Which diaper distributes the best?

[scaifester]

I've been wearing the confidry 24/7 for the past several weeks and I love them because they distribute the pee throughout the diaper. I can wear it for 8+ hours and I will use the entire diaper. On the other hand, the betterdry/crinklz, megamax and the premium abdl brands that I've tried don't seem to distribute as well. 

I would say the northshore supreme lite is a second best. 

Has anybody else noticed this too? I'm assuming that its because of the SAP content of the premium diapers that prevent them from distributing well. I assume that the SAP forms a gel that impedes distribution like a dam. 

Anybody else notice this?

[oznl]

Yes.  I've noticed this. 

I regularly wear ABU Simple and BetterDry.  The BetterDry do a bit better of a job and rarely leak but they do tend to absorb (and swell) in a very localised fashion.  Wearing an ABU Simple overnight, it would be rare for more than 50% of the absorbent area to be damp.

The diaper that distributes the best for me is cloth but I realise that's not easy for everybody.  An overnight cloth diaper will be universally damp come morning.  How damp depends on how much I used it.

The best disposable for even absorbancy in my arsenal is the Abena L4.  I will often remove one of those at the end of a long day and discover that 100% of the padding is damp.

[diaperguy85]

i have noticed this as well through different diapers. betterdrys are rather absorbent but pee stays where you put it lol. megamax (my preferred diaper) diapers keep urine put, too for the most part, but i've found that the addition of a booster helps tremendously with distribution. i like the northshore xxl contoured booster for overnight and super-extended and hydrated wearing, although it is a bit over kill lol but the feeling of the extra padding all over feels great! i like to wear a boosted megamax for long nights. when i wake up the diaper is wet nearly from end to end, maybe the last rear most couple of inches are dry, but those are always tricky to get. 

i agree with oznl with the abena L4 diaper, they wick really well. also seni quattros are pretty good at wicking. 

but trust me on the boosters! they wick like none other! total dry makes some great boosters, and northshore carries a large variety of sizes of boosters. i've heard good about cloth boosters but i have no experience with them at all. 

[Dubious]

Wear medical boosters, they are mostly fluff and not much if any sap 

I can double the life of any diaper with a booster/insert 

[WetDad]

As others have mentioned, cloth is best for wicking. Among disposables, the Seni Super Plus has worked very well for me. 

[square_duck]

I have had this happen as well, oddly enough with various name brands....which was frustrating! 

I began to think it was just indicative of the way disposables were designed, but that all changed when I saw a video all about "fluffling" your disposables!!! ?

Being a lover of cloth diapers, I agree with the above, but also understand that they have limitations, and can be very bulky ( which isn't a bad thing at times ?) 

But I have been fluffing every disposable diaper I have worn lately, and it has helped immensely with wicking!! One of the reasons that cloth wicks so well is the looseness of the fibers next to each others, which is also why they are so soft too ?.

This allows fluids to flow, and be absorbed quicky, and transfered or "wicked" to other non wet areas of the diaper.

Disposables are compacted when manufactured and packaged for shipping, which compresses all the fibers and gel/ SAP, which impeeds the flow of fluids when it comes time for use.

Fluffing, breaks up and opens up the filler in the disposable, so that fluids can flow and be absorbed, and distributed, or " wicked" and or locked away in the SAP layer, making the diaper more absorbant and "efficent" at its job of containment and storage, which is what they are supposed to do ??

So basically, if you are having a problem with disposables " puddling" and or not wicking as they should be doing, try fluffing them before you put them on ( fluffing them after you have them on and wet is kind of useless ?) and I am sure you will both feel and see a difference in performance, pretty much regardless of the brand of disposable, but performance will vary between premium and lesser brands of diapers.....which is a given.....I think.....???

[Moochie]

I wore an Abena M4 diaper to work yesterday and after 6 hours of wetting I thought I better change and not risk a press-out leak. I can change in my office without a problem. The Abena M4 was totally wet from front to back, not a dry portion, illustrating excellent wicking capacity. The day before I wore a MegaMax tye dye size small. Certainly more absorbent, but when I changed 6" in the back were still dry, and I wet a lot during 9 hours. 

[le Hollandais]

On 2/10/2021 at 9:34 PM, oznl said:

The diaper that distributes the best for me is cloth but I realise that's not easy for everybody.  An overnight cloth diaper will be universally damp come morning.  How damp depends on how much I used it.

 

While I haven't had much experience with disposable diapers, I've noticed the same with cloth diapers, too. And yes, I realize there are those who have very good reasons for relying on disposable diapers.

[eatenbywo1ves]

In our Reviews we first test and retest until we see a pattern develop in how the product functions. We point out issues or things we like then we compare what the manufacturer says about the product against what we see in testing. We than provide the thoughts of our Tester's who used the products based on their lives and incontinence level. This will allow the viewer to see and decide if the product might work for their needs.

[Evelyn Dellcerro]

When I pee I depend on megas, and never had a problem. I do admit I have purposely flooded them and made them leak. If I am going to poop I switch to rearz rebels for the durability and extra tough plastic. I dont need gel inside my jeans for sure. Had it once and not a pretty sight. The megas do distribute well if you move in certain positions. Always best when out walking.

[Little Cub Pants]

I like ABU, mostly because a lot of their diapies come with a scented option.?♥️? Although I haven't tried all of the diaper distributors yet.?

