www.incontinentsupport.org

I have been lurking for several months and have just now registered.

About a decade ago I was hospitalized with serious illness and had to leave work on a disability pension. For the most part, I have recovered, but have been left with chronic issues, including loss of bladder control. I have dealt wth this as discreetly as possible (to my demise), and after dealing with inferior products, finally took to the Internet, and after many tries, settled on the Abena brief and Abrilet pad as the best solution. I've since switched to Confidry 24/7 but still use the Abrilet pad for additional protection.

I initially dismissed cloth diapers as silly and something better left in the past. Plus, I dreaded using the word "diaper." But after discarding mountains of trash, and reading about others success wih them, I recalled my own past. I wore cloth diapers longer than most children, about to age 7-8. I'd prefer not to remember those days, but I do recall waking up comfortable and in a dry bed, despite being soaking wet. This is still a challenge with the products I'm using. Maybe I should reconsider.

I have mined the Internet, only to find the process overwhelming. I expected to find simple fabric squares with pinked edges and plain plastic pants with a waist and 2 leg openings, and I have found cloth diapers in every conceivable shape, size, and fabric, and plastic pants made with chemicals that should concern the EPA, to designer baby prints. I thought his would be easy! Who knew I would need a medical degree just to keep my bed and pants dry? I tried to eliminate web sites that sold "silly" products (e.g. baby wear) and that left only one (adult cloth diaper).

Can anyone help me out here? Can this be made easy? I'm looking for a product I can try and if it is a better solution than a disposable brief and pad, then I'll go for it. My two goals are better comfort and better protection. Is there a suggestion that can fit in 100 words or less? That is unintentionally sarcastic but as simple as I can phrase it. I've read the posts in this cloth diaper topic and I'm actually more confused than when I started. I want to be less confused.

Thank you everyone who reads this - for your tolerance and understanding.

I have ordered cloth diapers from AliExpress, this company is in China. That said it may take 15 to 30 days for your order to arrive. Some sellers offer “free shipping” most likely the shipping cost is built in to the price you pay.

I use cloth diapers known as a pocket diaper. This has an insert that fits inside the main diaper. Their shape is similar to a disposable diaper. I have no experience with a square diaper. These diapers may have Velcro or snaps to adjust them. You may find that a cloth diaper will not be as absorbent as a disposable diaper. I have found that even though the diapers are describe as water proof, I need to wear vinyl pants. You can also order vinyl pants from AliExpress.

Another thing to consider is that these will need to be washed and dried. Since I have a nice back yard I dry my diapers using a “solar dryer” read - two post with rope. This saves the cost of using a dryer.

AliExpress works this way. You set up an account then order your item. Your credit card is charge and the money it put in escrow. After your order arrives you must indicate that it is complete and correct. If not, you can start a dispute. The seller will not get paid until you are happy with your order. If the dispute is in your favor, your money is refunded. If you paid any shipping cost, it is not refunded.

As with any mail order company read all the information about what you want to order.

Adult cloth diapers are much more limited than their baby counterparts. When I tried out cloth I couldn't find any contoured, pinned on diapers that are separate from the waterproof diaper cover. I ended up just going with a rectangular prefold, but going thick enough for my sides left me a little too thick in between the legs. I ended up just having to go back to disposables.

Jason,

Welcome. Read the back posts here and the Primer. Cloth diapers come in three primary flavors: flannel, birdseye, and gauze. Gauze is the most absorbent and comfortable, but wears out quickly. Flannel lasts longest, but is the least comfortable and absorbent. Birdseye is a good compromise of comfort, absorbency, and long life. I get my diapers from ACD and my plastic pants from AngelFluff and dmponline. Good luck.

