Before my daughter was born, I looked into different diaper options. I started at the top of the eco-friendly choices and considered cloth diapers. I live in an apartment, though, with a washer and dryer four flights down so washing them would have really been time consuming and back breaking. I also didn’t think my neighbors would appreciate using the machines after I did. I could have used a diaper service but that wasn’t something I wanted to do.
I checked out gdiapers, but I didn’t feel they were an option for me. Again, living in an apartment building, I just didn’t trust the plumbing – would I cause a flood if the diaper didn’t break up enough in the toilet? I understand that flushing them is not the only option – you can just throw out the inserts but they’re also more expensive than other eco-friendly disposables so I passed on them.
I ended up using Seventh Generation’s disposable diapers. I have been very pleased with them so far in that they’re chlorine-free and contain no latex, fragrance, or TBT (tributyl tin), they fit well and there haven’t been any problems with leaks. The big problem I have with them, though, is that I had always thought they were biodegradable they actually aren’t. I also wanted to find a diaper without gel inside.
So, it was back to the drawing board to find something “greener”. That’s when I came across Nature Babycare diapers that I was able to purchase through Diapers.com (I’ve heard that some Target stores have them as well).
Product features:
- Award Winning Premium Performance eco-friendly disposable diaper
- Awarded the Eco Label “Good Environmental Choice” of Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC)
- NO oil-based plastics against baby’s skin
- Kinder and more gentle to your baby and the environment
- Breathable and chlorine-free with natural based material, for natural protection
- Ultra-thin construction gives a non-bulky fit, enabling your baby to move around freely
- Consumer packaging is based on 100% natural renewable material. No oil-based plastics!
- Winner of the 06-07 Silver Award for “Best Disposable Diaper,” featured in Mother & Baby Magazine, a leading UK baby magazine
Features and Benefits of Nature babycare:
-Chlorine-free absorbent materials – does not contribute to dioxin pollution
-100 % natural based back sheet – NO plastic – reduce the greenhouse effect
-100 % natural distribution layer – NO plastic – reduce the greenhouse effect
-100 % compostable consumer packaging – NO plastic – reduce the greenhouse effect
-No latex, fragrance, or TBT (tributyl tin)
I was very pleased to read the above facts about these diapers but after using them, I do have some issues with them. First, they seem narrow and long. My daughter is long and lean and I still have difficulty getting the sides to tape down well so she won’t get irritated by the tabs. These tabs also don’t stick down very well to the paper-like material that the diaper is made of. They also need to be changed more often than the Seventh Generation diapers. I found this out the hard way. Yes, we had a leak the other night.
Because I’m trying to be greener, I’m going to continue to use the more biodegradable (the tabs and elastic around the legs and waist of these diapers are not biodegradable) Nature Babycare diapers during the day and will use the Seventh Generation diapers at night. This is at least a step in the right (or rather, better) direction.
I think it’s important to note for anyone interested in going from Seventh Generation to Nature Babycare that the Nature Babycare (at least size 2) runs a bit smaller than the equivalent in Seventh Generation.
If you have used either one of these diapers or have tried an eco-friendly alternative, please let us all know by commenting. Suggestions are appreciated and we can learn from each other’s experience and research.
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I just want to tell everyone how great these diapers are!!! I would shout it on top of a building. After using gdiapers for 3 months and dealing with leaking problems and my son figuring out how to take them off at 20 months, we desided we needed to change. I love that I can get these diapers at my local Target. I didn’t think they these would hold up over night with my son since he wore night diapers in the past to keep leaks under control. I tested one out and to my suprise No leaks! This was fantastic!!! I will be using these diapers on my son until he is potty trained and will use them with my second on the way. I HIGHLY reccommend these diapers to everyone. They are all natural and biodegradable which is a big seller for me since it takes 500 years to biodegrade just ONE disposbale diaper. Enjoy!!!
Hmmm. I’m adjusting to doing cloth (not 100% of the time though) and haven’t heard of Nature Baby Care. I’m not near a Target though. Great review and comparison. Thanks for the information.
