Purchasing an adult diaper for the first time

54-year-old female

My mother-in-law lives in Kagoshima, and had started having accidents due to her incontinence. I told her she’d be better off getting some pants type, but she was worried that other people would notice. She was so concerned about the diapers making a noise. She wouldn’t buy them herself, so I bought them for her and sent them to her.

She’s a tiny woman (even size 9 clothing is too big for her), so I was sure the small-sized product would work for her. But it turned out to be too tight around her midsection, so she didn’t wear them consistently. That was a different manufacturer, but I found out they give free samples if you call, so I did and got all kinds of great information—like how to size the midsection properly, using them with pads, and so on.

47-year-old female

I was asked to go get the diapers at a clinic, so I had them explain the options while I was there. When I actually got to the store I found there were so many different products that looked basically the same, and they were all priced differently. I read the descriptions on each package and selected the best ones. My mother-in-law, who was with me, just wearily asked which were cheapest. I wish they would more clearly indicate how many are in each package.

33-year-old female

My mother fell ill suddenly and started needing diapers, but I didn’t understand the sizing. I was also emotionally distressed over having to buy diapers for my own parent, and so I didn’t pay much attention when selecting a product at first. I didn’t know how many she would need, so I bought way too many tape-on ones. As she recovered she switched to pants type, so I ended up with a lot of tape-on diapers left over.

57-year-old female

My father lost control of his bowels after colon cancer surgery, so he had to start wearing diapers. He was still young so he was strongly against the word “diaper” at first. After repeated convincing, however, I decided to purchase them. Even when I went to the store, though, I was confused by all the sizes, feel of each product, whether they were designed for men, and so on.

53-year-old female

My mother’s a bigger woman, so I struggled with selecting the right size. Although things like the size, and whether the person can walk or is bedridden, are written on the product package, I knew we wouldn’t really know until I bought some and tried them, so I ended up buying several packages that I didn’t need.

44-year-old female

I struggled with sizing and ease of wear. My father is paralyzed on his left side, but he can use the bathroom by himself so I went with the pants type. I worried about the elastic being too tight, and whether he could get them on and off with one hand.

53-year-old female

I had no idea whether to go with pants type or tape-on, how much absorbency I needed, whether I needed a pad, or what. The ones I got ended up spilling out the sides, which was a big problem.

40-year-old female

I was really self-conscious at the checkout. I couldn’t go around telling people who they were for, but I was worried about what other people were thinking.

37-year-old female

You can buy the same medium/large size from different manufacturers and find they are completely different sizes, thicknesses, and textures. It was tough at first—I ended up buying six different products from a variety of companies and trying them out

33-year-old female

I needed the diapers urgently the first time I bought them and was distraught, but now they’ve become a critical part of the person’s life. Just one diaper changes the quality of their life and what they’re able to do. Wait until things settle down if you have to, but I think it’s good to really consider which products are best for the person while getting advice from people who know what they’re talking about.

33-year-old female

Hospital staff use them all the time of course. They told me that a medium size will work in most cases—and I think it’s good to ask them whatever you can. The hospital also sells a few at a time so you can try them out, which is useful. Drugstore employees are also really nice about answering questions.

33-year-old female

You should talk to someone who knows something about elder care before making a purchase. I was buying them for a bigger person who usually wears a large, for example, so that’s what I bought at first—but they didn’t work and ended up leaking. The medium size ended up being better.

35-year-old female

It’s worth visiting the website or somewhere else to look at product information first. If there’s someone you can ask in person that’s good too, and if you have a chance to get some samples, take advantage of it.

48-year-old female

The most important thing is getting something that’s easy for them to put on (or for you to put on them) and that’s comfortable for the person wearing it. After all, it’s hard to imagine the shock of the person who is having to wear diapers.

34-year-old female

If you’re not sure what kind of product to get, ask the manufacturer or a shop that sells nursing care items about the products, how to use them, and so on. It’s also good to get some samples and try them out before you buy.

54-year-old female

Don’t just do research on your own—I think you can really get some good information by using things like customer helplines. You can also check with them to see if the information you have is accurate or not.

53-year-old female

The best thing to do is contact a customer helpline. I made a lot of mistakes before I did that, and really wish I had called them sooner.

56-year-old female

You probably won’t have time to do a lot of advance research, so it’s better to buy them somewhere where the staff can give you some good advice.