Reply from Ken, Child's Age 13 - 3/20/04 - IP#: 67.165.50.xxx   parbb-c1850

We've had a similar situation with my 13 year old son. Once he fell asleep on a relatively short flight and wet a bit. Luckily it was only a spot on his jeans but it was still embarassing for him. The last few times we've flown, we've had him wear his normal night diapers. They are the regular disposable type with two tapes but protect him well. I'd guess it would be very difficult for your daughters to to put on their protection in a cramped airplane bathroom, especially the pull-up type that require them to change out of their pants and everything. Besides that, however, it's not uncommon for people to carry a toiletry bag into the bathroom on long-haul flights so I wouldn't worry about that. We have him put on his diaper before leaving for the airport. He likes to wear boxer shorts over it but noone has ever said anything. We use an extra pad for more absorbancy (Depend Boost) so it's not necessary to carry an extra diaper with us and we don't have to worry about security finding out. He is pretty self-sufficient about it and when he has to use the rest room does so like normal, taking his diaper off and putting it back on without help. Understandably, he shys away from using public restrooms but there's usually a "family assist" bathroom in most major airport that gives him privacy. All in all, it's the best way to handle the situation. Jason usually gives us a little grief about "diapers are for babies" but I think he prefers it to wetting on the plane. I hope this helps, Ken