The great breastfeeding insole test [Part 3]

The nursing pad test continues with three more models. In this article, I present inserts from the Dresden diaper manufacturer, Maijat from Finnald, and the British manufacturer Close Parent with Pop-In. All three have PUL as the outer layer.

Diaper Manufacture (PUL)

The manufacturer Windelmanufaktur was founded by Stephanie Opitz, an architect from Dresden. She herself had three diapered children at times, which made her aware of the amount of waste generated by diapers in the process. So she was looking for an alternative. After using knitted diapers, gauze diapers and wool overpants, she realized that this was not an acceptable solution for her, either, because it created an incredible amount of laundry. She thought about how she could reduce the laundry and developed the cloth diapers of the Diaper Manufacture. In the meantime, there are many other products such as cloth pads or panty liners in the store.

There are also different variants of nursing pads from the Diaper Manufacture. They differ in size and material. I tried the smaller version with a diameter of 11cm and a wetness protection made of PUL. The top side is made of 70% viscose and 30% cotton, the core is 100% polyester and the bottom side, i.e. the wetness protection, is 95% polyester and 5% polyurethane. According to the manufacturer, the nursing pads are washable at 40 degrees. Depending on the model, the nursing pads from the diaper manufacturer are priced between €6.95 and €9.95 per pair.

The thickness of the nursing pads from the Diaper Manufacture is in the medium range. Through the clothes they are sometimes a little visible, especially when wrinkles appear. Without wrinkles, this is significantly less. The inserts do not stick to the skin and are overall very pleasant. The suction power I find very good, so the suction power was only in a few cases fully exhausted. Due to the PUL on the outside, they are a little slippery, so I have to make sure that they are also centered again after breastfeeding. However, I do not find that annoying. After washing (without dryer), the inserts seem a little stiff, but can easily be pulled a little and are then much softer again.

Maijat (Bamboo)

I could hardly find any information about Maijat as a manufacturer. On the search I could find neither a homepage nor a Facebook page. However, the products are available in many German stores. In any case, Maijat is a Finnish manufacturer that produces nursing pads, cloth pads and panty liners. These are also manufactured in Finland and regularly tested there.

Similar to the diaper manufacturer, I also tested Maijat a model that has PUL as wetness protection. The outside is therefore 100% coated polyester. The absorbent core and inner layer are 82% bamboo viscose and 18% polyester. According to the manufacturer, the nursing pads can be washed at 60 degrees. They are available, for example, at www.stoffywelt.de for €15.50 for 3 ^pairs*. The diameter here is a little more than 10cm, although the nursing pads are also available in larger diameter.

The inserts from Maijat are also similar in parts to those of the diaper manufacturer in the test, although they are significantly softer. They are also sometimes easily visible through clothing when wrinkles occur. I find the absorbency slightly worse, they reached their maximum faster. Here, too, I have to make sure after breastfeeding that the inserts are in the middle so that milk can not escape from the side. After washing, Maijat do not deform and they continue to be pleasantly soft.

Pop-In

Pop-In belongs to the British manufacturer Close Parent, which was founded in 2004. On the website www.closeparent.com I can read that the company pays special attention to sustainability and environmental friendliness.

In addition to nursing pads, Close Parent also offers the Caboo carrier and its own cloth diapers.

Pop-In's nursing pads have PUL, or coated polyester, as the outer material. The inner layer is also made of 100% polyester. The absorbent part of the insert is made of soy. The pads have a teardrop shape and are 11cm high and 13cm wide. At the same time they are very thin compared to other models. Due to the special shape, they are supposed to fit better to the breast. The manufacturer recommends washing at 40 degrees, but the inserts are not suitable for tumble drying. You can buy them for example at www.stoffywelt.de in a 3-pack incl. laundry net for 13,^90€*.

As I wrote above, the nursing pads from Close Parent are relatively thin. Due to the special shape, they actually fit very well and are not visible through clothing. They also maintain their shape and there are no wrinkles. When a lot of milk comes out, the skin quickly appears wet, which I personally do not find very pleasant. In terms of absorbency, I would classify them in the middle range. They do not soak through like other nursing pads, but the milk then comes out sideways.