There’s a fair amount of literature out there these days for adult diaper wearers of all the various flavors — certainly more than there was in the early days of the ‘net, when the first few ABDL message boards and chatrooms were springing up.
But something I’ve noticed over the years is that virtually all of the content is about disposable diapers.
It’s an interesting omission! I’m not making a case for cloth diapers, particularly, but I do find it odd that most people don’t even mention them. It doesn’t seem to be a option that’s on a lot of people’s radar.
I’ll probably talk a little more about cloth diapers in the next couple weeks, but I wanted to start by just talking about the concept itself.
Is it something that anyone’s looked into? And if not, why not? Was there just no good information out there, or did you decide early on that you weren’t interested in the extra maintenance, the plastic pants, and so on?
Let us know what you’ve seen out there about cloth diapers, and what it’s made you think of them. In the next week or two I’ll be back to talk about some cloth diaper options, a little compare/contrast with disposables, and other useful things like that.
I’ll see you in the comments!
Well I’ve tried cloth and I wound up breaking out like there is no tomorrow. Plus my washing went through the roof. So I am sticking to disposable.
I haven’t worn cloth diapers since I was 4 yrs old. If there’s a place in the USA to buy cloth diapers, maybe even some cloth pull-on diapers, I’d love to check them out.
I have a collection of various cloth diapers, plastic pants, onsies and footed sleepers. I usally use them at night over my disposables for extra protection. On the weekend I enjoy wearing a disposable all day with a light cloth pull up diaper and plastic pants over them for added all day proctection also with a onesie.
That makes sense. I’ve never understood why some people don’t like diapers. If they need diapers, they might as well enjoy them.
I’m a rather enthusiastic cloth diaper user, and I’ve tried varieties from all over. Aside from the feel, the overwhelming advantage of cloth diapers is that they work much better at night–far fewer leaks and soaked sheets. Moreover, I’m a “side-wetter”–I’m inevitably on my side when it happens, and in most cases, my diaper can withstand even that.
I don’t know if a service would be more economical (a moot point anyway, since the nearest is 100 miles away) but washing them myself, I can *only* use them at night in order to keep a lid on laundry costs. In an ideal world, I’d wear cloth all the time, since I get friction rashes from the disposables I’m using. But until I get a sudden financial windfall, things are going to have to stay as they are.
Having tried several varieties as I said, I’ve found the most absorbent and comfortable to be the birdseye prefolds from Rearz. They quilt up nicely and maintain their softness, far more so than those from Baby Pants–the Baby Pants diapers also tend to shrink badly over time, so I can’t recommend those.
As for covers, I really can’t recommend plastic pants, as they inevitably split up the side (I’ve had some that split within days of receiving them). Far better is a PUL pants with a cloth outer covering–one pair I have has lasted me two years. And incidentally, I use pins. I know those aren’t necessarily popular, but cloth with pins has the babyish look that appeals to me. If you do want to go that route, I’d recommend getting the large 3-in. pins sold on Amazon.
My first post.
I have worn diapers or pads full time during my childhood, into my teens, skipping several years of full time use (diapered at nightime only), then back into diapers full time from my early twenties, until now, due to a birth defect at the base of my bladder.
Like you, I have learned to live with my condition and have made the best of it. That’s not to say that I have not spent years and thousands of dollars on doctor visits, NUMEROUS drugs, and a few minor surgeries to try to correct my bladder control problem, with very limited success at best. Sometimes the “cure” is harder on us than the condition symtoms themselves.
I wore diapers or pads from birth through about the beginning of my freshman year in high school, at which time I gained partial control of my bladder, which was GREAT! At about my junior year of college, I began to loose daytime control again, at about the time I was dating my husband… After graduation, we married and a few years later, had our first son.
Now that I have supplied a little background, I want to say that I have tried most every diaper and pad out there at one time or another. During the “early years”, into elementary school, I wore cloth diapers, though my mom tried disposables from time to time. At grade 5 (10 or 11), I wore disposable diapers for daytime use, which were Attends I believe. I remained in cloth diapers and plastic pants at night however. I also recall how uncomfortable (might I say miserable) I felt during the summer at night, as we didn’t have air conditioning in our house. A few years later, My mom went to disposable diapers for daytime and at night, up to early high school when I stopped having serious accidents during the daytime. I went from a diaper to a maxipad during the day and thought I was in heaven, though still in diapers at night. At about 20 or 21, I came back to Earth as I started having bad wetting accidents during the day again, which is when the doctors and drug stores made a great deal of money from me, with lots of side effects from drugs and no real solutions. I even tried minor surgeries, which didn’t help and made me miserable. As I said, many times the treatment is much worse than the condition. I chose to deal with my condition with diapers and pads several years ago, and am a happier person for it.
