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Why use organic diapers ?
Diapers are being used by every parent for their infants and newborns. Gone are the days when moms used to make cloth nappies at home and then wash them to be used again. It is something that you put on your children for 24-36 months. Diapers undoubtedly become an essential part of your life once you have a newborn in your home, on average a newborn consumes 7-9 diapers a day, don’t worry the amount gradually lowers down as the baby grow older. Diapers play a vital role in keeping your baby comfortable as they are in direct contact with your baby’s skin. What are the safest disposable organic diapers for newborn or infants? Is a question that is being asked by almost every parent?
In this guide, we will be analyzing disposable diapers and non-toxic diapers, their types, their core contents and most of the diaper brands in a comprehensive approach to give you a complete picture and help you make a decision the next time you order a diaper for your little angel.
Let us look at the type of disposable diapers available in the market first. In a broader aspect, these diapers can be divided into two categories.
- Conventional Disposable Diapers
- Natural Disposable Diapers aka Organic Diapers
Conventional Disposable Diapers:
These are the diapers that are mostly available in the market and cost much lower than others. Or you can say that we know them as pampers or Huggies. The use of these diapers is somewhat dangerous because of the materials that are used in their production. The chemicals that are used in these diapers productions can have some harmful health effects and may cause irritation in lungs, eyes and skin. The diapering manufacturing companies have, by law, the power to not disclose the content they are using for the diaper manufacturing so for a simple or a new parent it is very important to know what they are buying for their little babe. Chemicals and contents like dioxin, Sap and many others is something that every parent should keep in mind before purchasing a diaper.
Natural Disposable Diapers (Organic Diapers):
These are much better than the conventional disposables if compared in terms of eco-friendliness and toxicity. Some of the benefits they provide over the traditional disposable diapers are:
- They use chlorine in their production thus lowering the risk of toxic chemical exposure like dioxin.
- They are usually more environmental friendly meaning they have rapid biodegradability ratio.
- They don’t have fragrances and inks used in them.
- The emission rate is lower than the conventional disposables.
These are of course the best choice for a newborn rather than going for a conventional diaper. We can find them in the market by the name of “Bambo,”“Honest,” Earth’s Best,” “Nature Baby Care” “Nurtured By Nature”, “Seventh Gen.” and many others.
Toxicity in Disposable Diapers?
As stated before the diaper manufacturers are not required to list down the contents they use in the making of their product so if there are any harmful contents then the consumer will never know if those hazardous materials are in contact with their baby’s skin. Moreover, the fumes from these chemicals can be toxic which can be breathed in by your baby without you having a single clue about it. The elemental composition of disposable diapers can be divided into three parts
- Upper Sheet
- Center
- Shell/Back Sheet
Let’s take a more in-depth look into each of these parts.
Upper Sheet
This is also known as the Inner Lining. This is the part where your baby’s skin is in contact with the diaper thus making it the most concerned part. Propylene is a material that is mostly used for the manufacturing of this part of the diaper. The reason that this material is used at such a large scale manufacturing is that it is readily available and relatively inexpensive. Apart from those characteristics like slippery, extreme resistance to moisture, good strength and fatigue bearing values are some the things that make it a perfect fit for diaper companies. But research found out that the plastic ware made out of this material gives out two chemicals known as quaternary ammonium biocides and oleamide. Specific harmful effects are observed when exposing the human body with extra oleamide. Oleamide is a naturally occurring substance in our body. So the question arises whether exposing the body with more of this substance good? Some of the effects of this chemical can be in the form of Alteration of brain function, irritation in respiratory functions in case of ingestion and irritation in eyes and skin in case of skin absorption.
Some of the diapers make used of fragrances and other lotions to avoid the skin of newborn getting over hydrated or reduce irritation. But most of these fragrances are up from petroleum-based plastics thus opening a window of toxicity exposure for your loved one. To make them smell good, some diapers use fragrances, but the composition of these materials and whether they are safe for the newborn’s skin remains a question at hand. Our advice at this stage is to use diapers that are free from fragrances. Some of the Diapers that are free of this are : Honest Baby Diaper, Naty By Nature, Andy Pandy, Broody Chick, Bambo.
