Trialling full time in terry

[Stroller]

Ever since I went full-time into nappies I've been wearing terry nappies at night.  I use 4ft terry squares, folded in the Chines fold, with an additional cloth soaker pad.  This gives a big absorbent wodge of nappy between my legs, and it will easily last the night without leaking.

I've always assumed this sort of set-up wouldn't really be practical for daytime wear.  I can't get my knees together, and have to walk with a bit of a waddle.  The nappy feels very bulky when I'm wearing it, so I've always assumed it would look pretty bulky from the outside too.  But I like wearing terry nappies - that's what I was in when I was a real baby.  So a couple of weeks ago I thought perhaps I'd give it a try for daytime wear.  And guess what - they don't appear to be any more noticeable than the padded velcro nappies I was normally wearing during the day.  I added a second soaker, which means I can usually get through the day until bedtime.  They feel good, they're comfortable, they're babyish.  I can only change into a terry nappy lying down, which means I can't change in most public toilets, but then I rarely do that anyway.

So far I've been out and about walking the dog, doing the weekly shop, staying overnight in a hotel, attending an ABDL event last weekend, and in about an hour I'm off to my local hospital for a blood test.  All this in a big terry nappy with a bit of a waddle, feeling little and feeling good.  And nobody's going to notice.  I've usually been carrying a couple of spare nappy pins and a Snappi just in case of catastrophic failure, but it's not happened yet (touch wood!).

In a few weeks I'll be changing out of dungarees and into shorts for the summer months.  I doubt I can get away with my terry nappies under shorts, but I'll give it a try anyway.  Mummy will soon tell me if they're too obvious!

[BabyJune]

I sew a terrycloth liner into a diaper flannel flat. Then I use Zorb booster pads on top of that.

[Little Sherri]

Very interesting, @Stroller - congrats on your new discovery. Wearing cloth nappies out and about is something I have not done yet - not pre-folds or velcro ones, with the exception of taking the dog out later in the evening under the cover of darkness. I mostly wear disposables, but I would like to maybe put some more cloth into the mix, because of the economics and their superior resistance to leaks. Plus, there is just something about how they feel. One thing I have to get past, though, which I know is no issue for you: I wear disposables of all descriptions and sizes in front of my wife all the time, and I think nothing of it, but I get self-conscious when I'm in a cloth diaper and plastic pants, even just plain white plastic pants, let alone the printed ones. I don't know why this is the case for me, but wearing cloth around her takes me back to the dawn of my 24/7 "career", when I used to be very aware of my nappies, and I was hyperaware of her every glance if I only had a nappy on. 

[WBxx]

Diaper during the day is not high in my list of kinks.  Humiliation for wetting is.  Anyway, more than once as “punishment” for wetting the bed wife has “made” me wear a wet cloth night diaper in public under jeans.  Pretty sure nobody noticed while teaching me a lesson I’ll never forget.🙂

[Kawaharu]

15 hours ago, Stroller said:

Ever since I went full-time into nappies I've been wearing terry nappies at night.  I use 4ft terry squares, folded in the Chines fold, with an additional cloth soaker pad.  This gives a big absorbent wodge of nappy between my legs, and it will easily last the night without leaking.

I've always assumed this sort of set-up wouldn't really be practical for daytime wear.  I can't get my knees together, and have to walk with a bit of a waddle.  The nappy feels very bulky when I'm wearing it, so I've always assumed it would look pretty bulky from the outside too.  But I like wearing terry nappies - that's what I was in when I was a real baby.  So a couple of weeks ago I thought perhaps I'd give it a try for daytime wear.  And guess what - they don't appear to be any more noticeable than the padded velcro nappies I was normally wearing during the day.  I added a second soaker, which means I can usually get through the day until bedtime.  They feel good, they're comfortable, they're babyish.  I can only change into a terry nappy lying down, which means I can't change in most public toilets, but then I rarely do that anyway.

So far I've been out and about walking the dog, doing the weekly shop, staying overnight in a hotel, attending an ABDL event last weekend, and in about an hour I'm off to my local hospital for a blood test.  All this in a big terry nappy with a bit of a waddle, feeling little and feeling good.  And nobody's going to notice.  I've usually been carrying a couple of spare nappy pins and a Snappi just in case of catastrophic failure, but it's not happened yet (touch wood!).

In a few weeks I'll be changing out of dungarees and into shorts for the summer months.  I doubt I can get away with my terry nappies under shorts, but I'll give it a try anyway.  Mummy will soon tell me if they're too obvious!

