Question regarding side sleeping and leaks...

[Essexinco]

I guess I'm the only one who points down?

I start of pointing down - but urm- and not the biggest boy so end up shrivelled and pointing out a bit lol

 

[AngelKitten]

Thank you again everyone for all the excellent suggestions. I will definitely try out some of these solutions! Big help here. Thanks!

 

[Wetshisbed]

Hi. I've been incontinent due to diabetic neuropathy for about five years now. I am gradually transitioning to wearing diapers 24/7, day and night. My question concerns wearing a diaper at night in bed and side-sleeping. My go-to diaper is the Abena L4, which usually never leaks. However, I sleep on my side in bed, and it always seems I leak. While it is true that I can put down a couple large Chux pads to sleep on (I have plenty of them thanks to my insurance), nonetheless, I would like to find a solution to the issue with leaks when I sleep on my side. Does anyone have any answers or helpful suggestions regarding this problem? These would be most appreciated. Thanks!

I sleep on a kylie or washable bed pad to absorb the inevitable leaks. My incontinene is caused by diabetic neuropathy too.

 

[dirty1]

I wear NorthShore mega max. Almost never leak.

 

[Carnifex]

LeakingOut, and others, what kind of cloth diapers are you using? I'm tired of leaks myself, (happens a couple times a month, when with better dry) and want to try some cloth diaper options, the pocket diaper I just bought is not great for side sleeping...

Not sure if you are interested in this but I went through a period of time and was only wearing flat diapers for adults and plastic pants I used diaper pins and snappis and never had any leaks from my diapers they do take little bit of time to get used to the folding but once you find a good fold for you then you will probably not have any leaky diapers just make sure to get the diaper tight as you can and still be comfortable as your diapers will stretch when you get it wet

 

[dreamer1988]

In my experience, the ability to not leak when wetting on the side is more determined by how tall the leak guards in the diaper are. All the extra padding in the world doesn't help if your urine reaches the side of the padded portion and puddles up over the barrier the leak guards provide.

The tallest leak guards I have found are on the BetterDry diapers (and by extension, Crinklz) and the Northshore MegaMax. As with all diapers, I've had the very occasional badly manufactured diaper, but they're the only brands that I can reliably sleep on my side with.

 

[chuck]

Cloth diapers/plastic pants work great for me at night--hardly ever have leaks.

 

[Annalise]

Hi. I've been incontinent due to diabetic neuropathy for about five years now. I am gradually transitioning to wearing diapers 24/7, day and night. My question concerns wearing a diaper at night in bed and side-sleeping. My go-to diaper is the Abena L4, which usually never leaks. However, I sleep on my side in bed, and it always seems I leak. While it is true that I can put down a couple large Chux pads to sleep on (I have plenty of them thanks to my insurance), nonetheless, I would like to find a solution to the issue with leaks when I sleep on my side. Does anyone have any answers or helpful suggestions regarding this problem? These would be most appreciated. Thanks!

My thoughts reading through the replies gives me a thought of a possible solution. The problem is needing more absorbtion on the sides. If precut cloth diapers are used and are oversized you could run the front flaps behind you and then pull the back flaps more in front of you for pinning. Just a thought...

 

[Brandi]

Enough cloth diapers. Absolutely solves that problem. Takes a few nights to get used to sleeping with the additional bulk, but no wet bed--ever.

Someone mentioned the smell. First, keep the diapers very clean. Try some vinegar in the wash; it helps a lot. Bleach works wonders, but is hard on the cloth, so don't wash with it every time. Finally, use enough cloth. I use two day-weight diapers. Remember it's only while you sleep. It you get up and take a shower right away, odor isn't an issue. There are night (heavy weight) prefolds available, but they aren't a good idea. Its hard to get them really dry and clean enough to be odor-free, because they are so thick. Just use two day weight diapers. They clean and dry much better.

 

[RedStripeLvr]

My thoughts reading through the replies gives me a thought of a possible solution. The problem is needing more absorbtion on the sides. If precut cloth diapers are used and are oversized you could run the front flaps behind you and then pull the back flaps more in front of you for pinning. Just a thought...

I actually tried it this week. Even with my "setup," I would still get leaks out the top of my diaper, likely due to flooding. I ordered a night weight cloth contour a size larger than I have been using, and it now gives me both side protection and additional protection up my waist past the edge of the disposable (first layer). Problem solved!

 

[crinklewolf]

I'm a side sleeper and find the only way to really protect against leaks has been plastic pants. I don't always have leaks though, it's maybe a 10% chance. Since it doesn't happen that often I prefer no plastic pants and a mattress cover instead.

 

[boomer2480]

I lost bladder control in 1968 and used caths for the first year and a half but I couldn't put up with the pain and bleeding so I switched to diapers. Due to a wound in my spine in Viet Nam I have to sleep on my side. When I went to diapers I was plagued with leaks and I got so frustrated I was about to go nuts and my wife could see it. One night when I was going to bed m,y wife came in the bedroom and opened a drawer in the dresser and took out two adult prefold cloth diapers and a pair of plastic pants and said try these. Where did you get those I asked and she said she ordered them from a company in Canada. I told her it was embarrassing enough tom use the disposable one and I wasn't going to use them. She said whose is going to see them and I knew she was right and I knew she wouldn't let up until I did try them.
I tried them that night and the next morning was the first time in I couldn't remember when my bed was dry so I decided right there no mater how embarrassing it was I was going to use them and I had to go to my wife and with my hat in my hand and ask her to order more.
I use two adult gauze prefolds from adult cloth diaper company and tuffy plastic pants from babykins and never have any leaks and during the day I wear bianco ultra stretch disposables.

 

[HumanFly]

Thank you again everyone for all the excellent suggestions. I will definitely try out some of these solutions! Big help here. Thanks!

My way of preventing leaks is to wear a terry towelling pant over the disposable and a rubber or plastic brief over that (the Drylife group here in the UK sells both; in the US and Canada you have Babykins and Gary). Make sure all edges are tucked in of course. Have never leaked through that. As a side sleeper, you're probably best off using prefold or flat cloth nappies as there is absorbency at the sides which is lacking in all disposables. But the overpants take care of "over the top" leaks which are common in us guys whichever way we point our little men.

 

[jdinvirginia]

HumanFly is quite correct. I sleep on my side and am a heavy wetter. My bullet-proof solution for nights is a premium or super absorbent diaper with a booster pad, covered by a cloth toweling pullup and a PUL diaper cover.

If the diaper leaks, the cloth will absorb it. As cloth wicks, the entire cloth pullup will absorb the moisture. If the disposable diaper has not leaked, there will be no need to wash the cloth pull-up. As I work in the mornings after I get up, I usually go 10 to 11 hours before changing.

 

[HumanFly]

I kind of wish they would make side-fastening cloth pants as well as pull-ups though. It would mean that if they did get wet, you would not have to pull them down over your feet to get them off. (I know wheelchair users who also need nappies and recommended this arrangement to one of them a while back, but a side-fastening towelling brief would have been quite useful for her as well.)

I used to use booster pads inside the disposable, but really it made things more awkward; it was difficult to get it to fit between the guards in the nappy and stay when you were trying to put the nappy on. The disposables I use have more than enough absorbency anyway.