What You Should Know About Diapers in the Hospital
We’ve all used diapers at some point in our lives, as we were first babies before we became adults.
They are a safe haven for those who cannot use the toilet themselves.
Diapers are soft, comfy, and super relaxing.
They help to prevent the user from soiling their clothes or making a mess of themselves.
Diapers would be the greatest invention, especially if you are a mom who just had a baby; it has helped make thousands of lives a little bit easier.
You could easily put them on a baby and take them off whenever you want. You just have to wipe the baby’s buttocks with a wiper and dispose of the diapers.
Diapers are not meant for babies alone but also for adults who are physically indisposed, bedridden, or very sick.
It helps to make things easier for them and their caretaker.
In this article, we will be sharing with you everything you need to know about diapers in hospitals, from the brands favored by hospitals to the reasons why diapers are used in hospitals and if you’ll be taking any diapers home with you.
So let’s dive right in.
Do Hospitals Give You Diapers?
A lot of people worry about bringing diapers to the hospital but if your delivery date is due, you don’t have to worry about bringing your diapers with you to the hospital. One place you would find diapers a lot is in hospitals.
Why Do Hospitals Use Diapers?
It is not news that diapers are used by hospitals all over the world, but a lot of people still wonder why they are given in hospitals.
Diapers are given in hospitals to assist mothers who have just given birth. It has helped to relieve them of the stress of thinking about how to get one of the brands to use.
By providing diapers hospitals have helped to improve infant care worldwide.
They are also given to adults who have fecal or urinary incontinence, and those who are bedridden or physically incapable of caring for themselves.
Adult diapers are made almost like baby diapers but a little bit bigger.
Diapers make the job of cleaning feces and urine way easier and less messy and that’s why they are used in hospitals.
What Kind of Diapers Do Hospitals Use?
There are a lot of diaper brands out there like Huggies, Honest Co., and Luvs Ultra but the one mostly used by hospitals is the Pampers Swaddlers.
Why Do Hospitals Use Pampers?
The Pampers Swaddlers are preferred by hospitals because it is highly absorbent, soft, hydrating, and most importantly, it is very affordable. It is one of the best diapers out there.
Pampers Baby Dry is preferred by most people because it has more layers than Swaddlers but it is a little bit more expensive than Swaddlers. But every diaper is unique in its way.
For example, Huggies are good as nighttime diapers while pampers are great daytime diapers but some of them have a unique feature where they change color due to wetness and indicate when it needs to be changed.
Luvs are also way cheaper than pampers but they have a little bit of scent unlike pampers which is odorless.
Hospitals have conducted research and have come to the conclusion that pampers brands are the best. That is why they are used in hospitals.
What Diapers Do Hospitals Use for Babies?
Pampers Swaddlers are very popular among hospitals. They are their go-to diapers for babies in hospitals.
What Size Diapers do Hospitals Use?
This is another question that most moms worry about when heading to the hospital. They wonder if they are taking the right size of diapers to the hospital.
You don’t have to worry about that because hospitals understand that everyone has a different size, and that some babies are bigger than others.
They understand that childbirth can be stressful, so they not only stock your cabinet with baby supplies like Vaseline and wipes, but they also stock it up with a variety of sizes of diapers, but the most common size is the newborn size.
The newborn size is used for bases that weigh up to 10 lbs. and size 1 is for babies above 10 lbs. These are the sizes of diapers you are most likely to find at hospitals.
Just as baby sizes vary, so do adult sizes and adult diapers are usually medium size.
Does Dollar Tree Sell Diapers?
Perhaps you’re out of the hospital and stranded and the nearest place to you is Dollar tree and you’re thinking,
“Can I get a diaper at Dollar Tree?”
The answer is yes. You can find diapers at Dollar tree but they might not necessarily be the size or brand that you need.
Where Do I Get a Better Deal – Target or Walmart?
Getting diapers at Walmart is cheaper than getting them at Target. If you are buying in smaller pieces it is better to get them at Walmart as they sell at cheaper prices, but if you are getting them at Target it would be way cheaper.
Where Do Diapers Come From?
Diapers are made using sophisticated machines which help to fix an absorbent material in the form of a pad in between two sheets of materials.
The materials are made plainly and not interwoven to prevent fluid from penetrating. The pad is made by design to absorb fluid and retain the fluids till they are disposed of.
Some however are made to be reusable. The diaper is made to be comfortable for its user.
The absorbent material is placed in between a material that allows fluids to pass through it at the top, and at the bottom, the material is totally impermeable.
The materials are then sealed through a process called ultrasonic vibration.
The absorbent pad is the most important part of the diaper because it can absorb and retain fluids and moisture.
It is made up of a synthetic polymer that is designed to hold more than 15 times its own weight in water.
The synthetic polymer is a hydrophilic material made up of small particles of acrylic acid derivatives such as sodium acrylate and potassium acrylate mixed with a fibrous material.
When these materials are put together, they can easily absorb and r water and the best possible rate.
The nonwoven material in which the absorbent pad is placed in-between is made from fabrics, although these fabrics are not interwoven.
Normal fabrics are woven together to create a network of loops that are locked together, these loops however still have holes in them, the materials used in diapers however made from plastic resins like nylons and polythene and are put together either through a mechanical, or chemical, or thermal process to prevent leakage.
The material can be made by two methods, known as “the wet-laid process” and “the dry-laid process”.
Now let’s take a look at how there are manufactured.
The first step in the manufacturing process is the making of the absorbent pad.
This pad is made on a movable conveyor belt that goes through a chamber where they are formed.
There are different points in this chamber where different activities are done.
At one point, pressurized nozzles spray fibrous or polymer materials on the belt to perforate it, before the pad material is then sprayed on the belt, and then a vacuum is applied underneath to aid the formation of a flat pad.
The absorbent polymer is then formed on the pad and dispersed evenly, to make sure they are no lapses.
There are two methods employed to ensure that the polymers remain in the pad and it doesn’t lose its absorption ability. In the first method, the polymer is placed in the stock that supplies fiber to the system to ensure that it is dispersed evenly in all pad areas.
This method however can also be inefficient as the pad may lose its absorption ability when it is pulled through the perforations on the belt. So it can be quite expensive.
The other method involves the application of the polymer mixed with the fiber and absorbent material on the surface of the pad after its formation.
This method works but the absorbent level is not as great as the first method. It can also cause discomfort to the skin of the wearer.
After this has been done, the nonwoven materials are then made and added to the pad to make sure that the function of the diaper is complete.
An elastic band is then added to make sure to help the pad adhere to the wear and create an easy grip. Velcro is then added to the top to lock the pad to the waste of the wearer.
Key Takeaway
Diapers in hospitals are one of the most important parts of healthcare. It makes things a whole lot easier for mothers.
Wearing a diaper might be uncomfortable for some adults but sometimes it is the best way to ensure that things go smoothly and without stress.