I have used these nappies for my step-daughter and have never had a problem with leaks & such, but then our local Ethical Wholefood store stopped selling them and started to stock Moltex Oko nappies as they are more eco-friendly. See http://www.ecodirect.com.au/eco-nappy.htm for a better explanation! Love your posts – keep up the good work
Oh – they also do a “Huggies pull-ups” equivalent for potty training too! WOOHOO for Moltex!
I live in a small city in Canada and eco-friendly diapers are hard to find…and for the right price. I also started with gdiapers but found that they were a lot of work for a newborn…but now that my daughter is 7 months I am considering going back to them (not sure yet though). In the meantime we switched to Seventh Generations and are pretty happy with them, except that we have to cross the border to get them or pay $20/pack here in a specialty eco-store. Like the original post, at first I thought they were biodegradable after realizing that they weren’t, I figured they were better than the other brands.
I would like to try the Natures Babycare or Moltex Oko but am not sure where to purchase them. Diapers.com doesn’t do international orders, I haven’t seen them in the Targets in Michigan or the Wholefoods (I’ll keep looking though).
I know that the gdiapers inserts compost well, but do the moltex Oko or Natures Babycare diapers?
Abby,
I wrote to Nature Babycare Diapers about your question and here is their response:
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your e-mail concerning our nappies.
In common with all other disposable nappies, Nature Babycare is unsuitable for home composting, and you should not attempt this. Whilst our nappies consist of up to 60% renewable raw materials, they are not 100% bio-degradable at this time.
These renewable raw materials come from sustainably managed agricultural & forestry operations. During the growth phase of these pre-cursor plants, Co2 is of course absorbed from the atmosphere. Additionally by using these naturally based materials in preference to more commonly used oil based equivalents we are reducing the amount of fossil based resource in each of our nappies. By using Nature Babycare compared to other disposable nappies you are actively helping to reduce the green house effect.
However the best way to dispose of them is still to put them in our nappy bags and into the normal household waste bin.
If you have any more enquiries please do not hesitate to contact us.
Customer contact Naty Ab
thank you for all this great information
I think it’s a very good idea to use the best of both products for day and night. I’ll definitely check out the eco-friendly diapers you’ve mentioned here and see how it goes.
Your blog has inspired me to become more green too!
I mostly use g-diapers (LOVE THEM!) but I occasionally throw on a ’sposie for traveling or trips to the store. I second the ‘run a little small’ issue. I ordered a pack in size 2 and could barely close them. I had leak issues but I have leak issues with all diapers at some point. I didn’t like that you couldn’t close them on themselves to toss them, which is the main reason I use ’sposies at all. I abandoned these diapers and went back to Seventh Gen. Side note: I used Pampers for a week while traveling when we ran out and couldn’t find anything else locally… my son developed a small blister on his penis that quickly went away after switching back to g’s. Not sure if the pampers actually caused it or it was just a coincidence but it made me never want to buy another traditional diaper again.
My son is now 2 1/2 and is getting potty trained. As a newborn, I used AIO cloth diapers from Kushies when he was first born and I totally loved it. It was easier for me because his room was next to the washer/dryer. Since he started growing out of them I started on Seventh Gen. diapers since my son’s skin was so sensitive. I started buying them on diapers.com. I then went to the local wholefoods and noticed that they not only had Seventh Gen., but also Tushies and gdiapers. Which I both tried. Tushies are 100 percent cotton, so once he went once, it got really bulky. The gdiapers are the best thing ever and (I think) the most eco-friendly. But they were only good for use at home since they were also a bit bulky. For outings and nights I sticked to using Seventh Gen. and nothing else. It was around the time my son was two and using the training pants when he starting leaking overnight with the Seven Gen. diapers. I saw Nature Babycare at the Target store, after reading the label and doing some research, I bought a pack to try out.. and let me tell you, I haven’t turned back. They didn’t leak at night and they do not contain gel like Seventh Gen. does, which was the only thing I didn’t like about them. I was using California Baby products and started to expand out to using the Nature Babycare brand since it was local and cheaper. So now I use everything from Nature Babycare, the diapers, wipes, disposable bags and the body wash (which I can’t find anymore). I did alot of trial and error and can’t rave enough about Nature Babycare!
