7th Generation Diaper Review

First Impressions

Seventh generation is “committed to reducing the amount of dioxin created by manufacturing.” Most diapers are bleached which creates toxins like dioxin but Seventh Generation diapers are chlorine free. According to the package exposure to dioxin has been directly linked to birth defects, cancer, environmental and reproductive disorders. Reading this was food for thought because of course I want the best for my child and exposing him to dioxin sounds frightening.

Opening the package the first thing I noticed was the brown color of the diapers. They are plain without fragrance or ornamentation. They also feel very papery to the touch on the outside. This worried me because I was concerned about the comfort factor but my concerns were alleviated as soon as I opened the diaper. These diapers are surprisingly soft; although they are not as soft as premium Pampers, they are on par with Luvs and actually softer than Huggies Soft and Dry.

In Use

The diaper fits true to size, my son wears a size 3 (16-28 lbs) and is within 5 pounds of the high range of these but they were perfect with no gaps and room for him to grow. The noticeably different design element is the front tabs. They do not stretch as far back as I am accustomed to but the sticky tabs had a substantial amount of stretch so there were no problems. These diapers are highly absorbent and performed extremely well; with regular use there were no leaks or blowouts. The diaper wicked away the wetness from the skin and initially I actually had to feel the diaper on the inside in order to tell if it was wet. Overnight they worked like a charm. My son slept in them for nine hours and the diaper was totally full but that is to be expected in that span of time. They only unusual thing I noticed is that when the diaper is full it puffs out and away unlike other diapers that stay flush to the skin. This actually is a good design because it keeps the wetness away from the baby’s skin.

Summary

Overall I would recommend Seventh Generation diapers. These diapers are environmentally friendly and manufactured without the creation of harmful toxins. They perform as well or better than standard diapers. However, using “green” diapers comes at a cost. I purchased a package of 35 diapers for $10.99 at Babies R Us, translating into a whooping .31 cents per diaper. Despite the possible exposure to dioxin using standard diapers I cannot stray from my diaper cheapskate mentality. On average I pay .14 cents per diaper for Luvs and Huggies but if I find a great sale and have coupons I will definitely purchase Seventh Generation diapers.

*Originally published on Baby Cheapskate