Category — Disposable Diapers

Just as most cloth diapering people, I occasionally use disposable diapers. Since plastics and the chemicals found in disposable diapers are a concern for me, I do try to look for diapers that contain as few of those chemicals as possible. [Read more →]

Did you know you can use gDiaper inserts with cloth diaper covers?  Since my daughter never seems very comfortable in her gPants (the gDiaper cover), I recently decided to try the disposable gDiaper insert (gRefill) with a Bummis PUL cover.  It worked great and my daughter did not try to remove the diaper like she does her gDiapers.  So, whenever I’ll need to use a disposable I’ll probably use a gRefill with a cloth diaper cover such as Bummis or Thirsties.  I haven’t tried it with wool and fleece covers, but I assume it’ll work just as well.  I do wonder though, what the wool and fleece covers might absorb from the gRefill.

I tried the gRefill with a Bummis cover at night as well and it worked great.  I did use a wide Zorb doubler along with the gRefill because I’ve heard one gDiaper insert is not enough for night-time – whoever said it was right because the doubler was quite wet in the morning.  I could have used two gRefills, but that would create extra waste which I’m not comfortable with.

I ended up using the refills with a PUL cover two nights in a row because we’ve had a hard time getting rid of my daughter’s yeast rash.  Usually, I use bamboo fleece fitteds with wool covers, even when my daughter has rashes.  If she does have a rash, it usually heals quickly thanks to the fitteds and wool, but this rash has been really stubborn.  I wonder if potty training had something to do with it since she hasn’t been wearing very absorbent diapers anymore.  Anyway, I decided to try disposable diapers because I wanted my daughter to be as dry as possible between changes since as you probably know, yeast loves moisture.  Well, it turns out disposables do not help heal yeast rashes, the rashes stay the same or get worse.  So, the next thing I decided to try was the gRefill with a PUL cover that has been neglected for at least a couple of months.  I was happy to discover that her rash did look better in the morning.  I suspect the gRefill and cloth diaper combination is more breathable than a disposable diaper which sped up the healing process.

So, if you do like gRefills, but not the gPants, you can get out your PUL covers and start using those with the disposable refills whenever you can’t (or don’t want to) use a cloth diaper.

When my daughter was born we had a package of Pampers Swaddlers ready, and we thought we’d be using disposable diapers until she was potty trained.  We had a couple of packages of cloth diapers, but they were too big for my daughter for the first month or two.  Also, because I didn’t know anything about modern cloth diapers, I wasn’t in a hurry to use them.  I’ve heard some horror stories from my mom about cloth diapering, so I didn’t think I’d ever want to do it.  I later found out that modern diapers are not the same as what my mom used on my sister and me when we were babies.

So, we used disposable diapers for a couple of months until I couldn’t handle the rashes anymore.  My daughter was a lot more sensitive to the chemicals in disposable diapers than my friends’ babies, and there was no cream that would prevent the rashes from coming back every few days.  The constant rashes led me to do some online research.  After reading about the chemicals in disposable diapers, I decided to give cloth diapers a try.  Even though the diapers we had weren’t amazing, I kept using them.  Thanks to more online research, I found out about bumGenius diapers and just had to try one.  Thanks to the bumGenius diaper, I actually enjoyed changing my daughter – a task that I’ve always hated before.  Also, the rashes weren’t as frequent anymore which made me want to stick with cloth diapering.  So, I decided to buy 6 more bumGenius diapers.

Northern Baby Fitted Diapers (v. 2)

Even though my daughter had fewer diaper rashes, she still had some from time to time.  One day while doing more online research on cloth diapers, I discovered that some babies can be sensitive to synthetic fibres.  I knew that the bumGenius pocket diapers had a synthetic lining, so I decided to look for diapers made with natural fibres.  The diapers I decided to purchase next included an AMP hemp fitted diaper, a Sugar Peas hemp fitted diaper and six unbleached Indian cotton prefolds.  I couldn’t believe how fast my daughter’s rashes went away and stayed away after I started using those diapers.

