Are booster pads worth it?

[Joep]

I’ve never tried any, does it extend the capacity of the diaper and is it worth it? Does it add considerable bulkiness?

 

 

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[DL-Boy]

A #5 baby diaper that has had the backing slit open gives about an extra cup is capacity (5-8 ounces) in my experience.  That's between 148-237 mL.

[maly]

I use an unlined rectangular pad as a soaker and it has imho many benefits, it wickes the wetness evenly througout the nappy completely front to back and if like me you sometimes like to poo it makes getting the poo into the toilet (prior to disposal) easier. a booster will add a bit to the 'bulge' but that doesn't bother me. And if your a 'gusher' then the nappy is less likely to leak. So win win

Maly.

[DL-Boy]

Unless I'm wearing cloth, the poo goes in the garbage, tightly wrapped up in the soiled disposable.

[Moochie]

Booster Pads can customize the absorbency of a diaper to your own liking.  Any pharmacy has a large selection of different absorbency ratings for incontinent pads with an adhesive back.  I regularly use them in my diapers for extra absorbency/protection and peace of mind to avoid leaking.  I highly recommend them.

[nappylover78]

It does add bulk and capacity, though if your booster is a pad or nappy with an absorbent backing itself that you have to cut through, it still makes it harder to make use of the full capacity of your outer nappy.

The other risk is reducing the prominence of the leak guards, meaning you can leak out of the legs when you wet. You have to make sure the combination works for absorbing and containing, as well as your unmodified nappy does.

In summary - it's not always worth it.

[Dubious]

I have found that Tena hold a lot more with an insert, and it never leaks, as the insert is only fluff and diaper is mostly SAP
Also no pin hole leakage 

The insert should be smaller than the diaper itself, so Tena boosters don't work in Tenas...
I use attends insert in Tenas 

[rusty pins]

I say yes when appropriate.  I have used baby diapers as a booster and they will add bulk but lots of extra absorbency.  For years I bought Diaper Doublers from Babies-R-Us until they closed up and they were just a thin booster pad about 8 inches long by 2 inches wide with a peal off strip to stick it inside the diaper.  I also have some diaper inserts that are the same but just a little thicker from Tranquility.  They can extend a cheap diaper that might last 3 hours to about 4 or more hours.  For premium diapers like Betterdry or Confidry I think they probably wouldn't add much capacity and would increase the bulk too much for comfort.  I think they work best on lower end store brand diapers to give you a little more time before you would need to change.  Sometimes I plan on wearing a diaper for about 4 hours or so, one of my low end diapers and a doubler insert it gives me just enough extra absorbency to make it until I change or remove my diaper for the day.

[rdkill2013]

I like using Tranquillity Top Liners in a Better Dry at night so, if I flood during the night it helps distribute the pee though out the diaper and keeps it from leaking.[emoji5]

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[Crinklz Kat]

I've tried a lot of the boosters out there -- and usually they end up in the storage bin.   For me, the increase in capacity can put me so far beyond where I'm comfortable wearing (as in it's really starting to stink badly yet only 1/2 used).  Second, I do tend to leak far sooner because most of them are not great at fast acquisition or wicking.   I agree with Dubious -- the better type are those that are just fluff as they'll wick front to back.  While they don't hold as much, they help make more effective use of any diaper that's not quite as effective at wicking on their own - like a Megamax.   It's just too bad that one of the best out there like that - the Abena Abrilet - was discontinued.  Their new version just isn't the same.

And the contour shaped boosters are the worst for any diaper with leak guards as they will essentially render them useless.   They'd be fine for those cheap diapers without them.

[incondl]

9 hours ago, Crinklz Kat said:

I've tried a lot of the boosters out there -- and usually they end up in the storage bin.   For me, the increase in capacity can put me so far beyond where I'm comfortable wearing (as in it's really starting to stink badly yet only 1/2 used).  Second, I do tend to leak far sooner because most of them are not great at fast acquisition or wicking.   I agree with Dubious -- the better type are those that are just fluff as they'll wick front to back.  While they don't hold as much, they help make more effective use of any diaper that's not quite as effective at wicking on their own - like a Megamax.   It's just too bad that one of the best out there like that - the Abena Abrilet - was discontinued.  Their new version just isn't the same.

