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After purchasing cloth diapers and plastic pants for your older child—depending on the age of the child—the parents and/or older siblings may need to assist them with diapering themself. How soon the child is able to be independent in this area depends on their development— customer service reps from various companies selling pin-on cloth diapers for older children, teenagers, and adults say that children as old as 8 or 9 may still need their parents' help in this matter. Eventually though, the child should be able to do this by themself. In addition, children with cognitive and/or physical impairments may need to be diapered later than children without these issues. This article details the steps required to diaper an older bedwetting child.
Steps
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Have a discussion with them regarding the matter. It's very likely an older child will be embarrassed about their parents and older siblings being involved in private matters such as these. As children get older, they desire and expect more privacy. Before the diapers are put on for the first time, it would be a good idea to have this conversation with the child(ren) a few days beforehand, such as after the diapers and plastic pants are ordered. Put their mind at ease and let them know that in some cases even incontinent adults need assistance diapering themselves for various reasons.- Let the child know that the reason you're diapering them is that using diaper pins can be somewhat tricky—it can be difficult using the pins and they could hurt themself. Tell them that over time they'll be able to do this on their own.
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Tell them step-by-step what the diapering process entails. Tell them what to expect when you or another family member puts the diapers on them - and do it some hours before their first diapering.Tell them also how they can cooperate to make their diapering as easy as possible. Let them see and touch the cloth diapers and plastic pants they are going to wear, and let them ask any questions they may have and listen to their concerns.Advertisement -
Know what prefold you're going to use. There are a couple of prefolds that are easiest to use for pin-on style diapers—the “angel wing” fold and the “newspaper” fold. For parents new to using diaper pins, these seem like the most hassle free methods. Each of the methods are described below. -
When diapering, have them sit in the middle of the diaper and pin them on. The child needs to be positioned so the child has enough padding in both the front and back.
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Tips
- If the bedwetter has an older sister or sisters they can be responsible for assisting the child or children too, that way it can free up the parents to do other things if need be. The reason it's preferable to have a sister involved in this task is that girls tend to mature faster than boys, plus their maternal instinct comes into play. As a result they most likely will be able to handle the situation in a much more mature and sensitive fashion.Thanks
- The parents have to decide for themselves when they feel the child will be ready to accomplish this part of their bedtime routine by themselves. Once the parents feel the youngster is capable enough to put on their protection in a manner that will effectively manage their bedwetting, then they can let them fly solo. This may be different with each child.Thanks
- It's highly likely that a child over the age of 4 or 5 will strongly resist being diapered by their parents and sisters. The child will most likely put up a fight and the family will have to contend with nightly battles to get the child put to bed. Do not despair, there are a number of tips both parents and sisters can use to make the nighttime diapering run smoothly:
- When the parents or sisters are diapering the child, it's important to watch the child's reactions. If the child seems uncomfortable, the siblings or parents should put the child at ease. There are a number of ways to do this.
- First, the parents or sisters should make eye contact with the child and smile (like they would when diapering a baby) to make the child feel comfortable.
- A second way is to talk to them in a calm, reassuring, and loving manner, verbal interaction is an important part of the process, and there are many things that could be said to the child to make them feel less anxious when you diaper them. For instance, the sister or parent should offer them words of encouragement and empathize with the child, in this regard they could say something along these lines: "I realize you may feel uncomfortable with me diapering you, but the reason I'm putting the diapers on is to make sure they're put on correctly and fit you well, that way you stay nice and dry and comfy. Also, you may not realize this, but adults wear diapers too and some of them need assistance putting their diapers on." In addition, they should also let the child know how proud you are for how well they're behaving during the diapering process—"I think it's wonderful that you're behaving so well and acting like such a big boy/girl during this, I know it's a little embarrassing, but there's nothing to be ashamed of, people of all ages wear diapers." It's very important to make the child feel that it's no big deal. It's also a good idea to put the diapers and plastic pants on a little before bedtime and then as the child is getting into bed ask them if they are comfortable, Sometimes the diaper might be pinned a little too snug and need to be adjusted. To the child, being comfortable means he or she can get a good night's sleep.
