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WoW, as if this subject hasn’t been beat to death! I have a little time to kill this morning and I definitely am NOT in the mood to clean house, so I have been wanting to offer my take on the “Subject”.
It’s no secret that I prefer cloth over disposable. I’ve used cloth and disposable products all my life so at nearly 41, I think I know the subject pretty well, as it pertains to me, at least for now (things change).
Disposable products definitely have their place in my life, from pads to boosters to pull-ups to thin tape-ons to premium tape-ons. There are many occasions to use any of these and combos of these, depending on the need at that time.
Likewise, there are cloth diapers in daytime and nighttime absorbencies, flannel, gauze, and Birdseye weave (maybe more), single and multiple layers, again all dependent on needs at the time.
For me, I’ve progressed to near complete urinary incontinence due to a birth defect, sometimes a slow flow, sometimes a flood. In the mornings, when I awake and stand, I nearly always flood, which by itself makes the necessity for good protection essential. Sometimes during the day I’ll also flood when standing up from a chair or bending over. Without good protection, I will definitely leak past a pad, pull-up, or even a cheaper tape-on diaper. The daytime flooding seems to go in cycles though, and I’ve learned to recognize the beginning of the cycle pretty well.
Disposable products and combos are best used when I’m leaving home for extended periods of time. Depending on the occasion, I may choose a pull-up alone or with a pad (booster), a Attend tape-on, or Abena M4. I recently tried Northshore products and must say that I was impressed. There was a skin issue but I’ve attributed that to a too snug of a fit, a very active (warm) day, and flooding. I have found that a major problem with wearing tape-ons is padding bunching caused by dampness and activity over a few hours time. The Northshore products seemed to hold up pretty well though.
Now let me chat about cloth for a moment.
I’ve used cloth for years.... I stick mainly with Birdseye and nighttime weight prefolds. I don’t use a pail or any of that Stuff, but wash clothes every 1-2 days. I do a rinse cycle a lot or speed wash cycle if necessary. I like to hang the diapers out to dry at our privately located home but most often don’t have the time or energy. During the day, I prefer cloth diapers over disposable because I’m very active outside in Texas heat and cloth makes me much more comfortable when I double up. A single diaper generally makes me feel damp and often leads to skin rashes. Doubling wicks the moisture away from the skin quite effectively, making me feel very comfortable and clean feeling. With that, some here question the resulting bulk from double diapering, but for me it’s not a major issue. Because I’ve been at this awhile, I have “many” diapers at several stages of life. These things last a very long time so I have the newer, thicker diapers, used at nighttime. Admittedly, these are quite bulky, but I’m at home with my family only. Then there’s the yearlings... These are diapers over maybe 9 months old but in great condition. These are less bulky now due to use and washings, but in great shape otherwise. I will usually wear a single “newer” diaper during the day or double “used” diapers, depending on the temperature and humidity. If I don’t use an absorbent diaper(s), I get VERY uncomfortable quickly due to dampness. Often times a single diaper gets uncomfortable quickly whether I leak or not! Double diapers stay pretty comfortable throughout the day.
As for bulk, I wear a light or denim dress quite a lot on the ranch. People are used to me in a dress vs jeans, shorts, and such. I am quite short and was blessed with a small butt so a little padding there “rounds me out”! I have a large bust and wide hips too, with skinny legs so there’s plenty of room for the bulk between my legs, where it counts. I will use older diapers until they develop small holes as they work just fine for the intended purpose. After that, they go to the garage and my husband will use them for whatever.
I don’t use all-in-ones as they take forever to dry and don’t last long. I use urethane at night and sometimes during the day because of their durability and PUL pants because of their quietness and fit and have pretty much stopped using the old ”plastic” types. i have not tried the “rubber” pants yet but suspect they may be quiet too.
As for disposable diapers with the cloth-like shell, I’m not convinced that they are any cooler than plastic, but are definitely quieter. The tapes or Velcro fasteners have been an issue for me in the past though.
Lastly, there’s the diaper pins that I found a year ago from Reers. They are large plastic head safety pins made from strong stainless steel wire that don’t bend or become unfastened at night! i have gotten poked and plastic pants ruined due to cheaply made pins!
I hope this helps anyone that is on the wire about trying cloth. Admittedly, cloth isn’t for everyone, but I am partial to cloth for comfort if nothing else.

