IRC Staff

There are always questions about which diaper is best. While that cannot be answered without defining what is meant by "best", we can tell which diaper has the largest capacity.

IRC took several of the more popular diapers in a Medium size and tested them for ultimate capacity. The diaper was weighed at the start of the test and again at the end. The net difference is the ultimate capacity in Mililiters. The ultimate capacity was achieved by pouring water into the diaper until it would absorb no more. Any excess was allowed to run out and then the diaper was weighed again. The difference in weight is the actual water content of the diaper.

While no one is able to use a diaper to it's ultimate capacity, each individual will be able to use a percentage of the ultimate capacity. Think of this as the usable capacity.

The usable capacity will vary between men and women and between individals. Driblers can usually utilize more a of diaper than gushers, for example. However, if a given indvidual can use a Molicare regular for a certain length of time and require a change, that person will most likely require two of the new Depends for the same amount of time.

The most absorbent diaper tested was the regular Molicare. that is expressed in the table as 100%. The capacity of all other diapers is expressed as a percentage of what the regular Molicare can hold. The results of the tests are as follows: