There’s something to be said about having friends that are into the same thing you are. My friends tend to be just as nutty (or nuttier) as I am about cloth diapers. When Julie and I were chatting the other day, she came up with a great idea: Absorbency tests!!! Now, if you don’t immediately see the brilliance, don’t worry, you will!
If you have been cloth diapering for any length of time, you know that not all diapers are made equal. Some are heavenly, and others are downright horrid. And it doesn’t always have to do with price necessarily, although usually, the better name brands tend to have tried and true, mom-tested products.
This absorbency test idea came at just the right time because I have recently added some fluff to my stash that I had never tried before, so this week we will review my latest addition, bumGenius Elemental. Julie had been telling me about the excellent virtues of this diaper for a while now, so I decided to give it a go. And here is what I found.
This diaper looks precisely the same as any other bumGenius on the outside, and it only comes with a snap closure. Since I have a squirmy baby, snaps tend not to be my go-to closure because they can be challenging to deal with. The bumGenius diapers close quickly with snaps. I was surprised at the incredible feel of the organic insert attached to the inside of this diaper, and I was so super soft. My grandbaby wore it a few times and loved it, we were out for about 2 hours, and he was not bothered by the wet diaper.
I decided to test the absorbency of this diaper with 1 cup of warm water. Now, 1 cup might not seem like a lot but poured on a diaper. It is like an entire night of wetness. While pouring the water, the first thing I noticed was that the insert sucks all of it up almost immediately. No liquid rests on the diaper at all. The insert seems very thirsty. Another thing I noticed was that the diaper itself was absorbing water even if it was splashing outside of the insert area, and not a drop of the liquid leaked anywhere outside of the diaper.
This diaper was not labeled stay-dry however, the water was quickly absorbed, but the insert felt very wet. It was exactly like a natural fiber fitted inside a diaper shell (which I guess is the point of an organic AIO). When I gave the diaper a little squeeze at the end of the test, the water stayed pretty much in place and didn’t come back up too much. I was surprised by that.
The small organic insert really does its job and looks dry, even though it is completely soaked. Overall I am so impressed with this diaper. I am not sure I would use it for a 12 hour night, but definitely during the day and for nap time. It really does not leak and feels wonderful to the touch.
If I had one complaint, it would be that the diaper takes FOREVER to dry. The manufacturer’s recommendation is to hang dry, and even overnight, it is not completely dry. Still, I find myself in love with this diaper. It’s becoming a quick favorite.
