KENYA STANDARD      DKS 2984 : 202 3 
ICS 59.080  
First Edition  
                                                                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
            Re-usable Nursing Pads – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   © KEBS 202 3                                                                                     First Edition  2023 
 
  KENYA STANDARD                  DKS 2984 : 202 3 
ICS 59.080 
© KEBS 202 3— All rights reserved  ii TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
 
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
 
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute  
Kenya Medical Association  
Kenya Medical Supplies Authority  
Kenya Pediatrics Association  
Ministry of Health (MOH)  
Kenya Defense Forces (KDF)  
PadMad  
Marvel Five Investment ltd  
Mbagathi County Hospital  
Interconsumer Products Ltd  
Mount Kenya University  
Radbone Clark  
Procter and Gamble  
KIM FAY East Africa Ltd  
The Nairobi Hospital  
Nairobi Enterprises Ltd  
Mega Importers  
Maxcare Products  Limited  
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
 
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed. Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome . 
 
 
 
© Kenya Bure au of Standards, 202 3 
 
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 12 of 2001 of the Laws of Kenya, copyri ght subsists 
in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 26 of this Act, no Kenya Standard p roduced by Kenya Bureau of Standards 
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing f rom the 
Managing Director . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   KENYA STANDARD                  DKS 2984 : 202 3 
ICS 59.080 
© KEBS 202 3— All rights reserved  iii  
Re-usable nursing pads  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards, Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 kenya bureau of standards ( kebs)  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreword  
KENYA STANDARD                  DKS 2984 : 202 3 
ICS 59.080 
© KEBS 202 3— All rights reserved  iv  
This Kenya Standard has been prepared by the Technical Committee on Towels, Medical and Hygienic Textile 
Products under guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of 
the Kenya Bureau of Standards.  
 
 
During th e period of pregnancy and lactation, breast milk may leak. Breast pads help to absorb milk and 
prevent soiling of clothes. This standard specifies requirements for re-usable nursing pads.  
 
In preparation of this Kenya Standard reference was made to the fol lowing document:  
 
KS 2796:2018 Disposable nursing pad — Specification  
 
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from this source  
  
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved    1 Re-usable Nursing Pads — Specification  
 
1 Scope  
 
This Kenya Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test metho ds for re -usable nursing pads for 
external use.  The sta ndard is only applicable to product s before first use. 
2 Normative references : 
 
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, the latest edition of the re ferenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
KS 2659 , Packaging of textile products — Code of practice  
KS ISO 105 -C10, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part C10: Colour fastness to washing with soap or 
soap and soda  
KS ISO 105 -E04, Textiles  — Tests for colour fastness — Part E04: Colour fastness to perspiration  
KS ISO 105 -X12, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part X12: Colour fastness to rubbing  
KS ISO 3071 , Determination of pH of aqueous extract of textiles  
KS ISO 18416 , Microbiology — Detection of candida albicans  
KS ISO 21149 , Microbiology — Enumeration and detection of aerobic mesophilic bacteria  
KS ISO 21150 , Microbiology — Detection of escherichia coli  
KS ISO 22717 , Microbiology — Detection of pseudomonas aerugin osa  
KS ISO 22718 , Microbiology — Detection of staphylococcus aureus  
 
 
 
3 Terms and Definitions  
 
For the purposes of this standard, the following definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1 absorbent filler  
 
the material at the core of the nursing pad that absorbs and retains fluids  
 
3.2 absorption capacity  
 
mass of liquid that is absorbed per unit mass of test piece  
 
3.3 rewet  
the mass of test solution which returns to surface under specific pressure after a  certain amount of that  test 
solution  being absorbed by the specimen  
 
3.4 breast pads  
synonym for nursing pads  
 DKS 2984 :2023 
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved   4  General Requirements   
  
4.1  Materials   
  
The materials used for making the re -usable nursing pad shall not harm the skin.  
  
4.1.1 Absorbent  filler   
  
4.1.1.1  The filler material used should be able to absorb, retain fluids and avoid skin reactions.   
  
4.1.1.2  Shall  be clean, free from harmful foreign materials, lumps, splits, holes,  and protruding points when 
visually examined.    
  
4.1.2 Top  sheet (the layer which is in contact with the skin)      
  
4.1.2.1  Shall cover the absorbent filler completely, preventing direct contact of the absorbent filler to the skin 
or clothes under normal handling.     
  
