The 3 Best Eco-Friendly Disposable Diapers: A Comparison of Honest, Seventh Generation, and Babyganics

Honest

How they’re made (from their site)

• Plant-based (PLA) inner and outer layers — gentle on your baby’s bottom
• Sustainably harvested pulp – NO chlorine processing or harsh chemical bleaches
• Natural citrus and chlorophyll odor-inhibitors
• Bio-based wheat/corn blend in super-absorbent core — less sodium polyacrylate
• Yes, diapers can be fun too! Cute, stylish designs for girls and boys — updated seasonally! Never miss out.
• Comfy-stretch side panels and soft, refastenable tabs for perfect fit and wigglability!
• Securely fitting moisture barrier cuffs prevent leakage and blowouts — fewer accidents, less laundry!
• Simply pure — NO risky fragrances, lotions, or latex
• Gentle, safe, and non-irritating for the most sensitive skin

Why I like them:

– Their subscription service. Running out of diapers is like the biggest mom failure ever and I still do it from time to time. You know you need them, you know you’re running low, but you can’t seem to get to the store in time. I used their subscription service for almost 3 years and just canceled last month (more on that below). It was incredible having the box just show up on my doorstep and I loved being able to throw in additional products to ship with the bundle which is how I was able to try most of the line, which brings me to…..

– You can throw in other things like diaper cream or body wash with your bundle and just pay one shipping price. I always have a tube of Organic Healing Balm in each of the girls’ rooms which I use on their lips, cheeks, and any cuts and scrapes they have. I use it on my lips and hands too. I’m also way too obsessed with their Soothing Bottom Wash $10 which makes even the most extreme diapers much easier to clean. It’s like an organic cleaning spray for bottoms, I’ll never change a messy diaper without it.

– They let you try the diapers for free and usually have specials. Right now the bundles are 35% off (Click HERE and use the code MARBUNDLES35OFF) and you can also check out their free sample offer for 7 diapers and 10 wipes or you can choose 5 samples of their cleaning and personal care items (shampoo, body lotion, multi-surface cleaning spray, healing balm, and hand soap) delivered to your door. I first ordered a sample when looking for ‘greener’ diapers for Harper which is what got me hooked on the brand back when it was just diapers and wipes only.

– The patterns are the cutest around. It adds a little touch of fun to changing a zillion diapers every day and the girls love picking which pattern they want to wear.

What’s missing:

– My little Everly is a big girl and while the diapers always fit her, they were snug wrapping around her sides which made the bottom of the tape part sometimes dig into her skin.

– On a few occasions (and we’re talking maybe 4 times in almost 3 years) the tape didn’t stick on the side of the diaper so it was half way off leaving a (thankfully potty!) mess.

– The wipes. In your bundle you get a set number of diaper and wipe packs that can’t be changed, it’s 6 packages of diapers (8 for newborns) and 4 packages of wipes. You can request certain diaper patterns that you prefer, but the amount stays the same. We never went through 4 packs of wipes a month even with 2 kids in diapers at the same time, so we had a lot extra wipes. We use them in the car for messy hands and in the diaper bag, so it’s fine but I never really loved the wipes. They’re on the thick side and a little dry so sometimes they would drag on their skin during diaper changes leaving them red. Harper finally told me that she didn’t like them which is why we canceled our bundle service. I can see how people would like them though because they are thick which might mean using fewer of them during a change.

Seventh Generation

How they’re made (from their site)

• Our diapers contain absolutely no fragrances, petroleum-based lotions or chlorine processing.
• Baby Diapers that are free of chlorine processing
• Unbleached brown core fiber
• Diapers for babies with premium absorbency & leak protection
• Hypoallergenic Baby Diapers
• Free of fragrances, inks, & petroleum-based lotions

Why I like them:

– They’re easy to find, they’re now at most grocery stores and Target and the prices are good ($14 for 36 Newborn pack)

– Whenever I’d run out of the Honest diapers in Harper’s first few months, these are the ones I’d grab at Target to get me by until my best bundle.

– They do a great job absorbing and they’re lightweight and thin so they don’t bulk up an outfit or diaper bag.

– Fit was there for both girls, bigger waists and smaller.

– I really liked their wipes, thick like Honest’s but they were more smooth and didn’t drag on the skin. They’re also the only ones of the bunch that ‘feed’ when you use them so the next one pops up on its own after you pull one out. The other 2 stay in the package making them hard to grab one especially since you’re usually doing it with just one hand.

What’s missing:

– These diapers have a papery feeling, more so than any of the others.

– I think they changed how they made them because the last time we bought them they left those weird bits of gel on the girls’ skin like you sometimes find with mainstream diapers. Not sure if I just got a weird package though because I hadn’t experienced this before.

Babyganics

How they’re made (from their site)

• No chlorine, latex, petroleum based lotions or fragrances
• With 100% natural NeoNourish® Seed Oil Blend to help nurture & support baby’s skin.
• Plant-based ingredients
• Made with natural & renewable resources
• Chlorine free
• Premium fit
• Premium absorbency
• Soft-stretch sides
• Leak control
• Wetness indicatorWhy I like them:– Prices are good, less than the others. The cheapest I’ve found is HERE on Buy.com for $12 for 36 pack, it’s $15 on Diapers.com and when you’re buying in bulk that few dollars really matters to me.- They feel like a regular diaper but act like a natural one. They’re white with an animal printed band on the front, nothing over the top decorative but cute enough.- I’ve never had blow-out or leaking issues (middle of the night potty-overload excluded of course), but for day to day they work great.

  – They have a whole line of products that I like. Harper’s gym class is where I first used their Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer which we now use, and their essential oil based Natural Insect Repellent.

  – I love their wipes. These are the diapers and wipes I’m using now full time. The diapers have been perfect for us with zero complaints and the wipes work best for us too. They’re on the thin side, but really soft and damp so they’re easy for clean-ups and leave skin soft and moisturized. They’re always out of stock of the case size at the two Target’s near me, so I buy them HERE on drugstore.com and get 400 for $19. They’re night and day different from the Honest and Seventh Generation ones so you’ll have a strong preference either way.

  

  What’s missing:

  – Maybe I’m just in a honeymoon period with them because I haven’t used them as long as I did Honest and Seventh Generation (maybe 6 months now for both girls), but there isn’t anything I don’t like about them. It could also be that because they weren’t the very first to market with a ‘natural diaper’ and baby line, they looked at what the other companies were doing and took the best of what they saw to make their line. Who knows. Right now, it’s working for us.