#paddedagere

Link woke up on a nice Saturday at around 10 am. He sat up and stretched, looking around his small dorm room. It was decorated with a couple HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) posters and some shelves holding books. His stomach grumbled so he decided it was time to get out of bed and get breakfast started. Afterall, he had Sword and Buckler (Basically just sword and shield. It’s a form of HEMA) practice later that day. He would need the energy.

As he got up and started getting dressed, he noticed his fine motor skills were acting a little off and started to get worried. Then, all of a sudden, he felt himself start to slip. But right when that feeling arrived, he shoved it back down. He was not going to be little today. He had HEMA practice and there’s no way he was going to show up, acting like a child. 

He got dressed and walked out his bedroom. He looked to his left and saw that Zelda’s door was opening, indicating she was probably already up. Since they were already friends and going to the same college, they decided to share an apartment as freshmen. 

Link walked out of his room and into the main room. It had the kitchen and living room. When he walked in, he saw Zelda was sitting at the small 2 person wooden table they had. She was eating cereal and checking the messages on her phone, which was propped up on an open textbook. She noticed him entering the room and looked up.

“Oh, good morning, Link!” She greeted him.

“Morning…” He said quietly. Although he was semi-verbal, it was still a bit difficult to talk, especially when he was trying to ignore his little side, AND it being morning. Keeping a low volume tended to be easier for him.

“We have cereal, and some snack foods in the pantry,” She told him.

There was just one problem. They needed to go grocery shopping, meaning that the only food they had were snacks they barely ate. Those snacks being Link’s littlespace safe foods. However, he really didn’t feel like having cereal, so he begrudgingly grabbed the jar of applesauce and a sweetener packet. He emptied a cup into a bowl and it sat down across from Zelda.

“You haven’t had applesauce in a bit,” Zelda commented.

“Only breakfast-like food we had…” Link said, blushing a little. He knows the last time he had applesauce. It was when he regressed over a month ago. 

As he started to eat, he kept dropping his spoon. It was getting frustrating and he saw Zelda was starting to notice. He knew that if she knew he was feeling small, she wouldn’t take him to HEMA. So he tried his best to hide it.

“You feeling okay, Link?” Zelda asked.

“Mhm, I’m fine,” Link lied. Suddenly, he dropped his spoon and it landed on his shirt. He stood up with a frustrated frown. This was one of his good shirts. 

“Hey, it’s alright. Here,” She noticed his upset expression and grabbed a napkin and wiped up the applesauce on his shirt. 

“Thanks…” He sat back down and continued to eat his breakfast with the same motor difficulty as before. 

Zelda started to grow a bit worried. It wasn’t like Link to be this clumsy or easily upset. She wondered if something was bothering him and he wasn’t telling her. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” She asked again.

“M’fine, Zel,” Link said in a louder, more frustrated voice. He was getting really upset that his little side was affecting him so much and it came out in his voice. Even though it was a wonderful coping mechanism, he sometimes wished he didn’t use it. It was a burden at times like now, when he had to leave in 30 minutes for HEMA.

Zelda was a little hurt by Link trying to push her away. She was only trying to help. So she decided to try and figure out what was wrong and confront him about it. After a couple minutes of thinking, she put together the shaky hands, slurring of speech, and getting easily upset, and figured that he was most likely feeling small. As his regular caregiver, she knew the signs for when he was little and these checked most of those boxes.

“You know… It’s been a while since you last regressed. Don’t you think it’d be nice to have a little day today?” She suggested, trying to coax him. 

“I can’t. I have Hema,” Link objected.

“Link…I don’t think it’s the best idea for you to go to Hema today,” Zelda disclosed.

“I told you ‘m fine,” He rebutted. 

“You seem to be a little…small right now. And that’s okay! I just don’t want you getting hurt,” She told him.

“M’ not small! I wanna go to hema!” He raised his voice. It was a little bit louder than the regular person’s inside voice. 

This definitely confirmed Zelda’s theory that Link was small. His slurred speech and whiney voice was pure evidence that he was slipping. 

