Best Organic & Natural Diapers Tested | Top Choices For Your Baby's Bum
My husband likes to play this game called, How much money can we save? (I guess calling it a “game” is supposed to make it sound fun.) As much as it annoys me - mostly because I’m no good at it - it’s necessary for our family’s survival. I’ve asked my toddler for a raise several times, but I can’t use hugs and kisses to buy diapers (what a shame!).
It’s not that I don’t want to save money. It’s just that I want to give my baby the best there is, and that definitely includes the diapers that cover his bum. With all the new fears about toxic baby products containing harsh chemicals, endocrine disruptors, and carcinogens (yikes!), I’m determined to find the safest diapers for my baby - without breaking the bank. Maybe you can relate!
The question is, “How can I have it both ways?” So I went on a search for the most quality natural and/or organic diapers for the most affordable price. Here are the long-tested reviews of the top brands of organic and/or natural disposable diapers.
(Updated to include Huggies Special Delivery natural diapers.)
Honest Co.
You’ve got to love this brand created by Jessica Alba. Honestly, I sometimes get nervous about celebrities creating products. I’m afraid they’ll use influence and name recognition to sell the product rather than creating a product of genuine quality and safety. But I’ve got to hand it to Honest Co. I’ve been impressed with their makeup for over a year now. Their extreme length mascara is one of few that doesn’t irritate my eyes, and it lifts and spreads my eyelashes better than anything I’ve ever used. (I had short eyelashes before, but they’re even less full post-baby). I was hoping to be just as impressed with their organic diapers, especially once I saw all the cute designs. Here’s what I found:
Pros
Great absorption (An older baby can wear overnight with no leaks)
Material is quality with creative designs
Free from potentially harmful chemical ingredients
Cons
Not very stretchy or elastic (which, unfortunately, means they’re not good at containing blowouts)
Slim and tight-fitting (This actually worked okay for us because my son is slender in the booty and waist, but mom friends who also tried said they wanted more room.)
Cost! (You’ll want to find some coupons or create a new budget - they cost about $0.30-0.37 cents per diaper depending on size.)
Considering that we found a comparable option for a better price, we decided not to continue with Honest Co. diapers. But hey, I’ll probably buy their mascara and translucent powder forever.
Brandless
My mother-in-law actually caught onto Brandless when they first became a company several years ago. A startup based in L.A., Brandless sells all kinds of organic and cruelty-free products for affordable prices by cutting the “brand tax” involved with marketing and advertising. As long as you’re okay with your eye cream being named “Eye Cream” or your chocolate chip cookies referred to as “Chocolate Chip Cookies” (you get the idea), you can save yourself the extra money you’d spend on “Lightweight Miracle Undereye Lotion” or “Decadent Chocolate Flurries.” Personally, I love some Brandless products and wanted to give their diapers a shot! Here’s the report:
Pros
Plenty of stretch and movability (while still holding the mess in)
Great absorption (can be worn overnight for older babies)
Free from harsh chemical ingredients
Cons
Can only order from their website
Cost (around $0.25 per diaper and more expensive with each size up)
Designs are generic, so no good if cuteness is a factor (But if you’re a pragmatic mom, no problem!)
Hello Bello
When I was in college, I frequented the local Wal Mart for everything. As a professional and then married person, I somehow lost the art of shopping there as I went more local small store and boutique shopping. Then came the great budget change of 2018 (the year my son was born), and I got reacquainted with my old friend, the Wal Mart Supercenter. One day as I was strolling the baby section, the Hello Bello diapers caught my eye. (For now, I’ve only found them at Wal Mart, Amazon, and the HB site.) I wondered if they’d be a gimmick - similar to the celebrity appeal of Honest Co., they were created by celebrity power couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell. I love these two making me laugh, but can I trust them with my baby’s bum?
Pros
Great fit and contain blowouts with no leaks
Material is soft and stretchy
Absorbent enough to be used overnight
Cons
No ingredients list available (the company says they will release soon)
No wetness indicator
Diapers have a faint sweet smell (which I don’t mind, but it makes me wonder what gives them the smell if they are chemical-free)
Claims “affordable” but the price is about the same as other brands
Huggies pure & natural
I have to admit it. Huggies are my favorite diapers, but they are the most expensive. We started with Pampers in the hospital, but once my parents brought us a box of Huggies, we stuck with them. They rarely leak and the few times they have leaked occurred when my son slept 12 hours overnight without a diaper change. They also outrank all the others in fit, absorbency, and cuteness. As I learned more about the unsafe ingredients diapers can contain, I wondered about Huggies natural brand. How did they compare?
