Oh Tushies... I had such high hopes!
Written: Aug 17 '06 (Updated Aug 24 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: TBT Free & do not contain recycled materials.
Cons: leaks, uncomfortable, expensive.
The Bottom Line: Not recommended. If your child is allergic to gel diapers, or you are concerned about the environment, then cloth or flushable diapers would be a much better alternative than this.
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| mommy_quigg's Full Review: Tushies the Gel-Free Diaper |
I am not quite sure where to start, there are just so many things I did not like about this diaper. I guess I will start with how I ended up with it.
My family tries to live a very healthy lifestyle. So when my mom was at the health food store, she spotted these diapers and thought, “What a great idea!” Fortunately, she is good friends with the owner and received two size small packages for free as a gift for me. On each package was a price tag of $25 CAD!
Small goes from 6-14 lbs, and has 40 diapers per bag.
Medium goes from 12-24 lbs, and has 30 diapers per bag.
Large goes from 22-35 lbs, and has 22 diapers per bag.
Toddler is for 27lbs and up, and has 20 diapers per bag.
They mention Preemie diapers on their website, but I couldn't find any information about them.
The small is about the equivalent of size 1 diapers in most other brands. To compare, I bought 160 Teddy’s choice for $30 CAD so they are nearly 4 times more expensive.
My son grew out of his newborn diapers in about 2 weeks. We received these when he was almost a month old. When he turned one month, a baby photographer company came and took pictures of him and we used these diapers. The ones we received were pure white with no characters on it. It may have said Tushies on the waistband, I don’t remember. I liked that for the pictures so that it would look better in black and white. However, for the cost and effort involved in using these diapers, I would rather have sewn him a white diaper cover or borrowed a cloth diaper from a friend for the photos.
According to the website (www.tushies.com) here is why you should use these diapers for your baby:
Claim: Because Tushies Diapers DO NOT contain a superabsorbent, parents will change diapers more frequently, resulting in less probability of diaper rash which can be caused by leaving a superabsorbent diaper on too long.
Reality: Within seconds of peeing in these diapers, my son would be screaming as if he was in pain. Even with only one pee, he would sometimes soak right through the diapers. I could not use these at all while he was sleeping or when we went out. I used other brands of diapers for these times. Diaper rashes have so many causes, teething and allergies for example. These diapers leave the wetness right against your child’s skin, unlike the gel diapers which whisk it away. Because of this, I went through about 2 times as many of these diapers as I would have with any other brand. Times that by the cost, and they are 8 times more expensive than either Parent’s Choice or Teddy’s Choice. Due to their lack of absorbency, our doctor recommended that my sister-in-law not use them for her son while he had thrush. She had to use a diaper that would keep the wetness away from his skin in order to keep the rash from getting worse.
Claim: Many parents have told us that using GEL-FREE Tushies diapers resulted in earlier potty learning, because babies become too comfortable in a superabsorbent diaper.
Reality: Um... yup, there is definitely no danger of them becoming too comfortable in these diapers! They are stiff until they get wet, when they lose all shape and form, causing urine and those early liquid poos to run out the sides, front, and back
Claim: Tushies New Cloth-Like Cover increases softness for your baby
Reality: I cannot figure that one out. Is this a cover we are supposed to buy separately to cover the diaper with? Surely they cannot be talking about the actual diaper’s cover! When you run your hand along them, either the cover or inside, you can feel the woodpulp. It felt sharp on my hand, I can only imagine how it must feel to my child!
Claim: We're delighted to hear from hospitals - they like using our GEL-FREE Tushies Preemie & size small diapers because they receive a more accurate urine test without the chemical superabsorbents. And--it's easier for moms & dads to tell whether or not their baby has urinated enough and whether or not the baby is receiving enough milk.
Reality: I have no experience with getting urine tests for my child. As far as telling whether they have urinated enough, the nurses gave me a checklist. I believe it said that in the first day they should pee once, twice on the 2nd, and so on until they are peeing 7 times per day. If they are peeing enough, then you know they are eating enough. If in doubt, weigh them before and after each feeding.
Other Features:
- Tushies is The Only Disposable Diaper With 100% Non-Chlorine Bleached Woodpulp blended with REAL COTTON for absorbency.
- TUSHIES WOODPULP IS WHITENED WITH CHLORINE-FREE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE.
- Tushies Diapers do not contain recycled materials!
I used these diapers for about 4 weeks before my son grew out of them. We used only the first package and some of the second due to the limited amount of times I could use them (only during the daytime and in between naps). I passed the rest onto my sister-in-law who was expecting. She never used any of them because her baby had thrush (and the corresponding diaper rash) and she was told to only use the most absorbent diapers in order to not aggravate the rash. I think she passed them on to another pregnant friend.
FYI, the tabs are clear, sticky tape that adhere to a plastic strip across the front of the diaper. They are hard to find, and when you do find them, hard to grasp. Unlike the hook and loop closures used on most diapers, don’t count on readjusting these once they are in place. I tried and it came undone a few minutes later because it had lost a lot of its stickiness (at only 1 month old, and in a one-piece sleeper, there was no way my son had pulled the diaper off). Also, where hook and loop closures are more material-like, the tape on Tushies Diapers is very stiff. My son never complained, but I would find red marks where the tabs had been poking into his skin.
If your child is allergic to gel diapers, or you are concerned about the environment, then cloth diapers would be a much better alternative than this. If you’re thinking that you don’t want to have to cart the dirty cloth diapers around with you when you go out, consider that if you use these, you will have to bring a few changes of clothes with you because of all of the leaks.
Cloth diapers have changed a lot since my mom used them on us. They now come with Velcro (or Aplix) or snaps (so you don't have to use pins if you don't want to), and are less bulky than they used to be. You can even purchase "all-in-ones" that don't have to be folded, stuffed, or pinned. Put them on just like a disposable.
There are also diaper services which take your dirty diapers and supply you with a fresh supply of clean diapers every week - no dunking, scraping, soaking, washing for you! (just dump solid waste in the toilet and toss it in the diaper service bin.) I have not used a diaper service myself, but have heard wonderful things about them. They are the most environmentally friendly diapering method and cost more than home cloth diapering but many cost less than disposables. Check out www.comfycotton.ca for an example of one such company. (I have no ties with this company, I just found their website to be very helpful.)
I would have used cloth for my son, but could not afford the initial investment for all of the diapers and related supplies. If you do have the money all at once (or can save a bit here and there during your pregnancy), they will save you a lot of money in the long run!
There are also flushable diapers, called gDiapers. They have a reusable outer layer and snap in liner, with a flushable insert, or you can put a cloth insert into the liner. You can check them out at www.gdiapers.com.
Update: After switching to cloth diapers, they are MUCH easier than these "eco-disposables". Just one load of laundry every couple of days and none of the problems caused by Tushies.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
mommy_quigg
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Member: Anna
Location: Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
"My people perish for lack of knowledge." Educate yourself!
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