And the contour shaped boosters are the worst for any diaper with leak guards as they will essentially render them useless.   They'd be fine for those cheap diapers without them.

This really surprises me. I always use a contoured booster with every diaper and rarely do I have a problem. I guess everyone is shaped a little different. 

[Kaliborio]

Yes, it does extend the capacity of the diaper. Yes, it is worth it. Yes, there is considerable extra bulk.

I'd recommend using a purpose-built, non-waterproof booster pad. Pads that are actually just repurposed underwear liners or baby diapers generally tend to be bad as booster pads.

I tend to 'reverse boost' - I wear a pull-on cloth diaper and plastic pants over a disposable. Excellent leak protection and minimal washing. Since I'm severely incontinent as it is, the discretion is of almost no consequence to me. I certainly don't make a point of my diapers because I have dignity, but I'm not concerned with keeping them so slim that their effectiveness is reduced.

[DL-Boy]

1 hour ago, Kaliborio said:

Pads that are actually just repurposed underwear liners or baby diapers generally tend to be bad as booster pads.

The only problems I've run into with repurposed baby diapers are:

1. Inconvenient to slice the back for to allow pee to flow through.
2. Inconvenient to hold it in place while putting on the diaper. 
3. If back is sliced too much, it creates quite a mess to clean up when it gets wet (I call it "Jell-o dots" and it clings to my private bits like artificial snow on a Christmas tree.)

[Hookedondiapers]

I have bad luck with boosters.  I try them every so often, but I'm always disappointed with the results.

For me, boosters get uncomfortable really quickly.  Maybe I just don't like the feeling of the wet pad next to my skin.  They also tend to promote leaks by rising above the leak guards.  I wear high to premium quality diapers all the time, which probably don't need the extra capacity. The latest ones I tried were Tykables Dubblers.  They feel great and add a real bulk to your diaper, but after a few wettings, the booster is soaked and swollen, while the diaper is still mostly dry.   I put one in a BetterDry to wear overnight, and ended up leaking out over the top of my diaper, which never normally happens.

When I hear stories of people putting 2-3 boosters in a diaper and wearing it for 24 hours, it sounds like the most uncomfortable thing.

I would much rather wear a premium diaper and change every 4-6 hours than use a booster.

[Dubious]

Not everyone can afford to change every 4-6 hours and if you have to change that often, your diaper is not premium

I can wear a Tena Ultima without booster for at least 8 hours
My current Ultima with booster I put on 20 hours ago, but I have been sleeping and laying down whole day, and should have changed long time ago
Its wet, but not leaking

[rusty pins]

I will say one thing about boosters.  Don't over estimate their purpose and usage!  They are meant to help extend the absorption of your diaper a little longer than normal.  They are not a replacement for a diaper when a change is needed.  Don't expect them to double your capacity and allow you to wear an 8 hour diaper for 16 hours.  If your current diaper needs changing about half an hour before your lunch at work, a booster can extend the use of that diaper until your lunch break when you will be able to change.  It's not meant to allow you to keep that 5 hour diaper on for your whole work shift!

[Dubious]

Well, inserts can allow you to stay in same diaper whole day, something I have done, by replacing the inserts
Easier to replace insert than to change diaper, and insert takes a lot less space

Think I wrote about this at some point, but in short, went to town at 10 am, was home at 8 pm, same diaper, barely wet

[Stroller]

I wear cloth boosters in cloth nappies on a regular basis.  It gives me more flexibiility about when I need to change, and greatly reduces the chance of a leak, as they don't get saturated easily.  Last time I was on holiday & had to wear disposables, I tried out disposable boosters for the same reason, and that worked really well.  It gave me the confidence that we could go out for the day & I wouldn't need to find somewhere to change while we were out.  So I'm all in favour of them.

[DiaperedAllTheTime]

I have recently started wearing boosters in my premium diapers not necessarily to increase capacity but to experience more thickness between my legs.  What I am finding out is often times when I think I need to change my diaper because it is full it is simply the booster that is saturated with pee pee.  Generally I can simply remove the pad and have a relatively unused diaper which does help conserve diapers.  About the only downside other than discreetness is that often times the booster pad explodes making a big mess of gooey gel in my diaper.  This is okay if I can hop quickly into the shower but it sucks if I am out and about.

