Amazon.com Washable Nursing Pads - Reviewing the options

Nursing Pad Research: Avent, Bravado, BubuBibi, Divas and Drooligans, Kushies, La Leche League, MamaLittleHelper, Medela, Mother of Eden (Fuzzi bunz), NuAngel, Inc., Philips AVENT, Simplisse, S.O.F.T. Style (Bamboobies)...

...so many choices! As a nursing mom, I would prefer to use washable nursing pads to save money and decrease waste. But what options do we moms have? After studying amazon.com, I saw twelve different companies, and since then even more can be found. Each one offered slightly different products. Unfortunately, Consumer Reports does not review these... So, I set out to compare and contrast each of their strengths in this review--alphabetically, for ease of reference. As I research further, more categories and ratings may emerge.

   So far, each brand's strengths were as follows: Kushies absorbed moisture immediately so they were the best inner doublers, La Leche League appearance was best for use in B/C nursing bras, Medela was easy to find in stores and absorption improved with time, NuAngel was very affordable and my favorite. "White/patterns" absorb a bit faster than "natural" so I like to put "natural" as an outer doubler and "white/patterns" as inner doubler during heavy let-downs. If you only drip a few drops during let-down any one of these brands would be fine. Read further if moderate to heavy let-downs are common.

   All products were machine washable, free samples, and pre-washed in hot or warm water and cold rinse at least once before use unless otherwise noted. No fabric softeners were applied as they can cause repelling. All samples were used at least a month before final opinions were noted.
Categories: dry shirt test, rate of absoption, appearance, leakage, light use, heavy night use, doubler
Ratings: Poor *, Fair**, OK***, Good/Like****, Excellent*****
Other Categories of Note: Organic?, Made in USA/Canada?, Fair Trade?, Construction Material? Seam/Dart? Cotton/ Bamboo...?

Avent - awaiting sample  for testing:  
6 washable nursing pads and mini laundry bag.

Bravado - awaiting sample: 
4 layers: Two middle layers absorbent, terry-cloth (claims1 terry=two layers of flannel). Outer layer is cream colored. Middle layer of white terry-cloth and an extra semi-circle layer of terry-cloth below the nipple area, for trim appearance and maximum absorbency. Cool Max TM mesh layer lies against your skin. Cool Max TM draws moisture away from the skin, and dries faster than cotton. Darts for a form-fitting shape. 
BubuBibi - awaiting sample:
Low cost. Bamboo fiber from rayon woven into looped terry is said to maintain softness and be hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial. 4 Pads.

Divas and Drooligans - awaiting sample:
6 pads made of breathable machine washable fleece. Can also be used with ointments and lotions to heal cracking and soreness. 

Gerber - awaiting sample:  
100% cotton inner layer. Outer ?. 6 pads/pk.
Kushies:  
Single layer/light      4 star
Inner doubler          5 star
Outer doubler         1 star
heavy night solo      1 star
Rate of absorption  5 star (immediately absorbs 3ml during 2 secs dispersed). Still perfect after 2 months.
Shirt test               - back of pad damp in 10 minutes (3ml), shirt not visibly damp, but slightly damp to touch
Appearance            2.5 star (deep dart gives nipple effect (2), becomes less visible with time(3))
Best speed of absorption and inner doubler. 2-second squirt of 3ml absorbed in same 2 seconds. Still fresh white color after 2 months use. 100% cotton, 4 layers, med contour and dart/seam, 6 pads/pk, ~5" diameter, Made in Canada.

 La Leche League:  
Single layer/light      3 star
Inner doubler          1 star
Outer doubler         4 star
heavy night solo      2 star
Rate of absorption  2 star: (3ml in 13-40 sec, variable)3ml within ~5 seconds after couple months of use
Shirt test                - shirt visibly wet in 5 minutes (3ml)
Appearance           5 star (Especially good for C/+ size in my experience)
   Best appearance for 36C wearing tank top/tight clothes. Variable speed of absorption. 13-40 seconds to absorb 3ml--improved to ~5 seconds after 2 months use. Excellent outer doubler for appearance. 95% Cotton/5% Polyester, outer shell 100% cotton, seamless deep contour, 4 pads/pk.