All of the above to say this:
I agree that the store brands are greatly inferior to the premium diapers sold online like Molicare and Abena X-plus, though do have their place. “Depend” and other store stock are okay in a pinch, or when you need to change often, like when you’re ill. I also find them convenient for heavy flow days when a tampon is not desired.
Tena Slip, Attends, and others are good quality diapers that I like to wear under slimmer fashion and you don’t want bulk. They also require changing more often, which isn’t bad but sometimes inconvenient.
The quality diapers, my favorite being Abena, are great for day and night time, though my upper leg and other areas tend to break out after several days of wearing disposables…
I have learned that cloth works best for me at night, though there’s a few tricks I’ve learned over the years…
I have bought cloth diapers from many suppliers over the years like Angel Fluff and others and have found that Adult Cloth Diaper is best for me. I purchase nightime weight – Birdseye, usually a little larger than recommended for shrink and to allow for the diaper to extend higher in the front and back. This is important as you want the plastic pants to touch cloth and not skin. I also purchase the deluxe plastic pants (Leak Master), which are much thicker plastic and hold up much better than standard weight pants. I never bleach or dry (drier) the pants as they affect the longevity of the plastic.
On bad days, I will double diaper, which provides all the absorption that you need, though the legs are forced apart somewhat and takes getting used to. The ACD deluxe pants are cut full enough to fit over the double diapers, with some room to spare.
Cloth diapers and plastic pants CAN be hot and uncomfortable in warm weather (God knows I know this), BUT another trick is to double diaper! This actually makes me quite comfortable, even over ANY of the disposables.
During the day, the activity dictates the diaper type. If at home, I will usually opt for a cloth diaper. If out and under a skirt, I will often choose cloth, but depends on the situation, time away (need to change), and skirt fullness. All other times generally require a disposable, sometimes thinner types like Tena Slip for tighter fashions. Abena X-plus works well under jeans. Changing a cloth diaper while out is always problematic, where a disposable is usually quick, discreet, and easy.
I know this was a lot more than you likely were looking for, so please edit where necessary.
Great site!
for a cloth diaper to have the same absorbency as a disp. diaper it would have to be 4 times as thick as a disp. diaper, so going out in them is a no for me.
as for sleeping in them, even with a cloth soaker in it the -all in ones- tend to leak after 4 or 5 hours
as for the inviroment, buying them, the cost of washing powder, water, electricity, wear on the machines and diaper, electricity and wear of the dryer, plastic pants and so on it is more expensive than a disp. diaper.
so for me as an incontinent person cloth is not an option
I’ve never really tried cloth diapers simply because I found disposables more accessible and comfortable. But I do prefer my disposables to be cloth-backed rather than plastic if that makes any difference.
Cloth backing is fine for cloth diapers, but I prefer my disposable diapers to have plastic backing.
My opinion is that I was raised on Pampers and disposables. My mother did the clopth diaper for maybe a few months before Pampers really came out on the market and to me that is the only type of diaper. The one that brings back some many good memories and is what represent my childhood.
There’s nothing wrong with that. If it’s what you grew up with, and you have fond memories with disposable diapers, I’d stick with it. Around the time I was born, most parents still used cloth diapers and training pants on their babies and children. By the time I was out of diapers, around 5 or 6 yrs old, I believe more parents were using disposable diapers.
I bought some cloth diapers once and several pair of plastic covers for them. I had run out of disposable diapers once and didn’t want to “ever” be with out diapers again.
Only time I can use them is at night, I’m a guy and there is no way I could get jeans over my cloth diapers I bought…. I rarely use them for the extra work required by them and the fact they are much harder to be discreet with them. (Family the does know doesn’t approve)
I do love the extra thickness feel that you get from a good cloth diaper.
For me I mostly use the newest bambino bellissimo.
