What do I really need to do day to day?

[Arby]

Hi all,

I'm new to wearing diapers all the time.
So far I've been changing every 4-6 hours, and have been using high quality diapers with good acquisition, and have just been using Water Wipes between changes.
I wear a breathable diaper at least once a day, try and do this overnight.

I typically dry everything well after my shower but it isn't long until I put another diaper on.

I haven't had any major issues yet, just a small bit of itchiness which comes and goes.

I've heard things like barrier cream, anti-fungal cream, making sure to give everything time to dry properly etc.

I both have a budget and I'm trying not to get overwhelmed by how complicated things can be, and keep things as simple as I can.
Would you say anything I've mentioned, or anything I haven't, is essential?
I don't want to end up with an unexpected painful rash. On the other side, if it's fine to wear plastic-backed diapers with a certain routine to better manage smell, I might try that.
I'll be trying better wipes which are designed to create a barrier. I just need to be careful due to allergies.

Thanks all!

 

Edited February 11 by Arby

[Valentinesstuff]

Make sure you clean thoroughly during each change.

Make sure to wash thoroughly when you bathe.

Stay hydrated. It may sound counter intuitive, but if you are dehydrated your urine becomes more concentrated and more likely to cause problems. Also smellier.

Most importantly remember that people are too involved with themselves to notice what kind of underwear you have on.

 

Lastly, with adult diapers you get what you pay for. Cheap is just that, cheap. You'll get a bad fit, leaks, falling off, all sorts of problems. That doesn't mean you need the most expensive diapers, but you certainly don't want the cheapest.

[Slomo]

@Valentinesstuffis right about staying well hydrated. It cuts down on rashes and bad smells the best. Also counter intuative sounding, the slightly higher premium diapers can last you 8 hours, and will reduce rashes and smells even more.

They tend to cost less too when you look at it as a cost-per-day. Just multipy the cost-per-diaper by the number of changes in 24 hours. It depends on your actual needs and how often you want to change though, so you'll need to figure out which is best for you. For me, Meganax V2 with a booster is cheaper than Depends or Abena. Plus, no leaks or getting up many times at night.

Air time to fully dry out once daily is also important, which thankfully you're already doing. But beware those brethable cloth-like diapers. They evaporate pee, which makes any smells more obvious. And they sag and leak much more often than plastic backed, which makes wearing a diaper way more obvious than anything else.

Consider trimming or shaving any hair down there too. It goes a long way towards maintaining skin health. Shower at least every other day, minimum. And use an OTC rash cream with any sign of itching or a rash. And if a rash doesn't go away in a few days, it may not be a rash at all. Switch to an OTC anti-fungal.

Finally, adjust your wardrobe. Black is your friend for hiding any bulge or leaks. One size larger than you normally wear, with either a pleated or relaxed fit. Always carry a spare diaper and spare pants in your car. And if you're worried about smells or a diaper crinkle sound, wear a good diaper cover. I recommend the Northshore Trifecta PUL pants the most.

[Arby]

1 hour ago, Valentinesstuff said:

Make sure you clean thoroughly during each change.

Make sure to wash thoroughly when you bathe.

Stay hydrated. It may sound counter intuitive, but if you are dehydrated your urine becomes more concentrated and more likely to cause problems. Also smellier.

Most importantly remember that people are too involved with themselves to notice what kind of underwear you have on.

 

Lastly, with adult diapers you get what you pay for. Cheap is just that, cheap. You'll get a bad fit, leaks, falling off, all sorts of problems. That doesn't mean you need the most expensive diapers, but you certainly don't want the cheapest.

Thank you, it sounds like I'm doings most things right. I do drink enough, but it has put me off drinking as much as I did, so it's good to hear that advice.

I have noticed that no one notices, and don't really care if they do. I had to wear some non-baggy trousers with a tucked in shirt recently, and thought it was looking a bit bulky, but it was fine, even people who knew I started wearing asked me if I needed the toilet. Not sure they understand I need them all the time yet.

I'm going to try some cheaper ones and see how they go, reviews look decent and I like the other products from the brand.
I've tried some stored brand ones in the past though, was not good!