@ Ellyn:

Quite definitive, I must say. Though i can't say I 'prefer' the use of cloth diapers in managing my urinary incontinence --
cloth is something that is held out as a useful option on a number of occasions. It's my choice to decide, based on
many factors of the moment; there is no strict formula to dictate when I use cloth over disposable.

In fact, there are times when I've combined the use of cloth AND disposable for a given situation. It just seems
that after living with this condition for over 25 years, I've accumulated a number of ways to use the wide array of
incontinence products now available, often in combination or multiples, to the best advantage. Choice has many
advantages, although it tends to up inventory requirements. It takes up space, as some of you might well know.

I'll heartily agree that the use of the 'Euroflex' (urethane) diaper covers is a big improvement over vinyl or 'plastic'
pants to prevent leaks and odors from escaping. Urethane is durable and light weight. Slightly noisy as Ellyn notes,
but an exceptional product by my many experiences. It has nearly replaced my use of rubber because it just lasts
longer and won't tear easily.

Find your own best combinations of protection and your favorite products. Each of us is unique in our requirements
and solutions. I'm happy the incontinence product market supports so many of us so well.

J.

Thank you for your comments John1050. I completely agree that what works for me or you may not work for others. It was only my intention to share my experiences so that others may consider my successes if searching for options.
If you have the right body shape and/or the right wardrobe, cloth can be concealed pretty well. At night, many aren’t concerned with bulk. Let me say though that if there’s someone that has a severe urinary control issue and heavy voids are a problem, day or night, cloth is a good option for some. Cloth is definitely not a good choice for everyone, as John said, but for those trying options, maybe consider cloth for day and/or night solutions. If you’re a heavy wetter at night, as I definitely am, you can forget about underpads, expensive disposables, sleeping position, even mattress covers (if you’re brave). I sleep soundly through the night because I know that I won’t soil the bedding

Ellyn wrote: sometimes a slow flow, sometimes a flood. In the mornings, when I awake and stand, I nearly always flood, which by itself makes the necessity for good protection essential. Sometimes during the day I’ll also flood when standing up from a chair or bending over. Without good protection, I will definitely leak past a pad, pull-up, or even a cheaper tape-on diaper. The daytime flooding seems to go in cycles though, and I’ve learned to recognize the beginning of the cycle pretty well.
Disposable products and combos are best used when I’m leaving home for extended periods of time.

What a great post Ellyn! I'm glad I'm not alone in the whole "I flood every morning and sometimes when I stand up" situation. I have been wearing cloth more and more often as I get more comfortable with my situation. For me, I typically wear 2 night weight contour diapers in Birdseye or gauze with plastic pants around the house and am becoming more comfortable wearing them out and about. They are a bit more bulky and harder to conceal than a MegaMax, but are generally fine with an untucked shirt and pants or shorts a sixe too large. If I am going to be "up close and personal" with people (out to eat, in a meeting, teaching, speaking engagement, etc.) I will commonly wear a MegaMax.

When I double up the contour diapers, I lay the first one out flat, then reverse the direction of the second one and place it on top of the first. This puts the narrow "front" portion of the second on top of the wide "rear" portion of the first diaper. I then fold the wings of the wide "rear" portion of the top diaper in, effectively creating a double or triple layer in the front, giving me the bulk where I need it most. This also makes pinning them easier as there is just a single layer of cloth where I pin mine. I use 2 pins on each side, always in the same order: bottom right, bottom left, top left, top right. One thing that does frustrate me at times about cloth, however, is that I find I need to re-pin them a couple times throughout the day to keep them tight, as they have a tendency to stretch and loosen up with a lot of activity. I have found that some plastic pants are better than others at keeping things in place, but I imagine it is very dependent on the individual's body style. As my wife says, I have "no butt," so I don't have enough junk in the trunk to keep 'em up, LOL.

