The Great Diaper Debate

Choosing which diapers to outfit your baby in is just one of the MANY decisions you make as a parent, and the length of time your little one spends in diapers makes the decision a pretty big one! It can be very daunting to look down the aisle at your local store and see all of the different options. Does cost equal quality? Are those ones by the “natural” company really made of “safe” ingredients? How fast will my baby grow from one size to the next? How many diapers will my little one go through in a day?

After some careful research, and a little trial-and-error, we both found diapers that make our little ones (+ their momma’s) happy--and, as always, we are willing to share!

Ingredients:

This is a factor we took very seriously in our diaper search.  By law, diaper manufacturers are not required to disclose the component parts of diapers and very little research exists on the chemicals in diapers Guys...this is extremely unsettling! Concerns of chemicals in conventional, disposable diapers (think Huggies, Up & Up, Pampers, Luvs) include: sodium polyacrylate or SAP, volatile organic compounds or VOCs (including toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and dipentene), dioxins, polyurethane, adhesives, lotions, inks, fragrances, and pesticide residue. Chemicals like these can have toxic health effects and may irritate little babes’ skin, eyes and lungs.

On the other hand there are other “Natural” (remember this term doesn’t necessarily mean anything) disposable diapers that are contain less toxic chemicals and more eco-friendly. Some natural disposables include Seventh Generation, Honest Co., Pampers Pure and Babyganics. These diapers are made primarily from natural ingredients (as opposed to synthetic) and are free from latex, chlorine, lotions, fragrance and dyes. They are also minimally processed. Cloth diapers are made of a variety of ingredients including bamboo, cotton, organic cotton, and/or hemp. These are by far the safest as far as ingredients go.

Cost:

The cost of cloth diapers upfront is high, but in the long run disposable diapers end up costing more. According to “The Bump” (https://www.thebump.com/a/cloth-diapers-vs-disposable), two years of diapering a baby in cloth diapers will cost $800-$1000 while two years of diapering a baby in disposable diapers will cost $2000-$3000.

Here is an average cost per diaper of some disposable brands:

Honest Co--32 per diaper

Pampers Pure--36 per diaper

Babyganics--46 cents per diaper

Huggies--20-21 cents per diaper (depending on kind)

Pampers (traditional)--22 cents per diaper

Up & Up (Target’s brand)--13 cents per diaper

If you choose to use Pampers or Pampers Pure, make sure you utilize their rewards program. Pampers Rewards is a free phone application that allows you to earn points on the diapers or wipes you purchase. These points can then be used for gifts or coupons. It’s so easy, all you have to do is enter or scan their product code! In addition to taking advantage of manufacturer savings programs, another great option for saving money is to take advantage of deals from retail stores. For example, Target often offers gift cards to use in store if you spend a certain amount in diapers and baby gear (ex: spend $100, receive a $20 Target gift card). They also have a Red Card debit card that you can sign up for and receive a 5% discount on all Target purchases.

The Environment:

This is another big factor in diaper decision-making and we were surprised and what we found. A report done by the U.K. Environment Agency  calculates every resource used from energy and water, to cotton and plastics throughout the production, use, cleaning of and disposal of each kind of diaper and surprisingly they have about the same environmental impact. Cloth diapers use twice as much water--between the water required to grow the cotton to make the diapers and the repeated washing required for cleaning them. The manufacturing of disposable diapers makes a larger carbon footprint, however, the electricity used to wash cloth diapers cancels most of that out. Disposables are harder on the ozone, due to the gases released as they decompose in landfills, however, cloth diapers generate more toxic waste that impacts human health (due to the electricity, detergent and softeners used in washing).

Our advice: if you go cloth, have a high efficiency washing machine and hang the diapers to dry, and use non-toxic detergents in washing. If you go with disposable diapers, look for ones that are biodegradable (Honest Co., Eco by Naty, Broody Chick Eco Natural, Babyganics, Bamboo Nature, Seventh Generation).

Our Personal Preference:

Cost savings and environmental concerns might lead you to choose cloth diapers. However, disposable diapers offer an unparalleled level of convenience. If cloth diapering sounds like your thing check out one of our favorite bloggers Mama Natural on how to get started. We both opted for disposable diapers, remember we're not claiming to be fully crunchy, just crunchy-ish. :)

Disposable diapers that we’ve tried on our little babes include Babyganics, Honest Co (huge plus: both of these are somewhat biodegradable), and Pampers Pure. We feel that these brands are made of safe ingredients, are relatively similar in cost, and can all be found at Target or Amazon. While all three are great options, our favorite is Pampers Pure diapers (& wipes). Not only are Pampers Pure made with safe ingredients, but we feel they provide the best fit & leak protection.

How Many Diapers Do You Really Need?:

For newborns, you can expect to change anywhere from 10-12 diapers a day. You might be wondering how fast your little one will grow and how many diapers in each size you should start off with. We recommend starting with 2 boxes of newborn size, 3 boxes of size 1, and 3 boxes of size 2, 3 boxes of size 3, and then buying more after that.

Regardless if you choose cloth or disposable, generic or name brand, conventional or “natural” diapers we are confident the selection you make will be what is best for you and your babe...and that’s all that really matters. If you would like us to help you find out more about the ingredients in the diapers you use please let us know, as always we would love to help.