MamaLittleHelper - awaiting sample:
Why Bamboo? Said to dry 3 times faster than cotton, naturally hypoallergic and antibacterial.
An organic product - environmental friendly. Claims superior softness and breathability than cotton, and perhaps 65-75% more absorbent, wicking moisture away from skin. 100% Biodegradable. Contains 4 pads, washing and care instructions. 
Medela: 
Single layer/light      3 star
Inner doubler          3 star
Outer doubler         2 star
heavy night solo      1 star
Rate of absorption  2 star: (3ml in 23 sec), 3ml within 5-10 seconds after couple months of use
Shirt test                 - back of pad damp in 20 minutes, not visible on shirt (3ml)
Appearance           3 star 
   Absorbed 3ml in 23sec, absorption improved thereafter following additional months of use. 100% cotton, min contour and dart/seam, 4 pads/pk w/ mini laundry bag
Mother of Eden (Fuzzi bunz) - awaiting sample: 
6 pads. 3 layers of napped flannel plus a "waterproof / breathable" backing. Designed to wick moisture away from skin.

NuAngel, Inc.:  
White/White Lace/Patterns
Single layer/light      5 star
Inner doubler          4 star
Outer doubler         3.5 star
heavy night solo      2 star
Rate of absorption  - 3ml within 3 seconds after couple months of use (improved over time)
Shirt test                 - White/Patterns: back barely damp in 30 min / White Lace back not discernibly                                     damp @ 30 min... in both cases shirt barely felt damp but not visibly damp
Appearance           4 star  (flat. smaller you are, better it probably looks)

Natural/Natural Lace
Single layer/light      5 star
Inner doubler          2 star
Outer doubler         4 star
heavy night solo      2 star
Rate of absorption  - star: 3ml within 5 seconds after couple months of use
Shirt test                 - Natural: back damp in 30 min / Natural Lace back not discernibly                                     damp @ 30 min... in both cases shirt barely felt damp but not visibly
Appearance           4 star  (flat. smaller you are, better it probably looks)
   Best price per unit. White & patterns absorb more quickly than natural tone (3ml in 24sec), absorption improved thereafter following additional month of use. Probably best to use white alone or as inner doubler depending on anticipated flow, and natural tone as outer or alone if only slowly dripping. May work especially well for smaller sizes like A or B. 100% cotton flannel, 4 layers (+ optional lace), 8 pads/pk (4 pair), no dart/seam, 4.5" shrinks to ~4" diameter, Made in USA.

*Simplisse - awaiting sample:  
Not cloth. Would instead measure liquid held, how well they stay in place, how long effective, etc.
S.O.F.T. Style (Bamboobies) - awaiting sample: 
Sustainable, fair-trade: Handmade in Colorado of bamboo (outer), organic cotton and hemp fabrics (inner layers), 2-4 pair/pk w/ mini laundry bag
        Overnight bamboobies - Very thick, will show through tight clothes
        Daytime bamboobies - Slimmer design

Definitions: 

Fully absorbed. liquid no longer beads/flows on surface when tilted
Heavy let-down. Can soak a Lansinoh disposable (most absorptive disposable I'd encoutered) in a single feeding and leak. Equivalent to about two & a half washable pads stacked to catch the flow. Heavy flow requires very absorptive inner doublers and low(er) absorption outer doublers so they have time to soak it all up without affecting your shirt. Hopefully a washable pad out there can improve on these statistics. I just haven't met it yet. I'm still hopeful that the other 2/3 of these brands can provide a more efficient answer. I will gladly try any brand and report on my findings.
Rate of absorption. 3ml water dispersed in 2 seconds. Dispersed/absorbed time: 2/2 = absorbed immediately. 2/20= 18 seconds after water dispersed until fully absorbed
Shirt test: After 1+ month of use, lay pad on favorite tank top, apply 3ml water, time how long until back of pad is damp to touch or shirt is visibly dampened. Check at 5, 10, 20, 30 minutes.
Total absorption: Revising testing procedure

This is a work in progress. Comments are welcome. I will gladly add more details in an efficient summary.

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