www.incontinentsupport.org

Hello all,

My name is Catherine,

I am in the process of designing modern cloth diapers for the active adult, and was wondering what sports or activities you are involved in, and if there were certain aspects of your current protection that really accommodate this activity ... or what features you wish were available to you?

Is there anyone here that is training for a marathon or a competition like the Iron Man?

I would appreciate your insight and feed-back.

Thank you.

Catherine, I for one would love a modern version of cloth diapers. First off you can not find ones that are organic or clorine free. That alone would be a plus. I know you asked about sports but don't forget the everyday use also. I for one play golf, bike, walk, fish and chase the grandkids around playing baseball and socker also. A cloth diaper that can a. absorb b. be easily removeable c. keep movement fluid and possibly be a little fashionable would be a great start. Also a tight fit to avoid what all diapers suffer from - sag. Or a garmnet to help with the sag. Go for it you will find a willing and waiting group at your doorstep. Papa

I agree with Papa. Everyday activities are just a significant as sporting ones and something that works well and is neat and easy to put on and take off would be a winner. Make sure anything you do if available in the UK as well|!

Motorcycle riding...now more for recreation than sport.

Probably not the competitive type of activity you were
aiming to know about.

Not aiming at marathons, or Iron Man feats of youth,
but / butt:

At one point in my younger days, I did qualify as a
member of the Iron Butt Association (IBA):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Butt_Association

Take this as tongue-in-cheek if you will...just wanted
to illustrate some of the activities we involve ourselves
in...incontinent or not.

J.

Hi Catherine!

Thanks for your first post and welcome to the forum. I'm sure there are many, many members in our forum who are active in some sort of sport.
I myself do a lot of bicycling. In fact, my diaper is a big help since it provides some extra padding to my already thin behind. As I'm cycling, it's important to have a good diaper on since the motion of your legs are continually pushing things around.
I would like to see a diaper that wicks well. My disposable won't do this, and on a long trip I have to be careful. ......Paul Martin

Catherine, It would also be helpful to have a variety of choices. That is; light, med and heavy absorbancy! Having a choice of protection would greatly increase ones comfort. Thank you, Papa

Catherine,

Welcome. I am as active as my body allows me to be. I spend a great deal of time in my boat fishing and I enjoy archery hunting in the fall. I play some golf and enjoy bike riding, hiking and camping. I prefer cloth diapers but like the convenience of disposables. One of the draw backs of cloth is the extra bulk. This is not a problem at night but during the day it can be noticeable. I believe a quality cloth diaper is one that is snug fitting, has as little sag when wet as possible and is comfortable to wear. My "prefold" diapers seem to wear out too-soon where they are pinned. Possibly a reinforced pinning zone would be nice. Diaper pins are still the best way I've found to secure a diaper in place and keep it in place. I've switched to using diaper flats and layering them to meet my specific needs. I'd welcome a new cloth diaper on the market and would certainly give it a try.

Catherine, In order to truly know whar we are talking about and to uinderstand the true meaning of being incontinent you have to "walk the walk" not just "talk the talk". By this i mean if you are incontinent it would be a big advantage to your design. If not - then you can only understand what we are saying if you get an asortment of cloth diapers and wear them 24/7 and use them. I can't really see some one who is not experiencing this being able to really improve on what there is. Hope you can explain what your condition is and where and why you are getting into this wonderful project. Thank you, Papa

Catherine: I second Papa's comment. Being in the same situation makes a world of difference.

In my case, it was a surgery that had a complication that led to my needing diapers. And while my surgeon, a top surgeon in his field, was sympathetic, he didn't necessarily change his practice due to some of his patient's suggestions (at times he did; but at times he didn't). Well ... His turn came up. He needed the same type of surgery that he practiced. And all I can say is "WOW"! He made a number of changes to how he dealt with patients ... And his staff says these changes came about immediately after he had to go through his own procedures.

I relay this story because it echos what Papa said. If you live through the experience, it makes a difference in how you apply your skills and efforts.

Thanks for your efforts!

ILuvLA.

Hello, Catherine, Welcome to the ISC and it is certainly nice to see someone thinking about improving cloth diapering!

Walking is the most basic activity and some of us do it more than others, whether it be job related or walking for fun and health. For most of us, pin-on cloth prefolds do NOT lend themselves to staying up all that well, hence my "invention" of the suspender briefs detailed in our Primer.

Others have already brought up the big issues: sag when wet, ease of use and concealability. The last item is more variable with some people needing stealth approaching that of a disposable with others can tolerate bulk and don't concern themselves with diaper bulges.

Walking and jogging put serious stress on a diaper. While dry, not so much and if such activities are done before the diaper gets too wet, well, that's a big help. But a job requiring a lot of walking is going to involve extended wear in a diaper (depending on one's diaper changing schedule) which means a wet, and heavier diaper that wants to sag.

A "modern" diaper should be snug fitting and probably best held up without the need for elastic waist tension.....I've never found that effective. Snaps do not provide enough "customized fitting" on a diaper. Hook and loop (Velcro is the big brand here) fills the bill just fine, but we've all had failures of this fastening to hold up well over time.

With jogging, the stress on a diaper is upped....the landing of each pace wants to bring that diaper down off your hips....again, the need for a waist fastening that has no "give" once attached....that may be an illusive goal! Suspender briefs are great but not for everyone and they add to the hassle of a diaper change. And....since they rely on the elastic tension of the straps....if the diaper is not well secured in the first place on the hips, jogging will bring the diaper down....and there goes the comfort level.

Biking, as Paul points out is a whole different thing....no jouncing that tends to cause a diaper to slide down off the hips, but the motion of peddling....shifting the cotton around in your crotch can be a comfort issue. I have done better biking...when I need to bike any distance....trading off the pin-on prefolds for a pull on (elastic waist) diaper pant. The crotch bulk is considerably lessened to allow the bike seat to fit better. Cloth will wick wetness up the back to utilize the skimpier diaper and sag from sliding off the hips is not a factor with biking hence you can get away with the elastic waist. Stuffers don't work well for me...the peddling shifts them around and makes an uncomfortable mass of wet cloth.

Other sports, from golfing to baseball, to soccer to (you name it) all come down to "walking, jogging, biking" as far as the need for a diaper to stay up, goes! Just different levels of intensity. But if a modern cloth diaper with a fastening that has no "give", once put on, can stay up with walking and jogging....it will / should do well with the sporting activities.

Moving off the sports and activites topic.....
Ease of putting on will be a big factor in getting disposable wearers to try a cloth diaper. Most disposable wearers may concede cloth is perhaps more comfortable and wicks better than their disposables......but....

1. Pull on cloth diapers sag and slide off your waist, unlike the tape on disposable. And can't be changed without a near total undress.

2. We've already mentioned the short comings of hook and loop, which comes the closest to a tape on disposable for convenience.

3. Pin-on isn't even in the running for most disposable wearers....other than maybe for overnight wear only.

That's my nickle's worth!
JoeK