids book includes plastic dot with high lead levels
- Super Clean Degreaser recalled over packaging
Safer States Action Alerts
- BPA update: Wisconsin, Maryland, Washington
- The Toxies names the bad actors of toxics
- Focus on New York State
Visit Our Friends
Popular Topics
** Cheat Sheets! allergies Articles bath products Bisphenol-A bottles bpa BPA-Free car seats cheat sheet cleaning products coupons CPSC Dear SafeMama eco-friendly Eco-Mama EWG FAQ FDA giveaway Giveaways Coupons green Green Mama lead links paraben free phthalate free phthalates free Phthalates Info polypropylene Product Reviews Product Safety PVC PVC Free recalls shopping sippy cups Skin Care teethers tips toy recalls toys Toy Safety utensils winRecent Articles
- Sunday Morning DIY: Lavender & Sweet Orange Hand Soap
- Fisher-Price and Mattel Settlement
- Batter Blaster Organic Pancake Batter: BPA in Packaging?
- Found: Stainless Steel Popsicle Molds (Giveaway!)
- SafeMama Likes to Give you Stuff: Mommy Likes
Popular Articles
- BPA Free Bottle and Sippy Cup Cheat Sheet
- BPA Free Pacifiers and Teethers Cheat Sheet
- Cheat Sheet: Paraben and Phthalate Free Baby Products
- Baby Skin Care Products: A Quick Users Guide
- Gerber Baby Food and Number 7 Plastics
- SafeMama's Safer Dishware Cheat Sheet: BPA, PVC & Phthalate Free Dishes
- Avent Launching BPA Free Bottle Summer of 08
- SafeMama's Safer Sunscreen Showdown!
- SafeMama: Wipes Review
- Baby Cubes: BPA Free & Phthalate Free Food Storage for Baby
Fellow Safe Mama's
Grab Our Badge!
SafeMama Elsewhere
SafeMama MySpace!
Join our Facebook Group
Follow Us on Twitter
We Squidoo
I am a huge fan of the Nature Babycare diapers. They are compostable (the #1 diapers, that is), so you are not actually creating as much waste as other disposables. They fit well, they don’t leak and they aren’t crazy expensive.
Tushies are the only disposable brand we suggest. Of course, we generally suggest cloth diapers – just as easy to use, easy to wash and WAY more fun than disposables!
We generally suggest cloth as well. But we also realize that cloth is definitely not for everyone. I love cloth, but I know a lot of people who find it more of a hassle or just can’t make it work into their lifestyle.