Modified Way to Put on a Diaper?

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EchoForest

EchoForest

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Ok, short version. I have moderate left-sided cerebral palsy, which affects the strength and dexterity of my left hand.

I thought of a way that I could put on taped diapers independently and I want some feedback.

The diapers I would be using are ABU Cushies/Lavender, Bambino Bellisimo, Tykables Overnights and ID Slips. I want to make sure this method would work before I buy the diapers.

So, my idea is this: Tape the tapes loosely to the front of the diaper, step in and then readjust the tapes to fit. I'm looking for feedback from anyone who has used these diapers or anyone who has any other ideas. Do you think the tapes would hold up? Because I don't want to be limited to just pull-ups :frown:
 
Well, it's difficult for me to comment on what might suit your particular level of dexterity, but I've found that I can re-tape Cushies at least twice before the tapes start losing their grip. I've been home alone for a couple of days, and have been going about my usual home routine in Cushies--the adhesive tape variety, as they're now all that's available. Not being a messer, I'll untape them when I have to do a #2, and re-taping works fine. I actually slept in twice-re-taped Cushies last night, and I'm a bit of a tosser and a turner. Woke up still secure in my diaper. Two thumbs up for the Cushies adhesive!
 
That's a good start. 1/4 isn't bad to begin with. Thanks! :D
 
Most of the diapers I wear, I put the tape on BEFORE I put on the diaper. I know exactly where they go, and pull them up like a pullup. I get a perfect fit every time. And it's faster if I'm in a hurry to have one already taped up on the top of the stack, ready to go.

Once you get a good fit, pull your diaper down carefully, lay it out and flatten/straighten it. Note where the tapes are. Difficulty varies on the diaper, depending on if you have any good "landmarks" to go by. Try not to use any printed pattern on the tape panel itself, because those often aren't consistent. The art on the diaper SHELL should be consistent, at least left to right. Many of the better ABDL diapers nowadays have an easily identified transition between front and side, and that's about where my tapes tend to go, so spotting them is pretty easy.

When in doubt, I just measure. A comfy overnight fit is 42" around the top tapes. (you can measure this by removing your diaper, flatten it out, and measure the width of the diaper, stretched out, from one side to the other, and multiply that by 2) So measure from tape to tape (before opening, and give it a little stretch if the back has elastic), then add the extended lengths of both tapes, and subtract that from whatever your size is. Thats how far apart they need to be in the front. Mark it with a marker, then put down the tapes. The lowers go in some orientation relative to the uppers and will be easy to get down consistently once the tops are down.
 
bambinod said:
Most of the diapers I wear, I put the tape on BEFORE I put on the diaper. I know exactly where they go, and pull them up like a pullup. I get a perfect fit every time. And it's faster if I'm in a hurry to have one already taped up on the top of the stack, ready to go.

Once you get a good fit, pull your diaper down carefully, lay it out and flatten/straighten it. Note where the tapes are. Difficulty varies on the diaper, depending on if you have any good "landmarks" to go by. Try not to use any printed pattern on the tape panel itself, because those often aren't consistent. The art on the diaper SHELL should be consistent, at least left to right. Many of the better ABDL diapers nowadays have an easily identified transition between front and side, and that's about where my tapes tend to go, so spotting them is pretty easy.

When in doubt, I just measure. A comfy overnight fit is 42" around the top tapes. (you can measure this by removing your diaper, flatten it out, and measure the width of the diaper, stretched out, from one side to the other, and multiply that by 2) So measure from tape to tape (before opening, and give it a little stretch if the back has elastic), then add the extended lengths of both tapes, and subtract that from whatever your size is. Thats how far apart they need to be in the front. Mark it with a marker, then put down the tapes. The lowers go in some orientation relative to the uppers and will be easy to get down consistently once the tops are down.
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So it seems like it will come down to practice then. Shouldn't be an issue ;)
 
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Someone kinda like me! Other than the righty part. I sit, but apart from me using a wheelchair, and being effected in the opposite hand, we seem quite similar I think your method should work. Don't quote me if it doesn't.

