Honest Is Goodness {a review}

And now the post for which you have all been waiting!

We are going on 9 months of using Honest Company products. It has taken me this long to comment about my experience because 1) I wanted to make sure I was familiar enough with the company to guarantee a thorough look at their products, and 2) there are so many Honest products to try, I wanted to be able to post about my favorites. We have been receiving both their Diapers & Wipes and Essentials Bundles, and so far the investment has been worth it for the Wirth family.

Diapers & Wipes Bundle

First, I will start with the Diapers & Wipes Bundle. I guess we have a bit of a unique situation in our household when it comes to baby bottoms: Everett has insanely sensitive skin, and he is a heavy wetter. Since birth, we have been very selective in the diapers and wipes we purchase, as the wrong brand can cause diaper rash and/or leaking. We used Kirkland brand wipes and diapers for a few weeks, but the wipes gave him a horrible diaper rash, and the diapers leaked all the time - and they did not just leak out the side or front, but they leaked through the diaper. Even though this brand was the most economical choice, we had to switch to sensitive wipes and Pampers Swaddlers for Everett's comfort and our sanity.

As I did with my cloth diaper research, I decided to do a price comparison for normal diapers vs. Honest diapers. Using pricing from Target.com on size 4 diapers (our current size), I calculate that Pampers cost ~$0.36/diaper. When you "bundle" diapers with an Honest membership, a size 4 diaper from Honest costs roughly $0.35. This means we save one shiny penny every time we use Honest diapers over Pampers, and unlike other brands you get off the shelf, these diapers are free of any harsh chemicals, fragrances, and additives. And they don't leak. And they come in adorable prints. AND they are delivered straight to your door!

For all you new moms out there, Pampers Swaddlers in the newborn size are about $0.28/diaper, while Honest newborn sizes are $0.19/diaper. Just sayin'. 

Now let's talk about the wipes. This is where the bundle starts getting a little #firstworld. At $4.95 per package of 72 wipes, every time you take a wipe out for use, you are spending ~$0.07. When comparing Honest wipes to a giant box of 448 sensitive wipes from Pampers at the cost of $10.99 (putting each wipe at approximately $0.02), we are spending over 3 times as much as we spend on regular wipes.

HOWEVER, these #firstworld wipes are incredible. They are much thicker and more absorbent than normal wipes, and we probably use about 1/3 the amount of wipes because of how much more functional they are. In fact, Jeff - the typical non-observant husband - grabbed a handful of Honest wipes for a messy diaper on the first day we had them, used only a couple, then said, "What are these wipes? They are 10 times better than those other ones you bought. Don't buy those other ones anymore."

And guess what...they don't give Everett a rash. Every once in a while I will use another brand of wipes just to be sure I am not making up the wipe-rash correlation. Without fail, every time we use a different brand of wipe, Everett will get a hot, red rash.

Before I signed up for Honest, I wanted to make sure I was not being deceived. I called the toll-free number and received incredible customer service, and the gentleman on the phone answered all my questions without sounding scripted. Finally, and probably most importantly for this busy mommy, the company has super duper fast shipping. I know that if I order something today (aka if I notice we are running low on diapers), it will be on my doorstep within 48 hours.

So how does it work? A family pays $79.95 for a box, which includes 4 packages of wipes and 6 packages of diapers delivered every 4-6 weeks (you choose the timing - you can also manually select a date on the calendar, which we do since we also use cloth diapers). If you do not have an Essentials Bundle, you can also add up to 3 additional baby items to your shipment at 25% off the listing price. This will not include the cleaning products (more on these to come!), but it is a cheap way to get some great baby products (my favorites being the Healing Balm and the Soothing Bottom Wash).

My one complaint? The newer prints tend to sell out fast, so be aware of this fact. They are usually restocked after a couple weeks, but your kid is not the most fashionable on the block until then. Also, they are not made in the USA, unlike most of the Essentials products which are USA-made, but I guess you can't have it all. Also, that makes 2 complaints...though neither are deal breakers.

So there you have it! That is the Wirth's honest look at the Honest Company's Diapers & Wipes Bundle. I have not received anything free from the company, and I am in no way affiliated with them, so each word of this post is my own, true opinion. However, they are such a great company that I am more than willing to be an advocate for their products. We all know how uber passionate I am about natural baby care...If you use this link to sign up, you get $10 off your first order with the code (I am told you can call to cancel your membership at any time, but I have not been interested in cancelling yet!). 

This post is getting a little long, but I hope you found it helpful and informative. I will leave you all twiddling your fingers in anticipation by asking you to check back later to hear the Wirth family's thoughts on the Essentials Bundle!