Diaper padding: firm or squishy?

What kind of disposable diaper padding do you prefer?

  • Firm (wood-pulp-rich)

    Votes: 10 21.3%
  • Squishy (SAP-rich)

    Votes: 32 68.1%
  • Neither / Don't care

    Votes: 5 10.6%

  • Total voters
    47

tiny

Est. Contributor
Messages
1,933
I've noticed a trend, where manufacturers seem to be using less wood pulp and more SAP in their diapers.

Dry padding with more wood pulp tend to feel quite stiff and dense. Padding with more SAP feels softer and more flexible. When wet, the SAP-rich feels really soft and squishy, whereas wood-pulp-rich padding remains slightly firm.

So... how do you like your padding? Firm or squishy?

Personally I don't like squishy diapers, and I find that wood-pulp-rich diapers wick moisture better and lock-in moisture so it doesn't squeeze out. But I know some people love the squishy feel.

What say you, people of ADISC?
 
I do really like the more modern SAP rich diapers but the old Kolibris that felt solid were pretty amazing.
 
Why not both?

In all honesty, it's a hard choice for me. I definitely like diapers that remain somewhat firm after use, but squishy diapers are alright too. Squishy diaps really drive home that you need a change :)

So, yeah, I'd say I like both and don't really prefer one over the other.
 
Argent said:
I do really like the more modern SAP rich diapers but the old Kolibris that felt solid were pretty amazing.
I miss them as well as they were a very good diaper :sad:
I’ve just brought a case of Dry life nappies here in the UK and they look very similar to the old Kolibris even down to the blue warning strip with the 3 yellow stripes beside it
 
A diaper that swells is a diaper that works... So squishy for me
 
I'm also one for both. Well, not firm so much as thick. Northshore Supremes start off firm which I don't really like. Betterdry is soft but thick, which can handle flooding really well and does an ok job at wicking. The also swell up squishy thanks to their high sap content, so total capacity is right up there at the top.
 
I also prefer both. As long as they are not to stiff and still comfy to wear (for me Northshore fit this bill) are wonderful, but also the soft ones like ABU Space and littlepaws are also wonderful in the own squishy way.
 
I cant recall the last time I used any diapers that were noticeably more stiff/less squishy than others, besides maybe some of the medical style ones I used when I was first starting out (that was like at least 4 or 5 years ago though)
 
I've noticed with Peekabu and Northshore Megamax that it's harder to tell when a diaper is at capacity. You check the squishiness usually and they get squishier a lot sooner. It's a little bit of a learning curve heh.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
I ptefer SAP-rich; they are more absorbent.
 
parcelboy2 said:
I miss them as well as they were a very good diaper :sad:
I’ve just brought a case of Dry life nappies here in the UK and they look very similar to the old Kolibris even down to the blue warning strip with the 3 yellow stripes beside it

Gonna have to try them if they make their way down under.
 
Sorry to hi jack your thread but when can I get padding from please?
 
tiny said:
I've noticed a trend, where manufacturers seem to be using less wood pulp and more SAP in their diapers.

Dry padding with more wood pulp tend to feel quite stiff and dense. Padding with more SAP feels softer and more flexible. When wet, the SAP-rich feels really soft and squishy, whereas wood-pulp-rich padding remains slightly firm.

It seems to be a change in the trend or technology regarding SAP. In the past, diapers with low sap tended to be thicker, more flexible, and cushier. High SAP diapers (like the old ConfiDry, many will remember those wood slabs) were thinner, stiff, and very dense. Thaat's been the case up until somewhat recently.

I think about the time thrust vector redid their betterdry line, right after crinklz first came out, the "rev2" crinklz got thinner, but stayed about the same feel, yet capacity was at least as good as before. They also swelled up A LOT more than they used to. If I had to guess, I'd say these were some of the first diapers to use the next gen (sometimes now referred to as "premium") SAP. It didn't seem to catch on very fast, with Bellissimo being the only model I can think of offhand that probably had it. But here in the last year we've seen a number of diapers appear to get it, including the variations on the theme of SaveExpress Ultra / Northshore Mega / ABU PeekABU. Those all seem to share the same "thinner / more flexible / softer / more swell / more capacity" traits of the "premium SAP". (I'd also include Little Monster and Bumooza in the list)

This makes it harder to tell a diaper's capacity by the look and feel. Weight now seems to be the most reliable indicator, since you get a lot more capacity by weight by adding SAP than by adding pulp. But even an ounce of additional SAP can make a big difference in capacity. (Inspire vs Inspire+Incontrol is like 7.2 vs 7.6 oz, it's not much!)

I wonder what the difference i though between "gen1" and "gen2" SAP? Is it something as simple as smaller grain size?
 
parcelboy2 said:
I’ve just brought a case of Dry life nappies here in the UK and they look very similar to the old Kolibris even down to the blue warning strip with the 3 yellow stripes beside it

I'm wearing a Drylife nappy now. :biggrin: They're one of the "firmer" nappies that I like. They're thinner than the old Kolibris, but still one of the better diapers. I love the non-stretchy, smooth white plastic backing that stays in place without sagging. :)

Slomo said:
I'm also one for both. Well, not firm so much as thick. Northshore Supremes start off firm which I don't really like. Betterdry is soft but thick, which can handle flooding really well and does an ok job at wicking. The also swell up squishy thanks to their high sap content, so total capacity is right up there at the top.

Right. BetterDry are one of the diapers that I'd consider "firm", but not at the top-end of the scale in terms of board-like rigidity. They do swell up, but I wouldn't call them "squishy" as such. (Another problem of defining vague words, perhaps?)

The most "squishy" diapers I've tried have been the Super Boompa and the Fabine Mega Booster. The MyDiaper range are also quite squishy.

chuck said:
I ptefer SAP-rich; they are more absorbent.

I actually find the SAP-rich diapers less absorbent because compressing the squishy padding (with a onesie, or by sitting down) presses moisture out of the diaper, making it leak. And the wicking is so bad that the front of the diaper can be at leaking point, while the middle and back are totally dry.

I've noticed that you can use a booster that wicks well (like the Lille Maxi pad) to even out the moisture, effectively giving a much higher effective capacity... But I'm still not keen on the squishy feeling. :-/

Interesting to hear everyone's opinions, though -- thanks to everyone who voted or replied :thumbsup:
 
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