All About That Bass! Let's Talk Disposable Diapers!

My sister, Ryan, always asks me why I didn't listen to her before I had Luke about her non-toxic recommendations, and I continually explain to her that I didn't feel the consequences for any of my choices until I had Luke. Mila Kunis, who recently had a baby girl, articulated extremely well exactly how I feel about using safe, non-toxic products and why I suddenly care about the environment.

Luke in the Honest Company diapers.
Photographer: Leslie Gilbert

"The amount of love that you have, the type of love that you have, changes, the way you look at the world changes...everything has changed, because of her, I want an eco-friendly car, I want to compost everything, because I want the world to be better for her." --Mila Kunis

My next few posts are going to be all about caring for those sensitive little baby bottoms, and I'll discuss products that I never in a million years thought I'd be using. 

Let's talk diapers. Disposable diapers that is. 

I originally thought I'd use Pampers, since that's what I was familiar with at work, but then I started hearing about how unsafe they actually might be. So I did a lot of research on diapers before Luke was born. I calculated costs down to the diaper. My estimates were just that, because you can only guess how many diapers you'll use of each size. I knew that I didn't really want to use the commercialized diaper brands based on what I'd heard, but I wasn't totally opposed to them if the safer, non-toxic diapers were too expensive, because I hadn't become as safety conscious yet as I am now. 

The first thing I want to do is share with you the importance of using a safe, non-toxic diaper. Most babies wear diapers for the first couple years of their life, and we know that baby skin is much more absorbent than adult skin. So don't we want this diaper that rests right against their skin for the first few years of their life, to be as free as freaking possible of toxins and chemicals? As usual, I will send you right to my favorite resource, Gimme the Good Stuff, for a thorough explanation of what I'm trying to briefly explain. 

Conventional diaper brands are thought to be a safe product for your baby, but I cannot stress to you enough how very untrue that is. Generic and store brands, among others are just the same, even the sensitive versions. First of all, these diapers score extremely low on the eco-friendly scale, but even more importantly, they score very low on the health scale, and contain harsh ingredients and chemicals. A lot of them contain chlorine/bleach, which can cause cancer and disrupt hormones. These diapers are also often filled with dyes and fragrances.  

So while these brands might provide you with an absorbent and well-functioning diaper, I promise you, there are others out there that work JUST as well, if not better, and are 100 times safer. YES, they are a little bit more expensive, I'm not going to lie to you, but it is not as bad as you might think. After I did a lot of my own research, I came across this article from the Baby Gear Lab that breaks this information down in much more detail if you're interested. 

The first diapers we used were the Honest Company diapers. We still use them, and love them. Now they are not the safest of the safest, but they are absolutely safer than the conventional brands. These are free of bleach and additives and just as absorbent as the conventional brands. Not only are they adorable with their many designs, but ordering them is easy and convenient. I choose my designs and ship date on their website, and receive my bundle of diapers and wipes at my front door a few days later. Bundles are shipped every 4-6 weeks, but your shipment can be delayed as long as you want, until you are ready for it! See below for a breakdown of the costs. They are also available at Target now, which is really convenient. These are going to typically run $0.32-0.63 per diaper depending on size.


Once I learned there were even safer diapers out there, I immediately tried Bambo Nature. They are manufactured in Denmark where the environmental and health regulations are much stricter than in the US. These diapers are absolutely the highest quality and safest diapers out there. They are the only diaper that is completely free of all chemicals and allergens, and they are also completely free of all additives, dyes, preservatives, etc. The diapers are probably the softest diapers I've felt, and although they felt extremely thin, they were just as absorbent as any other diaper I've come across, and I did not experience any leakage issues. These diapers are available on Amazon (and other online retailers) but also in a bundle format on their website. These are going to run approximately $0.37-0.54 per diaper, depending on the size and where you purchase them.


The other super safe diaper out there is called Broody Chick. These diapers are very environmentally friendly, 100% compostable and though not quite as safe as Bambo Nature, they are very safe. These are also just as absorbent, but they are not quite as soft and a bit bulkier. These are unfortunately a bit more expensive, but available on Amazon and their website, among other online retailers. These are going to run roughly $0.51-0.62 per diaper, so definitely not the most cost effective. 
I've also tried Seventh Generation natural diapers, which are in fact, not one of the safest out there, though their natural brown color is deceiving. They worked ok, but the brown color is actually a dye, and not so natural after all. These are probably safer than the conventional brands, but not as safe as Honest, Bambo Nature and Broody Chick. 

Now, if you feel that Bambo Nature or Honest diapers are still too expensive, Earth's Best offers an option that is also much, much safer than the conventional brands that is reasonably priced. These can be found on Amazon, Earth's Best website, or in many familiar retailers like Target. Depending on where you buy them, they range from $0.25-0.60 per diaper.

With Pampers and Huggies, you are going to pay around $0.23-0.30 per diaper, so yes, using safe diapers will cost a bit more, but your baby (and the environment) is worth it!! 

So based on my research, Bambo Nature is the safest disposable diaper, but I'm personally comfortable enough with using a combination of Bambo and the Honest diapers. When purchased in bulk or as a bundle, these two brands are much more reasonably priced. In fact, if you purchase the Honest Co diaper/wipes bundle (after taking out the cost of the wipes), I've calculated that you are actually only paying $0.18-0.45 per diaper. Not too bad, huh?

Safe wipes and environmentally friendly diaper pails are next! If disposables aren't your game, then stay tuned for a post coming soon on cloth diapers too!

Thanks for reading :)

One of my favorite shots from Luke's newborn session, in his Honest diaper of course.

Photographer: Leslie Gilbert

With Love,

Claudia