I used to buy Kirkland Signature (Costco) wipes and Huggies wipes. However, upon research from EWG's website, I decided to try the more natural and less toxic brands. So I bought Earth's Best, Seventh Generation, and Tushies, just to compare.Size: Earth's Best is slightly larger than Seventh Generation and Tushies. If you like generous sizes, Earth's Best is the winner.
Thickness: Earth's Best is slightly thicker than Seventh Generation. Tushies is the thinnest. But none of the three brands is as thick as Huggies.
Texture: Tushies is subtly printed with ducks and stars. These prints increase friction so it is easier to remove dried poop that sticks to baby's bottom. Seventh Generation and Earth' Best do not have prints on them. They feel smoother on the skin. But on the other hand, they do not remove dried poop as effectively due to the lack of friction. More friction can be good or bad, depending on your perspective. One user commented that Tushies felt like sand paper. It was exaggerated. But Tushies does feel rougher on the skin. Between Seventh Generation and Earth' Best, Seventh Generation has more of a fabric feeling, while Earth' Best feels smoother.
Water Retention: inside the plastic bags that come with the wipes, Tushies wipes feel very moist. However, once I transported the wipes to the wipe warmer, they become dry. Their thin texture does not help the wipes to absorb/maintain water. Seventh Generation and Earth' Best are better at retaining moisture.
Breakability: it is very annoying to have wipes broken into pieces when you pull them out of the wipe warmer. Huggies and Tushies both break. Seventh Generation, Earth' Best, and Kirkland never do.
Overall, none of baby wipes I tried are perfect. They all have pros and cons. However, if I am going to choose one, I will go with Earth's Best for its size, texture, moistness and the fact that it does not break easily.
I ordered these wipes from Amazon in mid-2008, in early 2009, and in late 2009, but the wipes were different each time. See Customer Images.
In mid-2008, the front of the mostly-green package was beige and had "seventh GENERATION baby" on the "leaf" logo. The text on the front was in English only; the back was stamped "MADE IN UK." The ingredients were "Water, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose (plant-derived cleaning agent), Glycerin (vegetable oil derived), Citric Acid (provides stability and pH balance), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E acetate), Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (food-grade preservatives)." The weight of the package was 1 pound (although it's possible that some moisture leaked out as the measurement was taken in early 2009). There were 80 wipes per package, each 6.8"x7.5".
In early 2009, the front of the mostly-green package was blue and gray, and had just "seventh GENERATION" on the "leaf" logo on the front. The text on the front was in English and French; the back was stamped "MADE IN USA." The ingredients were "Water, Polysorbate 20 (cleansing agent derived from sugar), Glycerin (soothes and cleanses skin, vegetable oil derived), Citric acid (provides stability & pH balance), Potassium sorbate (a natural preservative), Aloe Barbadensis Gel (helps heal skin), Tocopherol acetate (Vitamin E acetate, helps heal skin)." These ingredients were rated 2 (a "low" hazard) on a cosmetic safety database on the Web. The weight of the package was 1-1/4 pounds when received. There were 80 wipes per package, each 6.8"x7.5".
In late 2009, the packaging had changed completely, with an overall light lime color instead of green. The baby on the front was sitting in the grass looking at a stacking ring toy. The text was all in English; the side was stamped "MADE IN USA." The ingredients were "Aqua (water), glycerin (vegetable oil derived), citric acid (provides stability and pH balance), cetyl hydroxyethylcellulose (plant-derived cleaning agent), aloe barbadensis extract (aloe), tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E acetate), sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (food-grade preservatives). ... The wipe material used in this product is a blend of rayon (naturally derived) and polyester (PET)." The weight of the package was 1 pound when received. There were 70 wipes per package, each 6.8"x7".
