www.incontinentsupport.org

It seems that I go in “spurts” posting here as I tend to be a very private person, but I wanted to share a find that cloth diaper wearers may be interested in.... Yes, it’s diaper pins that are made from quality materials, not those cheaply made pins that bend very easily.
I use two different sizes: the small pins that are kids diaper safety pins with the plastic head, and the much longer pins that are maybe 3 inches long.
The regular diaper pins are available from most department stores like Walmart and are perfect for daytime diapers (single prefolds).
For my nighttime needs, I use double nighttime prefolds, which require a larger pin to securely hold the two diapers. The problem is that MOST diaper companies sell large pins that are nothing more than large safety pins, made from thin steel that bend very easily. They will usually bend to the point where they become unfastened and poke me in the middle of the night! I’ve also had new plastic pants torn from the open pin.
FINALLY, I found a company that sells large strong pins that have the plastic head!! Rearz is my hero company that saved my day, and my plastic pants definitely appreciate it as well!
Thank you Rearz!!

Ellyn,

I'm an occasional cloth diaper user, myself and have been for years. I have also had the same frustrations with diaper pins.
They poke, don't fit thick overnight diapers, puncture plastic or rubber pants, come un-secured or even break.

No luck with velcro, snaps or other diaper fasterners, either.

In the past ten years or so, I've adapted the use of net-like fabric 'fixing' pants, very stretchy and snug, to hold even a heavy diaper in place.
The fixing pants are pull on and very light, so launder well and add no bulk. I can stuff a cloth diaper or two into these and then
add a diaper cover (vinyl pants) over and all is secure. Lycra 'bicycle' shorts can serve as a possible second choice here.
With these, changes are quicker because there is no more fussing with pins.

At one time, there were latex (very stretchy) rubber pants that could hold a wet cloth diaper in place very well, but I've not found those
available in a long time (except from questionable fetish sources).

Thank you John1050!
I’ve worn a one size larger “panty briefer” during the day over my cloth and disposable diapers for years when appropriate for the shorts, slacks, dresses, or skirts I’ve chosen for the day. This garment is very snug, meant to make a woman appear a bit “trimmer”.... Though I’m pretty fit, im still a 40 something woman (grrr) that sometimes needs a little slendering for some fashions, especially when wearing thicker protection like cloth or a disposable with a booster.
Wearing a snug anything at night sounds like an uncomfortable night for me. At night, I usually wear double cloth and a choice of several types of waterproof covers, though “rubber parts” are not part of my selection. I’ve not tried them so far for no good reason.
I pin the diapers on snug enough for them to stay in place well during the evening hours. The plastic pants also help keep the diapers in place. At night, they will get anywhere from damp to soaked. Obviously, they don’t want to stay in place well in the morning, but as part of my morning ritual, a shower immediately follows getting up so there’s no need to contend with sagging wet diapers.

I guess that my complaint about diaper pins is that they rust after a year or two. I need stainless steel 3" pins, especially for heavyweight night protection.

Ellyn,

First, a belated (by one year LOL) welcome to our group. I'm curious about something. I have tried traditional cloth products myself and found that they did not keep urine from my skin and made it difficult to impossible to use the toilet. Have you found this to be the case in your own situation? If so, how have you figured things out to make it tolerable? Do you suffer from both bladder and bowel incontinence? Have you ever considered using pocket diapers instead of pin on diapers? I currently use a pocket/aio hybrid made by HappyFlute..But I'm not too sure about them.. It seems that with just a few times of accidentally drying them on max, the pul becomes non waterproff.. that never happened with my other pocket diapers as I recall... hmm.

Anyway, welcome again!

_________________
"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

How do you pin your prefolds on so that they don't slip? I've just started using them at night and it's difficult to find how to pin them so that it fits tightly around my body.

Also, what sort of pins should I be using? What size is best? Most of those I can get are either too short to take much fabric in, or not really sharp enough to get through it.

You can keep pins sharp by using emery(sp?) paper, or the finest grit sandpaper you can find. Then I insert them into a bar of soap to lubricate them prior to inserting them into the fabric. When I am concerned that I could have a bowel release while I'm asleep, I use a four pin setup, with two pins at my waist and two pins at my thighs. Either way, shaving, using Desitin, and near-obsessive cleanliness are necessary. Good luck.

Got a delivery of some Cuddlz pins from Amazon this week and got round to trying them out last night. Can't believe how good they are; they go *right* through the cloth while the others I'd been using (some huge kilt pins) had to be given a good shove. Not sure if they're the same ones as Rearz but rebranded but I don't think anyone sells the Rearz ones (explicitly) in the UK.

Now, if only someone sold prefolds here rather than us having to buy from the US or Canada and pay shipping costs, import costs, VAT and handling charges.

I am late to this party also.
I have had good sucess with Snappis. I cut the lowest of the 3 legs off and after I am sure the grip teeth are engaged, pull it across the front of the diaper. Snappis provide tension across the front of the diaper keeping it snug. Also no chance of loose pins stabbing me or tearing vinyl pants.