Jason, Using cloth diapers should not be at all confusing. Stick with the basics. An all cotton diaper, night weight, which simply means a thicker diaper, use one and if it isn't enough to completely keep you (your bed) dry add a day weight or another night weight and never worry about sleeping again. Plastic pants are now what they were when you were young-plastic pants. Pin on the diapers pull on the plastic pants and good night. I use ACD and find the gauze to my liking, the material is a personal choice but the diapers are just as simple now as they were when you were young. Not rocket science here. Chill out and relax order 2 or 3 and try cloth if you want, we all have personal preferences. Papa

Jason,


If your just looking for a simple pre-fold cloth diaper, I would suggest buying a few birdseye cloth pin type diapers and see how they work for you. You will need to buy some type diaper cover and to keep things simple, I would suggest just buying a few vinyl pants. You can purchase a pant known as PUL pants which have a breathable material Vs. vinyl pants which is probably the type of diaper cover you wore when you were 7, or 8 yrs old.

Many here DO wear cloth diapers for night use because of there absorbency, and disposables during the day, but there are some here that wear cloth diapers 24/7 for a number of reasons. I hope I don't add to your confusion, but there are advantages, and disadvantages of BOTH cloth diapers, and disposables. I wore cloth diapers (birdseye), 24/7 for several years before continuing on with my current combination of wearing disposables by day, and cloth at night unless I'm away from home then I just use disposables 24/7.

I never gave much thought about all the information hat was available to someone like yourself just looking for the basics. I guess it would be overwhelming to read about the many different types of cloth diapers available now days compared to 30 yrs ago.

There are MANY places you can purchase "quality" cloth diapers from online, but above all, DON'T substitute quality for cheap cloth diapers. You will need to determine if you want a heavier weight diaper with more absorbency commonly known as a "night weight diaper", or a lighter weight diaper with less absorbency known as a "day diaper". I used the night weight diaper 24/7. Day, or night the use of the more absorbent cloth diaper worked fine for me during the day. Some will contend that cloth diapers have too much bulk. For some, this maybe true, but I never thought wearing the night weight cloth diaper during the day under my pants was noticeable especially if you wear lose fitting pants and a shirt that you DON'T tuck in. What little bulk I had was almost not noticeable, and wearing a shirt that would hang down some made it pretty much impossible to notice what little bulk there was.

I would recommend buying cloth diapers from one of the two companies below;

Adult Cloth Diaper Company (ACD) - http://www.adultclothdiaper.com

Fetware - http://www.fetware.com

As mentioned, there are MANY places that sell quality diapers on the Internet, but the companies mentioned above is where I buy all my cloth diapers so I know first hand the quality is high, and the price is "reasonable" compared to most.

Diaper covers - Everyone has an opinion, and I have mine. I DON'T like any of the vinyl pants sold by Adult Cloth Diaper Company. Maybe it's me, but there is something about how the elastic fits on the vinyl pants they sell. I just don't care for how elastic fits at the waist, and legs compared to manufactures. I think the cloth diapers they sell are among some the best, but not the vinyl they sell so my suggestion is only buy cloth diapers from this company.

Don't be fooled by their name, but Babykins, or sometimes called KINS sells some of the best vinyl diaper covers on the market. I've not found any company that sells "quality" diaper covers that does not sell adult baby items as well. I buy either the semi transparent color vinyl pants, or white. I don't know of any "white" color vinyl pants this company sells that are a 'true" white color. Often times they list a color as being "white", but the vinyl pants are actually semi transparent in color. Again, this company sells some of the best vinyl diaper covers on the market, but in my opinion, they sell some of the worst cloth diapers, so DON'T buy any of their cloth diapers,....just buy their diaper covers.

Babykins - http://www.babykins.com

Another company that sells quality diaper covers is a company that I've mentioned in the above that also sells quality cloth diapers. The name of this company is Fetware, with a link provided above.

I would suggest you keep it simple and stick to just the basics. You might decide latter to try pocket diapers, contour diaper, etc., but if you follow my suggestions, I know you will not go wrong.

Hope this helps.

