The Best Non-Toxic Diapers: Ranking Brands

I recently provided a deep dive into the materials in diapers as well as how I would generally rank a diaper based on the ingredients. Today I am going to use the categories I laid out in that post to rank popular diaper brands. If you haven’t read that post, you should go do that first, so you can understand the ranking system I’m using here. But I guess if you just want to take my word for it, you do you.

Please note, diaper companies change their processes and materials sometimes. I do my best to try to update this post with current relevant information so that it is accurate every time you visit it. If any major changes are made, I will release an update.

Best

Better

Okay

Thoughts on price

”Best” diapers

Cloth diapers

Cloth diapers are the best option because they are sustainable, you can utilize cotton options, and you don’t have to worry about a lot of the chemicals found in disposable diapers because they aren’t there. A downside of cloth diapers is they are not as absorbent as disposables. But if you learn how to do it correctly, you should be able to use cloth diapers around the clock with little to no leak issues and keep baby’s bum dry and comfortable. 

There are a lot of options for cloth diapers, including trying for something 100% cotton from cloth to cover, there are plastic covers, wool covers, and more. There is an option that should fit your needs, your budget, and your particular brand of hippie.

Kudos

I would consider Kudos the best non toxic disposable diaper brand out there, based on the criteria explored in our deep dive of diaper materials. They utilize a 100% cotton top layer that is minimally bleached and every part of their diaper bleaching is TCF. They utilize plant plastics where they can, but they do concede that their leg cuffs, waistband, and sticky tabs are very conventional, though they are trying to develop greener, cleaner technology for this. They also recently moved to stop printing designs on their diapers, which is sad because they’re fun but it means less chemicals going into the diapers and the environment.

They do not use organic cotton, stating that they cannot source enough of it from the US and don’t trust organic designations in other source locations. They do hope to be able to offer that in the future, but for now they work with sustainable farmers they know utilize best practices. 

I’ve used a couple disposable diaper brands and Kudos is my favorite because of the materials they use but also because they perform amazingly. Kudos fit well, they are very absorbent, and the inside is super soft. I tend to throw a Kudos on my kid when I’m in a pinch or when his butt is a little red from moisture and I want to ensure that he doesn’t have excess moisture on his skin overnight (since he’s not changed overnight) because this can be hit or miss with cloth diapers depending on how much they pee in a given night.

Some people complain that the outside isn’t that soft but like… why does it need to be? I don’t know. I find it soft enough and it does the job well so I guess it just hasn’t ever bothered me. My hand comfort for the seven seconds I touch the outside of the diaper isn’t a major concern to me. 

One drawback of Kudos has been that they were only sold online, but you can buy them at Target now (though mine doesn’t seem to carry them so it may depend on your location)! So that’s great, as I consider accessibility to be important. I’ll also note that Kudos cost per diaper, while higher than ECF mainstream diapers like Kirkland’s, is equal to if not lower than a lot of the diapers you’ll find in the “better” category.

I do receive a commission on any products you order through links to Kudos or with my 10% off code WHOLEFAMILEE10. However, as I’ve stated, I use Kudos myself and I fully support the brand. They’re amazing.

”Better” diapers

I’m not going to go into as much depth with these, but will list some popular brands under these designations. I have only used a couple of these brands so I cannot vouch for their performance, you’ll have to do your own customer review research for that information. This is also, obviously, not all the brands available. Some are available online and some in stores.

The main criterion for this designation is that every diaper in this category utilizes TCF pulp and uses no chlorine. I touched on this briefly in our diaper deep dive and in more depth in a dedicated post, but I actually don’t consider the TCF vs. ECF debate to be very compelling as ECF has been thoroughly demonstrated as safe with basically no levels of dioxins and furans remaining in diapers. However, it’s not zero, so I’m still choosing to separate it.

Another thing I explained in our diaper deep dive, I consider petroleum and plant plastics very similar in terms of toxicity, but plant plastics do have the potential to be less toxic because they do not contain some VOCs found in petroleum. To the best of my knowledge, the diapers in the better PLUS category are 50% or more plant plastic for their top layer.

I will also note that I do not like nor support the manufacturing of bamboo into textiles, so although they fall into this category in terms of toxicity, I never really recommend bamboo diapers. You can read more about this in our diaper deep dive.

”Better” PLUS diapers

Healthy Baby - These use a top sheet that is 50% plant based plastic and 50% polypropylene. They do use some cotton in their cover, which is kind of cool. 

Eco by Naty - These claim to use a 100% plant-plastic top layer as well as mostly plant plastic throughout. 

Joonya - 100% plant plastic top sheet.

Attitude - They do utilize plant plastics but I can’t confirm the ratio. Attitude products do tend to be top notch, so I included them here, but just know I can’t totally confirm that.

Moltex Pure & Nature - These state “100% natural origin inner layer.” I don’t totally know what that means but am taking that to mean plant plastics. They also use 15% cotton in their backsheet, which is always nice to see.