Abby,
You can find the Nature Babycare diapers at betterbabybums.com (They are Canadian and diapers are approx $17/pkg or $64 for a case pack of 4 pkgs). If you spend $200 shipping is free. I have not used any diapers yet as baby is not born yet, but I plan to cloth diaper and use the Nature Babycare for when I am away from home and don’t want to carry around dirty diapers.
Best of luck!
i use g diapers because dd@ is allergic to a combo of plastic probably the chemicals and chlorine they use t owhiten the disposables. 7th generation made her break out and leaked but the g diapers worked as soon as i figured out how to use it. it really hold it all in even if she makes a motherload it stays in there it is a litle more work but worth it you can also use the outer part with real cloth inserts. it is very versitile. my dd#2 cant use wips either. i get the diapers in whole foods or diapers.com we love diapers.com they are my life saver. i tried every cream and diaper brand including tushies and 7th generation with no success so i will stick to g diapers in the day and bum geniuse all in ones for night time
Amazon.com sells the Nature Babycare diapers with free shipping, and even offers a 15% discount if you sign up for “Subscribe & Save”, which is basically an auto-ship program. I did the math and that brings the cost of each diaper to $0.27 compared to Pampers Cruisers at $0.26. That sealed the deal for me – could I justify leaving a diaper in a landfill for 100 years just to save one penny?? Also, I’ve found that the size 2s run a bit small. My son is 15 lbs and according to the label they should fit him nicely, but I can barely get the little tabs to close! Other than that, they are working out well.
i LOVE that there is now a greener option for my family! we had discussed a diaper service but when we calculated the effect of transportation and laundering we decided the positive effect of nothing in the landfill just might not be enough to offset our efforts. I am curious…amazon.com is showing “eco-friendly” and “biodegradable” versions of nature baby care diapers…does anyone know if they are now making biodegradable diapers??
Moltex Oko diapers will soon be available in the US through http://www.shoptootles.com. I have personally tried these diapers and they are the best eco-friendly diapers in the market today.
Hi,
Thanks for this discussion–it’s great to see other folks interesting in eco-options! After reading through the posts, I wanted to clarify a couple points that I’ve discovered after researching different brands of disposables.
First, Tushies are currently the only gel-free disposable. 7th Gen, Naturebabycare, and g-diapers, all contain gel–just less gel than mainstream brands.
Second, NatureBabycare diapers aren’t 100% biodegradable either. They are just made from a higher percentage of biodegradable material than mainstream brands. I believe this is also true, of 7th Gen. Unfortunately, there is some question as to whether being biodegradable actually makes much difference as far as landfills are concerned–once these diapers go into the landfills, they may just sit there like other diapers, as it takes certain conditions for things to biodegrade. I haven’t done much research on this myself, but it’s worth thinking about when you consider the big-picture issue of how we dispose of things and what choices we have.
All that said, I continue to use these diapers and to recommend them over mainstream brands even though they’re not perfect. I think one of the benefits of using either of these brands is that the manufacturing processes used are more eco-friendly than mainstream brands, because no chlorine is used. And, another is that by purchasing them, you’re supporting companies that care and are trying to do better rather than companies that don’t/aren’t.
I just share this info for the sake of being informed. That way, folks can make their own decisions about what to use AND what to advocate for going forward. These are better options, but wouldn’t it be nice if we had a truly green option!?!
We currently use cloth exclusively but use sposies when we travel. I have tried Natural Baby Care, Moltex and Seventh Generation. I live in Vancouver, BC and the cheapest place for Natural Baby Care is http://www.diapers.com and get them shipped to Point Roberts (pay with paypal, they won’t accept international credit cards). Moltex is available at Choices Markets. They are steep $26.99 a package. Then Seventh Generation are now available at Thrifty’s, Superstore (Langley&Newton in the organic isle).
Out of all of these, Moltex is hands down the best! Never, never had a leak or blow out. Very good on DS’s skin. It’s a shame they are so expensive, it’s not an option for us to use these everyday. But I tell myself that if we are CD’ing the majority of the time. When we are on vacation or travelling we can afford to use the more expenisve Moltex. It’s worth the money not to have a leak or blow out on the plane! I liked seventh generation but I haven’t used them since DS was a new born, so I can’t comment on the fit since he’s more mobile and eating solids.
