Ultimate Guide: Choosing the Best Adult Diaper for Comfort and Discreetness

What Types of Products Are Available?

The market for adult diapers is vast and confusing, making the choice of the right product difficult. Incontinence affects many people, and selecting the right aids can significantly contribute to a better quality of life. In this guide, you will learn what to consider when choosing suitable adult diapers.

Modern absorbent incontinence products come in different varieties:

• classic tab-style adult diapers (also called taped diapers or diaper briefs)
• incontinence pull-ups, also known as pull-ons or pants
• diaper briefs with a hip belt/flex-style diapers
• pads or inserts worn in mesh pants
• smaller pads that are stuck into regular underwear

In addition, there are also non-absorbent incontinence aids (e.g., catheters, condom catheters), which are not covered in this article. These have their own pros and cons. In particular, catheterization can be very uncomfortable for some people and can be quite painful for a few days even after removal.

All of these incontinence aids have one thing in common: They enable you to live an active life despite bladder or bowel incontinence. However, the right product must be chosen based on the type of incontinence and individual circumstances to ensure optimal care. Sometimes, it makes sense to combine different types of products depending on the situation. For example, many people use pull-ups during the day and use taped adult diapers at night because they are more absorbent and leak-proof.

Individual Needs

In many cases, adult diapers with higher absorbency are recommended. For example, this might be because the opportunity to change is not easily planned, or because the diaper needs to last through the night to allow for a restful sleep. Leaks and interrupted sleep can be exhausting for everyone involved. One advantage of tab-style products is that they can be changed while standing up, without having to remove pants.

Even during sports activities, a fitted tab-style adult diaper is often the best choice due to its secure fit. To determine the right absorbency, it can help to keep a weighing log that notes the weight of the incontinence product before and after use. This allows you to check whether a more or less absorbent product might make sense. A certain safety margin should be included to prevent leaks if a change cannot happen immediately.

During the day, pull-ups can be practical because they can be pulled on and off like regular underwear. They can serve as a “backup” if you only want to prevent small accidents. For disposal, most pull-up models have tear-away seams on the sides and an adhesive strip on the back so that the diaper can be rolled up and secured. We will introduce the various product types in more detail below.

Classic Tab-Style Adult Diapers

Tab-style adult diapers are the classic option for incontinence care. This type of diaper is frequently used in nursing care because it’s user-friendly, highly leak-proof, and flexible to change. They are available in higher absorbency levels than other products and often feature tall leak guards. They are suitable for nighttime use, extended wear, sports activities, and changing on the go.

Adult diapers can be changed without assistance, even while standing. Due to their high absorbency and excellent leak protection, some divers in dry suits, glider pilots, and astronauts also wear adult diapers.

The image shows a typical diaper with four adhesive tabs. We offer these in both a nighttime and daytime absorbency. The nighttime model BetterDry 10 was a test winner and received recognition for its excellent performance (named both performance and cost-performance winner in the ADISC Advanced Diaper Reviews (April 2020) and received the top rating of very good in every category by the Incontinence Resource Center). The daytime model BetterDry 7 is based on the nighttime model but has lower absorbency.

When choosing the right absorbency for adult diapers, always include a safety margin to reduce the pressure to change right away for everyone involved. Modern adult diapers contain a high amount of superabsorbent material, which means they are much thinner than they used to be. However, even modern adult diapers still swell when used, as the liquid must be absorbed.

Booster pads can shift around inside adult diapers, and their absorbency and distribution are often inferior to the main diaper’s core. Their rewetting properties are often worse, which can affect overall comfort. In certain cases, however, they can be helpful, which is why we designed the leak guards of our BetterDry 10 and 7 adult diapers to be extra tall, so they offer good leak protection even when used with boosters.