Common to all three versions: (1) Although all the packages said "unscented," there was actually a slight odor perhaps from the citric acid and aloe. (2) We've used all of them without problems like diaper rash. (3) I don't agree with reviews such as "There is hardly any moisture now" suggesting that the water content has decreased over time. The current wipes feel just as moist as the previous ones. Although the package weight decreased between early 2009 and late 2009, the number of wipes and their size also declined, so that the weight per unit area remained about the same. I will say that the weight per unit area (.0048 ounces per square inch) is lower than for other brands of wipes (e.g., Kirkland from CostCo at .0057 ounces per sq in), suggesting a lower water content than other brands have.
However, comparing the three versions, I do have two major concerns: (1) THE INGREDIENTS KEEP CHANGING. Can't the manufacturer stick with one formula? (2) THE COST PER SQUARE INCH OF WIPE HAS INCREASED ABOUT 22%, from 0.086 cents in early 2009 to 0.105 cents in late 2009. The reason is that you pay the same price as before but the wipe size decreased and you get fewer wipes now.
For the reasons above, I changed my 4/26/09 rating from five stars to four now. Consider buying these wipes from Amazon.com!
Buy Seventh Generation Free & Clear Baby Wipes Now
I started using these when my son was an infant, and I loved them. They were perfectly natural and safe for my baby. One day I ordered these from Amazon and noticed that the company had added sodium benzoate, a preservative that is now be suspected of causing Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, although not confirmed. I don't like to use things with this preservative, so I had to discontinue using these wipes. I switched to Tushies Unscented wipes. They aren't as thick, but they are more natural than these. Check it out on .Read Best Reviews of Seventh Generation Free & Clear Baby Wipes Here
My wife and I love these wipes. So imagine our dismay when the most recent shipment came in (we subscribe) with different packaging and less wipes. I wouldn't be upset except the price didn't change. So now we are getting 120 less wipes (nearly 2 packages less) for the same price. It ends up meaning 0.6 cent increase per wipe or a 15.7% increase in price. Since we order one case of pkgs per month this will turn into a $66 increase of the course of a year. I realize the economy is bad so companies are reducing production but the product price should decrease at least a little accordingly. Poor PR move by a what we have considered a great company. As far as distribution goes, since the original package at the original price is still being sold, I am annoyed with Amazon for changing which product we receive without any notification.PS just noticed 7th gen also changed the size: per case (12 pkgs) it ends up being a bit under 9000 sq in reduction in the amount of product versus the original pkg. Which means we are getting 176 less wipes (more than 2 pkgs) per order or a 0.8 cent per wipe or 21.2% increase in price. That is a $92 increase per year. OUCH!
Want Seventh Generation Free & Clear Baby Wipes Discount?
I am a big fan of Seventh Generation's wipes. I've been using them for some time on our newborn daughter, since I'd ordered a case of the refill packages on Amazon before she was even born. They are moist, non-irritating, and free of a lot of the scents and chemicals in so many other wipes out there. And I didn't think I needed all the plastic containers, so I was quite happy with using the refill packages...My husband and I used them at every diaper change -which can be 8, 10, even 12 times a day for a new baby. We were going through them so fast that I went online to order another case. Unfortunately, the refills were "currently unavailable" on Amazon, so I ended up ordering the case with the regular packages, in the plastic containers.
Okay, so I still love the wipes, and I still prefer them to anything else out there. But I have two gripes:
First, as already mentioned by another reviewer, it seems so terribly wasteful to have a case of twelve plastic containers. The refill packages are easy to use without the plastic container, so all that plastic is completely unnecessary. Amazon, please re-stock the refills!
Second, my husband and I both observed that the wipes in the plastic containers seem to be less moist than those that come in the refill packages. We were a bit disappointed by this, since the moistness of the wipes is a major appeal of this product. It makes them easy to use and very thorough in cleaning baby's bottom between baths. The wipes still work fine, and we still love them, but there is definitely a difference in their moistness as compared to the refill packages.
A five-star product in three-star packaging equals four stars in my book. I hope to see the refill packs available again soon...
UPDATE: As of late October, Amazon has the refills back in stock! They seem to come and go, so catch 'em while they're here!
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