That's so awesome. Congrats on discovering cloth diapers. That's why I am so comfortable in waddling in my diaper and having bulky diaper on me

[oznl]

I'm very fond of my folded and pinned terry square nappies but I'm a bit cautious with them during the day.  If I'm just out shopping or whatever, I don't mind so much.  I just make sure I'm in loose, dark clothing and always have compression pants over them (to help keep them up as well as provide a bit of visual stealth).

I've never even considered attempting changing them outside the house.  As you say, you really need to be laying down and there's a substantial real-estate requirement (not to mention the logistical challenges of dealing with the wet ones out in the wild).

If I was going out with friends or colleagues however, I just don't dare use them.  I don't think people would look at me and shriek "Oh my god, he's wearing a nappy!" but I definitely have a certain thickness in the relevant area, much more than usual.  I use 60" x 60" and often use a 24" x 24" baby's terry as a stuffer if the terries in play are older/thinner ones. 

Regrettably, I am polar bear shaped and sized.  The upside to this is I can get away with a fairly thick nappy but the terry ones would be pushing my luck.

The few times I've been out in them I've had surprisingly few chafing issues.  I've found plastic-head pins to be rubbish though.

[Stroller]

2 hours ago, oznl said:

The few times I've been out in them I've had surprisingly few chafing issues.  I've found plastic-head pins to be rubbish though.

Yes, I've been surprised at the lack of chafing.  The plastic-headed pins I was using were OK, but I had to look out for when the heads started to crack, & bin them before they disintegrated.  I've now got a stock of metal-headed pins again though - they fail gradually and obviously, in my experience.  First the paint starts coming off, then the head starts rusting, then it's time to bin them.

I wouldn't want to change a terry nappy anywhere other than at home, somewhere private such as a hotel room, or at an ABDL event, where there's always a changing room or two, and everyone knows what you're up to anyway.  I've changed disposables all over the place, including fields, woods, motorway service stations and cliff tops.

I'm fairly slim, and that probably helps hide the bulges, or I like to think so.  I don't worry about it much these days though - I just don't want to be in anyone's face about it.  They can suspect what they like, but I guess nobody's ever rumbled me so far.

[ValentinesStuff]

I like the dritz locking pins. 

https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Safety-Pins-Diaper-Colors/dp/B001HZOZS0?th=1

The head is two pieces, the outer pice moves up and down. With the top in the down position, it can't be unpinned, or pop loose.

[Stroller]

8 hours ago, ValentinesStuff said:

I like the dritz locking pins. 

https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Safety-Pins-Diaper-Colors/dp/B001HZOZS0?th=1

The head is two pieces, the outer pice moves up and down. With the top in the down position, it can't be unpinned, or pop loose.

Thanks.  I think I'd have to import those from the US - they're not on amazon.co.uk as far as I can see.  I've been buying my pins from NappiesRUs here in the UK.  3" long, all metal with a locking cap.  Not perfect, but they're strong and long enough.  The dritz pins look to be a bit shorter, and I'm wary of plastic caps as they can fail without warning in my experience.  Anyway, I'm stocked up now!

[ValentinesStuff]

3 hours ago, Stroller said:

Thanks.  I think I'd have to import those from the US - they're not on amazon.co.uk as far as I can see.  I've been buying my pins from NappiesRUs here in the UK.  3" long, all metal with a locking cap.  Not perfect, but they're strong and long enough.  The dritz pins look to be a bit shorter, and I'm wary of plastic caps as they can fail without warning in my experience.  Anyway, I'm stocked up now!

They are 2" standard baby diaper sized. I use two on each side. They are metal tops.

 

 

[rusty pins]

I bet they noticed you were wearing them at the AB/DL event!  Ha Ha!

[Stroller]

20 hours ago, ValentinesStuff said:

They are 2" standard baby diaper sized. I use two on each side. They are metal tops.

 

 

Oh sorry - they looked like plastic to me in the photo.  I use 3" pins these days - they're more robust than all the 2" ones I've used.

[Marta]

I mostly wear thick terry cloth diapers/nappies and boosters during the day, and if going out for some time double plastic pants over them. If I need to change, then a disabled restroom/toilet is the place to go. I have my terry squares pre folded ready in my bag, and something to put the wet one in. Wearing thick diapers doesn’t bother me when out, wearing a body will compress everything slightly, and loose fitting clothes will cover the bulkiness. Nobody will notice.

[Stroller]

Well I wasn't expecting my switch to wearing terry during the day would be so successful.  Nearly 2 months, and I've been in terry squares virtually all the time.  I'm planning to stay in terry nappies for good now.  The addition of a couple of cloth soakers means that most days I can get through the whole day in the same nappy, just changing at bedtime and after breakfast.  Sometimes my nappy gets too sodden in the evening, and then either I go for an early shower and change into my overnight nappy and my jamas, and sometimes I change into a thinner pocket nappy for the rest of the evening.  That's just to keep the size of the wash down - our washing machine and drier can fit 4 terry nappies and 1 pocket nappy, but would struggle with more, and I wash them every other day.

