Adult Diapers Disappearing

[DiaperLover84]

I dont know if its just me or not but i have found something very strange to be happening. I used to order my adult briefs like Abena Xplus from drugstore.com. Well they no longer carry any adult diaper that tapes, just the underwear. I also noticed the the walmart by me as well as pharmacys are all getting rid of the adult tape briefs and are on sale. I heard its because they dont want to be selling these products to AB/DL and that the protective underwear doesnt really interest us. Im not sure if thats the real reason or not but over heard that somewhere.. If anyone else noticed this or heard anything lets figure this out!

[DailyDi]

No, they don't care who makes them money

Pull-Ups have taken over the market because the vast majority of people with incontinence have light to moderate incontinence and don't want to wear a full diaper. But don't fret, full diapers aren't going anywhere. We may have to get them online or from the local Medical Supply store, but diapers will always be needed and available.

And I see Abri-Form diapers on Drugstore.com and on sale for the rest of the month!They are also showing Depend, Invacare and Attends diapers. You just have to go pat the first page as the bestsellers - listed first - are the pull-ups.

[Vickie]

No, they don't care who makes them money

Pull-Ups have taken over the market because the vast majority of people with incontinence have light to moderate incontinence and don't want to wear a full diaper. But don't fret, full diapers aren't going anywhere. We may have to get them online or from the local Medical Supply store, but diapers will always be needed and available.

And I see Abri-Form diapers on Drugstore.com and on sale for the rest of the month!They are also showing Depend, Invacare and Attends diapers. You just have to go pat the first page as the bestsellers - listed first - are the pull-ups.

Pull ups seem to be the best for most who are truly with incontinence. They can change themselves and pull ups are easier. But we will always have the bed ridden and for their care givers diapers are a lot easier. And if the patient is in traction then pull-ups are impossible. I had to take care of my mother when she was sick and I would have never been able to use pull-ups on her. So for that reason alone they will never go away. But they will not be a stock item in most stores anymore.

[babykeiff]

No, they don't care who makes them money

Pull-Ups have taken over the market because the vast majority of people with incontinence have light to moderate incontinence and don't want to wear a full diaper. But don't fret, full diapers aren't going anywhere. We may have to get them online or from the local Medical Supply store, but diapers will always be needed and available.

And I see Abri-Form diapers on Drugstore.com and on sale for the rest of the month!They are also showing Depend, Invacare and Attends diapers. You just have to go pat the first page as the bestsellers - listed first - are the pull-ups.

Pull ups seem to be the best for most who are truly with incontinence. They can change themselves and pull ups are easier. But we will always have the bed ridden and for their care givers diapers are a lot easier. And if the patient is in traction then pull-ups are impossible. I had to take care of my mother when she was sick and I would have never been able to use pull-ups on her. So for that reason alone they will never go away. But they will not be a stock item in most stores anymore.

I have to disagree -

Pullups are not the best / major choice for people with full incontinence, but they are currently the highest selling retail protection product, due to them being discrete. Personally, pullups are patetic for containing anyhing other that sweat.

Full pad diapers have got the name for hospital use, so most non ab incontinent people do not wish to accept their incontinence so chose a pullup instead.

It takes confidence to enter a public place - shop/pharmacy - and buy full pad diapers, where pullups normally are a little more discrete.

[Missy Q]

It takes confidence to enter a public place - shop/pharmacy - and buy full pad diapers, where pullups normally are a little more discrete.

This could easily be fixed if the diapers packaging did not say the companies name and product in huge bold lettering.

[japaneselightning]

Or have the words protective underwear or diapers or adult briefs on the sides too!

[Missy Q]

Or have the words protective underwear or diapers or adult briefs on the sides too!

No, that doesn't help either!

[Christopher]

I don't know about you all but I just checked drugstore.com and they still carry abena x-plus

[speedy_d's]

I had noticed that the other day, the lack of "actual" diapers on drugstore.com, but they all came back, so you should be able to order. Oddly enough, the only true diaper that was available before the rest came back was the Abena x-plus small, the product I use, so I was quite happy to find that out as drugstore.com tends to have low prices on them.

On a slightly different note, I have noticed that size small briefs have not quite been "disappearing", but "out of stock" instead, from places such as secure personal care and bambino, and a couple others I noticed. It's getting increasingly hard for me to order the products I need in the size I need, hopefully everything will be back in stock soon.

[PhilDL]

Yeah I'm sick of the pull-ups too. They have a purpose for light incontinence, I've used them sometimes for IBS. What pisses me off is some people {youtube punks} referring to them as diapers.

I feel sorry for someone who has more than light incontinence because with the choices in stores of pull-ups and cheap store brand diapers, they won't be dry for long.

I always look at it like this, at least in the USA, the population is getting older. I believe we will always have an outlet for true diapers.

