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Having a new baby is one of the most incredible events in a person's life. You have to make all the right choices about the care and feeding of your little one. Do you breastfeed or bottle feed? Do you use a schedule or just go with the flow?
You also have to make choices about the type of diapers you want to use. Newborns use six to ten diapers a day equaling 320 diapers a month according to First Cry Parenting, that's a lot of diapers! There are so many options of types of diapers you can use; it's not just cloth or disposable anymore.
Disposable diapers can be a mom's best friend because of their ease of use, but they are the environments worst enemy. World Watch says that over 450 billion disposable diapers are used a year adding 77 million tons of solid waste to landfills. No one knows how long it will take for the diapers to break down, but estimates run as high as 500 years. For parents who love the environment, this is a big negative.
Cloth diapers are reusable but not convenient for busy new parents or the baby on the go at daycare or family travel. Plus, cloth diapers also have an environmental impact because of the amount of water and energy used to wash and dry them. There are also new hybrid diapers that can use a cloth or disposable inserts that can mitigate some of the waste and laundering. Each of these options come with pros and cons.
But a con can be turned to a pro for disposable diapers that are eco-friendly and biodegradable so they will not end up languishing in landfills. This generation is far improved from the first versions that were expensive and not that absorbent. There are many brands out there that say they are green. Of course, how green is a product just because it calls itself that on the label when there are no universal standards for the term?
We did the homework for you and came up with five choices of biodegradable and hypoallergenic diaper brands that are good for your baby and the planet too.
Eco by Naty
Naty diapers are made from FSC certified wood pulp with a corn film waterproofing layer and do not contain any fragrances, chlorine or dyes. Naty's are certified by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association They are even GMO-free! Natys have a comfortable fit and are really absorbent.
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Broody Chick Eco Natural Diapers
These are the eco-friendliest diapers and are 100 percent biodegradable and combustible. Broody Chick diapers are made of wood pulp and a plant-based gel, hypoallergenic, chlorine and fragrance-free.
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Bamboo Nature Premium Baby Diapers
Bamboo Nature diapers are chlorine, fragrance, and latex free and are certified by the Danish Asthma and Allergy Association for its hypo-allergenic materials. This eco-friendly company is also certified by Nordic Swan Eco-label. This diaper company carries a preemie line for babies as tiny as 2.2 lbs.
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Honest diapers
Made from wheat and corn materials from sustainable forests, Honest Diapers are chlorine-latex-fragrance, free but are not 100 percent biodegradable because of spandex and petrochemicals that are used in them. There are adorable prints and patterns to choose from.
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