SAP crystals coming out of the diaper

almost every time i change my diaper, i see at least one or two sap crystals sticking to my crotch, but there's not a single cut anywhere on the diaper. i mostly wear plastic backed attends (europe version) but i noticed the sap mysteriously leaking out of my cloth backed ID supers and drynites too.

does that happen to anyone else?

IanDL said:

What diaper are you using?

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Alexia said:

...i mostly wear plastic backed attends (europe version) but i noticed the sap mysteriously leaking out of my cloth backed ID supers and drynites too...

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Really? There is only one post in this thread, that is three sentences long, and somehow you've missed it.

OP, this can be an issue with some brands depending on the top sheet and the size of the SAP crystals used in the product. If it's only one or two crystals here or there I wouldn't worry at all, fairly normal for high SAP content products. Now if you were experiencing actual blowouts with massive amounts of SAP physically breaking out the diapers then you would have actual issues.

Llayden said:

OP, this can be an issue with some brands depending on the top sheet and the size of the SAP crystals used in the product. If it's only one or two crystals here or there I wouldn't worry at all, fairly normal for high SAP content products. Now if you were experiencing actual blowouts with massive amounts of SAP physically breaking out the diapers then you would have actual issues.

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i wasn't really worried about it. i was just curious if anyone else noticed that happening because it happens to me almost every time i change. it doesn't bother me at all, but it always felt strange to see a sap crystal come out of nowhere

I've had that happen before. I think the crystals work themselves through the backsheet before they get wet and expand. There was one particular brand where it seemed like there were always quite a few crystals that would escape, but I haven't really noticed it with most brands.

A few brands I've tried had issues where there were "pores" in the top sheet, that thin clothlike layer that's on the inside that covers the padding. Where I've seen it, there were regularly spaced areas of small holes, usually near the sides and leg cuffs. Not enough to let out any padding, but enough for sap crystals. They wouldn't fit after absorbing any liquid, but loose dry sap can be like fine sand and that can get out from under the top sheet. Then running loose in your diaper, they get wet and swell up and now you have little rubber balls on the loose to show up when you change.

There's no fix for this short of trying a different brand. I've gotten used to occasionally seeing a loose sap ball or three when I change my diaper in the morning.

It gets much worse if the top sheet separates from the sides of the diaper, something I find is very common if you use a lot of lotion. If my skin is dry, I sometimes will lather up a bit heavy before bed. Depending on what diaper I wear to bed, I can have a very large portion of the padding exposed by morning. (little squirts are really bad for this for some reason) I'm pretty sure something in the lotion is dissolving the adhesives. The cheap walmart brand lotion I use causes the leg elastics to completely separate from dc amore diapers and usually opens little squirts top sheets wide open on both sides by morning. On those mornings, there can be a considerable amount of sap balls running around, plus the exposed "cake" of wet sap and pulp exposed on the sides in the crotch. It's really pretty surprising it doesn't make more of a mess than it does. I wish they'd use adhesives that lotion wouldn't dissolve.

Llayden said:

this can be an issue with some brands depending on the top sheet and the size of the SAP crystals used in the product. If it's only one or two crystals here or there I wouldn't worry at all, fairly normal for high SAP content products. Now if you were experiencing actual blowouts with massive amounts of SAP physically breaking out the diapers then you would have actual issues.

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Just curious, what would the actual issues be with blowouts and massive amount of SAP leaking out? I've had this happen a few times with Goodnites and nights where I've really needed them for occasional bedwetting issues, other than being a pain to clean that's all I've noticed, but is there something more to be concerned about?

FudgedInLuvs said:

Just curious, what would the actual issues be with blowouts and massive amount of SAP leaking out? I've had this happen a few times with Goodnites and nights where I've really needed them for occasional bedwetting issues, other than being a pain to clean that's all I've noticed, but is there something more to be concerned about?