[DL-Boy]

1 hour ago, CuckoldedBabyGirl said:

 About the only downside other than discreetness is that often times the booster pad explodes making a big mess of gooey gel in my diaper. 

That's what I've called "Jell-o Dots" (kinda like "Dippin' Dots" only gel pellets).  I also have mentioned a time or two that it clung to my bits like artificial snow on a Christmas tree.

[Little Sherri]

I played around with using a Pampers Baby Dry #6 as a booster this weekend (with some perforations cut into the cover), and it worked amazingly well, I'd say increasing the capacity of one of my slimmer, "daytime" diapers by about 1/3. I probably wouldn't bother putting one into a big diaper like a BetterDry, where it might interfere with the fluid dynamics, and the diaper is good for 8 - 12 hours, anyway, but my daytime Prevails are only good for 4-5 hours, so the Baby Dry might get me to 6 or 7, which seems well worth it.

I've bought Rearz boosters and tried them out - inside a big diaper like, say, a Safari or a Bambino, the bulk they create is almost comical - you have to waddle around. However, I find that the booster doesn't know when to tap out, so you may end up with an exploded bag of jelly sitting in a somewhat-damp diaper that could probably take a lot more, but for the aforementioned calamity. The whole is less than the sum of its parts sometimes. 

[BedWetMark]

I've also been trying out booster pads - I opted for the Tykables Dubblers as I'm wear Tykables Unicorns at the moment.

My observations;

- Yes they add significant thickness if you want to achieve that

- You REALLY feel like you're wearing a nappy

- The booster will get soaked first, even after 2 decent wettings while the actual nappy is still dry

- With the Unicorns, as they are hook and loop, I've been unhooking the lower two tabs, pulling out the booster and putting a dry one in its place.  Pull up the nappy, tape it back securely and you're good to go again.

- I haven't leaked at night with a booster

 

As you're able to pull the booster out and replace, it works out significantly cheaper than changing your nappy.  I went 24 hours in the same Unicorns nappy, but used 3 boosters instead - on the 3rd booster I just kept it on to see how long it would take before EVERYTHING was maxed out.  The answer was a long time. So long that I didn't achieve it before I wanted to change for bed. 

Oh and if you want discreetness, that isn't happening. Even when dry the bulge in my shorts was massive - but still, fun trying and if you want to go through fewer 'premium' nappies and use more boosters, it'll work out cheaper. 

[DiaperedAllTheTime]

13 hours ago, BedWetMark said:

I've also been trying out booster pads - I opted for the Tykables Dubblers as I'm wear Tykables Unicorns at the moment.

My observations;

- Yes they add significant thickness if you want to achieve that

- You REALLY feel like you're wearing a nappy

- The booster will get soaked first, even after 2 decent wettings while the actual nappy is still dry

- With the Unicorns, as they are hook and loop, I've been unhooking the lower two tabs, pulling out the booster and putting a dry one in its place.  Pull up the nappy, tape it back securely and you're good to go again.

- I haven't leaked at night with a booster

 

As you're able to pull the booster out and replace, it works out significantly cheaper than changing your nappy.  I went 24 hours in the same Unicorns nappy, but used 3 boosters instead - on the 3rd booster I just kept it on to see how long it would take before EVERYTHING was maxed out.  The answer was a long time. So long that I didn't achieve it before I wanted to change for bed. 

Oh and if you want discreetness, that isn't happening. Even when dry the bulge in my shorts was massive - but still, fun trying and if you want to go through fewer 'premium' nappies and use more boosters, it'll work out cheaper. 

I use the same exact booster in the same exact diaper!  I completely agree with your thoughts except that you can actually be somewhat discreet if you wear fixing panties even with a booster.  I wore one traveling yesterday, cleared airport security, and no one around me knew any different.  If you are simply wearing shorts it is most definitely impossible to hide such bulk.

[Kimmie_Eng]

"Tykables Dubbler" I have used these and they definitely prolonged the life of my nappy and caused me to waddle.

[deewet]

I use the belted "diaper pads" as boosters, of course cut to drain into main diaper as mentioned above.  In addition to extending the life of the primary diaper, they control gushing as well as evenly distribute wetness throughout the main diaper, something that keeps that diaper from leaking before its time is up.  Another plus, I can change these every couple hours quickly and easily by sliding the outer diaper down a bit, and re taping it after to keep it tight and secure.