by maipham

July 27, 2020

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When I first heard many colleagues talking about some best natural diapers they use for their babies, the first thought I had in my mind was “natural diapers? Now they invent something else for the rich people to use and brag about. There are no normal people who even care about natural diapers!”

I carried that thought for so long and always rolled my eyes when I heard someone mentioned about them.

Until my little boy got diaper rash.

When we use normal disposable diapers, the diaper rash worsened. Even switching back and forth between cloth diapers and disposable diapers doesn’t do a big help with the issue. During my sleepless nights, the old conversation of my colleagues came to my mind. And I asked myself, “why not?”

So I took a leap and did my research on how natural diapers outstand normal diapers, and which are the best natural diapers on the market.

Let’s dive in.

Why natural diapers?

For mommies who cloth diaper their babies, you don’t have to worry about natural diapers. Because your cloth diapers are all-natural already. Cloth diapers are gentle to the skin and allow air to ventilate through your baby’s bottom.

But for mommies who cannot afford the energy spent on cloth diapers, some best natural diapers on the market can bring in the benefits that only cloth diapers have while still being convenient.

The question is, why choose natural diapers over normal diapers? Is your diaper bill not high already?

It’s surprising and sad to say, but some normal mainstream disposable diapers contain toxic chemicals and fragrances that have a connection to asthma, hormonal problems, developmental delays, and even cancer.

While the diapers only touch your little one’s butt, here’s why you should be concerned about those bad chemicals in normal disposable diapers.

  • Your baby will spend a significant amount of time exposed to those diapers: 2 to 3 years with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Your baby’s skin is very thin, sensitive, and fragile and can easily absorb those bad ingredients.

Thankfully, some natural disposable diaper brands are made with eco-friendly and non-toxic ingredients, therefore, are safer choices for you to choose from while still keeping your credit card limit in the green zone.

What to look for in the best natural diapers?

The best natural diapers are free of dyes, chlorine, fragrance, and lotion.

Dye-free

Dye are pigments or colorants that are often added to the diapers, not solely for decoration. Of course, the decoration makes different looks and brands of the diapers, but let’s say the wetness indicator is also added by dye.

Some kids with sensitive skin react badly due to dye, creating rashes around the legs, thighs, and all the areas where the dye material touches the skin.

Chlorine-free

The inner part of the diaper is made of SAP and wood pulp. To whiten and soften the pulp, chlorine is used. Now the chlorine itself is a very dangerous toxic, therefore, chlorine is forbidden in baby products. However, its derivatives are still usable. Your job is to be aware of these derivatives to avoid them.

Elemental Chlorine-free (ECF): ECF means bleaching the wood pulp with chlorine dioxide instead of chlorine. Even so, it still contains small traces of dioxin. Dioxins are a class of highly toxic chemicals that accumulate in our body and can badly impact on our immune system.

Total chlorine-free (TCF): means no use of chlorine or its derivatives. It uses oxygen, peroxide, or ozone-based bleaching systems. This is by far the safest bleaching method. Your priority is TCF pulp when it comes to baby diapers.

Fragrance-free

I love the smell of almost everything new, especially when you unbox it and tear off the wrapping bags for the first time. When I opened Ethan’s diaper bag, it gave me a gentle and fresh scent of new diapers.

However, no matter how romantic it might seem, the fragrance is not friendly to my son’s bottom. Even though he doesn’t have a very big problem with it, the issue becomes visible when he has a diaper rash.

I took a closer look and found out that fragrances are artificial or synthetic chemicals that can cause skin allergies and other skin problems. Not all chemicals in the diapers are required to be disclosed, therefore, manufacturing companies tend to group a whole bunch of them into “fragrances” umbrellas.

Lotion free

Some diaper brands have artificial lotion applied to the inner layer of the diaper and touch your baby’s bottom. Lotions do not mean that they are gentle and baby-friendly. Some lotions include petroleum-based ingredients and many other chemicals that might cause some sensitivity to the skin.

Top 10 best natural diapers in 2020

Andy Pandy Biodegradable Bamboo Disposable Diapers (Class A)

One of the most popular natural diapers when it comes to non-toxic diapers, the brand also stays at the top list of many other parents’ recommended product lists. And for good reasons.

