Diaper Help, Please?

Okay, so I'm relatively new to diapers. I have been a little since I was 13 and I'm 19 now; however, due to parents I have had very little diapering experiences. Now that i am moved out, I'm not worried about that, but I don't know my diaper size. Diapers give waist measurements, but I don't know my waist size. I'm around 5 foot 8 inches and 190 pounds. I usually wear size 11 pants and medium to large shirts. I want to buy the abena diapers, but don't know if I should get the medium or large. I feel like the medium might be slightly tight and the large might swallow me. I would order diaper samples, but just to get abena diaper samples, they are like $8 and that's crazy. I'd rather take a shot in the dark and order a pack. My previous diaper experience is with goodnites and tena pullups for women. I've had medium and large tena. The mediums felt tight around my thighs and the larges just feel too big for there is a ton of extra space in the larges. The goodnites in the large/extra large fit, but barely. I always had to very slowly slide them on so they wouldn't tear. Yeah... So any advice?

Your best bet is to get a fabric tape measure (probably in the craft section of your local Walmart) and use it to get your waist size. It's a pretty important measurement to have when ordering diapers.

Like Kimbawolf suggested, I would measure yourself. I would say not at your hips but at the point where your belly button is. A few years ago, I was about a size 36" waist and I found large size were good. I am now down to 32" and medium are now good for me. I wouldnt worry too much about it being too tight around your legs, its how they tape up that matters. But I do feel your pain about the difference between medium and large, it seems all or nothing. Toooooooo big and tooooooo tight, not really a happy medium as such.

I'm always telling my boyfriend with everything I wear is that I need a medium and a half. Always always too big or too tight.

I’m in the same boat , arena size m is to snug and large is too big I found that the comfy dry 24/7 is almost that half size bigger in the medium

I see you are in Georgia. If you are close to the diaper depot in stone mountain, Helen is awesome and I'm sure she would help you find the right size.

buenare said:

I see you are in Georgia. If you are close to the diaper depot in stone mountain, Helen is awesome and I'm sure she would help you find the right size.

Click to expand...

I am in Georgia, but Stone Mountain is 2 hours away.

Contact Northshore. They sell Abena and will give you good advice. They might even give you samples of both sizes.

My measurements are identical to yours and what I've done over time is buy sample packs of different diapers and try out different sizes to find what works best for the different brands. In some I wear a large and in some I wear a medium.

NeverKnow said:

Though what's listed is a "waist" size, what is sometimes recommended is that you use the largest of your waist and hip measurements. The hip measurement is taken at the widest spot around your hips. The waist measurement is taken at or a bit below your belly button. But you should check whether you can find explicit instructions for measuring for the particular diaper you're considering.

That's how Northshore Supremes and ABUs are sized, at least. I would think the same principle applies generally.

Click to expand...

I took my measurements which is a 40 and Abena mediums say a 43 at largest. Should I take the chance of it being too tight or get the large and have it swallow me?

NeverKnow said:

I would go with the medium. If you're 3 inches below the max recommended, it should fit comfortably. If you're in the States, then you can contact Northshore about getting a sample if you want to make sure before spending anything.

Click to expand...

That might work. Thank you.

u can get some samples from bettymills.com, I've don't that and found that I really like the WINGS brand, they work really well for me, and you can get different sizes in several different brands. plus they are cheap. they are plain white but cheap. :thumbsup:

yeah I'm not sure why baby diapers are still going by weight, maybe that's a good enough way to average out waist size. Doesn't work at all for adults. Measure around your belt line to see where the top tapes need to go. The problem is usually the lower tapes though... you're going to need at least a few more inches by default to get "up and around for the lowers to reach, plus the additional width of your hips. Adding 5-7" is a good starting point. So if your belt line is say 31 inches, your diaper width is going to be more around 36-37", and unfortunately that's the number most diapers will use for size. It's so easy to order too small, but at your age that won't be quite so much of an issue because you're small anyway

But all that being said, order samples. That's really the only way to know for sure, because different diapers will fit differently and diapers with the exact same claimed size range may fit you very differently. It's very difficult to go into a local store and grab a bag of a brand you're not familiar with and actually have it wind up fitting well. Ordering online will get you much better quality but can mean you waste more money on diapers you can't make fit.

Someone your age will probably fit in a small or medium adult diaper. If you can, I'd suggest ordering some small and medium samples from ABUniverse. They've got some awesome products that are pretty close in fit, and offer samples and single bags. How about getting two samples each or one bag each) of medium Super Dry Kids and small BareBum. (they are OUT of almost all their medium right now, barebum would not be my first choice but may as well while you're getting the SDKs... barebum size a bit smaller anyway) The SDKs are a good example of their single-tape diapers, which you might really like.

There are other great diapers available but so few of them are available in small. You need to figure out of a size medium is going to fit you. What's your waist measurement at your beltline?

LittleBabyGirl19 said:

I am in Georgia, but Stone Mountain is 2 hours away.

Click to expand...

I stopped into Diaper Depot on a fly through Atlanta about a month ago and Helen was a big help with size, absorbency, and two M4s, cost $8. For the first time, to get a good fit diaper is worth the initial expense though the drive time is significant for you. Go for It!