- A third way to make the child feel at ease is to tell them what you're doing at each step. For instance you can say, "I'm going to put the diaper on now." Next you can say, "Now it's time for the plastic pants." If they feel despondent you can offer them words of encouragement—"I know you're not too happy about wearing protection, but we don't want you to wake up all wet and yucky, besides, you look real adorable wearing the diapers and plastic pants."
- You can also make diapering time fun for the youngster and something they look forward to, instead of something to dread. One way to do this is by engaging in a little bit of physical play with the child (such as tickling). This can be done either before putting the diapers and plastic pants on them or you can do it while putting the protection on. For instance, after pinning the diapers on you can tickle them, then you can tickle them right after slipping the plastic pants on over the diapers, in fact, it would probably be more effective doing this when putting the protection on as opposed to before putting it on. This will put them in a good mood and make them feel less anxious and apprehensive about the diapering. However be aware that tickling might cause the child starting to pee - just like it can for babies. Be prepared for this event by having the child laying on a plastic covered changing pad and have a dry diaper ready to soak up the pee.
- Finally, you can add some humor to the mix. The following are some ideas of things the parent or sister can say to the boy or girl when putting on their diapers and plastic pants:
- "You know how superheroes have special super powers? Well the diapers and plastic pants will give you super powers—the power to keep you and your bed dry."
- "Okay, we're expecting heavy rains and flooding tonight so it's time to build the flood wall. Here's the sandbags (you can say this when pinning the diaper on) and here's the plastic sheeting (you can say this when putting the plastic pants on) this will keep the city and all it's people nice, dry, and safe."
- "I have to make sure you're all covered up before going to bed, otherwise when you wake up they'll be a rainbow in the room."
- "It's a good thing you're wearing diapers and plastic pants again, because you pee so much at night it's like Niagara Falls in your bed."
- "If we don't put the diapers and plastic pants on you, you'll be water logged."
- "We have to put you back in diapers and plastic pants. It's either that or you wear a raincoat to bed."
- "In addition to the diapers and plastic pants, we'll have to get you some water wings or a life jacket."
- "I know you have some problems with flooding, but don't be sad, we'll take care of it. We're gonna build a nice dam to keep the water out and prevent everything from getting soaked. Here's the materials we're gonna use to build it [at this point show them the diapers and plastic pants]." "Time to build the dam."
- "I realize you may be upset about having to wear the diapers and plastic pants, but if I don't put them on you they'll have to declare a state of emergency for your bed due to the flooding."
- These are just a few things you can say to the child to lighten the mood and make them feel better about the situation. You may have other ideas too - be creative. With a bit of imagination, you can make getting ready for bed an enjoyable occasion for the bedwetter and not something to be anxious about.
Thanks - When the parents or sisters are diapering the child, it's important to watch the child's reactions. If the child seems uncomfortable, the siblings or parents should put the child at ease. There are a number of ways to do this.
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Warnings
- Make sure you use diaper pins with the plastic heads when putting a diaper on your bedwetting child and not regular safety pins. Safety pins can seriously hurt the child.Thanks
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References
- http://www.kellyscloset.com/Prefold-and-Flat-Diapers_c_601.html — research source for "Angel Wing" fold and "Newspaper" fold
About This Article
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Reader Success Stories
- "We have been having real fights at night with Jimmy (now 11) and getting him to accept being diapered, but we added a fun element, providing a new toy truck to play with while being diapered. Jimmy is now eager to get diapered even as early as 7pm." ..." more
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"We have been having real fights at night with Jimmy (now 11) and getting him to accept being diapered, but we added a fun element, providing a new toy truck to play with while being diapered. Jimmy is now eager to get diapered even as early as 7pm."
..."
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"I am a 14-year-old girl who babysits a boy my age. He needs to be diapered because of a mental handicap. He is very large and can be hard to handle for a small girl like me. Using your method for cloth diapering makes it much easier for me."
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"We have 3 bedwetters ages 10, 8 and 6, and all three of them are now in cloth diapers and plastic pants for bed. The information included in this article is very good for other parents who have a bedwetting child as it is true and factual. "
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"Having an older bed wetter is difficult for both the bed wetter and the family. Having an article that you can go to with the bed wetter that carefully explains the steps involved to make the child more comfortable is a good thing."
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