Do diapers have expiry dates?

There were some old diapers which I bought quite a while ago. I kind of forgot about them after getting new packs of better diapers. I was going through my stash and noticed the diapers. They were good baby diapers which I used to wear before. I decided I would use one of them there and then and clear the stash a bit.

Tbh they weren't that good a fit. But I never had any leaks with them. I put them on and sat on my bed. I peed normally. But something felt different. It was quite warmer than usual. Little did I know there was already a puddle under me. The bed was soaked. I thought it somehow leaked through the legs. But after careful inspection I found out that it was leaking straight through the diaper. The bottom felt wet. There was no bulge at all. I tried another one and it was the same.

What do you think the reason is? Should I throw all of them out? Any way I can use them?

Diapers expire on the day they get wet. But yeah check the plastic to see if it is brittle.

--sf

Diapers do have expiry dates, or so I believe, but it's like years in advance. Make sure you store them in a cool dry place


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As far as I can tell, tapes are the first to suffer, with the diaper getting old, -PROVIDED- its been stored in a cool dark dry place. they could be a little less sticky.

sounds like the only place to keep your diapers is in a dungeon!

Yeah, keep them next to your girlfriend! lol

Lots have expiry dates on the packs nowdays.

The tapes certainly suffer with time and loose their stick.

Stored cool, dry and out of light (sure a dungeon but preferably not with your girlfriend also "stored" there) will lengthen their useable lifetime.

Yes, 4 to 5 years is the shelf life :biggrin:

Starfox said:

Diapers expire on the day they get wet.

Click to expand...

Thus is the short life of the disposable diaper.

*Cue video of a store's diaper aisle and a narrator*

Here is represented the many colorful sub-species of the common disposable diaper. Adorably printed, it is a shame that their life spans are undeniably short - but above all other remarkable features, they are absorbent, and play a crucial role in the life cycle of the other native species.

I'd imagine some of the newer diapers have expiry dates as the quality of material was not as good as some of the older diapers. The thickness of the plastic layer is flimsier than diapers 30 years ago. Then again, people decided that there was no point in using a lot of resources on a one-use product. Diapers back then were literally cotton-stuffed plastic bags that babies would pee and poo in, and then throw away after use. I remember hearing that the landfills were going to be filled with diapers in 30+ years.

I still have some old Huggies diapers and old Pampers diapers from the early 90s, the ones with a thick outer plastic shell and a thick absorbent pad. The plastic is still as robust as it was 25 years ago. Then again, the diapers have been kept out of direct sunlight whereas to avoid UV decomposition. Also, the adhesive on the tapes is still strong. I don't know why the adhesive has degraded has degraded on other diapers; was it outside atmospheric conditions?

...any way???

Yes, use them inside a newer diaper.

I wonder if newer made diapers use plastics that biodegrade much more easily, thus shortening their shelf-life. I imagine they fly off the shelves pretty quickly as they are a disposable product.

I have found that my own diapers wetness indicators start to change when I leave them out of their packaging for a few months. I guess they absorb the moisture in the air.

Diapers nowadays do biodegrade a lot better, like 90% of the materials break down.