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This post is part of a series on choosing the best diapering option for your baby.
When it comes to diapering that softest little bottom (ahh, to think back to the days when having a squishy bottom was considered an attractive asset), if you are opting for disposables, there are alternatives that are better than you might think, both environmentally and health-wise for baby.
If you can't or don't want to opt for cloth or gDiapers-you don't have a washing machine, or you have a caregiver who will not deal with touching too much, well, you know-you may have just shrugged your shoulders and popped off to CVS or Costco for the cheapest disposables. Or maybe you went for those marketed as premium, like Pampers. You might have felt a tinge of green guilt, however, as you plunked down your cash, and later started hauling out Diaper Genie after Diaper Genie of waste. Here's a couple of what I believe are better options in the disposable category, and the key to all is they are chlorine-free:
1. Tushies: Bought last year by natural products company Hain-Celestial, Tushies was the "baby" of devout father Ed Reiss. After his daughter suffered really severe diaper rash, he answered an ad for gel-free disposables. "Within three days, her rash went away-I thought if the product is this good, I have to buy the company," he once told me. And he did.
My personal take: I used Tushies on my second child Mina when we moved from our city apartment to our bucolic house in the 'burbs, before the washing machine was hooked up. They really didn't have any of the horrible perfume that puffs out of ordinary disposals like an atom-bomb explosion, so that was a huge plus. And they did take care of Mina's rather, ahem, substantial needs.
They become sort of stiff when wet, however, so you really have to change them right away, no "maybe we'll wait till we get home" or that sort of thing. But as a cloth diaper user, I was accustomed to changing at the moment of contact anyway. So I felt Tushies was a great alternative to cloth.
Other benefits: Chlorine-free, latex-free, perfume-free and Super Absorbent Polymer-free. (The company also makes Tender-care, which is free of everything above, but does contain the potentially harmful SAP.)
The question of SAP is it not only conveniently slurps the "liquid," but it also raises the temperature, makes a sort of mini greenhouse inside the diaper. This could be of special concern to boys. Developing testes should not be in elevated temperatures for extended amounts of time. Of course, this problem is goes away with frequent changing and a little fresh air on tiny tushies...but super absorbents work so well that often baby doesn't cry when wet, and hey, it can be a little tempting to let 'em sleep with it on, which isn't a good idea.
2. Seventh Generation: These are totally similar to conventional disposables in terms of efficacy, with one huge environmental difference: They are chlorine-free, which really makes sense when you consider that chlorine can release a potentially toxic gas when moistened-and they will be moistened. Some nice coupons on their site, as well as a huge list of where to buy.
My experience: So easy to use, a switch from conventional disposables to this will be super easy. Although they still create a lot of waste (sorry about the pun), you can feel oodles better about not contributing to chlorine pollution, and pretty much any nanny/daycare won't complain about any extra "work" based on your green leanings.
3. 365 Whole Foods: Very similar to the Seventh Gen and a terrific value on a baby-strained budget. Also non-chlorinated and perfume-free. Only available at Whole Foods Market stores.
Next installment, a big movement-No diapers at all!
Lynda Fassa is the founder of Green Babies, one of the oldest organic-cotton clothing companies in the United States. She is also the author of Green Babies & Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby (2008, Penguin) and is currently writing Green Kids, Sage Families, to be published by Penguin in late 2008.
Difficulty level: Moderate
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