We cloth diaper, but occasionally we will use natural diapers when we need a disposable. But do they work? In this post we find out which one is best.
We are a cloth diapering family. But there are times when we go disposable. Whether it’s during that first week of life when baby produces meconium, or when we’re traveling, or some other unforeseen event, we do use the occasional disposable natural diaper.
But do natural diapers work? Which one is best? Well, stay tuned, because in this video, we’ll review Whole Foods 365, Bambo Nature, Earth’s Best, Naty, and Seventh Generation diapers – and let you know which one of these natural diapers is the winner.
Natural diapers: Eco credentials
- Whole Foods 365 natural diapers are not chlorine bleached, and don’t contain latex or artificial fragrance.
- Bambo Nature are chlorine free, dermatologically tested, and made from forests where more trees are planted than felled. Additionally, they have earned the Nordic Swan ecolabel, one of the strictest accreditations in the world.
- Earth’s Best are chlorine free, latex-free, dye-free, perfume-free, and made with renewable resources like corn and wheat.
- Naty are free of chlorine and fragrance, are made with GMO-free corn, use natural and renewable material, and are labeled a good environmental choice by the Swedish society for nature conservation.
- Seventh Generation are free from chemical bleaching, as well as latex and fragrances. Additionally, they list their ingredients on the packaging. Interesting to note, only other company that does this is bamboo nature.
Winner: Bambo Nature has the best eco-cred.
Natural diapers: fit & comfort
- Whole Foods 365 are awesome because they are thin and small as can be! They fit Paloma like a glove and she seemed very comfortable.
- Bambo Nature are the longest of all the diapers but still relatively thin. They have a cute animal on the waistband and are SO SOFT… like velvet when compared to all the other diapers.
- Earth’s Best fit Paloma probably the best. I liked the coverage they gave her but their waistband was stiff.
- Naty are the scratchiest of all the diapers. I do like the way they look though… decorated with cute little grey hearts on them.
- Seventh Generation are UGLY! They look like a brown bag on your child. They fit OK but also rough to the touch.
Winner: Earth’s Best had the best overall fit and comfort.
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Natural diapers: Absorbency
In our test, we poured 4oz of food-colored water into each diaper, waited a few minutes for the diaper to lock in the moisture, then pressed a paper towel against each diaper with a heavy book to simulate the weight of a baby. Then we examined each paper towel for leakage.
- Whole Foods 365 definitely had leaks. I had blowouts nearly EVERY time I used these diapers with Paloma.
- Bambo Nature was amazing. NO WETNESS on towel. And the diaper itself was bone dry. The thing is like a mighty sponge. I don’t think I had one blowout with Paloma.
- Earth’s Best still had some leakage. Not as bad as some of the others but I had a few blowouts with Paloma in these diapers.
- Naty surprisingly had some wetness and drips of liquid coming off the diaper. Disappointing!
- Seventh Generation were a mess… the least absorbent of the bunch.
Winner: Bambo Nature locked in the moisture and the towel was bone dry. Earth’s Best did second best.
Natural diapers: Price
The cost per diaper breakdown looks like this:
Winner: Whole Foods 365 is cheapest, but, go figure, their eco-cred and absorbency is lowest.
Which natural diapers are the best?
Bambo Nature is the all around winner in terms of comfort, absorbency, and eco-cred. But you’re going to pay for that quality, as they’re also the most expensive.
In terms of second place, Earth’s Best got the edge over Naty.
What about you?
What kind of natural diapers do you use when you need to use disposables? Share with us in the comments below.
