apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've never tried the diapers but I like the biodegradable diaper-disposal bags they make as well as the lotion.

We wanted these to be good so much! We have a compost heap and would love to not have to throw away our diapers. But they just didn't work. The material they are made of is slightly scratchy and has no flex to it; our son found them uncomfortable and they constantly leaked. They also seem to run small, so if you're trying them, you might want to order up. We're back to 7th Gs.

If you like them and they work for you, diapers.com is a good source for them...

These are a good step in the right direction... BUT i would also venture to also recommend G DIAPERS as a truly eco- conscious alternative.

They are the only cradle to cradle certified diaper on the market i believe. We've been using them for the past year on our daughter and LOVE them!

It's a hybrid between a cloth and disposables, with a cloth outer cover and a flushable liner that you can flush in the toilet (we've had no clogs yet!) or you can compost the wet ones (att.deoxy!) My husband loves that we have NO STINKY DIAPER PAIL!
Plus the pants come in a ton of cute colors. check them out at www.gdiapers.com

happy diapering! ( and no - i don't work for them , just an enthusiastic green mama!)

I have been using the Nature Babycare diaper for our son because his daycare refuses to use cloth diapers. I agree with "deoxy" that the sizes do run a little small. My son is only in daycare part-time, so we use Fuzzy Bunz and G Diapers the rest of the time. We use cloth inserts in the G Diaper when we are at home because the flushables are expensive.

There is a new blog called Tiny Decor (www.tinydecorblog.com) that has a few great posts on G Diapers and using them with cloth inserts.

I really wanted to use G diapers, and I purchased a bunch of covers and inserts before my son was born, but they leaked every single time we tried them. With my son in daycare now, we've had to use disposables, which was my last choice.

I use both Seventh Generation and Nature Babycare (and Moltex, from Germany), here in Australia. I have had excellent experiences with all three.

As mentioned by others, the Nature Babycare nappies are a little unpredictable size-wise - I found them excellent for newborn, but the size 3 are too small for my 8kg baby girl, and the size 4 are a little too large. I have never had any leakage, so use the Nature Babycare size 4's for nighttime, and use the Seventh Generation size 3's for daytime. The tabs are not stretchy like the Seventh Generation/Moltex nappies - I just make sure they don't dig into my baby's legs.

Here in Australia you can buy the Nature Babycare nappies at the two major supermarket chains at an excellent pricepoint (around $20) compared to the Seventh Generation/Moltex which you need to buy from a specialist organic/eco-store at a higher price (around $32-34).

Please support these new brands as it is so great to have more eco-friendly options to choose from!

we've used cloth for both our children, the only exception being when we travel, when our preference has been for Tushies, which are gel-free:

http://www.tushies.com/Tushies_Diapers.html

I am very wary of diapers, such as 7th Generation and GDiapers, with Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP), the same super-absorbent gel found in most conventional disposables. SAPs were removed from tampons due to the link to toxic shock syndrome, and to date, there are no long term studies to show that SAPs are safe for use in diapering (that gel has been shown to escape out of the diaper, and into the genital area).

since Nature Babycare is "ultra thin" and "high performance" it in all probability has the gel

Ignorant pregnant mom-to-be here!

We're in an apartment with no clothes washer available... so cloth diapers are simply not possible for us....

I'm so happy I found this thread! I never knew there were environmentally responsible (or at least more responsible) disposable diapers.... I presumed cloth was the only option!

Now I'm going to find out what local shops sell all the brands mentioned... I hope one is remotely affordable!

decorating, cooking and science:

-have you checked out local diaper services?

-also, the best prices for specialty items, such as Tushies, are often available on-line. There is often a bulk discount, which your local health food store won't have.

We also tried a diaper service and G-diapers. The cloth diapers, even with covers leaked all the time and cover tight enough to not leak was too uncomfortable for our son. In fact we also tried the G-diapers covers with the cloth diapers and that was a laughable experiment. We’re on the go a lot and they ended up really becoming a huge hassle. I so very much wanted to be able to stick with them. Probably best if you’re a stay at home or don’t hit the road a lot.

