Our son is six years-old and is special needs. One of his issues is Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD. He is affected in the area of the Gustatory System (and also other areas), which is simply in the area of taste. For some very well written information, check out this article about it, below:
A not-so-fun side effect of having a limited diet that consists of mostly pureed foods is that our son has between 6-10 bowels movements a day. Add in his love of drinking milk and it becomes a never ending round of poop and pee accidents.
When you think of the cost of diapers, this is a messy, expensive problem. Do you know what happens when that amount of poop and pee come together? LOTS OF ACCIDENTS. The diapers leak. Endless changing. Endless laundry. We were even having accidents just going from our living room out to the school bus in the morning. The diapers shifted. They leaked. (By the way, did you know that if you have a special needs child on Medicaid, once they get beyond a certain age, Medicaid will pay to have diapers and wipes shipped to you monthly at no cost to you? Ask your pediatrician about this. It can be a financial lifesaver.)
I have been changing diapers every single day for almost 9 YEARS. Even though my son is only 6, my daughter is two years older than my son. They will soon be nine and seven years old. So, I think at this point, I can say I have some experience in the diaper changing area. And I was struggling.
Our son’s amazing school principal called (he is at a small all special needs campus) and told us about a diaper trick that is a life saver. I was resistant because I thought we would be using double the amount of diapers (which could be double the cost). At first I thought she was nuts but when I tried it, I was amazed at how much easier my life was. Here’s the trick:
- Put on two diapers (we use pull-ups). One on top of the other. Most of the time, this prevents leaks or poop accidents. Fancy, right? No? See step two.
- When it is time to change the diaper, if no pee or poop has gotten on the outside one, take it off and hang on to it. Change the inside diaper, clean up as usual. Then PUT THE OLD (CLEAN) OUTSIDE DIAPER BACK ON AS THE INSIDE DIAPER. And add another new diaper on top.
Say goodbye to a huge amount of accidents. Yes, I am using a few more diapers but not double as I first envisioned. The double layer somehow keeps the inside diaper in position better and prevents leaks. So even if a big event happens, often the outside diaper just holds the inside diaper in place and it (the outside diaper) stays clean. If I factor in the time and stress of fixing the accidents plus all of the extra laundry (hello 3-5 outfits a day), I think I’m at least breaking even.
If you are one of those brilliant caregivers that has it all together and knew about this, all I can say is that when I grow up, I want to be you. I had NO IDEA about this trick and it has saved me countless time, energy, stress and clean up. Try it!
What tricks do you use at home to simplify your life? Please share in the comments below.
As my son is getting bigger, finding swim diapers to fit him becomes harder. This looks like the perfect solution. Machine washable, hang to dry. Takes the place of traditional swim diapers.
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Yes that is a great idea!!!! I pack book bags and as much of the lunch as I can make the night before. Book bags goes into the car the night before. Clothes are put on a hanger with socks, and underwear hanging from them the night before school. I try to keep a baggie with deodorant, tooth paste and a toothbrush in the car just in case someone saids they forgot to brush their teeth or put on deodorant at home. I’m not a super mom but I gave thought to what makes me late and crazy in the morning and tried to eliminate some task.
Doing stuff the night before goes a long way, doesn’t it? I love the car baggie idea. I used to have a kit like that in my classroom when I was teaching but I never thought about one for the car. Great idea! You’re wrong, I think you actually may be SuperMom!