Dear Eco readers,
I am writing today about Diapers. Nature BabyCare diapers. “Go green without giving up performance” I started out using a brand of unbleached diapers. They fit really well and the no-bleach factor got me in the beginning, but I thought about it more. They are still disposables. Was I really doing something so different by using non- bleached diapers? No I wasn’t! I was still going to contribute 1- 2 tons of non- biodegradable diapers to the environment if I continued using them, and I was, and still am, not ok with that. Second, I wanted to find a product line that really stood the test of eco friendly in many ways.
As I started looking for alternatives, I was frustrated…until I settled on Nature Babycare. They average at $10.99 per package if you buy a case ($43.99) of 4 packages. This price is comparable to many other brands. I order them from Diapers.com, and in NYC they are available at the Green Depot on the Bowery.
Visually I immediately liked the white diaper with the simple patterns of green leaves. I was thrilled that a concerned mother had created them, a Swedish mother, Marlene Sandberg (did I mention that I am very inspired by Nordic design of all sorts) and that they can be composted! And all the packaging they come in too! “100% compostable distribution system. 100% natural and biodegradable backsheet. 100% chlorine free.” They claim that in 150 days a diaper or the package the diapers come in, will be biodegraded. Gone! Re-absorbed into the earth from hence we came. Content wise I was totally satisfied too. They are made “from a corn based compostable non-plastic leakage barrier, distribution layer and consumer packaging.”
(Never throw the fecal matter in the compost, or try to home compost a fecal matter diaper. My father just published a scientific article about the high amount of feces found in commercial grade compost currently on the market.)
The fit of Nature BabyCare are different from other brands, but as with one brand to the next sizing doesn’t always carry over. They are not as stretchy like other commercial brands; considering what they are made of this is fine. They have to be pulled slightly tighter, but the “elastic” edges do their job very well. None of these things hinder Siena’s bum in any way.
Now the true test, to see if a product is really what it claims to be, one has to run an analysis. Not everyone has access to a lab, but that’s why I am writing about this dear readers! My father owns and runs a compost and bio energy laboratory in Maine. He has the ability to run tests on many different types of substances to see what kind of composting program he can create to cause the breakdown of an item. To begin with, I threw at least 2 diapers into my father’s large home compost bin. It resides outside, next to the garden, as a stately green figure. He didn’t notice any diapers when he turned the pile about 2 months later, which is great news; and so I asked him to test the packaging the diaper comes in.
In the following photos, the bag, (the packaging the diapers come in), is shown in several stages of breakdown. The day is noted as 1st image: 42 days, 2nd image: 69 days, and the 3rd image is 88 days. The final outcome: the bag was completely broken down in less time (88 days) than the company claims (they claim 150 days). Excellent product, it actually exceeds the claims and therefore proves it is Eco Mama’s no. 1 choice.
For the rest of the article check out Eco-Mama's blog FeverBreaks and check out the rest of Nature BabyCare's line on their website!
(Images: Courtesy of Eco-Mama & 1st image Amazon.com)
