Baby Diapers

[crawling-in-diapers]

I'm looking for a brand, any brands of real baby diapers in the US that have plastic backing. (With regard to the scientific finding conducted a few years ago that said plastic causes too much heat in the diapers). I'm curious, If a company wanted to make a line of baby diapers with plastic lining like the diapers in the past, would it be illegal for manufactures to sell them in the US? I mean is it now a law that company’s have to make them with cloth backing?

I'm looking for anything, a no name brand that still makes them with plastic. I don't mind if it's over seas but I need shipping that supports sending via UPS.

I use UPS because they hold packages for me at their center. I know FedX does too, but some of the other shipping company's won't.

[DailyDi]

Nope, no anti-plastic law, just the way parents have trended.

[crawling-in-diapers]

hmm, I see Da Man. Thats good I guess. I would hope that some day the trend would wear off. It's just difficult to beleave that every single parent out there wants these cloth diapers.

It would seem like the plastic would get less tangled up when the baby is wearing pants, or even shorts. I would think the cloth backing on the diaper would stick to the cloths the baby is wearing and bind up. I still can't beleave this historical change ever took place. It's like a bad dream come true.

[diaperboyMKE]

I had to check the date on this thread. Had to make sure it wasn't a resurected 12 year old thread or something.

[ultrapampers]

There are at least two brands of baby diapers still available with plastic backsheets in the US: Cool Diaps, available at some Babies-r-Us stores, and Bentley, available at various online stores/eBay.

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

It's just difficult to beleave that every single parent out there wants these cloth diapers. It would seem like the plastic would get less tangled up when the baby is wearing pants, or even shorts. I would think the cloth backing on the diaper would stick to the cloths the baby is wearing and bind up.

Not every parent does want these cloth-like diapers, at least not all of the time. In fact, it appears that the cloth-like trend is finally starting to run its course. A few years ago there were no smooth plastic-backed diapers available in the states, and now there are two off-brands that are using a smooth plastic backing. This is no different then when viynl records went out of style only to really be ressurected over a decade later. (I'm personally happy to have access to both viynl and CDs.) I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually see cloth-like and smooth plastic-backing on shelves next to each other again one day as a regular thing.

Remember, both cloth-like "woven" plastic and smooth plastic have their advantages and disadvantages for parents. For example:

Smooth Plastic

Advantages:

• More absorbent.

• May require less plastic depending on construction.

• Likely to remind modern parents of the diapers that they grew up with--more "diaper like" in the minds of consumers, and more likely to sell to nostalgic parents.

• LOUD! Likely to "sound like a diaper."

• Easier to determine when wet just by looking at the diaper.

Disadvantages:

• Takes up more shelf space/can't be compressed without risking damage to the diapers.

• More fuel required to transport fewer diapers as a result of the above.

• Environmental nightmare as a result of the previous two points.

• LOUD! Likely to "sound like a diaper." (Unsuitable for training pants and similar products.)

Woven "Cloth-like" Plastic

Advantages:

• Able to be compressed, allowing for more diapers in a package and less fuel consumption for transport.

• Smaller carbon footprint as a result of the above.

• Quieter/more discreet--less likely to "sound like a diaper," or like anything for that matter. (Suitable for training pants and similar products.)

Disadvantages:

• May be less absorbent then smooth plastic diapers, especially if there's no smooth plastic between the inside of the diaper and the woven plastic.

• May require more plastic to coat the smooth plastic layer with the woven plastic layer, potentially negating the smaller carbon footprint.

• Less likely to remind today's parents of what they grew up with, and subsequently less likely to sell to nostalgic parents if an alternative is present.

• Quieter/more discreet--less likely to "sound like a diaper," or like anything for that matter. Although this is good for training pants and similar products, it's bad for parents who associate crinkling diapers with child rearing as much as they associate "Sesame Street" with child rearing.

• May be more difficult to determine when wet just by looking at the diaper.

Personally, I'd love to see the major manufacturers take another shot at smooth plastic backsheets. Ideally the "diaper of the future" would use a "green" material with the texture of a smooth plastic backsheet, and who knows, maybe it will. Surely there has to be a way to develop a smooth plastic-like backsheet out of corn or something similar. I already like the direction KCWW is taking with the "Pure & Natural" line, but I'd like to see them do something similar with a smooth texture for the backsheet sometime in the future. The way I see it, the Pure & Natural line is eventually going to become the "Little Movers" line as it evolves and the price of oil eclipses the price of natural materials. Once that happens, it wouldn't hurt for the "Snug 'N' Dry" line to have a smooth backsheet made of some sort of environmentally friendly material that has the same texture as smooth plastic. There's tremendous potential for innovation here, and I only hope that someone actually innovates.

[ultrapampers]

Surely there has to be a way to develop a smooth plastic-like backsheet out of corn or something similar.

It's already been done. Several years ago, the Nature Boy and Girl diapers had a smooth plastic-like backsheet that was actually made from cornstarch. I imagine they still do, except that the cover has cloth-like "fuzz" applied to it.

[Nihi]

Aren't Luvs plastic backed if you just peel off the outer cover?

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

It's already been done. Several years ago, the Nature Boy and Girl diapers had a smooth plastic-like backsheet that was actually made from cornstarch. I imagine they still do, except that the cover has cloth-like "fuzz" applied to it.

I wish I had known about the Nature Boy and Girl diapers--they sound exactly like what I'm thinking of. It would be nice to see one of the major manufacturers do something similar. I'm not sure what the current cloth-like "fuzz" would be made out of--the Huggies Pure & Natural supposedly have actual cotton over the smooth material, but I don't know how many other companies are doing the same thing.

Aren't Luvs plastic backed if you just peel off the outer cover?

Almost all baby diapers are if you peel off the outer cover--Huggies and Pampers are the same way.