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
Maia James
Hi Elizabeth-
First of all, the diaper guide is in desperate need of an update—there are many new brands on the market now, others that have changed their materials, etc. The bottom line on Naty was that they are (or were, at the time the guide was written), less environmentally-friendly that the brands I called Good Stuff. From a toxicity perspective, they are fine:)
Elizabeth
Can you elaborate as to why you categorize Naty Diapers as Okay stuff? Just wondering why they are not good, but not sneaky. These have been the brand that I’ve preferred using for years and they aren’t cheap, so would love to understand why they aren’t “good”.
Philippa
Hi,
I just started using Bambo diapers and for the second night in a row they leaked! My poor LO was wet up her back. I will not be using themy anymore.
Molly
I haven’t read through all the comments, so pardon be if this is a repeat, but I’ve just learned about Poof diapers, which seem to have excellent content and are super nice to use. I don’t know if you’ll have time to include them in your new reviews, but if you do, they’re probably worth checking out!
Alison
Just wondering if you have a cite for that independent report that found cloth diapers more eco friendly? Would love to read it!
Rachel
This is such a helpful page – I love it! I’m looking to switch to better diapers and I’m planning to order some Bambo Nature diapers online, but I may need to buy some at the store before they arrive, so I’m wondering what is it specifically that makes Honest diapers not as good? Knowing this will help me decide if it’s worth it to buy a pack of Honest diapers before the better ones get here :) Thank you!
Raven
Did you find anything out about the bio babby diapers ??
Alicia Anderson
I don’t use they’re wipes but am a fan of the diapers. They have a soft cotton feel on the inside and I have never had any issues with them. They don’t have that conventional diaper smell, if you know what I mean. And haven’t had any leaks or blowouts since I started using them.
Karly M
Can’t wait to hear what you think of Parasol! We have Honest Co and all of a sudden my son has started breaking out in rashes. I think I am going to give Parasol a try.
Maia James
I don’t know that brand—but will investigate!