If if it doesn't, try sitting the diaper down in a chair, sitting down atop it, doing up the bad hand side first, loosely, then the other. To be honest, the fact that plastic-backed diaper tapes can only be stuck and restuck so many times, is why I prefer clothlike disposables, but the Velcro reminds me of AFOs being put on and taken off, so I like cloth with snaps better. They can be pre-snapped and put on however works best for you. Point is, I feel your pain!

You might try the Abena Abri Wing, or another belted brand, if the clothlike backing isn't an absolute deal breaker. Some of them look more like funny pads than diapers, but putting on a disposable is likely to still be an asspain.

There are also, "Pad and pant systems," like the Abena Abri-San. There's also one from Tena.
 
SpAzpieSweeTot said:
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Someone kinda like me! Other than the righty part. I sit, but apart from me using a wheelchair, and being effected in the opposite hand, we seem quite similar I think your method should work. Don't quote me if it doesn't.

If if it doesn't, try sitting the diaper down in a chair, sitting down atop it, doing up the bad hand side first, loosely, then the other. To be honest, the fact that plastic-backed diaper tapes can only be stuck and restuck so many times, is why I prefer clothlike disposables, but the Velcro reminds me of AFOs being put on and taken off, so I like cloth with snaps better. They can be pre-snapped and put on however works best for you. Point is, I feel your pain!

You might try the Abena Abri Wing, or another belted brand, if the clothlike backing isn't an absolute deal breaker. Some of them look more like funny pads than diapers, but putting on a disposable is likely to still be an asspain.

There are also, "Pad and pant systems," like the Abena Abri-San. There's also one from Tena.
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Haha, thanks so much! Do you have CP too? Right hemiplegia, it seems?
 
i'm currently using mini-bungees on certain brands of dispy (and trads), such as Betterdry and Indaslip:
View attachment 26457
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i tend to afix the bungee after doing the legs and in a standing position, but you can fix the bungee beforehand and then step into the diaper. as you can see in the pics, i pierce through the folded back tape and that piercing can be a bit fiddly, so you may need to pre-pierce or use a hole-puncher (a paper hole-puncher, if you have one).
the hook of the bungee should also be bent inward on itself to avoid catching yourself, especially if you're going to be pulling the diaper up and/or down.
this method holds up surprisingly well, even on dispies with crap taping at the legs (which are always going to need repositioning as you wear and wet).

i have other ideas, but the above has proven itself the most cost-effective and practical.
i am on the lookout for clips which will hold both dispies and trads without coming unclipped (and, for dispies, which clamp hard enough without ripping the material), so watch this space.
i also have an idea for a one-handed method of using the aforesaid bungees (it'll use two bungees for fastening at the waist).
 
Huh. Interesting :scratchchin:
 
ChildofLeaves said:
Haha, thanks so much! Do you have CP too? Right hemiplegia, it seems?
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Actually, diagnosed spastic diplegic, (basically, both legs) but because we know a white coat and MD don't keep people from being idiots, and because there's enough going on with my right hand, I consider it triplegic, but it's weird. My worse leg and my bad hand don't match sides, according to my late birtmom, but I think my legs behave however the heck they want. I dunno.:lol:
 
SpAzpieSweeTot said:
Actually, diagnosed spastic diplegic, (basically, both legs) but because we know a white coat and MD don't keep people from being idiots, and because there's enough going on with my right hand, I consider it triplegic, but it's weird. My worse leg and my bad hand don't match sides, according to my late birtmom, but I think my legs behave however the heck they want. I dunno.:lol:
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First, orange words! :D In all seriousness, you could have compensation-related fatigue and spasms. I get them sometimes on my right hand (good hand). I have mild-moderate left hemiplegia. Have had 2 heel cord releases and my left hand is pretty much just an assist. To put it in perspective, if I broke my right hand, I couldn't even pull my pants down to go to the bathroom, nonetheless feed myself. :lol:
 
Oh. . . My gosh! If I broke my left, I couldn't do that stuff either! My right does sound a bit less effected than your left, though, (no surgery there for me) but my right bicep's tendon draws up, a bit all the time, but more when I'm really sick or really tired. Not that our bad hands are a good thing, it's just mildly friggin' awesome we're so similar!:cool: You can tell when I write that my CP even lives in my left hand, but it's my closest to, "normal," body part. If I get really tired or sick, I'll even lose seated balance.
 