[Arby]

8 minutes ago, Slomo said:

@Valentinesstuffis right about staying well hydrated. It cuts down on rashes and bad smells the best. Also counter intuative sounding, the slightly higher premium diapers can last you 8 hours, and will reduce rashes and smells even more.

They tend to cost less too when you look at it as a cost-per-day. Just multipy the cost-per-diaper by the number of changes in 24 hours. It depends on your actual needs and how often you want to change though, so you'll need to figure out which is best for you. For me, Meganax V2 with a booster is cheaper than Depends or Abena. Plus, no leaks or getting up many times at night.

Air time to fully dry out once daily is also important, which thankfully you're already doing. But beware those brethable cloth-like diapers. They evaporate pee, which makes any smells more obvious. And they sag and leak much more often than plastic backed, which makes wearing a diaper way more obvious than anything else.

Consider trimming or shaving any hair down there too. It goes a long way towards maintaining skin health. Shower at least every other day, minimum. And use an OTC rash cream with any sign of itching or a rash. And if a rash doesn't go away in a few days, it may not be a rash at all. Switch to an OTC anti-fungal.

Finally, adjust your wardrobe. Black is your friend for hiding any bulge or leaks. One size larger than you normally wear, with either a pleated or relaxed fit. Always carry a spare diaper and spare pants in your car. And if you're worried about smells or a diaper crinkle sound, wear a good diaper cover. I recommend the Northshore Trifecta PUL pants the most.

I would love for larger ones to work out cheaper. for me though I use 4/5 Tena Ultima Slips a day, which is £15 for 21. I have found ones I want to try which absorb more but cost less, which is £10 for 15. If I used megamax, I would need 2/3 a day, but they are £25 for 10. So sadly it works out more expensive overall. I also do running, so something less bulky does help for that. When I have the budget, I will get some high capacity ones, as tbh changing less would make things more convenient.

Ah thanks, maybe just breathable ones at night is best. Though I find the smell isn't too bad so far.

Thanks, I'll consider the other maintenance aspects and get the things I need.

I can't really afford to buy more clothes etc atm, but what I have it fine for now, got a few body suits and pairs of plastic pants already for if I feel I need them.
Spares is something I've gotten into the habit of, thankfully haven't needed any yet.

Thanks!

[Valentinesstuff]

4 hours ago, Arby said:

I would love for larger ones to work out cheaper. for me though I use 4/5 Tena Ultima Slips a day, which is £15 for 21. I have found ones I want to try which absorb more but cost less, which is £10 for 15. If I used megamax, I would need 2/3 a day, but they are £25 for 10. So sadly it works out more expensive overall. I also do running, so something less bulky does help for that. When I have the budget, I will get some high capacity ones, as tbh changing less would make things more convenient.

Ah thanks, maybe just breathable ones at night is best. Though I find the smell isn't too bad so far.

Thanks, I'll consider the other maintenance aspects and get the things I need.

I can't really afford to buy more clothes etc atm, but what I have it fine for now, got a few body suits and pairs of plastic pants already for if I feel I need them.
Spares is something I've gotten into the habit of, thankfully haven't needed any yet.

Thanks!

Instead of going cheaper, where you might end up using 5 or 6 a day. I would suggest looking for one that is around £1 each, where you could go down to 3 or 4 a day. It might end up a bit cheaper in the long run, but will also mean fewer changes. Plus as diapers get cheaper, the quality in construction goes down too. That means less odor control, cheaper materials, more chance of the diaper loosening as you move around. Not much worse than trying to hold your diaper on through your clothes. And yes I've had to do that.

[Arby]

17 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

Instead of going cheaper, where you might end up using 5 or 6 a day. I would suggest looking for one that is around £1 each, where you could go down to 3 or 4 a day. It might end up a bit cheaper in the long run, but will also mean fewer changes. Plus as diapers get cheaper, the quality in construction goes down too. That means less odor control, cheaper materials, more chance of the diaper loosening as you move around. Not much worse than trying to hold your diaper on through your clothes. And yes I've had to do that.

Thanks, the ones I have atm are 71p each and I use about 4 a day, they are good quality too. Issue is I need a booster usually twice a day as well. I found ones that are cheaper at 66p each and have good reviews, which hold the same amount as the ones I have with a booster roughly.