I’m 40 yrs old, and I wear cloth diapers to bed and around the house when I don’t have to work. When I’m out and about, I wear disposable diapers. I know what it’s like to have family that doesn’t approve of me wearing diapers. That’s why I try to be discreet as much as I can
My love affair with diapers started the early 60’s at age 7. The only diapers available then were cloth with p pants (plastic). With no younger kids in the house, my first diapers were t-shirts and bath towels. I remember seeing the first disposables five years later. They had no plastic or cloth backing, so they required a special snap-on p pant with a pocket. Pampers were the first plastic backed diaper, folded with no elastics.
I have always preffered cloth to paper diapers for my abdl playtime. I have bought flat, prefold, velcro, snap-on, and pullup diapers from most of the big diaper companies. Childish prints are my favorite. I have a variety of diaper pins for each of my baby moods. I have owned over 50 p pants over the years. I agree with Rachel, the new PUL panties are more comfortable and easier care for than plastics.
Disposables have improved greatly over the years and Bambino Teddy’s are by far my favorite.
I can’t remember how old I was when I first became interested in diapers.
As per your message, I love cloth diapers but as part of your statement the cleaning of them takes time and in this world as it is and the comments that people make when they see us in diapers is sometime unbearable. I love my cloth diapers and will never change. Thanks for this feed.
For most situations (road trips, going to a movie, going for walks, etc.), I would prefer disposable diapers. When I’m at home, or short errands, I might wear cloth diapers.
My second post
After my first post, I am hoping to clarify a few thoughts as I tend to ramble…
The preference in incontinence protection is likely based on many factors, and as many factors as there are individuals dealing with the hassle and potentially embarrassing situations that incontinent people face daily.
Some readers here may suffer from radical urinary and bowel incontinence, all the way to an occasional accident of urinary and/or bowel “leakage”. Some here may not be incontinent at all, but wear a diaper for any number of reasons.
The preference of a disposable vs a cloth diaper may be based on the social situations that we find ourselves in, where discretion may be a very high priority. I strongly believe that we all prefer that people around us do not detect our diaper, as many may not be sensitive to our emotional or physical “need”. At one time or another, most of us have faced the embarrassment and ridicule of wearing a diaper and are sensitive to being as discrete as possible. Yet, there may be others who are less discrete for whatever reasons and are willing to accept potential outcomes.
The choice of disposable vs cloth may be based on being discrete in public, degree of absorption, cost (disposable vs initial investment and laundry costs of cloth), access to laundry facilities, landfill concerns, etc. Likewise, the choice of disposable vs cloth may be less of a concern if you are open with family and close friends. If you are confined to a wheelchair, often times discretion may be less of a concern. If you are a male, the ability to conceal a diaper may be more difficult than a female. I tend to wear a dress much more often than jeans or dress pants so concealing a diaper is much easier – cloth or disposable. In the privacy of our homes, depending on our desire to conceal the need for diapers, may be much less of a concern. In my home, being that I have been urinary incontinent for most of my life, my husband and now grown “children” are aware of my needs and have accepted my diapers from the beginning. Most of my extended family and close friends understand my needs as well. All that remains are those social situations outside my home and family, which for me are generally easy to deal with. Although I have been very successful at concealing my need for diapers at work and socially, there have been times when my diaper has been detected, which has become less stressful with each time that I was detected. Over the years, I have gotten very good at choosing the right diaper and clothes for the social events, whether it be work, groceries, gym, camping, parties, etc. Most events require a little thought about “what to wear”, with a single day weight cloth diaper being my personal preference. During the evening and night, my preference is cloth as the plastic cover of disposables make me breakout with a nasty rash. The “cloth” cover of disposables works pretty well as far as the rash but don’t stay fastened well, especially if I remove it more than once to urinate. With cloth, it’s a simple matter of unpinning and re-pinning. Because I’m a heavy wetter at night, my choice in disposables is Abena or Molicare as they absorb a great deal and I remain comfortable. I have not yet tried the Bambino brand. Personally, I have found that double cloth diapering works best for me at night. I can go to bed knowing that the bedding wont be soiled and that I will be comfortable and sleep well all night.
In reading through this post, I can see that I rambled again…
To summarize, for those who are willing and able to try cloth, you should try them. Start at evening and nighttime when concealing them isn’t an issue. Again, I have found that its not a choice of disposable OR cloth… It’s choosing one over the other based on the event, with detection, comfort, absorption, etc concerns being addressed.
I am a bedwetter and have been most of my life and I started using disposable but decided to try cloth diapers to see how they work and I tried all of them and the best I have ever found that works is flat cloth diapers although hard to find in adult size