How absorbent are your cloth diapers and inserts? Are you getting the best value for your money? Looking for something to solve overnight diapering disasters? Here are a few lists I’ve compiled to help you make the best decision for your specific circumstances!
Ranked by Absorbency**:
Bummis Prefold Diaper (Newborn/Preemie) 2.86
Fuzzibunz Microfiber Insert (small) 2.76
Bummis Prefold Diaper (Infant) 2.68
FuzziBunz Elite (large insert) 2.66
FuzziBunz Elite (both inserts) 2.53
Bummis Prefold Diaper (Toddler) 2.53
Mother-Ease Sandys (Bamboo, small) 2.47
Fuzzibunz Microfiber Insert (large) 2.44
FuzziBunz Elite (small insert) 2.39
Mother-Ease Sandys (Bamboo, large) 2.38
AMP Hemp Insert (3 layer) 2.33
Thirsties Hemp Insert 2.24
AMP Bamboo Insert (2 layer) 2.23
OsoCozy Flat Diaper 2.2
Rumparooz 6r Hemp Soaker 2.18
Kissaluvs Marvels AIO 2.02
Sustainablebabyish OBF, Large (with extra booster) 1.94
Barnyard Bummz Diaper (large, with overnight doubler) 1.85
Bambino Mio miosolo AIO 1.72
Kiwi Pie Diaper 1.69
GroVia AIO (with snap-in soaker) 1.61
TotsBots Easyfit (Bamboo/Microfiber style) 1.57
Mini Kiwi Diaper (with booster) 1.53
Barnyard Bummz Diaper (large) 1.44
GroVia AIO (without snap-in soaker) 1.16
Mini Kiwi Diaper (without booster) 1.1
Ranked from highest volume of water absorbed to lowest volume of water absorbed:
Sustainablebabyish OBF, Large (with extra booster) 616ml
Barnyard Bummz Diaper (large, with overnight doubler) 425 ml
Mother-Ease Sandys (Bamboo, large) 405 ml
Mother-Ease Sandys (Bamboo, small) 339 ml
Barnyard Bummz Diaper (large) 332 ml
Bummis Prefold Diaper (Toddler) 319 ml
Kiwi Pie Diaper 305 ml
Mini Kiwi Diaper (with booster) 291 ml
AMP Hemp Insert 275 ml
Mini Kiwi Diaper (without booster) 267 ml
Rumparooz 6r Hemp Soaker 248 ml
GroVia AIO (with snap-in soaker) 248 ml
Bummis Prefold Diaper (Infant) 217 ml
Kissaluvs Marvels AIO 216 ml
Bambino Mio miosolo AIO 208 ml
AMP Bamboo Insert 187 ml
GroVia AIO (without snap-in soaker) 178 ml
TotsBots Easyfit (Bamboo/Microfiber style) 173 ml
FuzziBunz Elite (both inserts) 167 ml
OsoCozy Flat Diaper 165 ml
Thirsties Hemp Insert 150 ml
Fuzzibunz Microfiber Insert (large) 110 ml
Fuzzibunz Microfiber Insert (small) 105 ml
Bummis Prefold Diaper (Newborn/Preemie) 103 ml
FuzziBunz Elite (large insert) 93 ml
FuzziBunz Elite (small insert) 74 ml
What do these numbers mean when it comes to choosing a diaper or insert? The higher the Absorbency Ranking (1st list), the more liquid the diaper can absorb in relation to its own weight. A higher number generally indicates a diaper with the ability to absorb more water with less bulkiness overall. This is the ranking list to refer to if you’re looking for a trimmer, more absorbent diaper — choosing the appropriate sized diaper will also affect overall bulk. Diapers at the bottom of the list generally have more bulkiness to them.
Does this mean that a FuzziBunz insert absorbs more than a Sandys diaper? Absolutely not. Not all diapers or inserts are created equal. They use different materials and have differing numbers of layers. Just because a diaper ranks low on the first list does not mean it doesn’t absorb more liquid overall — it means that it requires more bulk to do it.