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My hypothesis is that the wearer is also using some sort of lotion or ointment. Many lotions can have adverse effects on adhesives and elastics. They cause them to break down completely which can lead to leak guards completely separating from the diaper, leg gathers to fall off, and back sheets to become separated from the outer shell.

However, I don't think these are the only causes. Some diapers have a relatively large SAP count given a small pad area. If that pad is small, it has a small surface area and thus has a smaller area for the SAP to expand. If you saturate the SAP to a point that it expands beyond the limits of the pad it can cause blowouts. Also, I think some people are a bit rough on their protection and cause blowouts with severe and sudden compression force.

It actually takes many many hours, if not days, for oils or lotions to break down a diaper enough to affect it in any real way. And that is they ever even do at all.

Blowout causes are simple. The diaper you're wearing is too small. When a diaper gets wet it expands. If the diaper is tight when dry, then it will have nowhere to expand to when wet- or soaked. The outer shell gets stretched out instead, and if enough it will tear open like a popped balloon and "blow out". (Conversely poop blowouts happen for the same too tight reason)

This is actually a common occurrence when people wear a diaper so it's size to only extend up to their hips. They often also have problems with the tapes popping off, and lower tapes literally cutting off circulation to their legs. This is why manufacturers like bambino, abu, fabine, etc have all moved their lower tapes up and switched to a strong tape landing panel. You'll notice the plastic they use is thicker too. All in an attempt to accommodate people wearing one size too small.

Well, this or you could just wear a "properly fitted" diaper. It will extend up to about your waist, be snug at the legs and waist, while also slightly loose around the torso when dry. Doing this prevents all those unnecessary problems. But whatever.

Slomo said:

It actually takes many many hours, if not days, for oils or lotions to break down a diaper enough to affect it in any real way.

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For me, overnight is MORE than enough to very consistently (100% of the time) dissolve out all liner adhesives from little squirts and all leg gather adhesives from idyl/kitten. Other adhedives start to break down leaving smaller gaps into the sap or releasing ends of single elastic bands. This is with both Walmart baby lotion and gold bond eccema creme, so I assume it's a common lotion ingredient (for hydration?) that's doing it.

bambinod said:

For me, overnight is MORE than enough to very consistently (100% of the time) dissolve out all liner adhesives from little squirts and all leg gather adhesives from idyl/kitten. Other adhedives start to break down leaving smaller gaps into the sap or releasing ends of single elastic bands. This is with both Walmart baby lotion and gold bond eccema creme, so I assume it's a common lotion ingredient (for hydration?) that's doing it.

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Well I stand corrected. It's likely not a common ingredient problem as I too use various lotions and creams, some strong enough to only come by prescription, many others right off the store shelves. Of course I also only ever use mid-grade or premium diapers like Molicare, Abena, and Confidry. Yes they to will break down, but only if I'm dehydrated and really push wearing a single diaper for 12+ hours.

Perhaps this is more of a specific manufacturer's problem, and just the simple use of an inferior glue most others don't use...

Slomo said:

Well I stand corrected. It's likely not a common ingredient problem as I too use various lotions and creams, some strong enough to only come by prescription, many others right off the store shelves. Of course I also only ever use mid-grade or premium diapers like Molicare, Abena, and Confidry. Yes they to will break down, but only if I'm dehydrated and really push wearing a single diaper for 12+ hours.

Perhaps this is more of a specific manufacturer's problem, and just the simple use of an inferior glue most others don't use...

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I've had both Molicares and especially Abenas break down. Specifically the leak guards separate from the padding as well as the elastic in the leg gathers. It has to do with the oil used in the lotion, rash cream, or whatever the wearer might be using. If it's a petroleum based product it absolutely will destroy the elastics in a diaper. If it's an oil of any sort (natural or synthetic) it will have a detrimental effect. Waterbased ointments and such will not.

the sap crystals in the diaper are actually pretty small, so a few getting through the liner isn't too weird, or they could be from manufacturing, they can be small enough to be blown around, in reality, there is no way to avoid them, and it isn't really a problem.