SpAzpieSweeTot said:
Oh. . . My gosh! If I broke my left, I couldn't do that stuff either! My right does sound a bit less effected than your left, though, (no surgery there for me) but my right bicep's tendon draws up, a bit all the time, but more when I'm really sick or really tired. Not that our bad hands are a good thing, it's just mildly friggin' awesome we're so similar!:cool: You can tell when I write that my CP even lives in my left hand, but it's my closest to, "normal," body part. If I get really tired or sick, I'll even lose seated balance.
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The surgeries have been on my left leg, and in so far as my arm, the deltoid and bicep muscles contract whenever I star walking. My arm sort of hitches up as if to cross over my chest, extreme flexion, yet abducts away from my body. Supination is impossible because the muscles actively fight against each other (supination can be done passively though) and I have swan neck deformity on my index, middle and ring fingers. My thumb always adducts inwards and my grasps are limited to pincher, palmer and key grasps. I can open doors with handles but not with knobs. My fingers twitch and do whatever it is they want. :eek:
 
Since the tape is only temporary, why not use scotch tape, that leaves the real tapes free for permanent use
 
How people can pull up/down their diapers once taped is a mystery to me. I guess if you're a bit twiggy--or shaped like an inverted cone. :) (Boy, that last one would make diapering really difficult!) I've got a pretty round bottom and some hippy hips, and when I tape or pin a diaper on--assuming it's sized so that I can actually snug it around my waistline--there's positively zero way it can be pulled down. The tapes or pins would have to pop first. And I'm inclined to think that's how it ought to be, ideally. Although if you're planning on wearing something supportive over your diaper, such as undies, a diaper cover, or close-fitting pants, maybe it works to leave the diaper a bit loose on purpose?

Since the OP mentions stepping into the diapers, I'll add that, for many people, putting on a diaper while standing is easiest, and maybe that's an option here? I find this to be true for myself, at least with disposables. I sort of enjoy the babyness of the lying-down approach, and almost always start off that way with cloth, since it's super easy to adjust cloth. With disposables, I usually stand and position the diaper behind my bottom so that, when pulling the top tapes forward (or the only tapes, in the case of Cushies and SDKs), I can feel that they're squarely above my hips. Then I back myself up against a wall so that I can let go of the back of the diaper, pull the front of the diaper up between my legs, and tape away. From other threads here on ADISC, this seems to be a fairly popular approach, and I do find that it gives me the best chances nailing the tape placement on the first try. YMMV, of course!
 
Cottontail said:
How people can pull up/down their diapers once taped is a mystery to me.
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Unless you have really curvy hips, you can usually "shimmy out" of a diaper, UNLESS you like to tape them on really tight. I know I can't crank down the tapes hard, it won't be comfortable at all and my skin will itch and sweat immediately.
 
bambinod said:
Unless you have really curvy hips, you can usually "shimmy out" of a diaper, UNLESS you like to tape them on really tight. I know I can't crank down the tapes hard, it won't be comfortable at all and my skin will itch and sweat immediately.
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Well, I haven't quite got girl hips, but those plus the bum are enough. I can't shimmy out of my jeans without at least undoing the button--or causing it to fly off! Well-soaked cloth diapers can sometimes stretch (expand with wetness, really) to the point where I can slip out of them without unpinning, but then they're headed for the wash. Haven't noticed that with dispies yet. Some shells are stretchier than others, I know, but the ABU ones are pretty sturdy. I can roll around all night in Cushies and the fit seems unchanged.
 
I am a high function quad with 2 Neuro muscular diseaees and CIPD ( chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculopathy ) I still diaper myself more than I let my Aide do it, I would suggest 1. sticking to one day and one night brand 2. Plan on wasting a few diapers well you find your fit 3. One you find it measure it and reproduce it on each diaper 4. Even if you have to use a ruler and ink pen to mark your position on each diaper and then prepare a whole bunch of them and put them on the night able to have ready, also weigh yourself monthly so you don't get leaks or worse a diaper that does not fit because you gained some weight .

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