In the first couple of months, I also learned which detergents to use and which not to use with cloth diapers.  However, I still run into detergent issues many months later.  Whenever I use a different washer or want to try a new cloth diaper detergent, I’m running into some issues.  The one thing that’s never given my daughter rashes is soapnuts.  To find out more about the soapnuts I use, please visit the Superior Soapnuts website or the Eco Bebe Boutique.

Today, most of my daughter’s diapers have been made by me.  I’ve tried a lot of other diapers, but there was always something about each diaper that was bothering me.  It took me many months to perfect my diaper pattern, and since I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I’m still not 100% satisfied with it and probably never will.

I’ve never regretted switching to cloth diapers even when the poops got more stinky and detergents almost drove me insane.  To find out exactly why I’ve stuck with cloth diapering, please read one of my previous posts titled, “Things I Love About Cloth Diapers“, if you haven’t already done so.

I’ve been asked a couple of times where I got my “free” eco diaper trial pack.  Well, I got it at ecobotts, a family owned and operated company in Vancouver, BC.  The trial pack is free, but they do ask that you pay the $2 shipping fee though.

I chose the “Mixed Pack” and got one Moltex and one Nature Babycare diaper in my mail a week or so later.

Lately, I’ve been asked a lot about PC Green Diapers.  These diapers are still relatively new and there isn’t a huge lot of information about them online.  So, I decided to tell you everything I know about them.

As I’ve written in a previous post, PC Green disposable diapers are chlorine and fragrance free.  Those of you who have had trouble finding other eco disposable diapers close to home, might have better luck finding these since PC Green diapers might be available in your supermarket store (owned by Loblaws).

What I do like about this diaper:

• Very stretchy tabs.  None of the other eco disposable diapers I’ve tried have tabs that stretchy.
• The diaper is quite a bit cheaper than other “green” diapers.  The regular price of PC Green diapers is $15.99 for 46 diapers in size 4.  Seventh Generation diapers are $17.99-19.99 for 30 diapers in the same size.  Also, you can sometimes see the PC Green diapers on special for $12.99.
• No rashes so far.  It does not promote healing of rashes very well though.  I found that bamboo cloth diapers with wool covers at night promote healing much better than the PC Green diapers even though cloth diapers get quite wet overnight.  I guess it’s not a surprise since cloth diapers do allow more airflow.  Also, bamboo is antimicrobial.

What I do NOT like about this diaper:

• SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer)
• Still has some plastics in it however, according to the manufacturer some of the plastic components were replaced with “revolutionary plant-based polymers”.
• Packaging is not biodegradable.
• It’s still a disposable that takes hundreds of years to decompose.  One of the few reasons why I don’t use disposables is that the thought of mountains of disposable diapers in the landfill really bothers me.
• I wasn’t impressed with what’s written about cloth diapers at the back of the packaging.  It might mislead people into believing that cloth diapers are made from pesticide sprayed cotton ONLY.  Trust me there’s LOTS of diapers out there (including my daughter’s) that are not.  I also wasn’t impressed with the mention of detergent as if tons of it were being used on diapers.  The truth is, most people use only 1/4 of the recommended amount of detergent to wash their diapers.  Also, a lot of people these days use front-loading washers which use quite a bit less water.

NOTE: These diapers do fit a bit bigger than SG diapers, so if you’re using SG diapers and your baby is almost outgrowing a size, PC Green diapers in the same size might still fit her/him well.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Just please keep in mind that I’m not an expert on disposable diapers – I normally cloth diaper only.

There’s a lot of information out there on the subject of how to get started with cloth diapering.  However, I haven’t seen a lot of good information for people who want to switch from disposables to cloth diapers.  I think those who switch from disposables need slightly different information than those who are planning to cloth diaper from the beginning.   So, let’s begin with the initial purchase of cloth diapers meant for those who are switching.