Phil

I dont know if its just me or not but i have found something very strange to be happening. I used to order my adult briefs like Abena Xplus from drugstore.com. Well they no longer carry any adult diaper that tapes, just the underwear. I also noticed the the walmart by me as well as pharmacys are all getting rid of the adult tape briefs and are on sale. I heard its because they dont want to be selling these products to AB/DL and that the protective underwear doesnt really interest us. Im not sure if thats the real reason or not but over heard that somewhere.. If anyone else noticed this or heard anything lets figure this out!

[Yvhuce]

This could easily be fixed if the diapers packaging did not say the companies name and product in huge bold lettering.

Or have the words protective underwear or diapers or adult briefs on the sides too!

Or have a huge picture of a diaper on the front. Though, it seems that Depend has shifted from "Look At Me!" Green packaging to "hunter" green packaging.

On a slightly different note, I have noticed that size small briefs have not quite been "disappearing", but "out of stock" instead, from places such as secure personal care and bambino, and a couple others I noticed. It's getting increasingly hard for me to order the products I need in the size I need, hopefully everything will be back in stock soon.

It seems that Small/Medium is a more popular size than Large, as I occasionally have trouble finding the right size diapers in either Wal-Mart or Walgreens...

[Plasticbutt]

DailyDi is right, adult diaper manufacturers are hardly going to stop making diapers and retail business will hardly say no to stocking them because of AB/DLs. After all, money talks, so who cares if there's folks like me out there who want to buy them simply for the sake of wearing plastic padded briefs and purposefully crapping them?

If a market exists, even if it's one that "normal" people don't understand, it will be provided for.

[seahawks1203]

I agree with the board moderator. That would be like Miller or Coors to stop producing beer because minors drink it. I just think a vast majority of people prefer (the non-ABDL's) the pull-up underwear because is more discreet and less embarrassing for those who need them. Its not a "diaper" its just "padded underwear". I HAVE noticed that the drug stores around me (central north carolina) have stopped carrying Depend brand diapers (basically the only thing you can get in drug stores here) and they've switched to either the "store" brand or the underwear. The only drug store that still carries the Depends are Rite-Aid. I prefer Abena/Molicare but Depend is what I have to deal with in a pinch.

[Aurelius]

I heard its because they dont want to be selling these products to AB/DL and that the protective underwear doesnt really interest us. Im not sure if thats the real reason or not but over heard that somewhere.. If anyone else noticed this or heard anything lets figure this out!

Says who?!?

I think the real reason could just be pricing, producing plastic breifs in the near future will become very expensive and getting plastic-backed breifs will be harder. It sucks, but at least plastic pants will be practical, probably for a long time to come. As long as there's a market (which there certainly is) and it is possible, there will be plastic-backed breifs around, for sure. They could get annoyingly expensive, however. We'll have to see.

I can't see why they would not want to sell them. After all, profit is profit and they are medically relevant for plenty of people. Pharmacies stock all kinds of irrelevant crap as it is, so I can't see how that could be a problem.

[Three Rivers]

As long as there is a demand in the market place, they will continue to sell them. Diapers have been here for a long time and I think they will remain for a long time to come.

[curiositykilledthecat]

I just ordered a case of ATN's so I don't think the adult diapers are going anywhere. If I had the money I would have ordered a case of Abri-forms as well.(money and shipping time frame are important only have a five day window of aloneness)

[Angela Bauer]

Previously on this thread it has been mentioned that in retail stores tape-on adult diapers are recently harder to find. Adult pull-on diapers are the current fad. Even cloth-like adult diapers with Velcro tabs are harder to find. I am sure many ABDL consider the decline of cloth-like a good thing just as we often dismiss pull-on as not being a diaper.

What those of us who are incontinent constantly explain to manufacturers is that in bed all cloth-like products are ineffective. The cloth-like covering clings to sheets and bedding, pulling gaps which leak. This is a problem with diapers and a way larger problem with pull-on. The downside of classic poly-plastic covering and sticky tapes is practice and experience are needed to change those effectively. This is hardly a problem for a professional care provider, or for those of us who have been incontinent since before the introduction of cloth-like.

Even in ABDL discussion it is admitted that starting out using a classic tape-on these days is as intimidating as 30 years ago learning to pin on your own cloth diapers while avoiding jabbing yourself. I know, I have been there and done that!

Okay, as has also been discussed hardly ever do people who are incontinent flood a diaper. Most forms of urinary incontinence involve a leak of the bladder sphincter, so the bladder never fills enough to flood. Diapers work best when the voiding is a series of dribbles or urinary weeping. Usually active incontinent people want to be socially continent, meaning they change before their diaper sags or smells bad. This is especially true of those adults newly incontinent, which often is temporary, such as following an injury. Those folks do not wish to learn to fasten a more conventional diaper. These are precisely the class of incontinent likely to buy adult diapers in retail stores.

