www.incontinentsupport.org

Does anyone here use those snap in the crotch t-shirts? I see them advertised under various names as onsies and consealers. The prices very as much as the prices.

Are there any types or brands that are better than others? Are they worth it?

JRB,
I have read a lot about people using these. I have never used one, but most what I have read is that they help conceal your diaper when you bend over if your shirt is not tucked in during the summer time. They also help with sagging diapers when they get a little too wet.
You are right about a lot of different ones out there. I'm sure someone out there in our forum may have some advise for you. .......Paul Martin

Your right, they serve the purposes you described (concealing your diapers from popping out the back and holding up the saggy diaper (s)). But they prevent an easy diaper change. So if you are wearing one figure to diaper well and stay in those diapers till you have returned home. they offen run largre so be aware of this. Best for single/double cloth diaperss. They also are great for thick disposable diapers they are suppose to last hours -but also sag when soaked. Papa

Hi JRB,
I'll toss in my two cents worth here!

The Onsies and Concealers you've mentioned seeing are generally made of the same material as underwear, a soft cotton or cotton poly blend that is comfortable, just like a cotton tee shirt, and does a great job of concealing your diapers as Paul Martin said.

In my experience the quality has varied considerably and so has the fit....from pretty good to bad. Some became auto polishing rags early on.

Support for diapers is a whole different matter. While the onsies and concealers provide minimal support....and I stress "minimal" there is much value in a garment that actually supports a diaper, since your comfort is enhanced with wearing a diaper that is not sagging between your legs and most disposable diapers will benefit from the compression afforded by support and keep you free of leaks longer than if not supported.

Now we are talking about a stretch garment, a body suit. Body suits have Lycra or Spandex as part of the fabric and so are stretchy and fit closely. A disadvantage is the snaps are in the very bottom of the crotch and can be hard for some to reach. The crotch snaps in the onsie style underwear are generally towards the front which facilitates snapping without standing on your head.

What to try?

If you interested in just concealment, then a onsie is the way to go. I can't make a recommedation as mine were custom made by a lady now retired from sewing. The Concealer, offered by AngleFluff I believe, is a reputable company but I've no experience with their one piece underwear.

If you are interested in support for your diapers that also helps concealment in that the elastic fabric compresses and holds the diaper in snugly against your body, then the body suit is the way to go. My recommendation is to start with Abena....yes, the diaper manufacturer. You can get an Abena "Bodystocking" from www.xpmedical.com This garment is a sleeveless shirt with straps over the sholders. A nice plus is the crotch snaps are located forward for easier snapping.

If you find you like the body suit approach for support and do not object to the snug feel of the overall compression, then look into www.bodysuit.com where you can find various styles and colors for sleeves and turtle necks and so on. However these garments all have the crotch snaps in the very bottom, can be hard to reach and snap.

Hope this helps you!
JoeK

Hey Joe, i got a bodystocking from XP Medical, and im wondering.. how do you wash it without shrinking? Oh, and how tight is it suppose to be at the crotch? I put it on, and there was a little room over the crotch, with the snaps shut it pulls on the diaper. I have a 34 inch waist, and wear an xl t-shirt..so i guessed that the large would fit well. It does i think.. I'm just worried about it shrinking. When checking the label for washing instructions.. all i see is 60 degrees, a symbol crossing out a trinagle, among oter things.. for those of you with abena bodystockings.. how do you wash yours..did it shrink after washing? Should i buy an x-large next time and wear it washed? I think the XL onesie would swollow me. Oh, how thin is the crotch supposed to be? on the onssie i have now, the snap crotch did not completly cover the diaper in width..is that normal?

_________________
"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

Hi Sociologygeek, I'm glad you got a "onsie" that should actually support your diaper!

I don't think shrinking will be a problem with a warm or cold wash-not a hot wash setting. The lycra should stand up to many washings and retain its elasticity that holds the diaper in and up. And no bleach, that is hard on any elastic, including lycra. The tag indicates 10% shrink.