1. Buying Cloth Diapers

I recommend doing some research first to find out which type of diaper you might be interested in trying.  There’s a lot of styles out there and the prices vary from a couple of bucks to $200+ (I heard the most popular fitted diaper sold for at least that much at a Hyena Cart auction).  Just google some cloth diapers and you’ll find a ton of information.  Remember not to panic – you’re not buying a house after all :-)

If you’re switching from disposables to cloth diapers, I do NOT recommend buying a huge number of cloth diapers.  We had very few cloth diapers in the beginning and we started off slow.  The diapers we had back then were quite inexpensive compared to the popular brands.  I wasn’t a fan of those diapers, but thanks to my research, I decided to stick to cloth diapering because I knew there were better cloth diapers out there.  The first cloth diaper I bought myself was a bumGenius 2.0 pocket diaper.  I was amazed how nice the diaper looked compared to what I’ve seen before.  I couldn’t believe how easy this diaper was to use.  It’s as easy to put on as a disposable!  With this diaper though, you do have to stuff the pocket with an insert before use.  The AIO/AI2 diapers do not require any stuffing.

There’s a chart on The Diaper Jungle website that describes the four major types of cloth diapers used today.  Most people who want to switch to cloth, would probably be most comfortable using AIO/AI2 or pocket diapers.  Those diapers will cost you a bit though, but remember that you’d be paying a lot more for disposables in the long run.  I’ve probably spent no more than $400-500 on my 21 month-old daughter’s cloth diapers and I have A LOT of diapers.  I actually sold some of my used diapers online, so I probably got at least $150-180 back.  I’ll have more on the subject of selling used diapers in a later post.

So, once you’ve decided which type of cloth diapers you’d like to try, it’s time to find out where to buy those diapers.  If you want to go with mass produced diapers then your local baby store might have those.  If your local baby stores do not carry cloth diapers, then use a search engine to find online cloth diaper stores.   If you’d rather buy WAHM (Work At Home Mom)-made diapers then you might want to check out the following sites:

Hyena Cart

Etsy

Remember to try different diapers and not to buy too many the first time you purchase them.  I also recommend trying different doublers and/or inserts.  You want to find out which diapers and doublers/inserts work best for you.

In the next post, I’ll talk about washing cloth diapers.  It’s not as hard as you think!

As promised, here is the second part of “Eco-Friendly Disposable Diapers”.

3. gDiapers

When I first heard about gDiapers, I was very excited.  A diaper could be used as a disposable and a cloth diaper?  I simply had to have this diaper!

The diaper consists of a washable cotton little gPant (i.e. a cotton cover), a snap-in nylon liner and a plastic free gRefill or washable gCloth.  Besides the washable inserts that gDiapers makes, there are lots of WAHMs (Work at Home Moms) who make them as well in different shapes and sizes, and using different fabrics.

Unfortunately, my love with gDiapers was short lived.  I found that the inside snaps left marks on my baby’s skin.  I never used these for night-time since I didn’t think they’d be comfortable enough for that.  I wouldn’t want to wear something like that at night, so why would I put it on my baby?  I know a lot of parents out there do love these diapers for daytime AND night-time.   I suspect I’m just more picky than the average parent.  I think I’ve been spoiled by comfortable, soft and fluffy cloth diapers :-)

4. Seventh Generation

A lot of you have probably seen this light brown diaper.  In the past year or so, the popularity of Seventh Generation diapers has exploded.  I’ve seen it worn on a lot of babies, including celebrity babies.

The diaper is chlorine, fragrance and latex free.  It is NOT plastic free and it is NOT compostable.  I couldn’t believe that some people online say it’s “biodegradable”.  It’s not.  And please do NOT flush this diaper down the toilet.  I actually read somewhere that the diaper is flushable hahahaha.

