www.incontinentsupport.org

Hey folks,

As I am looking through some of the whole or partial cases I've bought of some diapers, I'm seeing a trend. The reason I've switched away from most of the brands is because the tapes were just too unreliable. I have big thighs that tend to pop tapes during certain actions. The rest of the diaper is just fine, and I hate to go through a whole change (especially less than an hour into use) for a single tape, but one tape leads to two, then....you know where this goes.

Does anyone else experience this?

How have you dealt with it?

Any brands you've used that never seem to have this issue for you?

By the way, my current diaper (MegaMax in medium) doesn't have this issue. I suppose it's the landing zone plus the much wider tapes displacing any force to prevent shearing.

I’ve had trouble with Abena M4. When I’m out in the heat and humidity, bending over a lot, the tapes seldom stay fastened, even when wearing a snug support brief. I have often used a strip of packing tape (about 4 inches long) over the tapes, which secures them well. Forget about readjustment though... Getting it off is always interesting too as I need to literally tear it off. Supremes, MegaMax, and Dry 24/7 don’t seem to have tape issues. I don’t have much experience with other brands. I’m finishing up a case of Abena’s and won’t likely buy more because of chronic bunching and tapes that don’t hold well.

I will sometime add a section of 2" masking tape to reinforce the tapes on the diaper.

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RetiredRN

I use clear hockey tape it works great as the tape is a bit stretchy so it helps to mage a snug fit (costco has the best deal right now untill they get rid of the hockey items as the season ends)

I recently purchased a case of Tranquility SmartCore briefs and have had a slightly different problem where the entire tape just pulls off of the rear wing. I don't think I'm pulling too hard but I've had quite a few of the tapes come off even though I'm aware of the problem. This means I can't get a really snug fit. Since these are cloth backed they tend to get loose so a granny panty or support brief is necessary to keep them fitting snug. When a tape does come off I'll use a 6 inch long piece of duct tape to keep things together. As Ellyn said you won't be able to readjust that tape but the duct tape holds so well that it generally isn't necessary.

I routinely apply a small piece of Duck brand tape (non-industrial duct tape) to reinforce the tapes on all of my diapers. I like to tape my diapers snugly as I use my diapers to near their maximum capacity . This way I never have to worry about a tape popping off at an awkward moment.

--John
(double incontinent)

I have actually put diaper pins through the tapes and it works surprisingly well. I was afraid it would promote leaks, but the tape actually seems to seal up around the pin, so it was never an issue. Typically I used these on the bottom tapes.

The best tape I've found, by far, for reinforcement has been Tyvek tape. It is made to stick to plastic (house wrap) so it works very well, but as with others, there is no repositioning once it's in place.

I now primarily use MegaMax if I'm in a disposable and I rarely have an issue with a tape coming off, though the first few cases had even better tapes than the current ones.

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"When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

I never have this problem with Better Dry.

Also, brands with a "landing zone" likely won't have this problem (mega max, rearz etc)

It may be extreme, but I use tape to make a belt all the way around the top of the diaper making sure to cover the tabs... Then about a 4 inch piece on each bottom tab. I like to make sure that the diaper does not drop while I have it on. Dropping it if needed is easy for me.. Basically I am fat, and to drop it I suck in my gut and splat. It drops on the floor.....

I wear the ConfiDry 24/7 with boosters and plastic pants and have found the need for tape reinforcement at night only. I move around in my sleep a lot and either the diaper plastic stretches or the tape loosens. Either way, this otherwise reliable combination of products will leak, sometimes significantly, if I don't reinforce with packing tape (wide and strong). Another consideration is the tendency for these premium diapers, especially when used with boosters, to get so heavy when wet that they can slide downwards, creating a situation where a leak at the legs is possible. This is a good reason to not go "too long" between changes. The absorbent material is still functioning, but gravity and limitations with the tapes are the weak link here.