Most of the reviews listed here on this product are from people who are either mistakenly reviewing the "chlorine-free" not the new "free and clear" designed diapers (which have only been available starting March 2011), have only experience with traditional brands (i.e. pampers, huggies, luvs, generic rather than this brand or other "green" brands), or "vine" reviews. For those who don't know, "vine" is an amazon program that gives free products in exchange for reviews. The only purpose of the "vine" program is to promote new products and market them to the public through "personal" reviews. It is all paid for by the sponsoring company to ensure products come into the market with ample reviews posted.
As a parent, it's hard for me to spend money based on the opinions of someone who has been compensated to give their opinions on a certain product (also someone who has no experience with that category of product - such as "green" diapers). Isn't everything better when it's free? I can think of many things I would've given a higher rating to if I wouldn't have had to spend so much of my money on them (think about how much happier you are with buying a less than quality product from the $1 store versus the regular store). I'm not saying "vine" reviewers are lying, but there is a skewed perception when it's not your money you're spending and I'm not willing to spend my hard earned dollars based on the opinion of someone who was compensated in any way, including with free products.
I am posting my review because I am a mother of a diapered baby, who has used this brand and other "green" brands for a long time, and I have used several packs of these new free and clear diapers. I am NOT a "vine" member, as you can see by my "Amazon verified purchase" label on my review. What follows is my HONEST opinion, unbiased, pure and simple.
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Here are the pros & cons I found with these new "free and clear" diapers:
**I am not a fan of the increased dusty sand stuff (SAP) that provides the absorption in these. If you happen to tear a dry diaper and inhale the dust, you get a really sore throat from the stuff. I don't like that being on my baby. It absorbs more because it has more SAP gel inside and less wood pulp, this is also why it is much thinner than previous versions. SAP is controversial, you should research it to make up your own mind for your own child. Wikipedia has a good entry on how SAP is created and you can look up the chemical ingredients on EWG (cosmeticsdatabase.com) for toxicity information - mainly, the controversial ingredient in SAP is sodium hydroxide (lye) which causes severe chemical burns to the skin. However, some SAP is present in almost all disposable diaper brands (but not all is made from lye).
**We have had leaks at the stomach with our baby with overnight use and blowouts can happen at the legs because the elastic doesn't have a long enough length to create a proper fit for our baby. Each baby is different and you'll need to find which diaper design fits your child best at each stage. For reference, our baby is tall and trim.
**The outside is not as soft and it looks like they are using less dye to make them brown because these are more tan in color. FYI - chlorine-free diapers are white when manufactured but seventh generation dyes the diapers to make them "natural" colored (this is openly listed in fine print on every package).
**The sizing is smaller than most so you have to buy larger sizes sooner. This ends up costing you more because you get more for your money with other brands that run larger and smaller sizes come in packs of more diapers.
**There is an foul odor with these diapers. This is not a problem with other diapers, not eco-friendly or otherwise, not sure why these ones smell but they do in comparison.
**I'm not sure what the other reviewer is referring to with the sticky tabs, there is no sticky part on these diapers - it is like a type of velcro but not sticky like most other diapers. It works good for fastening, just the same (doesn't stick to skin).
**I wish there was a size printed boldly on the diaper so I could easily sort out the diapers when my baby changes sizes and we have leftovers to give away.
Overall, I liked the previous version of these diapers best. For someone who is using a chemical doused traditional brand, I'm sure these are a step up. But for the rest of us who were already using this brand, this is a step down. More chemicals is not the way to go to be "eco-friendly" - if I cannot find the regular "chlorine-free" type and only the "free and clear" type are available for sale, we will use another brand.
I hope my truthful review helps you decide if these are right for your baby!
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Edit (5/5/11): I have found another diaper I would recommend. Amazon sells 'Nurtured by Nature Environmentally-Sensitive Diapers' which work much better, cost much less (20 cents each), and is more eco-friendly (made mostly from corn plastic, not petroleum and has totally chlorine free certified pulp). Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Diapers, Stage 4, 30 Count (Pack of 4)
We have been ordering Seventh generation diapers in every size since our twins were born. I have to say that they have always been fabulous. Most recently I went to get my shipment of size 6 on subscribe and save delivered to discover there was a newer version, the free and clear ones. I placed that order with no hesitation. I have to say they are a HUGE disappointment! They leak, badly. There is not as much absorbency with these at all and I am really bummed. I hope this is corrected. Honestly I am tempted to send them back they are so bad.
We have been using Seventh Generation diapers since my 2-year old daughter was born. We loved them, and were totally satisfied. That is, until we got our monthly shipment of diapers from Amazon and discovered that our beloved "Chlorine Free" diapers were now called "Free and Clear," and were totally different. We put my daughter in one last night and this morning it had leaked everywhere-- a problem we never had before. At naptime today, the same thing happened. I'm done with these lousy, leaky diapers. They're not as soft as the older version either, and are really thin.
I'm bummed. I just cancelled my Subscribe and Save subscription and am scouring local stores and other online sites for the old ones (Babies R Us has them, for now) and am stocking up on as many of them as I can. It's too bad- they were so good before. Why change a good thing? - Diaper - Environmentally Friendly - Natural Baby'
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