Center Core
This is the part that comes after the Upper sheet and is known as the middle of the diaper. Usually, it is made up of a polymer called SAP or Super Absorbent Polymer. The chemical name of this substance is Sodium Polyacrylate. This is the part of the diaper that absorbs the liquid and traps it. The sap is usually located in the bottom of the diaper and is completely sealed but as all other things are vulnerable and with moving kids it can leak through the lining. Presence of transparent crystals on the baby’s skin is an indication of the leakage of SAP.
Sodium Polyacrylate is considered to be completely safe by all standards and companies and health institutes all across America. This substance may cause some respiratory and skin irritation when it comes in contact with the acrylic acid during the manufacturing process. But those cases are rare, and mostly this substance is deemed safe in every aspect for its use in diapers.
Although it has been scientifically proven that SAP is not a harmful substance for the newborns or anyone still some of the people get rid of disposable diapers and move to cloth diapers.
To distribute the liquid, there is another fluff material added in the middle layer or the center core of the diaper. This stuff made up of wood pulp and usually harmless. But if in the process of manufacturing this stuff is bleached with a chemical known as chlorine then there are chances of it becoming toxic and harmful in turn. This kind of situation is particularly dangerous because when this occurs then due to the presence of chlorine in wood pulp dioxins are formed and these are known to cause cancer in human beings.
It is evident that only those diapers will have chances of dioxin formation where there is chlorine involved during the bleaching process. Listed below are the diapers that do not use chlorine during the bleaching process, and they are safe. Honest Baby Diaper, Naty By Nature, Andy Pandy, Broody Chick, Bambo.
In terms of the SAP. Broody Chick is filled with 100% biodegradable Plant based SAP and wood-pulp. This ratio is 75% in Bambo. While Naty By Nature Polactic Acids(PLA ) plant based plastics in their middle layer.
Shell Sheet/Outer Layer
This layer of diaper acts as a waterproof or water resistant layer. This layer made up of a thin film of plastic known as polyethylene and by joining the plastic resins chemically, mechanically or thermally. The material polyethylene is used in many of the consumables as it is deemed safe, Water Bottles and Food Packaging are an example of safe usage of polyethylene. It is toxic in its vaporized or liquid form and is inhaled or absorbed through the skin. While the outer layer is considered safe and liquid proof the use of dyes and other coloured patterns on the outer core can be toxic. The coloured patterns are dyes and are made up of petroleum-based plastics (Containing heavy metals most of the time). Some of the diapers that don’t make use of the dye pigments are.
Naty By Nature Organic Diapers,
Honest Baby Diapers, Bambo (These 2 use dyes but does not contain heavy metal).
Listed below are some diapers that use plant-base plastic. It is also known as the Polyactic acid (PLA). While other plastics are derived from petroleum, PLA is a biodegradable and made from the components extracted from corn starch or sugar cane.
Honest Baby Diapers, Naty By Nature Diapers, Andy Pandy Eco Friendly Premium Bamboo Diapers.
Other Chemicals to Avoid in Diapers
Now that we have broken down the diaper components according to their manufacturing contents and seen what to use and to what to avoid there are some more chemicals that we should avoid using.
ECF: Elemental Chlorine Free Pulp
Commonly nowadays you will see diapers labelled ECP Pulp used. This shows that the product is not using elemental chlorine during the manufacturing process. But as stated earlier the pulp when bleached through the chlorine dioxide makes dioxin which is hazardous to health. Since the chlorine dioxide is still a derivative of chlorine, we would recommend avoiding it whenever possible.
TCF: Total Chlorine Free Pulp.
It is also bleaching process but instead of using chlorine and its derivatives oxygen peroxide or ozone based bleaching systems are used in this. Always look for a diaper that is using TCF as it is the safest method being used to make a diaper and without the effects or hazards of dioxins.
Tributylin:
It is also known as TBT in its short form. This chemical is very dangerous to marine life and has some serious harmful effects. They are also known for causing skin problems in humans and are also not considered ecological and environment-friendly.
VOCs:
Volatile Organic Compounds are chemicals that have a very high vapor pressure at room temperature. Toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene are commonly found VOCs in the disposable diapers and can cause damage to immune function, liver, respiratory system kidneys, and lungs in case of evaporation and ingestion.
Fragrances:
As stated earlier many of the diapers use fragrances in the middle layer of the disposable diapers. They usually take advantage of the loophole in the law that doesn’t allow them to list all the ingredients used in that fragrance. These kinds of chemicals may cause rashes and other allergic reactions to your loved one’s skin.
Now that you have an idea of what a disposable diaper is made up of we are going to give you a review of some of the diapers in the market.