I also bought Natural Baby Care at a Target in LA, but none of the Washington stores care them and they couldn’t give me an ETA of when they would. They were $10.99 USD a package at Target. Worth the drive to WA and I would use them for daily use because of the price difference. I tried the non-scented wipes and they make his bits smell gross, yeasty. I would stick to the scented if you are going to try these.
I’ve been using the Natrure Babycare size 4 diapers on my toddler, and I’ve been very please with their fit and performance.
I bought a big box through Amazon of the Size 1 diapers to use on my newborn once he fit the weight guidelines (8-12 lbs). I’ll say I have not been please with how they’re working for him. It’s mostly in the fit. They seem too long – I can’t get a good fit around his legs, so there is a lot of air space. I’ve had one leg blow out, and one up the back. Interestingly, I haven’t had many problems with leaks, even with the the air space – I guess the channel guards (or whatever they are on the inside, have kept things contained, but I’m not willing to risk using them anywhere other than home. Hopefully they’ll be a better fit after my son has gained a couple more pounds.
Hello, I tried these nappies I live in London, but unlike all the other mothers, I am totally not happy with these, they leak from the from, twice in one night. So unfortunately we wont purchase these again!!!
I use seventh generation on my son at night. But Natural Infant hygiene is a way to use a fraction of the diapers one would normally use. The baby tells you when he’s gotta go by giving little signals. and you set him on a baby potty like baby bjorn or hold him over the big potty. we started Natural infant hygine when my son was 6 weeks. My son learned the sign language sign for potty at 2 1/2 months and now he signs when hes gotta go. I only use 1 to 3 diapers a day! It really makes me feel better about our ecological footprint, and it will eliminate the need for potty training because he is not in need of any sort of “re-training” because babies are born with the instinct to not “mess the nest”.
good luck and best wishes! =)
PS. a good book for this process is called “Diaper free!; the gentle wisdom of natural infant hygiene” its a great book, and cheap on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Diaper-Gentle-Wisdom-Natural-Hygiene/dp/0968751903
Just wanted to let you a comment to say that I use the Moltex nappies, and I really think that it is a better alternative for the environment and for your baby. I’m very happy with it.
another thing to consider is where the diaper is made. i noticed that my case of Nature Babycare diapers is made in Israel. So imagine the carbon footprint of shipping those to North America, versus ones made here. Also, there are political/ethical issues with products made in certain places…such as Israel (Palestinian human rights) or China (Tibetan and Chinese human rights, trade monopoly, etc.).
I use Nature babycare for my oldest son – they work well enough although the elastic around the legs leaves a little to be desired.
I tried using size 2 for my son – whose weight is well within range but he had 3 consecutive leaks – the last one is why I’m sitting here at an ungodly hour since the wardrobe change woke him up.
The fit on both babies is not very good. The tabs are the worst feature of these diapers. While the actual diaper may cover the front and back the closures just barely secure the diaper on – even then only with a lot of adjusting. That and the tabs break off easily in the process of adjusting and I often find several diapers per package have tabs that got messed up in the manufacturing process and are either unusable (I have to use medical silk tape to help close it) or are an extra burden to fasten.
Hmmm…. I think I’m talking myself out of using them.
My issue with SG is that once my son became mobile the diapers leaked b/c they tabs didn’t stay put. SG is great for infants but I highly recommended Nature Babycare for day and nighttime. They are extremely difficult to find in NYC but worth it. So glad to hear they make a training pants. Thanks for the info.
I seem to have had the opposite problems with size 1 diapers. The 7th generation diapers were smaller than the Nature babycare and more leaky. Maybe it depends on the baby’s body. I bought some huggies, pampers snugglers, nature babycare, 7th generation and earth’s best diapers all in size1 to do the full comparison.
Nature baby care diapers were the best performance! They did not leak. Neither did the pampers, which i rated second best in performance. Most importantly, my baby does not like a wet diaper, she complains after the smallest pee ( poo is not an issue). But with Nature baby care she did not complain, I did not have to change her as often. This was the only diaper where this happened. The question then becomes to make sure they are composted.