Some Easy Qs For Experienced Dls

[NewGuy20]

'm sorry if these are obvious questions or if they've been brought up before but I'm a beginner and I'm feeling a little lost with some routine aspects of diaper wearing. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm just getting into wearing diapers. (Actually, I've always been interested in them but I've just recently started buying them more frequently.) The questions I have probably sound really dumb and obvious to all you experienced DLs but I'd be really, really grateful if some experienced DLs could humor me and just throw some answers my way. These questions have really left me scratching my head. Not sure if some crucial aspects of diaper wearing have been lost on me or If I'm just over thinking things.

DIAPERS: I am buying depends right now. (everyone tells me they're really bad as far as diapers go) With my roomate, I can't order stuff off the internet at the moment. So my question is this--- are there other, BETTER adult diapers besides depends available at Walgreens, Walmart, Target, or any other stores that might be common? Or do most stores just carry depends or something of the same 'low' quality? All I can find is depends so far.

DIAPERING: I think I'm getting the hang of diapering myself but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I know that too loose might mean leaks. But I feel like I'm taping myself up so tight that I'm cutting off circulation and I'm uncomfortable. (And isn't diaper wearing all about comfort?) Is there a trick to diapering yourself? Anything special I can do to perfect my technique? Snug enough to prevent leaks. Enough room in the seat for a comfortable BM. Loose enough to be comfortable on my waist. Is it just a matter of practice makes perfect? Experienced moms do it every day but getting all that right is far from easy for me! How do you guys manage?

CREAMS, OILS, AND POWDERS: I see so many creams and powders I'm really getting lost with what does what. Powder is supposed to keep skin dry. Baby oil is supposed to lock in moisture. I need both, right? Should I be using more oil or more powder? What about diaper rash cream. I don't have a diaper rash but wouldn't it help to prevent a rash? Or is that the purpose that baby power and baby oil serve? Do you guys use baby oil and baby powder EVERY TIME you change? Or will a baby wipe do just fine? But If I use a baby wipe won't I wipe off the powder and oil I applied at the last change? Should I apply just oil during a change? Just powder? Neither?

[Jabez]

I will take these one at a time...

Question #1: At stores like Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc, you are going to find basically only Depends or a store brand of the same or possibly lesser quality. The only way you're going to find a decent quality diaper at an actual store is possibly at a medical supply store. Such stores often times carry Tranquility, Molicare, etc. If you're looking for a certain brand in particular, a lot of the websites for said brand offer a store locater, allowing you to see if any stores in your area carry that brand. The other way is to pull out a phone book and look up the different medical supply stores and give them a call to see what they offer in regards to incontinence briefs.

Question #2: The diapering is usually a matter of practice making perfect. It took me awhile to get the hang of it to where I was confident that I would not have a leak, yet the diaper was not too tight. I lay down whilst diapering to get a good fit and always tape the bottom tapes first before moving on to the top tapes. Some people have better luck standing up and pinning the diaper between themselves and the wall whilst diapering. You may have to experiment a little to find what works best for you.

Question #3: I don't use baby oil so I can't really offer any insight there. I do use baby powder and if you want to prevent rashes, you should use it every time you put on a new diaper. And for the first while wearing diapers frequently, you do not want to wait around in a wet diaper for too long as your skin will not be used to the wetness and you will likely get a rash. I use Desitin for rashes and while I only use it when I get a rash, you could use it to prevent a rash though I personally find that a pain. If you put it on whenever you feel a rash coming on, you should be fine.

Anyways, I hope I was able to help you out a little!

[messyman]

1. Your best bet is to find a good medical supply store. At mine you can get good diapers for cheaper than Depends or even Goodnites at regular stores. If you can't find one or they just carry institutional stuff you could get a PO box or have stuff delivered to a UPS store. If you are lucky you might find a Mom and Pop drug store that has something better than Depends, maybe Attends, but even those are not that great. There really is not a big demand for good diapers in retail stores.

2. It does take practice. Start with the bottom tapes and do both of them before the top ones. If you can get diapers with a landing zone or velcro tape you get a few tries.

3. Your skin can take a lot of abuse if you give it time to recover. Unless you are wearing for days at a time or every night you don't really need creams or anything. I think most AB/DL people use it because they like the smell and feel.

[Bettypooh]

I should begin by saying that you can't get a premium diaper at a regular store, but the nighttime versions of the "Wellness" briefs sold at Walgreens and CVS under their store names aren't bad. These have blue "X's" on the velcro tapes and a cloth-like backing. The daytime versions aren't worth buying Walmart has some decent diapers from what I hear though I haven't tried them.