4.1.2.2  Shall  have fine ventilative property that keeps the skin dry and comfortable.    
  
4.1.2.3  Shall be of a material that is able to prevent backflow to the skin.   
  
4.2  Manufacture  
  
4.2.1 The absorbent filler material shall be arranged and neatly cut in the required size of the nursing pad and 
form a uniform thickness throughout, without any wrinkle or distortion.  
  
4.2.2  The absorbent filler material shall be placed in the covering in such a way that it does not cause lump 
formation as a result of sudden pressure.  
  
4.2.3  The absorbent filler material shall be arranged in a manner that will draw in and trap all moisture rapi dly 
and efficiently.  
  
4.2.4  The covering fabric of the nursing pad shall cover the filler completely.   
  
4.2.5   
 The nursing pad shall be manufactured  in such a way to ensure  it is securely held in position during use  
 
5 Specific  Requirements  
5.1 Performance requirements  
 The re-usable nursing pad shall comply with the performance  requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with the methods specified therein.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DKS 2984 :2023 
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved     
Table 1 — Performance  requirements for re -usable nursing pad  
  
S/N  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Rate of absorption, s, max .  Annex A  
ii.  Rewet,  g, max.  6.8 
iii.  Absorptive  capacity, g, min. No leakage  
iv.  pH  4.0-7.5 KS ISO 3071  
v.  Colour fastness 
to perspiration, 
min Colour change  4 KS ISO 105 -E04 
Staining  4 
vi.  Colour fastness 
to rubbing , min  Dry 4 KS ISO 105 -X12 
Wet 4 
vii.  Colour fastness 
to washing, min  Colour change  4 KS ISO 105 -C10 
staining  4 
  
5.2  Microbiological limits  
 
The re-usable  nursing pad shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 2 when tested in 
accordance with the methods specified therein.  
  
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for re -usable nursing pad  
  
S/N  Characteristic  
  Requirement  Test method  
i)  Total viable count , cfu/g, 
max.  100 KS ISO 21149  
ii)  Pseudomonas 
aeruginosa , cfu/g Not Detected  KS ISO 22717  
iii)  Staphylococcus aureus , 
cfu/g Not Detected  KS ISO 22718  
  
iv)  Candida albicans , cfu/g Not Detected  KS ISO 18416  
v)  Eschirichia coli , cfu/g Not Detected  KS ISO 21150  
  
6 Packaging  
  
Packaging of re -usable nursing pad shall be done in accordance with  KS 2659.  
  
6.1 Primary  package  
  
Re-usable nursing pad shall be supplied in packages made of suitable materials, which are sealed to protect 
them from moisture, soiling and contamination during storage and transportation.  DKS 2984 :2023 
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved     
7 Labelling  
  
Labelling on the primary package shall be legible, in English and or Kiswahili imprinted in indelible ink and 
shall have the following information:   
  
a) The manufacturer’s name with or without  registered trade mark;     
  
b) Date of manufacture and expiry date;  
  
c) Country of manufacture ;  
  
d) Name of the product;   
  
e) Production batch number;   
  
f) Quality mark on the primary packaging at point of sale;  
  
g) Instructions for use;  
  
h) Instructions for storage and disposal; and  
  
i) Number of re -usable  nursing pads in a pack.  
 
 
8 Sampling  
8.1 Lots  
In any consignment, all packages of the re-usable nursing pads  belonging to one batch of manufacture or 
supply shall constitute a lot.  
8.2 Scale of sampling  
Samples shall be tested from each lot ascertaining its conformity to the requirements of this specification.  The 
number of packages to be selected from a lot sh all be in accordance with Table 3.  
 
Table 3 – Scale of sampling  
Number of packages in a lot  Number of packages to be selected  
Up to 250  6  
251 – 500  8  
501 – 1 000  11  
1 001 – 2 500  15  
2 501 – 5 000  20  
5 001 and above  30  
 DKS 2984 :2023 
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved    
Annex A  
(normative)  
  
Determination of rate of absorption, absorptive capacity and rewet 
under load  
 
A.1 Principle  
 
A.1.1 The intention of this method is to test the minimum fluid handling performance requirement of re-usable 
nursing pads .  
 
A.1.2  To measure the ability of a re-usable nursing pad  to accept and retain test solution  (0.9 % saline solution) 
under simulated in -use conditions of load and pressure.  
 
A.1.3  To determine amount of time required for a re-usable nursing pad  to absorb a fixed quantity of a test 
solution  
 
A.2 Apparatus and materials  
 
A.2.1  A rigid cover plate with a weight as shown in Figure A.1. Dimensions of the plate (200 mm ± 2 mm) x 
(70 mm ± 2 mm). Inner diameter of cylinder 40 mm ± 2 mm, total.  
 
