Usage of Diapers

Diapers are garments that people wear, though the majority of them are worn by infants who are not yet potty trained. Basically, they are to help avoid messes for people who either cannot or do not know how to use the restroom.

Probably the most common and most often thought-of use for diapers is their use with infants and toddlers. Infants are not usually fully potty trained until at least the age of four, and sometimes it takes even longer than this. For this reason, kids need diapers or toddler training pants to avoid making messes if they do not make it to the bathroom in time. Since infants account for most of the diapers used in the world, diapers are most often associated with this age group.

Another usage for diapers, however, is for the elderly or the infirm who are unable to make it to the restroom on their own. Some examples of this include people who are injured and are unable to get out of bed, or people who do not physically have the strength on their own to reach the toilet. For this reason, elderly and the infirm are probably the next biggest group of diaper users in the world, next to infants.

In some cases, diaper usage also extends to people who are in positions that do not allow them access to a restroom for a very extended amount of time. Astronauts are actually an example of this. On spacewalks, astronauts do not usually have a chance to use the restroom for several hours, making a diaper very practical. People who wear dry suits often have diapers on underneath them as well, especially if they plan on being in them for a long period of time.

Diapers can also be used by adults who have trouble making it to the restroom in time due to sickness, injury, or some other medical condition that prevents them from controlling the time of elimination.

Additional information on diapers is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diapers.