”Better” diapers

Thrive Marketplace - These may be a better PLUS option, but I am just having the hardest time finding material information because I’m not personally a thrive subscriber and cannot see their diapers on their website. I scrounged the internet and found they are TCF, but I couldn’t determine if they use petroleum or plant plastics.

Coterie - They utilize a polypropylene top sheet. They advertise using 25% plant material, but it seems to just be the wood pulp.

Pura - They do utilize plant plastic in their top sheet and throughout the diaper but not sure the ratios. Bonus for this brand is they are carried at Walmart.

Bambo - Polypropylene top sheet

Happy Little Camper - I can’t tell what they use in their top sheet or otherwise. They are TCF and they state they use “natural” materials and materials without VOCs, but not sure what that really means.

Parasol - petroleum plastic top sheet

Nest - Not a ton of info about these diapers but they appear to use a lot of plant plastic and TCF free pulp. I left them out of the “better PLUS” category due to lack of transparency. Though they may be willing to answer further questions by email, I think they should include clear ingredient information on their website, as so many other companies do.

Seventh Generation - TCF, petroleum plastic.

Bamboo diapers

As explained, I consider bamboo diapers bottom of the better pile.

Andy Pandy - states 100% bamboo touches baby’s skin, including backsheet, which is pretty cool. I’d imagine the interior of the diaper utilizes petroleum plastic but can’t be sure. 

Eco Pea Co. - Bamboo topsheet and TCF bamboo pulp.

“Okay” diapers

I said this in our diaper deep dive, there is no truly toxic diaper out there, according to the best of our knowledge today. There used to be, and maybe someday I will change that stance based on new information. But for now, changes have been made as information grows to ensure that diapers are safe for our babies. No one wants bad baby products and they don’t tend to last long if they’re truly toxic. 

So, though these diapers are not ones I would “recommend,” per se, since there are other options with even less risk of chemical exposure or skin irritation, they’re perfectly fine, especially if they fit your budget or your family’s needs. These diapers are ECF pulp with any kind of other materials.

Ecoriginals - I wish I could put these in “better” because they are cool. They utilize nearer to 100% plant plastic than I think any other company and they even use some cotton in their waistband and leg cuffs. They only use the smallest amount of polypropylene in their waistband/closure system. They are, however, ECF. If you want to go the ECF route, this is probably my top choice. They are a bit pricey, coming in at 2x as much as Kudos per diaper on average, with Kudos being one of the better priced TCF options.

Dyper - Bamboo top sheet, some plant plastics, petroleum plastics, and ECF.

Believe - These utilize a bamboo topsheet and ECF pulp. Side note, the company itself is pretty cool as they donate one diaper and wipe for every one bought to a US family in need.

Honest - Though these used to be TCF, they now utilize ECF and mostly petroleum plastic. 

Millie Moon - Petroleum plastic and ECF.

Pampers Pure - ECF, some cotton. These are not much different than Pampers Swaddlers except that they use less petroleum plastic, utilizing some cotton, and they do not have fragrance. 

Hello Bello - ECF, though they utilize some plant plastic.

Kirkland - These use ECF and some plant plastics.

Huggies - petroleum plastic and ECF.

Diapers to avoid

As stated in our deep dive, I do not recommend diapers with fragrance. I’ve written about fragrance many times before, but it is aggravating to the skin and it is likely to irritate your baby’s bum. All this aside from any concerns that fragrance can be toxic. I’m not going to provide a list here, as the ones I’ve shown above don’t have fragrance. Just know it’s always a good idea to check. For instance, you may not know that Pampers Swaddlers have fragrance, because they’re not marketed as “scented,” but they do. From what I can see, Huggies selections appear fragrance free.

Thoughts on price

Price does happen to be one of my main arguments for the use of TCF diapers. Popular ECF diapers are cheaper, there’s no doubt. Kirkland’s diapers (albeit you have to have their membership otherwise the price goes way up), come in at about 18-20 cents a diaper depending on size. Kudos, my preferred diaper, come in at 41 to 70 cents a diaper depending on size. Pampers Swaddlers, when bought from Walmart and ordering in similar quantities to Kudos, range from 25 to 42 cents a diaper. 

So Pampers, which I would rank a diaper to avoid, is more than Kirkland’s, a diaper I don’t personally use as an ECF diaper, but think is a decent option. Kudos is definitely more expensive, but not astronomically so and I consider it worth it. Compared to many other popular TCF and even some ECF diapers, Kudos are affordable. For instance, Coterie TCF diapers will run you from 45 to 83 cents a diaper. Honest diapers, an ECF option, runs 37 to 81 cents a diaper.

For many families, cost is a barrier. If that is the case, or if you’re just on a budget, or even if you just weigh the value of an investment, picking an ECF diaper is probably fine. The percent difference in toxic chemical exposure for 2-3x the money is probably not really worth it. That being said, the cost doesn’t necessarily add up to a bank breaker for every family and may be totally worth it. That’s such a personal decision. 

I hope this was able to give some guidance. If you found this content helpful and would like to see more of it, please join my newsletter and browse our other blog posts. If you have any questions, always feel free to shoot me an email. Have a specific topic you want me to explore for you? Email me, I’d love to help.