Best Tips & Tricks When Using Adult Incontinence Products
When you’ve been using male incontinence products as long as I have, you learn a trick or two you’ll never read on any package or brochure. They are things manufacturers and suppliers miss because they don't personally use the products. Most of the helpful information, I believe, comes from everyday use of a product and trial and error. Find out the secret tips I've learned along the way, so you can get the most out of your product and cut down on the chances of leaks!
Find Underwear with Spandex
Even if you’ve switched over to incontinence diapers or pull-on briefs full time, there are a few really good reasons to have some underwear in your drawer:
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Washable underwear with Spandex (at least 5%) will fit snugly over a diaper or pull-on, and keep everything in place—even when the absorbent garment gets heavy. Diapers or pull-ons that sag create gaps and opportunities for leaks.
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Underwear with Spandex helps keep the noise down. If you wear PE—i.e., plastic-backed diapers—they can make a little rustle. And while you’re likely the only one who can hear it, in a quiet environment it’s always nice to have a little extra muffling.
For Nighttime Use, Get a Waterproof Cover
This goes double for side sleepers. The NorthShore Supreme and MEGAMAX are great diapers for nighttime use, but hey, leaks happen. Maybe the diaper shifted, maybe it gapped a bit—whatever. The point is that wetness finds a way.
TRIFECTA Waterproof Covers can catch the leak, but with nothing to absorb it, it will just roll around looking for a way out. A simple pair of cotton underwear will capture and absorb that issue and keep it from ruining your day. Cotton briefs work best for this little trick, by the way.
SHOP TRIFECTA
Use Booster Pads
Also known as “diaper doublers,” boosters are great for increasing the capacity of a diaper or pull-on. (Just make sure they won’t interfere with the standing leak guards or make the garment too heavy to stay in place.) But they can also keep sheets dry.
Where do you get leaks at night? Out the top? Back? Sides? Put a booster there. Yep, no kidding. Putting a booster in the “wings,” the top waistband (front or back) will help capture the wetness on its way to freedom and lock it down. Try it, you’ll like it!
Tuck the Top of Tab-Style Briefs
One of the best things about diapers—sorry, “tabbed briefs”—is that you can get the snug fit you want. But there’s always that extra bit of material at the top. Some people ignore it, others roll it forward. But if you tuck it back inside the diaper, you’ve done two important things:
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Reduced the chances of leaks—directly or by wicking onto clothes
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Helped trap odors from heavy bowel or urinary voids
This is the golden age for male incontinence products. Never have we had so many excellent options. But little tips and tricks like these can make the difference between living and living confidently.
Got questions? Don’t be shy! NorthShore lives for this stuff. Give them a call at (800) 563-0161, or contact NorthShore in the way that works best for you.
We’re here to help.
Some years ago (I decline to say how many), life threw me a curveball and I found myself facing some new and frightening challenges, and having to navigate the confusing world of incontinence products alone. This was pre-internet and, frankly, pre-decent options. Through constant experimentation, I’ve found products that work for me—yes, many of which are sold by NorthShore Care—but the more important part of my journey has been internal. I’ve fought insecurity, isolation, paranoia that EVERYONE was staring at my butt, and fear that I’d never be able to return to the rich, full life I once had. I’m happy to say all of that was unfounded.
Part of the work I did to understand and accept myself included reading. A LOT of reading. I found articles that explained the different kinds of incontinence, blog posts about the various products that were available, and even pamphlets for drugs that offered to solve my problem. What I couldn’t find was practical guidance on and honest thoughts about living with this embarrassing, confusing, and occasionally hilarious new “feature” my body had to offer.
NorthShore gets it, and that’s why I’m here. NorthShore isn’t just a business that sells incontinence supplies, it’s a business built on a foundation of understanding of what you and I are dealing with every day.
I don’t work for NorthShore (would it be too cheesy to say I work for you?) but this feels like the right place for a blog that addresses real-world issues around incontinence. Here I’ll talk candidly, openly, and occasionally uncomfortably about the challenges we face, the products that can help us manage those challenges, and how to go about confidently getting on with our lives.
Let’s get real.
—Bill Edwards
Regardless of capacity, an absorbent product must be changed immediately following a bowel movement.