RMS401 said:
I have often wondered the same thing, and have decided that, at least for me, elastic makes no sense at all. If I allowed enough slack for the elastic to do what it was designed to do, it would be too loose to stay up.
Make no mistake, it's a very narrow range! But once you find the "sweet spot" to place the top tapes, you're golden. Here's what I have on hand right now, with and without front/rear elastic:
abu simple: yes
abu space: yes
bambino teddy: yes
buntewindel fabine: yes
comficare crinklesV2: yes
diaper conneseuir crinklz: yes
diaper conneseuir kitten: yes
diaper conneseuir idyl: yes
tykables waddlers: yes
tylables overnights: yes
bambino totaldry plus: NO
tena slip basic: NO
tena slip maxi plastic: NO
tena slip maxi cloth: NO
wellness superio: NO
xp medical absorbency plus 3: NO
xp medical absorbency plus 4: NO
abena xplus: NO
The abena xplus (and possibly the xp medical AP/4) are the ONLY "no" anyone here is going to call a "high quality diaper". Pretty much everything in the "yes" group (possibly not the regular waddlers) gets universally high marks. While the elastic may not actually account for much itself, it's certainly a reliable "mark of quality". Look for it
Nowadays, most of the time I tape up my diapers BEFORE putting them on. Close to 100% of the time with the "yes" diapers. I know exactly where the tapes go, and I get a perfect fit, every single time. I can get into them, and they stay up on their own, unless very wet. It's more difficult to do that with the no's