REALLY!...An expiration date on disposable diapers!!!

[littlemoosey]

So, I have been using disposable diapers more this week than I ever have as I am alone and self diapering is a little easier.

I have at least 3 dozen of different ABU diapers. They have been boxed up in the closet for over a year... I just prefer cloth but over the week I have come to appreciate disposables more.

Anyways, I pulled the boxes down and opened them to see exactly what I had. As I was opening the bags that the diapers were in I noticed an expiration date, all of them were out of date. Some by well over a year.

All I could think is what could possibly go wrong?! Why would they need to put an expiration date on diapers? I know some of you have massive supplies of diapers. Do you ever even look at or worry about the expiration date? Have you ever been standing in the middle of a department store wet yourself and the tapes spontaneously fail, the diaper falls off and out one of your pant legs?! I doubt it.

Whats the point, other than just another really lame effort at planned obsolescence.

 

[KitsuneFox]

Legal liability issues for both the manufacturers and medical facilities ?

 

[Cottontail]

Whats the point, other than just another really lame effort at planned obsolescence.

Or just a catch-all excuse in case you do call them to complain about something that went bad. Or, even more abstractly, it's a way to keep potential liability from just accumulating forever. Same reason a lot of gift cards have annual fees and eventually go to a zero balance even if you don't use them.

 

[Chanch0]

I heard it's mostly about the adhesives that hold the diaper together as well as the tapes. Adhesives do break down over time but with proper storage, that can be minimalized. I have diapers that I bought 5+ years ago that are still perfectly fine, including some old ABU space with the white tapes and they're still sticky as hell

 

[ronnieM]

I think it's related to heat and humidity. If you keep them in a hot and humid place, the bags have holes in them and that humidity will slowly "wet" the diaper over time and degrade the adhesives. That requires incredible heat and humidity for a long time though, like staying for months in your 80c car during summer or storing tons of diapers in hawaii... In most cases, putting diapers in a garbage bag and closing it airtight and putting them in your closet can let them last... Probably a decade or more. If it's just a few months to a year though, you likely don't need to seal them if you store them in a cool and dry area.

 

[68Bonnie]

All medical devices are required to have an expiration date, even bottles of sterile water.

 

[Tundra1975]

I think the expiration date is more aimed at the tapes since the sticking effectiveness of the tapes does degrade over time.

 

[littlemoosey]

Are your sure it is an expiration date and not a mactufactured date? if you bought them about the time they "expired" then it sounds more like a date they were manufactured on. as even medical supplies have a 5 year window for storage.

Yup one of the dates was manufacture and then the other date specifically said "EXP". Despite that all of the tapes worked great.

 

[KrankyPants]

Sometimes the super absorbent polymer goes off, absorbs moisture and looses some of its ability to absorb. Leaving you with a crispy diaper.

 

[tiny]

I think it's because diapers absorb moisture from the atmosphere, which could be a breeding ground for mold spores.

In a clinical environment, where people might have weakened immune systems, it's important to minimise these risks, so... Maybe expiry dates are required by some law somewhere... or in order to be ISO certified... or to sell to certain countries/organisations...???

 

[Diaperguy801]

I've never seen an expiration date. I have several different brands. Now I'm curious to look

 

[TheWetOne]

I very much doubt if my nappies will ever reach thir expiry date - because of the number I wear, they are not in my "stash" long enough to deteriorate!

 

[HTML]

I was thinking maybe the plastic breaks down over time? Same way that plastic water bottles have expiration dates.

 

[MandyBear]

Abena M4s have a Manf date and Exp date.
The exp date / shelf life is 5 years.
This, I suspect, has to do more with regulations for medical supplies then anything else.

 

[nwm]

You know, I never actually noticed that before.
But I do know I have had some 5+ years and the pack was opened, with a lot of them used already - nothing wrong with them other than they had puffed up a bit (physically thicker) - but that's it. Tape stuck fine, if anything more comfortable, absorbed just fine (and I leak VERY heavy), ex.

 

[littlemoosey]

I've never seen an expiration date. I have several different brands. Now I'm curious to look

I found the expiration date on the original plastic packaging that the diapers came in... just look on all sides of it, you should be able to find it.

 

[db80]

I kept a couple (2-3) of Tena Active Fit Plus in the trunk of my car for about a year. They puffed up a lot and ultimately I'd trashed them without using them.
Since then, I leave them in their original packaging until I actually use them and don't drive them around.

 

[PurplePup89]

I've also wondered about that, and what exactly would happen to a diaper years and decades past its production date. I assumed the material would just start to degrade and deteriorate, much less retain its adhesive and absorbent capabilities.

 

[nwm]

I've also wondered about that, and what exactly would happen to a diaper years and decades past its production date. I assumed the material would just start to degrade and deteriorate, much less retain its adhesive and absorbent capabilities.

I hate to say it - but part of the problem is they do not degrade very fast at all. May be great for you - terrible for the environment.