The G-diapers are another wonderful concept. We started using these when traveling while using the cloth diapers at home and had the same issues as heps, too much leakage. We had no problems flushing the inserts though, even with the low flow toilet, which I’ve heard others complain about. Another great concept that didn’t work for us. Thanks for the great post MNmom, I’ll check out the cloth inserts to see if that works for us while at home.

We currently use the 7th Generation diapers all the time and they work great. Posts like deoxy’s make me leery of trying yet another possible leaky product like the Nature Baby but I’ll do my due diligence and order a pack just in case. Monika1, the SAP issue is still a concern. We really, REALLY liked a lot of the usability of the G-diapers. Our second son is due in July so we’re definitely open to alternatives.

JustPuked:

Sounds like you have a fit problem with diaper covers -- essentially, the gdiaper consists of a two part diapers cover (inner and outer) designed to accept the SAP insert. Diaper services usually provide you with Pro-Wraps, or sell them to you. I hated pro-wraps (they leaked with our daughter because she has skinny thighs), so I got rid of them.

I've experimented with many different covers and diapers, and the covers which work best, especially with simply flat or contoured diapers, are ImseVimse Bumpy Diaper Covers.

http://www.imsevimse.us/store/category/8kop/Diaper_Covers.html

We got all wool (simply wash them on the wool cycle in your machine, no big deal), which breathe best.

http://www.imsevimse.us/store/large/p1ks/Diaper_Covers/Wool_Cover.html

We also use the ImseVimse AIO (AllInOne), which includes the diaper cover, and has an organic cotton and microfleece interior.

http://www.imsevimse.us/store/item/1zkro/All-in-One_Diapers/All-in-One_-_4_pack.html

What is so great about ImseVimse is that their covers have gussets that are done in a trim fabric, so that it is not bulky and yet still prevents leaks. The fit is very flexible on them, so they fit slim and chunky thighs alike.

...and liners, especially flushable ones, are A Good Thing...

http://www.imsevimse.us/store/category/8ldy/Diaper_Liners.html

I use BumGenius and Fuzzi Bunz cloth now that I can wash them at home: http://nickisdiapers.com/catalog.php?category=11

When we used a service though, the two most important items were a snappi: http://nickisdiapers.com/catalog.php?category=125 without this, prefolds ALWAYS leak for us, regardless of the cover.

And a good cover. These are my faves: http://www.affordablediapers.com/servlet/Categories?category=Wool Wraps

...with the Bumpy covers, because of how large the velcro area is, you get a really good fit and don't need snappis, honest! (I found snappis to be a pain because of the time and difficulty of getting everything lined up just right -- our kids are super wiggly)

we use fleece pocket diapers too (albeit not fuzzibunz), and they are easy to put on, and breathe, preventing chaffing and rashes (which can happen with PUL fabrics)

i'm so surpised at the post about having leaks with gdiapers! We use them 100% of the time - at night, when out and bout & AT DAYCARE!

I wish i could come and show you the proper fit and i bet we could solve it! leaks can occur if the covers are overtightened (like how you crank down a traditional disposable's tape) so maybe those that have had a leak should refer to the video on how to put them on online at gdiapers.com which shows a proper fit. once you figure it out it's super simple :)

we rarely have a small leak and don't have the poopy blowouts our friends do who use traditional disposables!

The best part is how flexible they are- you can flush the inner, toss it, compost the wet diapers, or use cloth in them. we travel all day and on planes with them with out concern. :)

As for the sap issue. -it's really not one- it's in almost all disposables even 7th gen, in lots of gardening products and in feminine hygiene products like pads.
"SAP is proven to be safe and effective by over 400 studies, and most recently was given the "two thumbs up" from MBDC, the leading US based design chemistry firm. MBDC gave the SAP in our gDiaper flushables the chemical rating "green", which is the safest assessment a chemical or material can receive. "

if there was a toxic issue gdiapers would not be cradle to cradle certified.

I would give g's a chance. We've loved them for the past year and don't bother having anything else stocked in the house as "backup".

i love having a clear diapering conscience!

good luck everyone. it's great to see so many people thinking through the impact they are having by diapering and exploring alternatives.