It well meets our conditions of good natural diapers (no dye, no chlorine, no fragrance, and no lotion). The Andy Pandy diapers have 100% bamboo fiber in the outer and inner layers of the diapers. Instead of lotion, a light mist of pure aloe essence is added in the inner layer to soothe your baby’s skin. The material is super soft and comfortable.

What’s more, these diapers are hypoallergenic and antibacterial, which means they can well prevent skin irritation.

Even though they don’t include dye, they still have wetness indicators like many mainstream diaper brands. This is very helpful when you decide to use this diaper brand for your newborn, which is the period when your little one is most sensitive to everything.

However, take note that some parents complain that the sizing is quite tricky (a little larger than the other mainstream diaper brands). So to secure a snug fit, you can size it down if your baby’s weight is in the first half of a size range.

Honest Company Diapers (class B)

Another top-notch baby diaper brands. What I like about this diaper brand is that they are super-absorbent. The core is made from TCF wood pulp from sustainably managed forests. It can hold up to 17 times its weight in liquid. This can ensure a good night rest without any leakage.

Some experienced parents said that before 2018, Honest diapers’ inner layers are made of plant-based while now they are made of polyethylene and polypropylene. However, according to my research, the new ingredients in the inner layer do not harm your baby, maybe it is just a little bit confusing to super-environmental parents.

The non-toxic diaper as a whole free from chlorine, latex, fragrances, lotions, and natural rubber latex.

This is one of the brands with the cutest designs. There are just too many designs to choose from, from boys to girls and different colors.

Eco Boom (class A)

Eco Boom diapers are known for their gentle care for even the most sensitive babies. The top and back sheets are made of quality bamboo fiber, using TCF pulp. There is no sign of chlorine or its derivatives, alcohol, fragrance, dye, lotion, latex, PVC, and antioxidants in the diapers.

What’s more, the surface of the diaper is coated with aloe oil to nourish and protect your baby’s skin.

If you are a green parent and concerned with the environment when using disposable diapers for your babies, you can be relieved knowing that these organic diapers are naturally biodegradable. These diapers also come with a yellow wetness indicator line in the front.

Dyper (Class A)

Dyper is one of the best natural diaper brands on the market. It has an amazing texture; it is sturdy but soft and flexible enough so that it does not irritate your baby’s skin. This diaper feels more like cloth than any other brand that I used.

The most important job of any diaper is that it can absorb well. And Dyper does not disappoint me on this one. It can absorb so much liquid that I don’t need to change diaper for my little one during the night. The only drawback of this is, after absorbing so much liquid, the outside of the diaper becomes damp as it doesn’t have the plastic layer like other diapers.

The Dyper diaper is free of chlorine, latex, PVC, alcohol, perfumes, lotions, TBT, or dye. They are pure plain white and very cloth-alike.

One more thing that I always look at and think about, is that no matter how good a product is, it has to be affordable because I have other things to spend money on. But thankfully, the Dyper is one of the good stuff that you can get without breaking your bank.

When I checked out the Dyper original website, they say that if you can pause your subscription to avoid charges, and if you are not happy with it, you can return the unused diapers. Instead of posting on Mommy Facebook pages to pass on those, you can easily take your money back with a shipping label pre-paid for by the company.

Know that sometimes one thing is good for others but is not right for you. And even this diaper brand seems to be one of the “one-size-fits-all” solution, it is still not. Some parents complain that it leaves fuzz and white particles on their babies’ pee-pee and booty, sometimes their babies pee right through them (as they don’t have the plastic outside wrap).

Bamboo (class B)

The Bambo Nature Eco Friendly Baby Diapers are known for their comfort as they are breathable, thick but soft. They also feature the perfect Bodyfit that helps to prevent leaks and blowouts quite well. However, my son Ethan still experienced some leaks sometimes at night.

They are also free of dyes, ECF, fragrance, and anything that can irritate your baby’s sensitive skin.

Bambo Nature was the first baby diaper in the world certified with the esteemed Nordic Ecolabel and EU Flower ecolabel.

Many parents raise the concern of the sizing. The sizing is much wider than its recommended range.

