The Andy Pandy diaper is an intriguing option for parents concerned about the environment, as it earned the highest score in our review (along with Nature Babycare for eco-friendliness. Andy Pandy has made significant efforts to create a more environmentally friendly and health diaper for baby compared to the competition. This diaper is also good at handling leaks, but it struggled to keep liquids locked away and performed poorly in our tests for absorption. Unfortunately, the higher price and poor absorption results override any other benefits of this diaper and make it an option we think can do better.
Andy Pandy Review
Earth friendly, cozy diaper but poor absorption can lead to messes
Price:
$0.53 List | $0.47 each (in 80-pack) at Amazon
Pros: Eco-friendly, few leaks, comfy
Cons: Price, poor absorption, not very durable
Manufacturer: Andy Pandy Kids
Pros: Eco-friendly, few leaks, comfy
Cons: Price, poor absorption, not very durable
Manufacturer: Andy Pandy Kids
By Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz ⋅ Jul 28, 2017
The Skinny
Compare to Similar Products
Our Analysis and Test Results
Andy Pandy is a part of the Hansen Kids LLC company, as a small owner-operated business located in Michigan. The company is inspired by their love of family and the planet and strive to create environmentally friendly and safe products for children. In 2013, the Hansen family released their dream diaper, the Andy Pandy Premium Bamboo disposable diapers after years of research and testing to create a quality, eco-friendly product.
Andy Pandy is an eco-friendly diaper with good scores for leakage and health.
Performance Comparison
In overall performance, Andy Pandy scored below average overall despite some higher scores in metrics like Ecology and Leakage.
Andy Pandy is comfortable with soft fabric and smooth elastic and closure tabs.
Likes
This diaper scored well for leakage with a 7 of 10 in our tests. The high for leakage is only 8 so this diaper is only one point below the high. In our tests, we had minimal to no leaking during testing but some Amazon reviewers did experience some leaking during normal use which impacted the leakage score. This score is still good, but the competing green diaper, Nature Babycare earned an 8.
Andy Pandy performed well in our tests for leakage with no run-off or leaks experienced during testing.
We also loved the efforts this brand has made to create an eco-friendly diaper with nods to baby health as well. This diaper uses renewable bamboo for the outside and inside covers raised with no pesticides or chemicals, it is totally chlorine free (TCF), and biodegradable under the right conditions. This diaper is latex, dye, perfume, alcohol, preservatives, phthalates, PVC, TBT and Antioxidant free. It does have an aloe liner, which is akin to a lotion additive in our opinion and a pH strip for wetness indicating.
The Andy Pandy diaper is also comfortable with soft fabric and non-abrasive tabs and elastic. It earned a 7 of 10 for comfort with the top scoring diapers earning 8s. Sadly for the Andy Pandy, the comfort factor might have caused a poor durability problem not found in all of the cozy competition (see dislikes below)
The overall score the Andy Pandy was hurt by its inability to truly lock away moisture to avoid messes and possible skin irritation or diaper rashes for baby.
Dislikes
Unfortunately, this diaper did not score well in our tests for absorption with a score of only 2 of 10. This means that liquids don't get trapped in the diaper core and could either run off or sit wet against baby's tushie causing irritation or possible diaper rash. This is a key functional feature of a diaper along with preventing leaks and it is hard to love a diaper with an absorption score this low. Nature Babycare is another eco-friendly diaper that scored a 10 of 10 for absorption, proving a diaper can be green and function well.
This diaper is also not very durable. Compared to the 23 other options we tested, this diaper only earned a 3 of 10 for durability as it seems fragile and the backing falls apart. Our research also indicated that some users had trouble with faulty tabs and leaking SAP (the portion of the diaper that collects and traps liquids and looks something like Jello when full). A diaper doesn't have to have a very long life, and we suspect the attempt at being biodegradable has left this product on the thinner side, but it should last between diaper changes so you don't end up with a mess on your hands.
Several online reviewers reported that the closure tabs on the Andy Pandy diaper are often faulty resulting in a higher percentage of useless diapers compared to the competition.
Conclusion
Andy Pandy is a cool diaper with a great attempt at being eco-friendly and still effective. This diaper hits the mark for Earth-friendliness and baby health, but it misses the boat for absorption and durability making it a no-go no matter how much we love the impressive leakage score and cozy feel. While being eco-friendly is important, Nature Babycare gets the job done in that department with better scores for leaks and absorption than the Andy Pandy, though both suffer in the durability metric.
Manufacturer Video
— Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz