In the cloth diapering world there is always a lot of chatter about cheap Chinese diapers. Unfortunately there are a lot of opinions on the matter and not a whole lot of facts. So let’s break this down and get all the facts on “China cheapies.”
One of the concerns about Chinese diapers is the levels of lead your baby might be exposed to. Lead poisoning affects over a million children each year, and can affect your child’s development, lower IQ, and cause behavioral issues. Babies and small children are the most susceptible to poisoning because they are still developing and they chew on and crawl where lead dust, paint chips and other lead sources can be.
Chinese companies carry testing certificates—all of which fit the standards for CPSIA compliance, and some of which go above and beyond what is required by CPSC. These test results can be verified through the testing company they received the certificate from. According to the CPSIA website, the only parts of a cloth diaper that needs to be tested for lead are the snaps. PUL in pockets does not need to be lead tested because it does not touch the skin and PUL in covers is also exempt from testing because of the weight of the fabric and because it is polyester. A CPSC agent we contacted explained that each print does not have to be tested for lead if the same process is being used to make all prints. Additionally, most of the components for the larger, American brands are manufactured overseas in places like China and Egypt as well, so when purchasing those products there are still some ties to other countries and manufacturing. We did our own testing on 24 different brands of diapers, including American, Chinese, and European brands. Some of which are tested to be CPSIA compliant and some that were not. You can see the full results of our testing at the bottom. None of the diapers tested contained lead on either the snaps or the PUL.
*Total lead content on accessible parts of children’s clothing not to exceed 100ppm.
*Exemptions are allowed for lead testing in certain fabrics (cotton, polyester, acrylic).
*Exemptions do not apply for other parts of the clothing like decorations or fasteners that are made of plastic, metal, vinyl, crystal, and coated leather that might contain lead.
*Lead paint and other surface coatings like screen printing, coated zippers, all labels cannot exceed 90 ppm.
If you are buying online directly from the manufacture, like Alva, and having them shipped to your home for your own use then the diapers do not need to be additionally tested to be compliant with CPSIA. There are also no legal issues with an individual selling of used diapers as well. However, if you were purchasing diapers from China in bulk from the company and then turning around and selling them then you would need to go through the steps to get all of the certifications, and ensure that they are completely compliant.
Some caregivers are also worried about copyright infringement. Copyright laws here in the United States don’t apply to other countries like China, and there isn’t much anyone can do besides contact the company and issue a cease and desist letter. If you don’t want to risk supporting this practice, then diapers from China might not be the right ones for your family.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, the diapers you choose for your little ones comes down to what is important for you and your family. No one should be made to feel bad about what kinds or brands of diapers they use for whatever reasons they have for choosing that path. Diapers from China are affordable, safe and legal. Cloth should be easy, affordable, and fun for all families. Have fun and cloth diaper on!| Diaper Brand | Description | Snap level | Pul Level | Within limits? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumgenius | ||||
| Orange w/ orange snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Blue w/blue snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Nickis | ||||
| Blue Cheveron w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Charlie Banana | ||||
| White w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Alva | ||||
| Grey w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Halloween w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Red, white, and blue nautical w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Black and multi splatter w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Happy Flute | ||||
| Blue with lion w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Glow Bug | ||||
| Guitars w/ yellow snaps (old) | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Baby Got Bach w/ teal snaps (new) | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Calco | ||||
| Tan with earth print-no snaps | NA | ND | Yes | |
| Coolababy | ||||
| Turtles w/ green snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Ailens w/ red snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| JcTrade | ||||
| Nemo w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Scooby w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Blue Lorax w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Blue Whinnie the Pooh w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Sunbaby | ||||
| Stars w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Camo w/ Orange snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Cats w/ white snaps (old) | ND | ND | Yes | |
| ND | ND | Yes | ||
| Lotus Bums | ||||
| Elephants w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Royal Fluff | ||||
| Motorcycles w/ black snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Awesome Blossom | ||||
| Fantasy w/ blue snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Bumkins | ||||
| Cat in the Hat w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Imagine | ||||
| Yellow elephants w/ yellow snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Tots Bots | ||||
| Blue hey diddle diddle w/ green snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Thirsties | ||||
| Blue argyl w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Bluebery | ||||
| Penguins w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Best Bottoms | ||||
| Foxes w/ brown snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Miliovia | ||||
| Clouds w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Moraki | ||||
| Blue and white stripes w/ red snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Simply Cloth | ||||
| Argyl w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Rumbaroos | ||||
| Grey w/ grey snaps | ND | ND | Yes | |
| Applecheeks | ||||
| Yellow w/ white snaps | ND | ND | Yes |