£1 each would save me money if I only need 3, but I haven't been able to find any which match that price point, most which hold more are over twice the price from what I've been able to find so far. Megamax are £2.50 each here, which is too much.
Better Dry are about £1.50 each but I might need 4 a day, I might try them.

Tbh I might stick to the ones I've got for the most part, but get something high capacity just for the mornings, as I am an active person.

I don't really know what works best for me yet.

[Valentinesstuff]

I would try the BetterDry, either samples or one package at least. 

 

Don't forget to add in the cost of the boosters. 

[Arby]

2 minutes ago, Valentinesstuff said:

I would try the BetterDry, either samples or one package at least. 

 

Don't forget to add in the cost of the boosters. 

I will when they're back in stock I think. Atm I don't have the funds to use them full time though, even if I wanted to.

Boosters are about £3 for 30, so 10p each but does add up. Honestly if I can get the right product and not need boosters that would be great, they make the process of changing more time consuming and I don't find them as comfortable.

These are the ones I'm looking to try out (but the highest absorbancy), which will hopefully mean I don't need boosters.

https://www.ageukincontinence.co.uk/incontinence-shop/disposable-incontinence-products/adult-nappies/vivactive-slip-ultimate-medium-4450ml-15-pack.html

[Slomo]

On 2/11/2026 at 6:06 AM, Arby said:

I would love for larger ones to work out cheaper. for me though I use 4/5 Tena Ultima Slips a day, which is £15 for 21. I have found ones I want to try which absorb more but cost less, which is £10 for 15. If I used megamax, I would need 2/3 a day, but they are £25 for 10. So sadly it works out more expensive overall. I also do running, so something less bulky does help for that. When I have the budget, I will get some high capacity ones, as tbh changing less would make things more convenient.

Ah thanks, maybe just breathable ones at night is best. Though I find the smell isn't too bad so far.

Thanks, I'll consider the other maintenance aspects and get the things I need.

I can't really afford to buy more clothes etc atm, but what I have it fine for now, got a few body suits and pairs of plastic pants already for if I feel I need them.
Spares is something I've gotten into the habit of, thankfully haven't needed any yet.

Thanks!

Ah, but you need less cost per day, not less cost per diaper. As an example, if you could find a diaper that cost 2x more, but also last 2x longer, then the "more expensive" diaper would actually cost you the exact same amount. But the real reason to use the more expensive diaper is because they leak less, cause fewer rashes, and need changing less. 

 

So right now your Tena costs about 0.72 each. At 5x per day, you're spending 3.57 per day. And the Megamax cost 2.50 each. You wouldn't need more than 2 per day, so they would cost you 5.00 per day. Meaning the better deal for you is to keep using the Tena.

I don't know about the other ones you mentioned, but if you only need 3 of them per day, at 1.50 each then you'd be saving a very small amount of money. Possibly more worth it if they function better and leak less. Maybe worth trying them at least.

[Arby]

On 2/16/2026 at 12:48 AM, Slomo said:

Ah, but you need less cost per day, not less cost per diaper. As an example, if you could find a diaper that cost 2x more, but also last 2x longer, then the "more expensive" diaper would actually cost you the exact same amount. But the real reason to use the more expensive diaper is because they leak less, cause fewer rashes, and need changing less. 

 

So right now your Tena costs about 0.72 each. At 5x per day, you're spending 3.57 per day. And the Megamax cost 2.50 each. You wouldn't need more than 2 per day, so they would cost you 5.00 per day. Meaning the better deal for you is to keep using the Tena.

I don't know about the other ones you mentioned, but if you only need 3 of them per day, at 1.50 each then you'd be saving a very small amount of money. Possibly more worth it if they function better and leak less. Maybe worth trying them at least.

Aye, that's what I figure out too, I'd love to use Megamax and do less changes, but need more funds for that. I have used large capacity ones like them before and find I usually need 3 a day, so would be 7.50 per day. The new ones I got at 15 for £10, so 0.66 each, they say they hold more a bit more than Tena. Just trying them out today, hopefully they do a good job.
Othewise Tena have been a solid choice.

I'm seeing what I can get on prescription though, and might have an external catheter and leg bag to wear most of the time instead anyway, will see how it all goes.
I'll probably use diapers for when I'm more active, but it'll save money overall.