7th Grade Science Experiment

Problem: How to mimic the absorbency of a disposable diaper. Solution: Have a mother willing to sew and push you through the process. Not to imply that Carolyn didn't actually DO the project. . .just that organizing her thoughts about HOW to do it needed some guidance. In the running were microfiber, old t-shirt, cotton velour, hemp, cotton flannel, old birdseye, and old cotton towel. We determined that a small disposable could hold over 16 ounces of liquid (one did, the other less). A learning moment: Carolyn, holding the really soggy goopy icky feeling diaper, says, "Now what?" I said, "Toss it in the trash." She said, "Really? That's all? Now it sits in the landfill?" Later, when we used the cloth alternatives, she wrung each out, put it on the clothes rack, and remarked, "Em will like these. They'll be used over and over." We determined how to duplicate the amount of liquid the disposable could hold, but wondered why anyone would want to! We also determined which of our easily accessible samples held the most liquid for their weight (a lighter weight diaper is generally considered more comfortable). Care to guess?
(While chatting about babies in diapers, Carolyn mentioned that she plans to adopt only pottytrained children, unless there is a really really cute one that she "picks out" that isn't.)