Reviews
Given below are some of the best disposable diaper brands with their brief introductory review read on for more info.
Bambo Nature Diapers – Non Toxic Disposable Diapers
These diapers are made up of less SAP than others. The adhesive used in these diapers is made up of synthetic rubber additionally no optical brightener is added to it. There is a wetness indicator in these as well. They are very good absorbents, and also they do not contain any allergy-causing chemicals, perfumes or harsh allergens. The most important feature of this diaper is that the baby still feels dry even if the diaper is full and which keeps them from getting any harsh rashes. Bambo’s Classic (green bag) diapers are a classic pick for few weeks old newborns. No other diaper can match their comfort and fitness.
Bambo released a new diaper and rebranded it with name new (white bag) diapers. The main feature of this diaper is the wetness indicator this helps you a lot in the starting weeks as you have to keep count of wet diapers to check if your newborn is getting proper milk. They use ECF wood pulp even though they market themselves as chlorine free diapers, but that’s not entirely true. These are diapers are 75% biodegradable and are considered 99% compostable. All the wood pulp they use is derived from sustainable tree farms. The dust and powder gathered doing the manufacturing process is filtered and sold as well showing complete safety of the product produced as a result.
Babie B Baby Diapers:
These diapers do not contain any lotion, fragrance, chlorine or dye. They are free of GMOs, optical brighteners, pesticides, latex, phthalates and TBT. These diapers are FSC & OKEO-TEX Certified and are also made from bamboo fibre. Babie B Baby Diapers are upper soft easily breathable diapers thus providing a level of comfort to the babies. Natural SAP and bamboo Pulp is used to make the core of these diapers. These diapers are 93% biodegradable. These are silky soft diapers with excellent absorption and moisture-wicking.
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Naty By Nature Diapers Baby Care ECO Friendly Baby Diapers
They are certified from Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association and also by Vincotte (An independent, internationally regarded certification organization). Naty by Nature Babycare Diapers are specifically good because they are very natural diapers and by that we mean they do not contain harmful chemicals, Plastics, Dioxins and heavy metals. They do not have any fragrance or dyes so don’t worry about allergic reactions. They are made up of 60% biodegradable material and are easily breathable. A point to be noted here is that a critical component used in their production is cornstarch which can cause allergy to most sensitive skin babies.
Honest Baby Diapers
Any harmful material such as chlorine, phthalates and other toxic materials such as Polyethylene and Plant-based PLA made from corn is used make their top sheet. They are exceptionally super absorbent diapers, and the pulp used as ECF fluff stuff is generated from sustainably managed forests. The inner core of this diaper is made from bio-based wheat/corn and reduced SAP. These diapers do not use any fragrances or lotions, but they use odour inhibitors (i.e. citrus extract and liquid chlorophyll). The manufacturing of honest diapers is done in Mexico. They have a strong fan following when it comes to diapers that are considered leak proof. These are the cutest diapers available in the market for sale
Andy Pandy Eco Friendly Premium Bamboo Diapers
These diapers are 100% free of chemicals and also biodegradable. Andy Pandy Eco-Friendly Premium Bamboo Diapers are nontoxic and are naturally hypoallergenic and antibacterial which indicates that they are very good for babies with sensitive skin. Their top sheet is made up of hundred percent non-woven bamboo fibre. Although their middle layer contains SAP, but it is totally chlorine-free pulp. In order to give baby skin nourishment, they use pure aloe essence. They also have a wetness indicator a PH strip of yellow colour which is turned green when you need to change the diaper. These are breathable diapers which help in keeping the baby bottom dry. They are quiet, and the absorption rate is also outstanding.
ABBY & FINN Diapers
As compared to other companies these are newly introduced in the market, and by the reviews of the customers they have received so far they seem to be pretty good. They are made up of TCF, and no harmful chemical is used in them as well. They come in different size and patterns thus making it quite convenient for you to shop. A bit of caution though if you are trying to avoid synthetic materials then we would recommend you use Andy Pandy Diapers.
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Broody Chick Eco-Natural Diapers
Next in the list is Broody Chick Eco-Natural Diapers they are made up of completely biodegradable material their outer cover, or core sheet is extremely water resistant. They are free from fragrances, chlorine and other hazardous substances that may cause allergy.