The narrow crotch is not a problem, in fact, it's good from a stand point that if you center the crotch of the bodyshirt on your diaper, it will hold it up well and you won't get wicking leaks onto the bodyshirt the way you would if the leg bands could migrate up and slightly under the diaper. It is best when all of the bodyshirt stays on the outside of the diaper, then it will stay dry all day, which is what you want.

I am a bit bigger than you (36 waist) and I wear the large Abena body stocking. It has significant girdle like tension that holds my disposable in snug. If I were to buy another one, I'd try the XL myself, but I discovered www.bodysuit.com and like the tee shirt style better than the athletic style of the Abena so I've bought a few in various colors along with white and like them very much, even a bit more than the Abena.

**********Edited to correct URL************

Hey Joe, do the bodysuits on bodysuit.com accomodate a diaper? Is there a specific one that is more accomodating than others?

Yeah, eventually i plan to get more than one onesie..but one was enough to get me started. Im wearing it right now as an undershirt..which is perfect.. the shirt looks exactly like a man's undershirt would..but it would be nice to be able to wear a onesie in a style other than that.. easyaccessclothing.com does have a polo onsie you may want to consider..

_________________
"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

Hi Soci,

First, I need to correct the URL which reads "bodysuits" to read "bodysuit" to get to the website!

Then choose "mens bodysuits" in the left side menue and some 8 or so choices come up on the page.

I've tried just 2 of the designs offered.

1. Crewneck, short sleeve, full back is 90% nylon and 10% lycra so it is all synthetic and has good holding properties but maybe a bit warm in the warm weather.

2. V-neck, bodysuit, full back is 90% cotton and 10% lycra. The high cotton content is what I like, while the 10% lycra still does a good hold in job.

But there is a major difference in the crotch! The v neck has a 4-5" wide crotch with three normal size stainless steel snaps and the snaps in all styless are at the bottom of the crotch so reaching them is a bit of a hassle. (As an aside, most Onsie style garments feature the snaps up from the very bottom toward the front to make snapping a bit easier.)

In the case of the crewneck, the crotch was a bit smaller, only 3" and yet they put in 4 snaps and they are tiny snaps. Already difficult to snap because they are way down under, tring to feel the tiny snaps and get them snapped is a serious hassle (for me).

I only got the one crewneck (4 tiny snaps) and won't get any more.

I have several of the v neck (3 decent size snaps) and love them for the 90% cotton and three normal size snaps that are not hard to manage.

I wear them usually over a bulky cloth diaper with no problem, plenty of stretch, decent support. They also work well over disposable diapers.

I'm glad you asked about them, as the snaps could be a big disappointment for a lot of people. Just being aware they are down on the very bottom could turn a lot of people off. But the tiny snaps on the crew neck model are just rediculous! and they don't tell you anything about the snaps! You find out when you get your shirts.

Wow, I have never heard of that BodySuit site - very helpful thank you. I do have one or two of these type of things but I can't say I am a huge fan. Maybe I don't have the right kind or something but I feel it is always really tight on me.

Hello Wondermom79

We all have different body types so it is very hard to access "tightness" in something like a body suit. With that disclaimer being said, let me venture to suggest the following:

In a given size with me as the wearer:

"Onsie" style underwear, the one piece pull overs that snap in the crotch and generally made from a cotton poly blend like any underwear, are not tight fitting and provide no effective diaper support. They conceal well and that's about all I get from this garment. Snaps are forward and easy to reach. Tee style upper.

Abena Body Stocking: Available at XP Medical. This is tight, all over and while it holds the diaper in and up, I am aware of it all day long. Snaps are forward and easy to reach. Athletic style straps upper.

Leotard: tried one once, crotch is way too narrow to be effective with holding a diaper up, even a disposable. No snaps, you step in and pull it up on and pull the straps over your sholders...athletic style straps upper.

Body suits at Bodysuit.com: Not tight in my opinion. The 90 cotton, 10 lycra seems perfect for "reasonable" support of a diaper without uncomfortable all day compression. Snaps are in the bottom and hard to reach. Tee and v neck uppers.

And see my cautions in my 10-10 post about their snaps.

Good luck, only get one of anything until you can try it out as none of this type of stuff is returnable.