There are many reasons why eco disposable nappies are chosen by today’s environmentally conscious parent. Some choose for their environmental credentials others are more concerned about not exposing their children to toxic chemicals.

One of the most common questions about eco disposables I am asked in the shop is how biodegradable are these nappies? Well, this is a tricky question that I would like to clarify.

Many nappies claim to contain a certain percentage of biodegradable materials, and this is true to a point. For a nappy to break down at all, certain conditions need to be met. Firstly, oxygen is needed, but the problem is most nappies end up in landfill in anaerobic conditions (no oxygen), many of which are wrapped in plastic bags making any break down near impossible. For the most part the value of eco disposable nappies lie not in its biodegradability but in how they are made. For example, no fragrance, no chlorine, bleaching, and less polyacyrilic gel. These factors make them better to use on your precious little one as your babies are exposed to far less toxic chemicals during their nappying life time.

Some manufacturers claim their nappies to be 100% biodegradable like Safeties and Eenee’s. The manufacturers of Bambo Nature make no such biodegradability claims at all but the brand carries the prestigious 'Swan Eco Label' in recognition of the environmentally friendly way the nappy is made.

The environment is important to me but it comes second to the health and well being of my children.

Let’s have a look at each brand and how they compare.

A Note About Composting

All nappies to a certain % can be placed in the garden or the compost. Remove tabs and outer plastic and place inner pulp into compost or dig into garden (not the vegetable garden). The nappies that contain polyacrylic gel have the added advantage of soaking up water and releasing into the soil later. Do not try and compost nappies that contain faeces.

Absorption

All babies are different shapes and sizes. They also consume varying amounts of liquid. All the above nappies are suitable for day time use but some people have found that Eenee’s and Safeties are not suitable for night use due to leaking but this is not the case for everyone. The Safeties come folded in 3 which may be causing night time leaking. Shortly the Safeties will come folded in 2 like the other brands which should improve the performance.
For the very heavy wetter we have found Seventh Generation to be the most absorbent at night followed by the Bambo Nature nappy. For the average wetter Bambo Nappies are sufficient.

Tip: My sister has a very heavy wetter. Every night he would be soaked through. She discovered that if she puts the next size up over the top of the night nappy he would stay dry. On first nappy change in the morning she uses the nappy that was over the top in the night so as not to waste a nappy.

Conclusion

As you can see all the above brand nappies have disadvantages and advantages. It is our opinion here at Mama Aum that no one nappy suits every baby, every budget and everyone’s environmental choices. We all have different perspectives on what is important to us. Use the above chart to help make a decision on which brand to use but remember that you may need to try a few brands before you find the one that is right for your family. All brands except Eenee’s are available in a trial 5 pack.

All prices and information current as of the 06/03/08