Fit is achieved through experimentation. Something I haven't seen discussed here yet but may help is folding. With my body shape most diapers ride too high so I fold the cover inside to the top of the inner padding. I also fold the front part of the sides in on some diapers. As long as the outer goes inside it will seal And do make sure the leg guards (if they're present) are folded in if you're going to poop

I don't use creams or oils and since I started wearing nearly 24/7 several months ago I haven't had a rash worth speaking of Here's my method and thoughts and YMMV! Airing out as much as possible and meticulous cleaning is all I do I always wear plastic panties and that has been my only real problem area. Bacteria like warm damp places with something to grow from.You can't stop the 'warm and wet' but you can remove their "food supply" and keep irritation areas from concentrating. I shower the diaper area at least twice daily using plenty of soap and scrubbing awhile with my washcloth- not just a fast wipe Stand with your legs apart to stretch the skin and open the pores some, scrub, then rinse well with water as hot as you can stand which also opens the pores. I change styles of plastic panties at least twice a day too so the elastic doesn't fall in the same place. If during the day I feel the elastic beginning to become irritated I move it up or down to a new area My skin is exfoliated (scrubbing) bacteria can't feed (super clean) and no continuing skin irritation (moving the elastic) =no rashes because I've removed the source of them Others use creams and barriers and wipes- YMMV so try what you will but whatever you do at the first itch of irritation do something about it right away or the rash will grow. And if a rash develops, address it just as quickly or it will get out of hand.

I hope my reply helps. I'm certainly nowhere near the most experienced member here and there are a lot of different opinions on these subjects so ponder the replies, choose a course, and if it doesn't work for you try something else Experimentation is part of the fun of being a DL and more fun is always good!

Bettypooh

[luvs-to-wet]

And don't forget to point the fire hose down when diapering up!

[Guest]

diapers:

I am a user of the wal-mart brand of "fitted breifs". They are cloth backed, four tapes that are velcro (probably the most reliable tape system I've ever used - INFINATELY re-adjustable, I'm not bullsh*tting!), and are about the same thickness or a little thicker than depends. One of my favorite diapers bar none, other than Tena Ultra. Its also the only diaper I wear that has a different cut to it that gives you a little buldge behind your legs like you see babies have, which means it is almost the perfect cut for a poop, it has that extra room back there. It would be a wayyyy better step forward than the depends, and they are alot more descrete, being cloth backed and all...

diapering:

It definately makes alot of sense to start with the bottom tapes first as you want to get the best, most comfortable, and snug fit around your legs, tight is better but yeah, you don't wanna be cutting off your life juice! My method is to lie down on your back, pull up the front of the diaper as wide as possible and before you tape it up, push the edges between your legs deep in the creases of where your legs meet your crotch. Then apply the bottom tapes snug on each side and you should have a very good but comfortable seal. Apply the rest of the tapes for comfort mostly... hopefully that helps a little.

creams:

I found with excessive powder use, I got really dry skin down there... Damn sensitive skin!!! Now I mainly use the Parent's Choice (wal-mart) diaper rash (zinc) cream, applied all over my diaper area. It smells great and works even better as I have not had any skin issues since I've been using it. Yeah, it may require more cleanup, but thats why Pampers Baby Fresh wipes are cheap and easy to use. I'm a cream guy. Powder is good, but doesn't work well for me. Baby oil I found did absolutely nothing.

I'd just like to add to the original poster that these are excellent questions, and I wish that I could have had the answers to these when I first really started to wear. No shame at all in asking these as I think these issues should be addressed more often! Anything that will help make the diapering experience better is ace in my books...

CHEERS

[drynot]

Use of a high quality diaper is like night and day. I have found that I don't really need to worry about using creams or powders while I am in a nice diaper. I do use powder from time to time because I really enjoy the pleasant scent.

Like a few folks here have mentioned, try to find a medical supply store and see if they can order a particular brand for you. They may carry better diapers already but they might be willing to let you try some different brands if you can't order online. Medical supply stores can be really expensive though so YMMV.

[willnotwill]

Yes, any of the premium brands: Tranquility, Tena, Molicare, Abena, etc... will be a world of difference from Depends and the private label (CVS, Walgreens, etc....) brands. Perhaps the best of the private labels is Target's Assurance brand.

Laying down does get a good fit, but my standing up method is to unfold the diaper holding it by the top back (i.e. the part with the tapes),

Put that in position behind you and then backup against the wall to hold it.

Reach down and pull the rest up between your legs.

Now do the tabs. Since this is usually not the "sleeping" position, doing up the waist tabs first holds it so you can do

a better job on the more important leg holes.

Most of the time, I don't use any sort of creme or lotion, but Dr. Boudreaux's butt paste (available in the baby section) is less noxious and easier to clean up than Desitan or A&D.

[dmavn]

Ijust have one thing to say about powder. Donkt be a dumper. Too much powder qand it migrates to the leg bands and you get a rash real quick. I use an old sock, put the powder on it, and then just basicly pat myself with it. Inner thighs where the diaper rubs against the skin is where you really need it.

[MLGTexas84]

Ignore all the posts except for the first one by JABEZ:

My only add on is to #3: and that is when powdering make sure to rub it in the area where the cuffs touch your body.

Else wards than that she said everything that needs to be said.