Organic Baby Home • Cloth Diapers • Disposable Diapers

Green Disposable Diapers
For Parents on the Go

Conventional disposable diapers are everywhere. You get them at the hospital, as gifts at baby showers, and you can hardly find another option at the retail stores.

Triplets wearing disposable diapers

There's no denying they are a more convenient option than cloth diapers, but conventional disposables do come with hidden costs.

The chlorine bleached fibers and chemical-based super absorbency gels required to make them is in contact with your baby's skin 24 hours a day.

Also the plastics, dioxins, heavy metals and solvents involved can leach into the environment and into your baby's system.

Chlorine-free Disposable Diapers

The good news is you can find healthier alternatives. Four green-minded brands (Tushies, 365, Nature Babycare and Seventh Generation) make biodegradable nappies labeled chlorine-free, fragrance-free and latex free. I have used Seventh Generation and have done some research on the others.

Here are some facts:

You may be surprised by the brown color of Seventh Generation (SG) diapers. However, this means they have not been bleached.
SG claims their disposables do not contribute to dioxin pollution, which has been linked cancer risks for everyone breathing the air on our planet. So switching from conventional helps your baby and the earth.
Chlorine-Free disposables do cost more in the long-run than conventional alternatives, but the less chemicals you expose your baby to, the better.
SG diapers do contain Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) gel, about 15 grams per diaper. SAP is the substance that was banned from use in US sanitary products to prevent Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).

I haven't heard of any cases of TSS with any type of diaper. The Seventh Generation website says studies show SAP is non-toxic, not-carcinogenic, safe and effective.
The label biodegradable, does not mean diapers magically disappear. Paper can sit in landfills for hundreds of years, so can your baby's dirty diapers.
Chlorine-free wood pulp fluff used in all of these brands is either Elementally Chlorine-Free (EFC) or Totally Chlorine-Free (TCF).

ECF pulp is bleached with chlorine dioxide instead of elemental chlorine. TCF pulp is bleached using any chemical other than chlorine, chlorine dioxide and hypochlorite.

EFC is the more common method it costs less and produces more paper product from the same number of trees (i.e. it's perceived as a more efficient use of trees in our environment.)

Having said that, completely chlorine-free mills for the industry are virtually non-existent. SG diapers use EFC wood pulp, while a the Tushies brand uses TCF wood pulp.

Seventh Generation Diapers Photo

All in all, Seventh Generation diapers combine convenience with reduced toxins in the environment and your baby's skin when compared to conventional diapers. On top of that they are absorbent and effective. The one caveat to these and other eco-friendly diapers is that they are a more expensive option. However you can save by purchasing economy sizes on Amazon.