Nurtured by Nature Review

Nurtured by Nature boasts several nods for being eco-friendly with the use of renewable resources, 30-40% more sustainable materials than leading brands, and chlorine free processing; referring to itself as the environmentally-sensitive diaper. It claims the use of fewer petro-chemicals than leading brands, with the mention of plant-based products on their website. It has stretchy side panels for increased comfort and fit.

Performance Comparison

Absorption and Leaks

In our tests, Nurtured by Nature scored a 5 out 10 for both absorption and leaks. These scores themselves may not sound super impressive, but it did manage to score higher than 11 other diapers in our tests for leaks and tied with 4 others. It was about the same for absorption, scoring better than 10 other diapers, and tying with 3. It held its own against traditional diapers and green alike, scoring better than two other green diapers; Seventh Generation Free & Clear and Huggies Pure & Natural.

The absorption score of 5 of 10 for Nurtured by Nature put it near the bottom of the green diapers tested, and about average for the traditional diapers in its price range. Seventh Generation Free & Clear scored just 4 for absorption, lower than Nurtured. Earth's Best Tender Care scored significantly higher overall and earned a 6 out 10 for absorption compared to Nurtured's 5. On average, it was also cheaper.

The pictures below show the absorption test results for Nurtured by Nature (left), Seventh Generation Free & Clear (middle), and Earth's Best Tender Care (right). The larger green area indicates more surface moisture; less green indicates better absorption.

Nurtured's leak score was a similar story. The 5 made the diaper truly average in the field of all the diapers tested, but it was better than, or equal to, most of the traditional diapers tested, as well as, better than the green diapers Babyganics Rear Gear, Huggies Pure & Natural, and Seventh Generation Free & Clear. With the middle of the road scores it still really wasn't that impressive compared to other green diapers. In short, as far as being a green diaper it isn't too shabby, but for diapers in its price range or cheaper, there were better options available.

Comfort and Durability

Nurtured scored a 4 out 10 for comfort in our tests. It received a 2 out of 5 for softness of materials when compared to the other diapers we tested. It also got a couple of points for nice side and back elastic, but it failed to earn extra points for breathability and leg-cuff friendliness. However, it is worth noting that it didn't lose points for these categories either. Many diapers we tested scored better than this diaper in the comfort category.

With price being no indication of comfort, the scores were all over the board with Walmart's White Cloud, earning an 8 for a relatively cheap price, and Andy Pandy, a relatively expensive green diaper, earning a 9. For diapers in its price range, Nurtured scored about on par. Cuties, one of our Best Value winners, scored a 6 for this metric, and a 6 for absorption.

Durability for this diaper was a big yawn. With a score of 4 it doesn't really have much to boast about, but nothing was really negative either. Some of the Amazon reviews we read indicated that the closure tabs had a tendency to fall off or wouldn't stick. But the number of reviews was limited, and therefore not a big factor in the final score. We did not experience this problem during testing.

Several diapers scored better than Nurtured for durability, with 11 diapers scoring 6 or higher. In the green realm Seventh Generation Free & Clear and Earth's Best Tender Care scored a 6, and our Editors' Choice winner, BAMBO Nature, earned an impressive 8 of 10. For traditional diapers, Cuties, Babies R Us Supreme, and Parent's Choice all managed an 8 out 10. Our tests indicated that both traditional and green diapers could score well in this metric and Nurtured was just riding the center line.

Eco and Health

Nurtured by Nature claims the use of renewable resources, less petro-chemicals, and plant based materials. In our tests it earned points for those things, in addition to being processed without the use of chlorine. With a score of 4 of 10 it scored better than all the traditional diapers we tested and a few green diapers as well.

Nurtured by Nature scored a disappointing 3 for health. Given its nod to the environment it would have been nice if it gave as much thought to baby's sensitive skin and developing systems. While the diapers are chlorine free, they did not specify if they were also free of latex, perfumes, and dyes. Without any information to the contrary, we are left to assume they do contain these elements. Several diapers scored better for health including green and traditional diapers.

Best Applications

The Earth conscious parent looking for a solid green diaper is likely to be drawn to Nurtured by Nature. With its relatively higher than average price it was not the cheapest green diaper we tested with Earth's Best Tender Care, and Seventh Generation Free & Clear being less on average. In general, it is an adequate diaper that scored fairly average in most metrics with a good green eco score of 4. There were plenty of diapers in our tests that scored both better, and worse than Nurtured by Nature, which made it a diaper that is difficult to truly rave about. This diaper fails to offer anything great to justify its price tag. Several other green diapers scored higher and cost the same or less.

Conclusion

Overall, Nurtured scored 45 of 100 in our tests. It tied for 13th place out of the 24 diapers we tested with Babyganics Rear Gear, placing it almost yawn worthy average. This diaper failed to score anything over a 5 no matter what the category. It still managed to score higher than several other diapers, including some of its green brothers in bottoms. In our tests, the diaper failed to shine or truly disappoint. In general, if you are looking for an adequate green diaper, then this is that kind of diaper. If your looking for something better than average, there are better green diapers on the market including our Editors' Choice, BAMBO Nature, or one of our Best Value picks, Earth's Best Tender Care.

On the flip side, if you are just looking for a good diaper that considers baby's health a priority then there are better diapers out there in our opinion, that cost less. Kirkland Signature Supreme and Up & Up both offer strong scores for health and similar scores for leaks and absorption, but they are both cheaper with Up & Up being the cheapest diaper we tested.