Pros
Stretchy waist band
Double layer and flap protection (great leak guards)
Cutest designs (Who doesn’t become nostalgic with Mickey Mouse or Winnie the Pooh on your baby’s tooshie?)
Cons
Only the outside layer is made of chemical-free organic cotton
Cost (one of the most expensive diapers on the market)
Hard to find in stores (especially considering that the original Huggies can be purchased almost anywhere)
Pampers Pure
A friend told me that the nurses put Pampers diapers on her newborn at the hospital and she never looked back. They have great absorbency, a wetness indicator, and are a terrific fit for most babies. Why would you switch? Pampers Pure is all the good stuff about the original Pampers with the additional promise that they are free of potentially harmful ingredients and chlorine bleaching. So why even look for alternatives? Same as with Huggies, it’s the cost. They go from about $0.27 per diaper to $0.34 as baby ages. As mentioned, there are comparable diapers that cost less than $0.25 per diaper, which adds up over time!
Pros
Super soft and absorbent
Extra liner that prevents leaks
Wetness indicator even in bigger sizes (most don’t past newborn size)
Cons
Can cause redness and even rash on bottom if not changed quickly
Crotch is a little wide
Cost (But if you don’t have a tight budget, these are a favorite!)
Seventh Generation
This is one of those brands that you can generally trust is free and clear of harmful or questionable ingredients. The company has been around for a while, and they have numerous household, skin, and baby care products which have wonderful reviews from the EWG. The mission of the company is to “nurture the health of the next seven generations,” so they are also environmentally minded. If you’re looking for a way to not only cover your baby’s bum with healthy and safe diapers but also be eco-friendly while using disposable diapers, these are the ones for you. Here’s the lowdown:
Pros
Most natural materials (but also means they can come apart more easily)
Good fit around waist and legs
Most eco-friendly (next to cloth diapers)
Cons
Poor leak protection
Diaper becomes heavy at the center
Up & Up
This is Target’s own brand of diapers, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. For the price - usually $0.10-0.15 less per diaper than other brands - they did not disappoint. However, they don’t promise to be environmentally safe, chlorine-free, or chemical-free like the other brands on this list. It may not mean that diapers like these are “bad” for your baby, but it does mean that they aren’t the most natural or safe.
Pros
Great absorption
Fit is relatively good
Sticky part of waist band is ultra sticky (no diapers coming undone here!)
Cons
Don’t claim to be free of chlorine or other chemicals
Not ideal for overnight (at least not until your baby is older)
Material is less soft than others
No wetness indicator
Huggies special delivery
Claiming to be their “perfect diaper,” Huggies created a plant-based diaper with their best features - great absorbency and leak protection, cute designs, and perfect fit for newborns - without all the fuss of harsh chemicals like chlorine, phthalates, parabens, latex, and potentially toxic plastics. Huggies Special Delivery does still use plastic materials, similar to other brands, but only plastics regarded as “safe” by the EWG. As mentioned previously, Huggies is my favorite brand. I don’t like using diapers with harsh, threatening chemicals (some of which we’re only just beginning to learn the effects), but I love everything else about them, from fit to absorbency to leak protection (well, okay, everything else except cost). I’ve loved this plant-based diaper from Huggies for my baby, but I do hope they can step up their game to be more environmentally friendly.
Pros
Umbilical cord cutout for newborns
Wetness indicator
Safe ingredients compared to other Huggies options
Amazingly soft
Cons
One of the most expensive among natural diapers (as much as $0.40-0.60 per diaper depending on size)
Not as “organic” as others as they are only about 20% biodegradable
Not biodegradable (soft, safe diapers for baby but so much for the environment)
little journey
I feel like I have a duty to tell you about the Aldi brand because I know so many moms who have tried these, including myself. They are less than half the cost of most other brands, which is so tempting when you need to save money! I have read reviews by some moms who said they worked fine, but in my experience - both personal and inquiring from other moms - they are the diapers I wouldn’t let my friend buy.
In this case, you get what you pay for. They are the only diapers that ever gave my son a rash. It cleared up as soon as we stopped using them and came back once we tried to use them again. For the price (about $0.11-0.15 per diaper), I was really hoping they would be dependable. If your baby’s skin seems to be super tough, they may work for you. But given the numerous reports of rashes and red skin, it seems there’s an ingredient (or more) in them that isn’t good for your baby.
Other Brands
These are the diapers my little angel has been gracious enough to let me test on him. (In all seriousness, I actually wish he could give me consent and feedback - imagine how accurate this report would be for you!) I know there are a few more out there, such as Bambo Nature and Thrive Market. If you’d like to see a review or have feedback about either brand, let me know via email or in the comments below! Happy diapering!
