When do you start watching the clock with respect to changing your diaper?

[Little Sherri]

I’m curious as to what everyone’s preferences and practices are, with respect to when they decide to change their diaper. Usually, I wear 2 diapers in 24 hours, and I change them at fairly specific times, so unless my diaper is leaking, or, I have to get changed because I need a fresh diaper on before I head out somewhere, even if my diaper starts to feel fairly damp, I will try to wait until “changing time”; which for me is usually an hour or so before bed, and, sometime after lunch. If I’m going to the gym then a third change ends up in the mix. 
 

Today, though, I am testing whether or not a Rearz Mermaid Tale can be considered a 24-hour diaper. The short answer is, yes, it can be, at least for me. But in the process, I’ve been in a damp diaper for going on 25 hours now, and I have found myself watching the clock, even though this is a very comfortable diaper, and even though I usually don’t mind being wet and don’t rush changes. I guess I have my limits, but the experience has me wondering what everyone else does. Is getting into a new, dry diaper a blessed relief, or is it more of a sad farewell to an old friend?

[ValentinesStuff]

It really depends upon how wet I am, where I am, and what I am doing. 

[NannaAnnabelle]

I'm pretty wimpy when it comes to change intervals. Partially out of necessity since my "strongest" diapers are usually the existing medical line ones like Tranquility or Tena. Also because I really can't tolerate being in a wet one longer than say 6 hrs. My clock goes into monitor mode after my first wetting, nudging me to pay attention to when change time comes.

Since I went to cloth at night I usually change fairly quickly after waking. I still haven't built up a tolerance for the saturated feeling yet. 

[Moochie]

The dependent variable for me is not time, but rather how wet and/or messy I am and the confidence I have in my diaper not leaking.

[rusty pins]

Usually at home I wear early morning for about 3 hours or so when I get up about 6am in days I don't work.  Part of it depends on what low end diaper I plan on wearing.  All I do is sit at my computer surfing this site and Diapermates so I put a washable waterproof pad on my chair before sitting.  Sometimes I wet a lot and leak a little, sometimes I really wet and soak through to the chair pad, and many times I'm wet but my diaper holds it.  I'd rather not leak, but with the washable pad I really don't care.  I stay at the computer in my diaper until I'm ready to get my day started whether I leak or not.

When I'm away from home I'm careful if in a low end store brand.  When out of town for the day like Christmas shopping a few times a year or this past summer when I was on vacation and wore all the time everywhere except when sleeping, I use premium diapers like Abena L4 and Betterdry.  I know from experience just how long I can wear one before I have to worry about possible leaks.  I can get 8 hours out of a Betterdry, plenty of time to get my shopping done and get home, or enough time while out sight seeing to make it back to the motel for a quick diaper change before going out again.  

At home I don't worry about leaks, when away from home I do.

[willnotwill]

I don't ever watch the clock.   I do it on feel.    If I start to feel wet, then I know I've saturated the diaper and better change it before I wet it further.

 

[BabyJune]

If I'm going out, then I watch the clock to make sure I am wearing a clean, dry diaper for the trip.

[le Hollandais]

I only wear at home. Leaking isn't a conceern. I change when my diaper is soaked.