Weight: 6300 g ± 10 g representing a pressure of 4.41 kPa ± 0.05 kPa (0.64 psi ± 0.007 psi) for all sizes.  
 
 
 
 
 DKS 2984 :2023 
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved    
 
 
 
 
Figure A.1 — Apparatus and set up  
 
A.2.2 Tray  
 
A.2.3 Filter paper, having a diameter of 110 mm and conditioned together with the test samples  
 
A.2.4 Graduated cylinder (1-ml graduation)  
 
A.2.5 Stopwatch  
 
A.2.6 Ruler (at least 2 cm longer as absorbent core of the sample, 1 -mm graduation)  
 
A.2.7 Pen  
 
A.2.8 Weighing scale, with an accuracy of 0.01 g  
 
A.2.9 Saline solution  
 
Add 9 g sodium chlor ide and 1 g of blue dye into 200 ml distilled water at ambient temperature after which the 
solution is made up to one litre. The pH shall be between 6.2 – 6.7. When not within this range, adjust by using 
0.1 mol/l sodium hydroxide solution or acetic acid a s relevant.  
 
DKS 2984 :2023 
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved   The volume of saline solution to be used on re -usable nursing pads shall be  10ml . 
 
 
A.3 Sample preparation and set -up 
 
A.3.1 Condition the test samples in accordance with ISO 139 before taking the test specimens required for 
the tests.  
 
A.3.2 Take five test specimens randomly from the test samples.  
 
 
A.4 Determination of rate of absorption per gush and absorptive capacity  
 
A.4.1.1 Mark the midpoint of the absorbent core, which will be the loading point.  
 
A.4.1.2 Place  the re-usable nursing pad  with top sheet facing upward on the tray.  
 
A.4.1.3 Place the rigid cover plate onto the re-usable nursing pad  ensuring that the plate is centered  towards 
the re-usable nursing pad  core and the cylinder opening is placed over marked loading point. The re-usable 
nursing pad  should be stretched sufficiently to remove wrinkles.  
 
A.4.1.4 Gently place weights on the plate, ensuring that the pressure is uniformly applied on the re-usable  
nursing pad.   
 
A.4.1.5 Measure the required  amount of saline solution using the measuring cylinder.  
 
A.4.1.6 Gently pour the saline solution onto the re-usable nursing pad  via cylinder and immediately start the 
stopwatch.  
 
A.4.1.7 Record the time taken for the solution to be fully absorbed into the re-usable nursing pad . This is the 
rate of absorption .  
 
A.4.1.8 Leave the re-usable nursing pad  undisturbed for 5 min (time measured from the start of the discharge 
of the saline solution to the re-usable nursing pad ).  
 
 
A.4.1. 9 Observe for any fluid leaking out of the absorbent core.  
 
A.4.1.1 0 Record the observation as the absorptive capacity (that is, either no leakage or leakage observed).  
 
A.4.1.11  Repeat  A.4.1.1 – A.4.1.10 on the remaining four test specimens and record each result separately  
 A.4.1.12 Record and report the average absorp tion rate of the five samples tested.  
 
A.5 Determination of rewet under load  
 
A.5.1 Procedure  
 
A.5.1.1 Weigh a stack of five dry filter papers and record as weight “ W1”.  
 
A.5.1.2 After the last 5 min, lift the weight and cover plate and place the filter paper stack on the absorption 
point of the re-usable nursing pad . 
  
A.5.1.3 Place the cover plate and weight on top of the stack of filter paper and leave undisturbed for 2 min. 
Any circular weight may be used, provided the pressure applied is equivalent to 4.41 kPa ± 0.05 kPa (Clause 
A.2.1).  
 DKS 2984 :2023 
© KEBS 202 3 — All rights reserved   A.5.1.4 After 2 min, remove the weight and cover plate and immediately determine and record the weight of 
the wet filter paper stack as “ W2”.  
 
A.5.1.5 Repeat A.5.1.1 – A.5.1.4 on the remaining four test specimens and record each result separately.  
 
 
A.5.2 Calculation of results  
 
Calculate the rewet in grams using the following formula;  
 
A.5.2.1 Rewet, g = W2 – W1  
 
 
Where;  
 
W1 is the weight of stack of dry filter paper; and  
 
W2 is the weight of stack of wet filter paper.  
 
A.5.2.2  Record and report the average rewet of the five samples tested.