Incontinence Pull-Ups, Also Called Pull-Ons or Pants

Pull-ons are diapers that can be put on and taken off like regular underwear. They have tear-away seams on the sides and often an adhesive strip on the back to roll up the diaper for disposal. Pull-up diapers must fit very well to be leak-proof. By design, they have lower leak guards compared to tab-style adult diapers, so they’re only moderately leak-proof when sitting, lying down, in cases of bowel incontinence, or with sudden, large urine voids.

When you’re out and about, changing pull-ups can be more challenging than tab-style diapers because you need to remove your pants and shoes before putting on a new pull-up. This can be uncomfortable in public restrooms. That’s why it can make sense to use a tab-style diaper as a backup when you’re out. In our store, you will find our BetterDry 8 Pull-Ons. Under the circumstances mentioned, we consider these a very practical product.

Adult Diapers with a Hip Belt/Flex-Style Diapers

With flex-style diapers, you first secure a hip belt in place. You then pull the actual diaper from the back, through the legs, and fasten it in front using Velcro strips. This product type is easy to put on and is airy, but it comes with significant drawbacks: The Velcro strips used for fastening often cause chafing.

Due to its design, this type of product does not securely wrap around the buttocks, reducing leak protection. These adult diapers are therefore not suitable for overnight use, sports, or any situation requiring high leak protection. However, they might be considered for changing after using pull-ups. Because of their limited leak protection and comfort issues, we do not carry this product type in our range.

Pads or Inserts Worn in Mesh Pants

For mild forms of incontinence, an open system consisting of mesh pants and absorbent inserts might be sufficient. These can also be easily changed while standing. Because of their open construction, they allow more air to circulate around the skin than other types of adult diapers. A downside is that these products offer limited leak protection — especially at night. The pad can shift around, and mesh pants are not waterproof. Because of the low leak protection, we do not carry this product type in our assortment.

How Is an Adult Diaper Constructed?

The Outer Layer

The outer layer of a diaper or pull-up plays a major role in wearing comfort. Some products use cloth-like materials, while others use plastic backing. Cloth-like materials come in two varieties: Teflon laminates that are vapor-permeable, and plastic films covered with a textile layer, which are not vapor-permeable. However, this vapor-permeability only works as long as the product remains dry. Once it has absorbed fluid, a gel block forms, preventing further vapor transmission. Instead, because of the user’s significant weight pressing down, moisture can be forced out, causing unpleasant odors. For products that use textile-like material over plastic, there can be chafing between the legs during longer periods of walking.

Plastic backing reduces the risk of leaks and unpleasant odors and poses no chafing risk. Cloth-like surfaces were originally introduced for baby diapers because parents found them more pleasant than plastic. This trend extended to adult diapers a few years ago, despite its drawbacks. However, the weight and proportions of an adult are quite different, and using only a plastic backing saves extra material that would otherwise need to be disposed of.

The Absorbent Core in Incontinence Products

The absorbent core is equally important for a good diaper. It ensures that urine is quickly absorbed and there is no rewetting, even when the wearer sits down on a wet diaper. The wearer’s heavier weight and the diaper’s larger dimensions compared to a baby diaper are critical factors. The core must also distribute moisture evenly to prevent leaks.

These tasks require high-quality superabsorbent polymers, a distribution layer (often called an Acquisition and Distribution Layer/ADL), and pulp. If a diaper has high-quality superabsorbent materials and pulp, it should not smell unpleasant even a few hours after being disposed of. Ammonia is bound, preventing strong odors and protecting the skin.

How Do I Find the Right Adult Diaper?

Before choosing an incontinence product, you should consult a specialist (urologist or other relevant healthcare provider) to determine the type of incontinence, its causes, and possible treatment options. Many types of incontinence can be treated.

How Do I Find the Right Diaper Size?

Not every adult diaper fits everyone. The person affected should test various products first and foremost. This graphic summarizes the actual dimensions of our products so you can compare them to a product that fits you well.

Once these conditions are clarified and the right adult diapers are found for the individual user, everyday life becomes much easier.

Be active and enjoy your life!