What I did NOT like about this diaper:

• More SAP than Nature Babycare diapers
• Plastic instead of corn-based material
• VERY wide tabs which left marks on my baby’s legs
• Smaller than other disposable diapers in that size range.  My 30 lbs daughter is not going to be able to fit into size 4 for much longer, and the size 4 diaper is supposed to fit up to 37 lbs.

NOTE: The brown colour of this diaper is not naturally occurring.  The colour comes from the addition of pigments.

5. PC GREEN Disposable Diaper

Just like Seventh Generation (SG) diapers, the PC GREEN diapers are chlorine and fragrance free.  I found this diaper in a supermarket store, the same one that sells SG diapers.

What I liked about this diaper:

• VERY stretchy tabs.  None of the other eco-friendly diapers are like that.
• The diaper is quite a bit cheaper than other “green” diapers.  One PC GREEN diaper costs almost half as much as a Seventh Generation diaper.

What I did NOT like about this diaper:

• SAP
• Still has some plastic in it however, according to the manufacturer some of the plastic components were replaced with “revolutionary plant-based polymers.”

I must admit I like these diapers a lot more than SG diapers because of the stretchiness and better fit.

CONCLUSION:

None of the diapers I discussed in the two posts are perfect.  They still create huge amounts of waste whether compostable or not.  Also, none of the disposables seem comfortable enough.  I agree they’re a little thinner than my Northern Baby AIO (All-in-one) or AI2 (All-in-two) diapers, but they’re much less comfortable and not very healthy for my toddler.

NOTE: I recently found a great post about “green” disposable diapers.  I’ve never seen a mom do so much research on the subject as the author of the post you can find here.  After reading it, I was glad we haven’t been using disposables on a daily basis.

For those of you who don’t know, I use cloth diapers.  I make them as well :-)  When nothing goes wrong, I use them 100% of the time.  A handful of times I’ve had to deal with detergent residue thanks to switching detergents and/or using different washers.  I usually know it’s a detergent residue issue because our sensitive monkey gets a diaper rash.  Normally, she does not get one with cloth diapers, so I know what’s wrong immediately.

We recently moved and had no washer for 5 weeks.  During that time, I hand washed the diapers 3 times, my mom washed some in her washer a couple of times, and I went to the laundromat once.  The visit to the laundromat did not end well since my daughter ended up having a rash.  I suspect it was detergent or fabric softener residue in the washer from previous users.  So, whenever I need to re-wash the diapers, my daughter wears disposables (which isn’t very frequently).  Because I worry about what’s in disposables, I usually go with the “eco-friendly” ones.  Over the next couple of posts, I will write about the following disposable diapers:

• Nature Babycare
• Moltex OKO
• gDiapers
• Seventh Generation
• PC GREEN

1. Nature Babycare

This Swedish award-winning diaper is said to be more breathable because of a corn-based biodegradable outer film.  The Nature Babycare diaper and packaging are chlorine free and are potentially compostable (however you need specific conditions for that to occur).  The diaper does contain some SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), but less than other disposables because of a unique, patented channel construction.

I chose this diaper because it has corn-based materials rather than plastic.  I’m also cautious about SAP, so the less of it, the better.  I do wish the diaper was a little softer on the outside and that the tabs could stick to anywhere on the diaper, but these are not major issues.

We only had one leak with this diaper and I think it might have been because the diaper has been getting a bit small.

2. Moltex OKO

Another compostable diaper made with corn-based material.  This one is made in Germany.  I only used one Moltex diaper which I received in a free trial pack.  The first thing I noticed was how much softer the diaper was as compared to the Nature Babycare diaper.  The diaper also seemed a little bigger, but it fit my daughter very well leaving no gaps.  She wore this sample diaper overnight and we had no leaks even though the diaper was quite heavy in the morning.

The one thing that I don’t like about this disposable is that it seems to have more SAP than Northern Babycare.

In part 2 of “Eco-Friendly Disposable Diapers”: My experience with gDiapers, Seventh Generation and PC GREEN diapers.