The second list will tell you how much water each diaper can absorb. For example, you would need 4 small microfiber inserts to equal one large Sandys diaper. This would be incredibly bulky. When bulk is not an issue and the need for more absorbency is the primary concern, the 2nd list is the one to which to refer.
For folks more concerned with the overall cost of a diaper in relation to its soaking power, here is a third list with the diapers and inserts ranked by cost/ml absorbed — I have indicated the base cost for each item next to it to compensate for price variation between retailers:
Ranked by Cost per ml Absorbed (ranked lowest cost to highest cost):
Bummis Prefold – Infant ($3.17) - $0.015/ml
Osocozy Cotton Flat Diaper ($2.67) - $0.016/ml
Bummis Prefold – Toddler ($5.00) - $0.016/ml
Bummis Prefold – Newborn ($1.83) - $0.018/ml
Thirsties Hemp Insert ($4.00) - $0.027/ml
AMP Hemp 3 Layer Insert ($8.00) - $0.029/ml
Motherease Sandys – LG ($14.00) – $0.035/ml
FuzziBunz LG microfiber insert ($4.00) - $0.036/ml
FuzziBunz SM microfiber insert ($4.00) – $0.038/ml
Rumparooz 6r Hemp Soaker ($10.00) – $0.040/ml
Motherease Sandys – SM ($14.00) - $0.041/ml
Sustainablebabyish OBF, Large (with extra booster) ($25.95) – $0.042/ml
AMP Bamboo 2 Layer Insert ($8.00) – $0.043/ml
Kiwi Pie, w/ both snap-in doublers ($25.00) - $0.082/ml
Barnyard Bummz – w/ doubler ($38.00) - $0.089/ml
Barnyard Bummz – w/o doubler ($32.00) - $0.096/ml
Mini Kiwi ($25.95) - $0.097/ml
Kissaluvs Marvels ($22.95) - $0.106/ml
GroVia AIO – w/ soaker ($26.95) - $0.109/ml
Bambino Mio miosolo ($24.00) – $0.115/ml
TotsBots EasyFit ($23.85) - $0.138/ml
FuzziBunz Elite ($23.50) – $0.141/ml
*Clean, dry diaper or insert thoroughly soaked in water and then allowed to hang until no more water dripped from fabric.
**Total amount of water absorbed divided by the dry weight of the item.
[...] started out as a simple spreadsheet to quench my own curiosity has blossomed into a full-fledged list of diaper absorbency rankings for the diapers I have reviewed for my blog, in addition to many I have not. I field [...]
Fascinating. When you did the Kiwi Pie Diaper, did you include the ‘double doubler’ (the contoured snap-together doubler)? Your test would seem to suggest that I should be switching from Kiwi Pie to our big Bummi’s prefolds for overnight, but intuition tells me that’s probably not such a great idea…
I also wonder how the cover would interact with your test results. I’m thinking specifically about overnight. We use wool, which of course breathes well and allows – I expect from the smell we get in the morning! – quite a bit of moisture to evaporate. I wonder how you could test that…
Geek on!
The toddler prefold is more absorbent, but it’s also a lot (a LOT!) bulkier than the Kiwi Pie. I haven’t figured out a good way to test the wool yet, as the “sopping” test for the diapers wouldn’t give me the right numbers w/ wool.
The Kiwi Pie test does include the snapped-together doubler, as you really can’t use the diaper without it (even w/ a new baby, as it wouldn’t be tight enough to their bum to prevent poo leakage). Personally, if I were you and needed more absorbency, I’d lay either an AMP bamboo insert or a Thirsties hemp doubler inside the Kiwi Pie on top of the Kiwi Pie doublers.
More bang for your buck.
We’re using a tri-fold Thirsties hemp doubler stuffed down the front of a wool soaker, in addition to the Kiwi Pie for overnights. Works a treat and still fits under jammies!
Are the AMP Hemp and Bamboo tested the 2 layer ones?
3-layer hemp and 2-layer bamboo.
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