365 Diapers (Whole Foods) are ECF, and free of fragrance, latex, and TBT. We are also calling them Sneaky Stuff because of their lack of disclosure about phthalates, dyes, and lotion.
Price per diaper: $0.24
Earth’s Best Tendercare Diapers At first glance these diapers appear to be at least Good Stuff: they use a “plant based plastic” for their top-sheet and back-sheet and a cellulose fluff/SAP/bio-SAP core. However, there is no info on whether Earth’s Best diapers are phthalate-free or lotion-free. They do claim to be dye-free, but don’t give any info on what is used for the print. There is a general absence of transparency about the composition and percentage of the diaper that uses “plant-based plastic.”
Price per diaper: $0.32
Huggies Diapers are ECF, and free of fragrance, lotion, latex and parabens. The label states that they are “EU 26 allergens free,” as well. I’m not moving them from Sneaky Stuff because they do not disclose any information about phthalates, dyes, or the composition of the back-sheet.
Price per diaper: $0.59 to $0.88
Kirkland Signature Diapers As many of you know, Kirkland has made some great improvements to their diaper, and now appear to be free of latex, chlorine, fragrance, lotion, and artificial dyes. That said, there is no evidence that they are free of phthalates (we chatted with a rep and they said that they were unable to provide an answer about phthalates) and of course they are still made of petroleum-based plastics. They state that “some of the polyethylene is made from sugar cane” I would like say they’ve upgraded from Bad Stuff to Okay Stuff, but with a lable that boldly claims that these diapers are “made with plant-based materials,” coupled with the lack of transparency on phthalates, we have to call these green-washed, and therefore Sneaky Stuff.
Price per diaper: $0.26
Mamma Bear (Amazon brand) are ECF, fragrance free, latex free and hypoallergenic, but have no further information available. Mama Bear gets a “Sneaky Stuff” designation for lack of disclosure about phthalates, dyes, and lotion.
Price per diaper: $0.16
Rascal & Friends Premium Diapers A few of you asked about this brand, but the response we received was: “Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a detailed ingredients list of our diapers, as this is commercially sensitive. We are proud to say that our products are free from formaldehyde, elemental chlorine, phthalates, parabens, gluten, and endocrine disruptors. We also have a focus on no nasties, and our diapers contain no latex or fragrances and we only use water-based inks! The inks we use are non-toxic and completely harmless to baby’s skin.” Without more details on what is in these diapers, we will consider them Sneaky Stuff.
Price per diaper: $0.22
Up & Up Diapers (Target) are Sneaky Stuff because the label states “petroleum-free lotion” and “perfume-free” as opposed to simply being lotion-free and fragrance-free, although we did confirm that they do not contain phthalates.
Price per diaper: $0.43
268 comments
Tanya
Sorry but I’m still waiting for an answer about Naty…I believe that they are made with a 100% bio-based plastic top and bottom sheet made from Non-GMO corn starch, not petroleum based at all… am I mistaken? If there is anything petroleum based in these I don’t want to buy them anymore but I’m almost out of diapers so I need to make a decision quick! Please help!
Thank you!!
Catherine
Agreed… per my comment below, I was bummed when I did a test and the bamboo diaper I had (Andy Pandy) didn’t absorb at all. I’d be curious about their thoughts on Coterie because that diaper worked well in my test.
Catherine
I did an absorbency test with Andy Pandy, Coterie, Honest, Pampers Pure, and Huggies Little Snugglers.
I poured the exact same amount of liquid in each diaper and left them out in the air.
I wanted an eco-friendly/chemical free diaper but was concerned that the inside of the diaper always felt wet with certain brands (yes…I touched the pee).
I was pleasantly surprised that Honest and Coterie both absorbed almost as well as Pampers Pure and Huggles LS (both took about 10 minutes vs. 5 minutes for the others, but no biggie), however…the Andy Pandy diaper literally remained soaking wet for over an hour. Believe me…I wanted to find that bamboo worked well, but this brand at least truly did not wick away moisture in my touch. I eventually threw the diapers away, so for all I know…it never dried.
I was very disappointed. I like the idea of bamboo, but I’m not willing to let my 6 month old sit in wet pee (I understand this might be an asset for older babies!). I decided to stick with Honest after this test because Coterie is very expensive, and at least Honest is TCF. I have no interest in supporting P&G with Pampers Pure.
I also use the Honest overnight diapers.
That being said, I would be interested in thoughts about Coterie or the most non-bamboo eco-friendly option. Also, how does Hello Bello stack up against Honest environmentally? I think I could use some Hello Bello (much cheaper) during the day, however, at night there is absolutely no way these will hold up for me (12 hours before changing…I’ve been super pleased with Honest overnights).
Lori
I would love to know what she read about EC! I only have one book on my list, and it’s $50. Not so sure that’s necessary (although if it is, I’ll do it!).
Tanya
From a purely non-toxic standpoint, I’m not sure I understand why Naty diapers are not on the “best stuff” list?