# Diaper assistance needed! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814 "2004-12-14T17:30:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/1 "2004-12-14T17:30:01Z")
So the 16-month old has outgrown the size 5 overnight diapers (you have to let them ride down the back to fit enough over the front, and then pee leaks up the back). They don’t make size six overnight diapers. Regular size six diapers don’t last overnight, and he wakes up wet and grouchy about 2 hours before he was waking up. What the hell am I supposed to do? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/2 "2004-12-14T17:59:15Z")
Try these. When our oldest (now almost 18) was a baby, disposables weren’t nearly as good as they are now, and we used these all the time. Back then, you could buy them in drug stores and such. Don’t know if you still can, or not. We didn’t need them for our two younger ones. However, if you can’t find them locally, it might be worth mail-ordering a bunch of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/3 "2004-12-14T21:27:08Z")
Are you talking about specifically “diapers”–or “pullups”–that BabyVor is too big for? “Diapers” are the ones that wrap up through the crotch with sticky tape on the sides, (or diaper pins if you’re the back-to-the-land type). Pullups[sup]TM[/sup] are the super-absorbent training-pant arrangement sold right next to the diapers. They make 'em in sizes big enough for five-year-olds, so unless BabyVor is the size of BabyPaulBunyan, then you ought to be able to find something that fits him and will keep him from waking up wet and chilly in the middle of the night. And generally speaking by the time your kid is literally too big for diapers, it’s time to move him up to Pullups anyway. 16 months is plenty old enough for Pullups. If, however, your kid is too big even for Pullups, then I’m sorry but I have no advice for you, but you do have my utter sympathy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/4 "2004-12-14T21:55:48Z")
**norinew** , that looks like the sort of think I was hoping existed. **DDG** , I’m afraid that I might be making an incorrect assumption. I figured that pull-ups would have less absorbant stuff in them than diapers, since I thought that they’re for older kids that are supposed to be working on, um, control issues. Your post seems to suggest that pull-ups are _more_ absorbant…which also makes sense in a way, since a bigger kid is going to make more pee. Is that how it works? Pullups hold more than diapers? -lv ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/5 "2004-12-14T22:11:47Z")
**norinew** , your link was to diaper liners, which are thin and, by design, not very absorbant. They’re generally meant to hold the feces away from cloth diapers so that you can peel off the liner and toss the feces and liner in the toilet and flush. Perhaps you meant diaper doublers, which are padded and absorbent? All I can find on-line is cloth ones, but I know we used disposable diaper doublers with WhyKid about a decade ago, for precisely the reason in the OP. **LordVor** , pull ups seem to be about as absorbant as diapers of a similar size. But they’re harder to put on an uncooperative toddler, because they pull on like underwear. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/6 "2004-12-14T22:49:51Z")
I’ve used diaper doublers last year with my daughter. They are essentially a rectangular chunk of the absorbent material that diapers are made of, designed to go inside the regular diapers and absorb extra pee. They worked great. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/7 "2004-12-14T22:51:37Z")
Oh, and I find pullups to be WAY easier to put on an uncooperative toddler, since you just have to force the legs in and yank them up, you don’t have to hold the kid down while you are fussing with the velcro straps while she’s doing alligator-style death rolls. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/8 "2004-12-15T00:07:53Z")
I believe they make Pull-Ups in an overnight version that is meant to hold seriously copious amounts. They’re meant to pretty much be diapers anyway, so they should work great. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/9 "2004-12-15T00:10:41Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > norinew, your link was to diaper liners, which are thin and, by design, not very absorbant. They’re generally meant to hold the feces away from cloth diapers so that you can peel off the liner and toss the feces and liner in the toilet and flush. > > Perhaps you meant diaper doublers, which are padded and absorbent? All I can find on-line is cloth ones, but I know we used disposable diaper doublers with WhyKid about a decade ago, for precisely the reason in the OP. At second glance, you’re right. These are not what I was thinking of/hoping for. I also searched [drugstore.com](http://drugstore.com), with no success; the closest I could find were Depends liners. Of course, you might price out just such a thing, and see if you think them worth it. Even a maxi-pad might be worth trying. When all else fails, get creative! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/10 "2004-12-15T00:43:00Z")