[Babyqtboy]

I have found that the Tena slip maxi and ultima’s from Europe distribute quite nicely. Bambino diapers do too but mostly because they don’t absorb much or very well lol. Second wetting in a bambino and I feel wet everywhere and on the verge of leaking 

[Dapperdan]

I like Tykables

[olympus]

I also find the Abena level 4 to be the best at wicking. I routinely notice that the entire diaper is wet from front to back when I change. That said, Dry 24/7 is also good at wicking and soaking the entire diaper. I do find that pointing down to the center for males allows the pee to go both directions better.

 

[marinus18]

On 2/12/2021 at 3:10 AM, square_duck said:

I have had this happen as well, oddly enough with various name brands....which was frustrating! 

I began to think it was just indicative of the way disposables were designed, but that all changed when I saw a video all about "fluffling" your disposables!!! ?

Being a lover of cloth diapers, I agree with the above, but also understand that they have limitations, and can be very bulky ( which isn't a bad thing at times ?) 

But I have been fluffing every disposable diaper I have worn lately, and it has helped immensely with wicking!! One of the reasons that cloth wicks so well is the looseness of the fibers next to each others, which is also why they are so soft too ?.

This allows fluids to flow, and be absorbed quicky, and transfered or "wicked" to other non wet areas of the diaper.

Disposables are compacted when manufactured and packaged for shipping, which compresses all the fibers and gel/ SAP, which impeeds the flow of fluids when it comes time for use.

Fluffing, breaks up and opens up the filler in the disposable, so that fluids can flow and be absorbed, and distributed, or " wicked" and or locked away in the SAP layer, making the diaper more absorbant and "efficent" at its job of containment and storage, which is what they are supposed to do ??

So basically, if you are having a problem with disposables " puddling" and or not wicking as they should be doing, try fluffing them before you put them on ( fluffing them after you have them on and wet is kind of useless ?) and I am sure you will both feel and see a difference in performance, pretty much regardless of the brand of disposable, but performance will vary between premium and lesser brands of diapers.....which is a given.....I think.....???

So.......cloths are better at distributing? Your comment is a little hard to understand. Disposable have cloth beat in volume hands down at least that's what the instructions say. Many disposables have roughly double the capacity of cloth. Though then again I don't think you'll pee 5 liters in a single day unless you're deliberately trying to.

[kirababy]

@marinus18  Yes, cloth is better at distributing, and can out perform disps, simply by adding a layer or two.   Since moving to doubled cloth for night, leaks are a thing of the past for me.  Downside is that wearing that much diaper in public is either obvious or impossible to hide, this is where a premium disposable does beat cloth. 

 

That said, there are a slew of different designs and weights for cloth, so making a broadcast statement like more absorbent than cloth is simply marketing speak - which cloth did they compare to?   A 21x40 single layer diaper, or a day weight prefold, a all in one pocket diaper, or a nightweight cloth diaper?   My guess is they looked at something on the lighter end of the spectrum.

[stork]

Another thing to note is that the distribution is largely influenced by how much you release each time. For example, when using catheters/stents, I can easily saturate an entire high-capacity diaper (of pretty much any brand) which would normally have started leaking much earlier.

[oznl]

15 hours ago, marinus18 said:

So.......cloths are better at distributing? Your comment is a little hard to understand. Disposable have cloth beat in volume hands down at least that's what the instructions say. Many disposables have roughly double the capacity of cloth. Though then again I don't think you'll pee 5 liters in a single day unless you're deliberately trying to.

Technically, it wouldn't surprise me if this claim was correct or at least defensible.  I suspect many adult disposables have greater fluid holding capacity than analogously sized cloth products.

But that isn't saying they work better.

The ISO test for diaper capacity (as I understand it) is insanely unrelated to their actual use-case.  I believe they submerge the product, surface it, wait until it stops dripping and then weigh it to figure out how much it "held".

That's not how peeing your pants (and getting away with it) works.

In the real world, your diaper must cope with pee under a range of body positions and movements.  Success is more about not leaking in those conditions rather than outright absorbent capacity but consumers love integers.

For example, if you are a side sleeper in bed (such as I am), you'll find a 1000ml capacity cloth diaper will more reliably keep your pyjamas dry than the 5000ml BetterDry.

[marinus18]

5 hours ago, oznl said:

Technically, it wouldn't surprise me if this claim was correct or at least defensible.  I suspect many adult disposables have greater fluid holding capacity than analogously sized cloth products.

But that isn't saying they work better.

The ISO test for diaper capacity (as I understand it) is insanely unrelated to their actual use-case.  I believe they submerge the product, surface it, wait until it stops dripping and then weigh it to figure out how much it "held".

That's not how peeing your pants (and getting away with it) works.

In the real world, your diaper must cope with pee under a range of body positions and movements.  Success is more about not leaking in those conditions rather than outright absorbent capacity but consumers love integers.

For example, if you are a side sleeper in bed (such as I am), you'll find a 1000ml capacity cloth diaper will more reliably keep your pyjamas dry than the 5000ml BetterDry.

Most disposables are between 4k and 6k while cloth is between 2k and 3k. Though total volume is not really relevant as diapers are not symmetrical. You can't really fill up one side and then put it on backwards. I tried that and it really felt off.

[oznl]

3 hours ago, marinus18 said:

Most disposables are between 4k and 6k while cloth is between 2k and 3k. Though total volume is not really relevant as diapers are not symmetrical. You can't really fill up one side and then put it on backwards. I tried that and it really felt off.

Assuming we are talking disposables, I think that's an important point and probably inspired the OP question about which diaper "distributes the best".   It seems that many of the high capacity disposables I've tried fail at distributing liquid evenly meaning that their overall theoretical capacity isn't that relevant as under battle conditions, a lot of that capacity simply won't become available.  Cloth has superb wicking characteristics.  Over time, ALL of the cloth diaper will become wet.