Abby & Finn (class B)

Abby & Finn receives a lot of positive feedback from parents, and for good reason. This Abby & Finn diaper is Total Chlorine Free and eco-friendly, free of dyes, latex, fragrance, and lotion. It is absorbent and very similar to the Honest Company. It is soft but sturdy enough to keep your baby’s bottom dry. It also has many cute designs like Honest Company.

It is also affordable and when you try their subscription, it saves you a few bucks a month.

However, some parents experience some troubles with the size. The described size is narrow for their babies, but when they size it up, it is way too long and the leg holes are too big. Even though the diaper seems to be well made, some babies still experienced rashes while using them.

 Parasol (class B)

This is an average natural diaper brand according to my search. It features multiple layers of soft, absorbent materials that can dry quickly. The top and back sheets are soft and breathable, making the Parasol diaper very gentle on baby’s skin.

It is free of alcohol, dyes, chlorine, fragrances, latex, or preservatives, making it safer for your baby’s sensitive skin.

What I like about this diaper brand is that the diapers are very soft and they absorb the liquid quickly. I did not experience any blowout when using this diaper brand, however, many other parents have a different opinion about it.

A lot of parents complain about the strong odor they deal with when putting this on, which, in turn, requires more frequent diaper change. What’s more, even though it absorbs quickly when holding a lot of pee, it sags down and creates a gap between your baby’s thighs, sometimes the pee leaks out because of this.

Dewor Baby (class A)

Dewor Baby diaper is made of 100% bamboo fiber. Bamboo fibers have a high breaking tenacity, better moisture-wicking properties, and better moisture absorption. Bamboo's soft, silky feel, outstanding absorbency, and its breathability provide the very best in natural luxury and comfort. It is free of fragrance, dye, chemical, and lotion.

Dewor diapers feature thin and soft cores that can absorb quickly, reducing leaks and blowouts. The natural aloe liner reduces the risk of diaper rash. Because of its pure making, it does not leave any chemical smell or odor.

Many parents are extremely happy with this diaper brand as it does not cause diaper rash for their babies. However, some also complained that the diaper is much wider than other brands, and you can still feel the diaper is damp from the outside.

Little Toes (class A)

Another natural bamboo diaper, Little Toes diapers are breathable, soft, and absorbent. According to the manufacturer, Little Toes disposable baby diapers prevent leaks and keep baby dry with their high-quality Super Absorbent Polymer (S.A.P.).

This Little Toes diapers are naturally hypoallergenic; 100% free of chlorine, alcohol, perfumes, latex, PVC, TBT, antioxidants, phthalates, or preservatives. You can feel relaxed a little bit knowing that no nasty chemicals are touching your baby’s bottom.

The manufacturer also offers the subscription option, with their subscription service, the diapers will arrive in monthly value packs.

Take note, though, some parents say that the sizing is wider than usual and the diapers are not sturdy enough as the tabs got ripped easily during readjusting.

Nest (class A)

Nest diapers are made with bamboo fiber, a plant-based sustainable material that is free of harmful chemicals, lotions, perfume, and known allergens. The material makes it breathable, soft, and comfortable. The diapers are absorbent, work well for daytime and overnight, and had a good fit. They also feature the wetness indicator strip which I remember being particularly helpful with newborns.

What’s more, packed in an amazing sustainable packaging which makes them a ready gift for a baby shower.

However, the diapers sag a little more than some other brands. The only negative feedback I heard from other parents is that in the morning with a full wet diaper from the night before, the outer layer felt a little damp.

Final thought

If your little one repeatedly gets diaper rash, you might have to change many things to prevent it. And the first solution you can think of is to switch to a more gentle diaper brand. 

Now you are armed with a list of the top 10 natural diapers, the next thing you have to do is to select one that suits you. 

Which one do you go for? Share your experience with us to help more people.

Best natural diapers

About the author 

Mai Pham

Mai Pham discovered her passion for writing a few years ago and she never stop thinking about it ever since. She finally took the leap and created Live a Worthy Life to brag about her smart ass (mainly just for fun). Enjoyed the fun writing brings, now with her new interest in everything-baby-related, she created Mommy Instinct, to tell mamas that it's ok that they mess up, that they don't know what the hell they are doing, and that it's okay to sit back and relax for a while.

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