If the nights work, most families can cope with the days. If the nights do not work, everyone is exhausted and every other problem gets harder. It is worth putting real thought into this one.
Use a tape style diaper at night
Even for someone who wears pull-up pants all day. Tape style products hold more, sit more securely when lying down, and can be checked or changed without asking a sleeping person to stand up. Our Premium Adult Diapers are designed for up to twelve hours, which is what a night actually needs.
Put an underpad under the person
This is the step families skip, and it is the one that saves the mattress. A 60 x 90 cm underpad under the hips takes anything that escapes and turns a two in the morning full bed change into a thirty second swap. Keep a spare pad and a spare product within arm's reach of the bed so nobody is searching a cupboard in the dark.
Get the fit right before you get to bedtime
- Bring the lower tapes up at an angle towards the hips, not straight across. That is what closes the leg gap.
- Run a finger around both leg elastics and pull the frill outward so it sits flat. A tucked in leg cuff channels liquid straight out.
- The waist should be snug enough that the product does not slide down when the person turns.
Manage the evening, not just the product
- Keep fluids normal through the day and taper in the last two hours before bed. Do not restrict water overall, which only concentrates the urine and irritates the bladder.
- Cut tea and coffee after early evening.
- Use the toilet as the last thing before lying down, every night, so it becomes routine.
- If there is swelling in the legs, raising them for an hour in the evening can reduce how much the body offloads overnight. Ask the doctor whether that applies here.
Decide whether to wake for a change
There are two schools of thought and the right answer depends on the person.
Do not wake them if the product is holding, the skin is healthy and sleep is precious for both of you. That is what a twelve hour product is for.
Do wake them if the skin is already irritated, if there is a pressure sore risk, or if the morning check shows the product at its limit. A brief change at three is better than damaged skin.
Set the room up once
Keep a stack of products, underpads, wipes, a bin liner and a change of clothes on a tray beside the bed. Leave a dim night light on. Put the phone where the caregiver can hear it. Doing this once means the bad night, when it comes, takes ten minutes instead of an hour.
For the change itself, our step by step guide covers doing it in bed without waking someone fully.
Guidance from our care team rather than medical advice. A doctor or nurse can advise on absorbency for a specific condition.