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Parasol Co Diapers
These diapers are manufactured in the Czech Republic. The company is making an effort to make its place in the market they are using designs from emerging artists to make their product look unique and beautiful. They have won many certifications from a number of environmental organizations which shows that they are willing to give you a good product you are looking for. Also to make you feel better, this company doesn’t test on animals so you can feel good when you are ordering a Parasol Co Diaper.
Thrive Market Diapers
Thrive is an online market that provides naturally biodegradable products in the market. Their product is completely safe except their diapers are not so reliable as compared to the others. They are super absorbent, and the stuff used in them is gathered from sustainable forests and farms. Also while comparing their sizes with other diapers, we found a peculiar feature (or not) that their small size is relatively low than other diapers available so pre-ordering might become an issue. They are cheaper than other products available in markets and overall a win-win situation in the case of organic diapers.
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Seventh Generation Diapers Natural Disposable Diapers
As compared to other brands they are a rather popular brand and are made with natural ingredients. During their manufacturing minimal processing is done and they are free from chorine, dioxin, fragrances and petroleum based lotions. These diapers are not white in color but have a natural brown core fiber for the purpose of absorption. They are not so beautiful when in action but rather look like a brown bag on your kid. They are also known as rough and tough diapers. Their absorbency capability is not so good. Sizes available for these diapers are for children from birth to potty training. Seventh Generation Diapers list their ingredients on their packaging and the only other company doing that in our observation is Bambo.
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Earth’s Best
Thrive is an online market that provides naturally biodegradable products in the market. Their product is completely safe except their diapers are not so reliable as compared to the others. They are super absorbent, and the stuff used in them is gathered from sustainable forests and farms. Also while comparing their sizes with other diapers, we found a peculiar feature (or not) that their small size is relatively low than other diapers available so pre-ordering might become an issue. They are cheaper than other products available in markets and overall a win-win situation in the case of organic diapers.
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Whole Foods 365 Organic Diapers
These diapers do not contain chlorine and are latex free as well. These diapers are thin and small and are a very comfortable fit. Their leaking capacity is very good, so they pretty much leak every time. Overall they are good diapers and are cheaper than others as well.
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Little Toes Baby Diapers:
These diapers are dye free, chlorine free, fragrance-free and lotion free. They do not contain kind of latex, PVC, alcohol, TBT and phthalates. Soft Bamboo fibres are used in the manufacturing of these diapers, and the top sheet and back sheet is made from this stuff. Some of the main characteristics of these diapers include Super Absorbency, Naturally Hypo-Allergenic and moisture and thermal regulation. Fluff pulp is used to make the core these diapers. Little Toes are 100% biodegradable. They are super soft and are an excellent pick for the sensitive skin. The diapers may start falling when there is heavy saturation.
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What Pediatricians have to say?
All of the doctors have a prevailing opinion that disposable diapers do the job and do what it is supposed to do in an excellent manner, i.e. protect babies skin without any reason for worry and hassle and provide relief to the mommies at home. Llona Frieden (Director of pediatric dermatology at UC San Francisco’s Children’s Hospital) says that with the emergence of disposable the rashness rate on baby skin is very low now as compared what we used to observe back in the days. This is because a key component in the disposable diapers is moisture absorption which is the primary cause of skin rash in babies. Nowadays the most common reason for rashes is yeast infection and irritation of the area from liquid stool or diarrhea rather than the disposable diaper itself.
Steps that parents can take.
If any of the parents find any disturbing issue in the diapers, they can report that issue to the concerned government department or https://www.saferproducts.gov/Default.aspx, try to check multiple brands and if a specific brand diaper is causing problems or irritation for your baby. The best option is to switch to cloth diapers which are safest of all variants of course. In case of persistent skin rashes try changing the diapers often and also keep baby skin dry.
Final Thoughts
- Every family has its own needs and priorities so look down yours before buying a diaper. Whether you want cost effectiveness? Environment friendliness? Perfect fit? Or all of these? It all depends on you, and only you can answer that.
- Before buying any diaper in bulk, we would recommend you to try a few of these we have listed above and check whether your baby is comfortable in one or another then move to bulk purchase part.
- Wait until your baby is born or you have seen a diapers size that fits a newborn many of the brand’s sizes vary for newborns and you may get a diaper fit issue. Buying an online diaper is an easy process, and you can get the package delivered in a matter of hours.
- Lastly, in my opinion, the most important factor is the cost look at costs that suits you well read the guide we have given in detail, and we hope you find the best pick for all your necessities.
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