Sorry, I can't add anything to this conversation that hasn't already been said. Give them a try is all I can add, personally, I was of the same opinion and always used disposables, now I have both, and like them equally except for the laundry, that is my only drawback, too many prying eyes to hang them outside , I also like to keep this private! Puffy

Everyone,
Thank you for your many suggestions. I have read the primer and old posts. Just to keep things simple, I ordered 4 night prefold diapers from adult cloth diaper. I got 2 of each fabric - Birdseye and gauze. You get a price break on 4 and also 15% off sale. I read that for night I would probably need to wear 2 instead of one. The brief and pad I wear now is totally saturated most mornings, so I'll probably need to wear two cloth diapers. I also got the large pins and one pair of plastic pants. If I decide that real cloth diapers are a solution, I'll get more serious about better supplies.

I had continual problems for over a year with waking up to a disposable brief that had become unfastened during the night, leaving me to deal with wet sheets. It finally occurred to me to wear regular jockey briefs over the diaper and that solved the matter.

I don't worry about bulky pants now as I don't wear form fitted shirts or trousers. Doesn't matter much anyway. I have found - and friends confirm this - that when you reach a certain age, people just don't look at you. In some cases, one is outright invisible. I have found this to be the case in some service or retail businesses. No one falls over me to make a sale. I have to beg for service, and this was not the case 20-30 years ago. When I bought a new SUV last year, the salesmen avoided me, and didn't take me seriously until they knew I was paying cash. I take it all in stride as my issues are nothing compared to what some of my friends have encountered.

Thank you again for your assistance in what I consider a very private matter. Apparently I needed encouragement more than information, and you have provided that.

Hello Jason,

You seem to be doing well and it is good to see that you are experimenting to find what works best for you.

I wear birdseye prefolds at night and most afternoons. I fasten these diapers with pins. I found that I needed to order one size larger than I expected in order to have enough overlap at the sides not to have to struggle to pin the diaper.

Out of the last 320 times I have worn cloth, I have leaked only once, and that was my fault for not being sure to cover all of the diaper fabric at the the back of the waist. That is very reliable! I use the AdultClothDiaper company for my cloth diapers.

For plastic pants, I use the No-wick Hi-Back PUL pants from Fetware (its "mainstream" sister site is DriWear). These pants not only are cut higher in back, but are a more generous cut to fit more easily over heavy cloth diapers. I wear either two cloth diapers or a cloth diaper with two cloth booster pads. That is a lot of bulk, but gets the job done. The No-Wick Hi-Back PUL pants easily contain this bulk.

--John

Jason,

Once you receive the diapers you ordered, I would recommend you wash them in a complete cycle using HOT water at least two, or three times before drying. In my previous post, I forgot to mention the use of a re-usable, OR disposable liner. The liner is very effect adding a LOT of absorbency where it is need the most (center) without using a second diaper. If you purchased the "night weight" cloth diaper and still need more absorbency I'm sure you will find the solution by adding liner(s) to the center of the diaper as needed.

The cost of adding a few re-usable cotton liners is reasonable since you don't really need the entire use of a second diaper and only need additional absorbency in the center as mentioned. You might find some very reasonable prices on adult re-useable cotton liners (terry cloth works great), at Adult Cloth Diaper Company, or even eBay. I made my last two purchases of re-usable liners on eBay and was very happy with the quality, and the price. Just remember to buy quality so read the item description BEFORE you make a purchase.

Like the diaper liner, I forgot to say anything about diaper pins. You can use whatever you think works best, BUT take caution that whatever you do use does NOT damage the fabric of the cloth diaper itself. Using oversize pins can damage the fabric of the diaper so take caution with any fastening device you use. I have tried different types of fasteners over the years, and I always come back to what I started with,.......just a regular 3 inch baby/toddler diaper pin with a slip down pin lock is all you will need and these pin cause far less damage to the fabric compared to the use of oversize pins. Its been a while since last purchased diaper pins, but I "think" you can buy a 2 1/2 inch diaper pins, DON"T buy this pin.

Two of the major disadvantages of using cloth diapers is the initial expense of buying all the necessary supplies, plus the hassle of washing, and drying cloth diapers. There are some advantages so you will need to weigh out what works best for you. The goo d news is there is a market for pre-owned cloth diapers on eBay, so anything you buy in error and can't return (most items), you can still sell on eBay and re-cop a large portion of your money without taking a huge loss.

Hope this helps.