New Beginnings "Bamboo" Nursing Pads... not actually bamboo?

[ameliachristie]

Let me start off by saying I am a new mum so I have tried just about every brand of every type of maternity product just to find the one that suits me and my baby the best. In my opinion, the New Beginnings “Bamboo” Nursing Pads item is the most misleading out of all the products I have gone through.

Firstly, they call the product BAMBOO nursing pads, but the actual bamboo portion is just this tiny rectangle.

They then allocate an entire side of the box listing down the benefits of bamboo.

• They say it is “soft and silky with luxurious comfort” when the bamboo doesn’t even touch my skin.
• They call it “highly absorbent” when the tiny amount of bamboo would not even be enough to absorb a bottlecap of liquid.

I think one of the worst ways they mislead is with how they brand it as an “environment-friendly” product. I would argue that they are actually more wasteful because they add in bamboo in the product when it actually doesn’t do anything. They also highlight the bamboo’s biodegradability when the pads are individually wrapped in plastic and none of the other materials are actually biodegradable.

I feel bad for the other mums out there that are looking to be more environment-conscious but are exploited by companies like these that use “going green” as nothing but a gimmick.

[grahroll]

I doubt that even that small portion is bamboo. We have some threads that discuss Bamboo clothing/fabric and I have included links here to some of that content

Bamboo based fabric, is it really Bamboo?

There have been some posts in the past and currently that refer to Bamboo being in the fabric, in the mix of materials in the Fabric, or indeed question this. Is it really Bamboo or is it a material that has been derived from Bamboo. We have moved these posts to this section of the site as we look for the best answers. BS Buster Badges will be awarded to those posters who provide good and supported answers. The previous posts have been moved to this topic to keep them together. Looking forw…

Cotton and Elastane women’s underpants a health risk?

Elastane, the wonder fabric, is very often used to give stretch to materials like cotton or synthetics: the ‘stretch’ gives a good fit to garments, it’s lightweight, and has a soft feel. It is very often mixed with cotton when made into form-fitting underwear. I’m concerned to see how wide spread is its use in women’s panties which cling to the skin, are not breathable (cotton breathability is gone when mixed with elastane), trap heat and moisture, can lead to irritation and rashes, and cou…

Thank you for calling out the product.

[Gaby]

@ameliachristie

feel bad for the other mums out there that are looking to be more environment conscious

I agree, especially the bamboo fabric which is processed with many dangerous chemicals into a synthetic fabric, with little or no resemblance to the original material!

The ethical wardrobe: Is bamboo an ethical fabric?

[phb]

This as well as most ‘bamboo’ marketed products deserve a shonky. Hopefully Choice seriously considers the award for such products this year to get the message out that the products may not be as environmentally friendly as portrayed in marketing material.

Awarding a shonky will possibly stimulate some hot debate amongst those who sell such products…but ‘bamboo’ fabric products claims needs a public shakeup as many are in fact synthetic rather than ‘natural eco-friendly fabrics’ (see the thread kindly posted by @grahroll above).