Manufacturers also know that nursing homes and hospitals buy in bulk. They need very few cloth-like diapers because the bulk of their patients are confined to bed. Trust me, in bed a classic poly-plastic covering is as comfy as cloth-like. Even when an incontinent adult can walk around, so long as a care provider does the changing, inside there is no advantage to cloth-like. Outside in the heat opinions vary. Some do find cloth-like more comfy, while others still prefer poly-plastic. Of the 25 million USA residents who wore at least one adult diaper during 2008, over 7 million did so in some sort of hospital, nursing home or institution. Fully another 12 million USA residents are considered incontinent. We all know this is a long-term situation, so we are interested in saving as much money as possible. We soon know how many and what kinds of diapers we will need. Ordering by mail, phone or on-line saves money and is convenient. For most incontinent people buying diapers is no longer embarrassing, but when receiving cases at home only a few delivery people would know.

Since I was just 17 I started writing to executives at adult diaper manufacturers. Customer service people were kind to me and I wanted their bosses to know that. As a result I still receive personal messages from those in adult diaper marketing and R&D. A few years ago there was some interest in eliminating production of all pull-on products, toddler, teen and adult, because of severe manufacturing problems. My feedback was this was fine by me since I do not use pull-ons. Clearly R&D has solved the pull-on production problems. Over the past couple of years I am told adult pull-ons work better and are better accepted. The advantage to the retail store is the pull-on usually have a higher price and better profit. All the intel I receive from my contacts is that poly-plastic adult diapers will remain in production for many years. The disadvantage to the manufacturer is that poly-plastic diapers with sticky-tapes go bad if kept in stock too long. Friction in the compressed bags during shipping and handling can cause pin-hole leaks. The advantage to cloth-like is shipping damage is less and the Velcro will hold no worse after years of storage. We all know the sticky tapes dry out as they age.

[dl_ashlee]

Sheeeeeeeessh!

It is really hard these days to find poly plastic in store these days. All the store brands have gone cloth and good luck finding the good old plastic depends. The first place I went was walmart and they did actually have them, but only in the s/m, not l/xl. Seems they are trying to go will all two sizes. So it was on to the next store after grabbing two packs of depends boosters, this particular walmart being the only place I can find that carries them within an hour of me. So Walgreens was just on the otherside of the shopping center, went over there, all depends pullon and their brand pull, along with only a few bags of cloth like tape on fitted briefs, I really wouldn't mind if they worked as well as poly, but they do not, they are in the middle of pullon and poly diapers.

What happens to me is all the brands I have tried the cloth stretches over time and sometimes rips on me as to try to make them cooler they don't put any poly on the sides. And I just never seem to get as good as fit with them and they sag much quicker.

Anyways no go at Walgreens, so search on my phone for a nearby Rite Aid, got one a couple miles down the road. Get there and finally they have both s/m and l/xl depends poly. I really want to order some Abena, but it could be risky as my mom was suppose to be gone for 7 days, but she is thinking of flying home early now. So she could come back wed or after instead of sat, meaning my ordered diapers go out on monday, and probably get them wens/thrusday, and after the reaction of finding me just looking at this stuff again she flipped, no way I'm going to risk her finding out that I actually bought more while she was gone.

Ugh, ah well someday I'll have my own place, have about 3 years of computer engineering schooling and then hopefully I'll get myself a job I'll enjoy and pay a decent amount and finally move out when I'm like 29/30 lol. Even though it kind of sucks living still at home I know I'm still lucky that I don't have to struggle while trying to get my degree as long as I live at home we work together to pay bills and get me through school. So better safe then very sorry for a couple more years, just got to keep looking at that goal, since really this stuff is fun, but won't make you happy in life without other things in your life.

[adhb]

Many people with light to moderate incontinence are mortified at the idea of wearing a "diaper", and pull-up disposable underwear permits them to tell themselves that the product they are wearing isn't really a diaper. The fact that pull-ups look more like regular underwear and are put on like regular underwear contributes to the illusion.

However, as a guy with moderate to severe urge incontinence, I can attest that pull-ups have a couple of major drawbacks. First, they are more prone to leak than a proper tape-on diapers. And second, pull-ups are a real pain to change if you must do so away from home in, say, a public washroom. If you are a man wearing trousers, you have to take off your shoes and trousers in order to put on a fresh pull-up. And that's a real drag in a public washroom that is in less than pristine condition. It's less of a problem to untape a diaper and then tape on a new one. So-called "refastenable underwear" can also be changed without needing to disrobe completely from the waist down and would be an excellent choice for someone with relatively mild incontinence who also wears trousers.

[Floaty_Boy]

I think the real reason could just be pricing, producing plastic breifs in the near future will become very expensive and getting plastic-backed breifs will be harder.