So far no embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions - the Snappi at the waist has stayed intact so far, and the pins at each leg opening have stayed in place.  And I've been waddling around confidently.  If anyone's rumbled me they've not said anything - probably nobody has noticed.  I just take a bit of care around friends and family, as I always have anyway.  I'm past caring if anyone else suspects anything.  My nappies seem to be pretty unnoticeable. even in my summer wear of a onesie and cargo shorts.  It helps that a 4 ft square in a Chinese fold give a very low front to the nappy on me.  That's safe enough as far as leaks are concerned as I'm always pointing downwards, and the snug nappy makes sure it stays that way.  As good as a chastity device, and I'd imagine a lot more comfortable!

[nappyboymids]

@Stroller Like you I love terry nappies and wear them every night when I'm at home.  I've occasionally worn them during the day but worry a bit about the smell - even with a good pair of plastic pants I notice the odd whiff of stale pee / ammonia after a few hours.  It doesn't bother me - in fact, I like it - but it feels like it might be a bit of a give away.  Have you noticed anything?  Do you take any precautions to stop the odour building up?

[Stroller]

11 hours ago, nappyboymids said:

Have you noticed anything?  Do you take any precautions to stop the odour building up?

Well my sense of smell has been comprehensively damaged by Covid, so I have to rely on Mummy to let me know.  She hasn't said anything yet.  My plastic pants give a very good seal though.  I shower and wash my plastic pants daily, and wipe myself down with a flannel every change, but that's about all the precautions I take.  Mummy's got her own continence issues as well, so I guess our standards aren't that high.  The kids haven't said anything yet though.

[Stroller]

...and I should add that I don't drink coffee, which probably helps.

[Like2bwet]

I wear terry nappies and plastic pants to bed every night with booster in them and many time when i'm not at work i will have my terry's and plastic pants on when i'm out and about. I love the feel of the nappy and plastic pants are a huge part of nappies for me. If i'm out for the day and know i will need to change then its disposables because as you say its difficult to change a terry nappy without laying down. I also have plastic pants over my disposables.

[oznl]

On 5/25/2024 at 5:19 AM, nappyboymids said:

I've occasionally worn them during the day but worry a bit about the smell - even with a good pair of plastic pants I notice the odd whiff of stale pee / ammonia after a few hours.  It doesn't bother me - in fact, I like it - but it feels like it might be a bit of a give away.  Have you noticed anything?  Do you take any precautions to stop the odour building up?

As a regular terry-nappy-wearer (usually Thu/Fri/Sat overnights at least) I've noticed this.  A full-on ammonia note when wet is in my book, a sign of bacterial build-up that needs to be remediated with better laundering techniques.  I learned this the hard way 🤣  I've noticed that tumble-drying (as opposed to sunlight drying) can also encourage bacterial buildup.  Nappies washed during wet weather (and we've had a LOT of that lately) seem more prone to ammonia notes on their next tour of duty.

An occasional "stale pee" whiff in the morning however is par for the course for terry nappies in my experience even when they are well washed.  I guess all that "odour control" chemistry that goes into adult sized disposable nappies must actually DO something because I've never smelt my wet disposables.

I think out and about in public and semi-public areas, a wet terry nappy (assuming it was well laundered) shouldn't be obvious to anybody apart from the dogs but in a confined space close to others, I'd also worry that I could be smelled.

[Bobbyca]

My experience with washing cloth diapers has slowly evolved over the years.  I rinse them after use (pee only) and store them in a five gallon pail for two or three days in water with a splash of vinegar.  I then spin them dry in the washing machine and check their smell after the spin cycle and if they're OK,  wash them in a regular cycle.  If they smell like a "barnyard" as someone put it, I throw them back in the bucket with hot water and a cup of household ammonia to ponder their sins for few hours. From there they  go straight into the regular washing cycle and they smell much better, with perhaps a touch of ammonia background which dissipates after drying.  I typically line dry after tumble drying for 20 minutes.

Something i recently discovered is the water remaining in a washing machine can get "funky" between washes, so now I run a cleaning cycle once a month of so with bleach or Affresh.  Bleach works just as well and it's much cheaper. 

 

[BabyLouise]

I have started wearing Terry diaper covers over my diapers and then plastic pants over that. Certainly is more bulky but it feels so safe and comfortable.