So I started a thread a few days ago about the 3 channel diapers that P&G have been making and I wanted to know what other people thought about them. So it got me thinking. What is next for diapers? 3 channel might be a gimmick thanks to other companies not picking it up and patent issues. What could diapers add?
Is there a feature that you have always hoped diapers would get but haven’t yet? Or something you think would be fun?
Diapers could always be upgraded in leak guards or absorbency but what other things could they possibly need?
What do you think the future of diapers will be like?
You could have a good point with the 3 channels being patented, and so long as P&G finds it successful, they can continue to reapply for it indefinitely. However, in our society, I think if other companies thought it was a worthwhile upgrade, they would have their own similar yet different design. It could be a gimmick that fades away.
I think the design of disposables is something fairly straightforward and their functional design is what it is; velcro tapes, cloth cover on plastic backing, leakguards that could be higher than some, or in multiples (double vs triple), then SAP and wood pulp. Maybe a wetness indicator/fade away designs.
As for future improvements, I think it would be fun to have “appear when wet” designs, especially with something like foliage, camo, or stars/moons/planets with a night sky. But that’s a dream.
What I could see a company doing, and I doubt it would be a big company, would be someone using different materials that are more environmentally friendly such as hemp, as it can be woven into a cloth textile (cloth cover, “wood pulp”), and even into biodegradable plastics; (plastic back sheet, and while I bet it would be a struggle, maybe even a SAP). If they could do that, and have a biodegradable diaper, that would be a huge jump forward for managing the waste/decay time of current disposables.
The one thing I would love to see upgraded is adult pullups. Maybe one of these days we will have a company make an adult version of goodnites that are actually worth it. Who knows when this will happen though, it seems like no one wants to produce pullups with quality.
I’d like it if one of the companies of our community did that, and they’re the only ones I could see doing it, and doing correctly, with both an ABDL and medical appeal, such as Rearz or Crinklz
This. With plastic bags and plastic straws going the way of the dodo, one can only assume that there will be pressure on diaper companies to make biodegradable products. Initially it will be a niche diaper, but I would hope that they become mainstream if they work just as well as the synthetic ones.
While it’s a bit further off, the development of washable period and light incontinence pants makes me think that one day there will be regular looking underwear that can contain a full bladder wetting.
I AGREE 100%! This is one of the thing that I really find annoying with most cloth backed diapers (including my fav Lille’s) is that when the material stretches due wearing and moving, plus slight wetness/added weight I often find that if not supported by a brief or onesie they will become so lose they can actually fall down. A material with some elasticity would prevent the material currently used from becoming overstretched.
I often purposely stretch them before initially before applying them initially. I still remember being 14-16yo buying them alone at the med supply shop and the nice sales rep showing me how to properly prepare a diaper before applying. Before folding the center into a channel I remember her showing me to tug on them from the edges length and width a process she (or the nursing community she had been a part of) termed as “roping” the diaper. Ah, how embarrassing topics can form long term memories. lul
The only diaper that reminded me of the diapers of the 90’s because of the thickness, how much they held, and the way they fit was the very first Bambinos that came out in the late 2000’s. I remember wearing them and the fit was absolutely snug and comfortable. I wish they would bring those 90’s diapers back. I think those were the best out of all of history. Then make them in adult sizes also.
I’d like to see stronger, more sticky tapes become the norm. Nothing ruins a batch of high quality, expensive diapers like a run with weak tapes. That’s what happened with the last pack of Crinklz I bought and I had to tape them with packing tape.
I’d also like to see the designs that appear when wet, that would be a cute feature. I was a 90s baby and remember the blue stars that would fade when they got wet.
Not really a real upgrade, but aesthetically I’d like to see some adult diapers with softer pastel prints, rather than the somewhat garish primary coloured prints we have now, and I’d like to see more that were white with printed landing zones, rather than printed all over.
I suspect the problem with that is one of manufacturing. Diapers are manufactured on a continuous roll, and adding a feature that runs across it side to side is probably difficult.
Diapers for those who choose what to buy and wear will be more stylish and more looking like underwear, probably able to wick away wetness faster and stay drier when wet. They however will not be more absorbent.
For those in the hands of caregivers, diapers will become easier to handle by the caregiver. Here, I have hope that someone will come out with an efficient integrated design that mixes a disposable absorbent pad with a reusable and lockable compression pant that works well with dementia people who feel compelled to undress and/or tamper with the diaper.
Maybe a 3D printer that can print fully functional replicas of discontinued diapers? that’d be nice a cheap way to try all the 90s and 2000s adult diapers I never got to experience.
I’m pretty satisfied with the state of diapers nowadays. Like most others, a good ABDL pull up would be awesome.
I’m also a HUGE fan for the original purple Molicare Super Plus diapers. I like the new, blue plastic backed ones they have for great fit and absorbency, but there’s something about the amount of wood pulp the originals had and the softness of the plastic that makes me melt. I’m rationing my last pack of the purples!