Okay, once again:

ALL disposable diapers, pull-on or otherwise, are plastic diapers. PERIOD! The so-called "cloth-like" disposables simply have what is basically a paper towel glued on the outside of a waterproof plastic backing to cover it. The wings/sides of the disposables are usually made of a spun-fiber plastic (like polyester -- yes, folks, that's a plastic), called a "non-woven", that seems to be like cloth and is somewhat breathable (although the jury is still out on just HOW breathable) through the miniscule gaps between the fibers.

If you don't believe me, there is an episode of the show "How It's Made" on the Discovery Channel covering the manufacture of disposable baby diapers. The stage where the "paper towel" covering is combined with the waterproof plastic backing is clearly seen.

--Floaty

[Knuxie Fawks]

Many people with light to moderate incontinence are mortified at the idea of wearing a "diaper", and pull-up disposable underwear permits them to tell themselves that the product they are wearing isn't really a diaper. The fact that pull-ups look more like regular underwear and are put on like regular underwear contributes to the illusion.

However, as a guy with moderate to severe urge incontinence, I can attest that pull-ups have a couple of major drawbacks. First, they are more prone to leak than a proper tape-on diapers. And second, pull-ups are a real pain to change if you must do so away from home in, say, a public washroom. If you are a man wearing trousers, you have to take off your shoes and trousers in order to put on a fresh pull-up. And that's a real drag in a public washroom that is in less than pristine condition. It's less of a problem to untape a diaper and then tape on a new one. So-called "refastenable underwear" can also be changed without needing to disrobe completely from the waist down and would be an excellent choice for someone with relatively mild incontinence who also wears trousers.

I have occasional stress incontinence, and I have accidents, normally in bed. To be honest, I had to get up in a hurry this morning to keep from peeing on my mom's couch. I guess that's an urge, but I was aware, and I made it to the bathroom, which is maybe 15 feet away. Anyways, what I'm saying is, I've tried those pull-up diapers (Tena), and if I wet myself, they don't seem to work any better than regular underwear! I still get a big wet spot on my bed and my clothes! Also, I've worn them for the enjoyment of it, and I've messed myself a few times, and not only will it come out the legs or the back easier than a regular diaper, but where pad doesn't cover, it will leak right through the fabric!

When I'm wearing a diaper, I don't store it up and let it go like a normal, continent person would do. I just relax and let it dribble all the time. It's just a little trickle here and there, just as an incontinent person would have, and I still have problems with those pull-up style diapers leaking. The only thing I can think that they may be good for is when you think you're done peeing, and it leaks out into your underwear. I know there's a word for it; I just can't think of it right now. And yes, I do see how THAT market would be more common, but I hardly consider that incontinence. It's just a little dribble. Wear dark pants or blue jeans and don't worry about that little damp spot. I get that all the time...

Sorry for ranting on.

[Peed_Piper]

I thought I was seeing that trend too, the shift to pull-ups only, but have changed my opinion. My local drug store appeared to be clearing all stock of adult diapers (mostly Depends but CVS Briefs too). A number of Wal-Marts I have frequented also seemed to be low on proper plastic diapers (Depends in that case). Alas, my more recent trips have shown overflowing shelves of the new but plastic Depends at both stores and CVS restocked their adult diapers too. Good news, my fave ATN's will stay plastic. P_P

[WI_DL]

I'm happy that someone else asked this question. I actually stopped at 3 stores one afternoon in search of fitted briefs. Walgreens, ShopKo, and even the local grocery store as a last ditch effort, none carried what I was looking for. Then about a week ago, I finally found my blessed briefs at Wal-Mart, (and I hate Wal-Mart with a passion). But they were on sale. It does indeed seem that they will become harder to obtain in the very near future.

[college_dl]

I'm happy that someone else asked this question. I actually stopped at 3 stores one afternoon in search of fitted briefs. Walgreens, ShopKo, and even the local grocery store as a last ditch effort, none carried what I was looking for. Then about a week ago, I finally found my blessed briefs at Wal-Mart, (and I hate Wal-Mart with a passion). But they were on sale. It does indeed seem that they will become harder to obtain in the very near future.

I know all about that one. Most CVS's and Walgreens around here only carry Depends briefs (which I refuse to wear) and no longer offer the store brand briefs. Wal-Mart is out of the question as too many people I know work there. I finally got lucky and hit a Walgreens that had the last of their Certinty brand on clearance, the giant "double pack" (32ct) for $9! It's like 2 for 1! I bought two packs. Looks like I'm gonna have to start ordering online when those are gone.

[Nat]

I have been noticing not all stores carry adult diapers and they are carrying pads or pull ups. To me it doesn't matter because i buy online anyway but I wear cloth now so I have nothing to worry about. I am sure medical stores will still carry them.