In my experience, I've found that the hustle and bustle of the world creates more than enough noise to drown out any crinkling from plastic backed diapers or plastic pants, but I do take steps to minimize sounds depending on what I am doing. Rearz sells a plastic pant (maybe vinyl?) that is thin, frosted, and completely silent, as far as I can tell, and they were recently on sale for less than $4 US. I will frequently wear this over a disposable when I want to ensure extra protection from flooding, as the MegaMax does an admirable job handling one flood, but can't always handle a second.

I tried using prefolds at night a few months ago; the problem was not being able to get them wholly contained within the plastic or rubber pants I have access to, even singly let alone doubly. I have been using the disposable/cloth pant/plastic pant arrangement and they fit fine over those - they seem quite a generous fit - but I haven't found a way to get them to fit over prefolds and hold all the cloth in. They are mostly 4/10/4 Rearz twill night prefolds (got a couple of Leakmaster night prefolds too).

Ellyn,

Thanks for your excellent post. I guess you could say that my urinary incontinence is also sort of a birth issue, because it is caused by a genetic disease that attacked my spine, injuring the nerves to my bowel and bladder. I admire your skill at managing your incontinence. Your post will be a valuable contribution for readers who are just beginning to have to deal with what may become a life-long challenge for them. However, I do not generally have floods; rather, because of my sphincterotomy, I have a continual dribble. When my kidneys output so much urine so quickly that it overwhelms the leakage, I can get painful bladder spasms. I just need to be aware of how much I am drinking and how quickly. Except for my gastroparesis, your management is almost identical to mine. Cotton pre-folds, of varying ages from nearly new to decrepit, urethane and urethane laminate overpants, sturdy stainless steel pins, and lots of soap and water work for me. I too limit my use of disposables to times when I am away from home for extended periods. My wife and I spent nearly all of June, 2016, touring the USA with our Prius. Dry 24/7 worked just fine, both for extended times between stops, and overnights in hotels. But I was glad to get back to washables when we got home.

Again, thank you.

I've got a question about wearing cloth that I haven't seen addressed in the above posts. My concern is for long term wearing, say more than 6 hours, and especially in hotter/humid climates like Florida or Texas. Isn't the build up of ammonia a significant problem? My skin is pretty sensitive to ammonia and since most disposables have chemicals in them to retard this I can wear a premium diaper like a ComfiDry 24/7 for well over 8 hours with no problem. Since cotton doesn't contain these chemicals how often do you have to change a cloth diaper during the day?

I do appreciate the great qualities of cotton since at night I wear an inexpensive tape up diaper with a large eight layer (folded) cotton pad booster and a PUL pant. I use the pad since cotton absorbs and wicks much better than any disposable and I've had virtually no leaks since I started using this combination. Much of the wetness then transfers to my disposable which acts a bit like a storage tank. I haven't had any problems with ammonia build up using this combination but then again I'm rarely in a wet condition for more than 4 hours during the night.

I wear double cloth at night and go the entire night without a change. During the day, I go about 4 hours (+/-), depending on my leakage rate before a change.

@Padded53 I would echo Ellyn's comment, ie: overnight and about 4 hours or so during the day, depending on output. I can't speak to Texas or Florida (someday) heat, but in humid 97-degree Ohio summer hear, cloth is a bit more comfortable to me than plastic backed disposables. Interestingly, in the winter here I prefer disposables if I will be working outside for any length of time while wet. The cloth is great, though, up until it gets well soaked, then it can get pretty chilly! My guess is due to the SAP in the disposable, it contains the liquid and makes it more dense??? Other than working out in the elements for long periods, however, cloth is fine for the usual activities in the winter.

Ellyn wrote: I stick mainly with Birdseye and nighttime weight prefolds.

@Ellyn, I'm curious to know how you fold your pre-folds? I have one heavy night weight pre-fold that I rarely use as I can't figure out a good way to fold it without it coming apart/unfolded in my crotch area, creating a void space. Am I folding it wrong, or is this a situation where some kind of fixing pants are in order? I don't have this issue with the contours. I wore pre-folds to bed as a kid until I was about 9 or 10, but can't for the life of me remember how to do it right.