Perhaps these are more what you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/11 "2004-12-15T01:57:05Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Oh, and I find pullups to be WAY easier to put on an uncooperative toddler, since you just have to force the legs in and yank them up, you don’t have to hold the kid down while you are fussing with the velcro straps while she’s doing alligator-style death rolls. My toddler diaper trick was to diaper them on a chair. That is, kid stands on a dining room chair and holds onto the back while I diaper him standing up. It takes most of his concentration to stay upright, and he has none left to make my job difficult. Pullups with this technique are harder because they neccesitate lifting the feet up in turn. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/12 "2004-12-15T04:47:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* alligator-style death rolls\*\* LOL! 😃 [been there, done that] I never had problems putting pullups on an uncooperative toddler, mainly because as soon as the toddler in question comprehended that only Babies wear diapers, and that Big Kids and Mommies and Daddies all wear “pants”, the problem went away. “Socialization”, it’s called. In my experience pullups are just as absorbent as diapers; the only downside is that it’s a lot easier to clean up a poopie when you can lay the subject down and very carefully open up the package, whereas cleaning up a poopie Pullup, necessitating the oh-so-careful pull-down over the legs, can be tricky. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/13 "2004-12-15T04:57:05Z")
Ok I just gotta ask: What are you FEEDING him? 16 months old and a size 5? Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/14 "2004-12-15T05:17:16Z")
> [@Abbie Carmichael](#): > > Ok I just gotta ask: > > What are you FEEDING him? > > 16 months old and a size 5? Wow! Whadja mean? 11-month-old Aidan has been wearing size 4 diapers since he was 9 months old, and will undoubtedly be in 5s by 16 months. ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/15 "2004-12-15T05:34:28Z")
I found the disposable [Diaper Doublers](http://www.diapersite.com/baby_diapers_cstore.htm#diaperdoublers) . They’re about 3/4 of the way down the page, under the PullUps and GoodNites. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/16 "2004-12-15T12:13:35Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > the only downside is that it’s a lot easier to clean up a poopie when you can lay the subject down and very carefully open up the package, whereas cleaning up a poopie Pullup, necessitating the oh-so-careful pull-down over the legs, can be tricky. All of the Pull-Ups type of underwear I’ve ever used have “tear-away” sides, just for this situation. You can rip straight down the seam, quite neatly. Great for cleaning up poopy kids! ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/17 "2004-12-15T16:51:50Z")
Excel **lent**! They’ve improved them, then, since the last time I used them, which was innnn… [_thinks_]… 1991. Psst, Abbie? Diaper sizes don’t correspond to the Kid’s age, it’s not like toddler clothing where the size 2T probably does fit a 2-year-old. They usually come in size 1 through 6, which numbers are fairly arbitrarily assigned to a certain range of weight. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/18 "2004-12-15T17:13:39Z")
Well, we tried the small pull-ups last night. They were about the same size as a size 6 diaper, and had about the same results. I’m buying a package of bigger ones for tonight. Thanks for the help, all. Yes, he’s a “barrel roller”. Yes, the pull-up was eaiser to put on. And yes, he’s a big boy, but not even the biggest in his playgroup. They just grow-em big these days. He’s more tall (32 inches!) than anything else, so he’s outgrowing the crotch-to-waist limit on the smaller diapers. > [@norinew](#): > > All of the Pull-Ups type of underwear I’ve ever used have “tear-away” sides, just for this situation. You can rip straight down the seam, quite neatly. Great for cleaning up poopy kids! Amusing story. My BIL was an engineer on the design team for the original Pull-Ups. They were working very hard to figure out how to fix a defect in the design. It seems that the sides would tend to tear when you’re taking the diaper off of a toddler. They were honestly very worried about what they were going to do about it, until the results from the first focus group came back and all the moms said how they loved the fact that they could just rip them down the sides to take them off. -lv ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/19 "2004-12-15T17:47:19Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > Psst, Abbie? Diaper sizes don’t correspond to the Kid’s age, it’s not like toddler clothing where the size 2T probably does fit a 2-year-old. They usually come in size 1 through 6, which numbers are fairly arbitrarily assigned to a certain range of weight. Yes, I know. It wasn’t too long ago that Abbie Jr. was in diapers. Maybe I’ve forgotten what size she was back then. I know that we never had to go to pull ups because she outgrew diapers, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814/20 "2004-12-15T20:37:48Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > LOL! 😃 > [been there, done that] > I never had problems putting pullups on an uncooperative toddler, mainly because as soon as the toddler in question comprehended that only Babies wear diapers, and that Big Kids and Mommies and Daddies all wear “pants”, the problem went away. > > “Socialization”, it’s called. > > In my experience pullups are just as absorbent as diapers; the only downside is that it’s a lot easier to clean up a poopie when you can lay the subject down and very carefully open up the package, whereas cleaning up a poopie Pullup, necessitating the oh-so-careful pull-down over the legs, can be tricky. Yep, the poopie-pullup problem is solved via tearaway side panels. And my daughter prefers “underwear” to diapers of course, since big people wear underwear. But she’d rather wear nothing at all and run around the house naked. She can sometimes recognize that she needs to use the potty, but more often she’ll look surprised and say “I’m peeing!” while the carpet gets soaked. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diaper-assistance-needed/279814.md?page=2)