Unbleached Organic Pocket Diapers

Active ingredients Pocket diapers are a two-part deal: An organic cotton fitted diaper with a "pocket" for an organic cotton or hemp insert. You might also need a wool or plastic diaper cover.

***** Green factor Organic means better for Mother Earth - no pesticides in our groundwater, no chemicals in our soil. What's more, 28 percent more carbon is produced in the soil of organic farms, balancing out the carbon in the air and thereby helping to slow down global climate change. And organic diapers are unbleached, saving us from the highly toxic dioxins in chlorine bleach. If you use wool diaper covers, you have a natural moisture-absorbing barrier. On the laundry-related water and electricity front, organic cloth diapers have the same impact on our environment as the classic version - but to a lesser degree.

**** Learning curve The "pocket" system makes these diapers just as easy to learn and use as disposables - except that instead of dumping your spoiled plastic-and-paper in the trash, the organic insert must go in the hamper for your end-of-day-wash or to a laundry service, some of which also supply the inserts.

*** Leakage factor You’ll have all the same issues as with classic cloth.

**** Your baby's butt Softer than the non-organic kind, chemical- and chlorine-free cotton will never irritate your baby's sensitive skin (but if you don't change this diaper frequently you'll be seeing some nasty diaper rashes), and you won't have to worry whether toxins are being absorbed into your baby's system.

**** Your out-of-pocket About $600 total for your baby's diaper-wearing years. Add a diaper service to the mix and you are looking at an additional $1,500, for a total of $2,100, or 5 percent more than traditional disposables.

What you can do Research and test as many forms of organic cloth diapers until you find one that works for you. Then air-dry your inserts and covers to save on electricity. Hang them in the sun, and they'll get a natural bleaching.