“Link, baby, please don’t raise your voice at me,” Zelda got up and kneeled down in front of him, holding his hand, “You have another practice in 2 days. It’s alright,” 

“No! I wanna go today! I not good enough yet!” He sobbed, tears starting to pour from his eyes. Zelda frowned sympathetically and gave him a hug. He buried his face in her shoulder, feeling ashamed for crying over such a silly thing. He wanted to get better at Sword and Buckler but now he couldn’t because he needed to be small. He was so frustrated and ashamed.

“Shh, it’s okay sweetie. You are good enough. You’re the best swordsman there. You’ve won a lot of tournaments already too,” She assured him as he cried. That seemed to have done it as he stopped arguing and let himself cry it out.

At some point, Zelda had picked him up and moved him to the couch, where she continued to hold him until he calmed down. When his cries turned into sniffles, she pulled away and cupped his cheeks before wiping away the tears. She gave him a kiss on the forehead and moved his hair out of his eyes.

“It’s been a while since you’ve been small, huh? I think it’s time you regress, sweetheart,” Zelda told him. Finally, he gave in and nodded

“There we go~ Now, how old are you feeling?” She asked.

Link snuggled closer and held up 2 fingers. That would explain the motor skill issues. He only had that when he was feeling younger than 3. And considering he hadn’t regressed in a while, it only made sense. 

“Aww, so small~ do you think you need any padding?” 

He nodded, blushing a little. Normally, he didn’t wear, not really needing it. But some days, when he was especially upset, it was comforting. And since he was frustrated about not being able to go to HEMA, he needed the extra comfort.

So Zelda started walking with him back to his bedroom. She put down a towel on his bed before laying him on it. Then she got out some baby oil Link usually used for taking off his chest binding tape.

“Nappy or pull-up?” She asked. He held up 1 finger, verifying the first option. Zelda nodded and took one out and started to get him changed. Once she was done, she left him in his t-shirt and nappy. When he wore padding, he usually didn’t like to be wearing pants. 

Since I regularly go potty normally, I often have to open and close my diapers. I find hook & loop tapes are the most durable option for this.

Pull ups are also easy for that, but they tend to get saggy and they fray really easily, so I'm not a big fan of them.

Cloth back diapers aren't crinkly, so they are more subtle than others.

The thickness of a diaper is not important when you only go number 2 in them, since they don't have to "absorb" liquid, just hold the other stuff, so you can go as thin - and therefore subtle - as you'd like.

Medical diapers are much more affordable than cute ones, but they are also boring.. Drawing on your diapers or putting stickers on them can be a great solution, aswell as a fun crafting project.

How to possibly prevent accidents?

Prevention is not always possible, but those tricks help me sometimes.

Be careful what you eat/ drink. Knowing what dietary constrictions you have and upholding them can be vital. Try avoiding possible triggers for IBS, food intolerances, etc. Especially when you'll be out and about, where having an accident could feel especially upsetting.

Try and figure out the "schedule" of your bowel movements, most people have to go at certain times and in certain intervals after eating. Figuring out your schedule if possible can help you prevent accidents by going to the toilet at the right time precautionary. Finding out your schedule can be done by writing down every time you use the restroom, especially after eating/ drinking, so also note the times of that! Do so for at least one moth to try and figure out a clear pattern.

What do when you had an accident in public?

Having an accident in public can feel upsetting and humiliating, I often get really self-conscious and sad if it happens.. But I have some Tipps that help me deal.

Firstly, here is a tiny tutorial for the cleanest way to "fold" a dirty diaper, to prevent any leaking.

I always carry little diaper bags with me, that I previously filled with a "smell killing powder". → these powders can be bought online or in stores, they are advertised as scent killers, odour eliminating Powder or garbage / diaper bin deodorizing powder. (I use "Geruchs Vernichter" by Dr. Becher) !! don't put the powder in a diaper while/ before wearing it, it's really harmful to the skin !!

The diaper bags are just little plastic bags, there are options to get ones that aren't see through, if you're super self-conscious. Another option is to wrap the bag (or diaper in it) in toilet paper to disguise it. The bags themselves are also available scented!

Carrying air freshener or deodorant may also help you, when you're in a public bathroom and feel self-conscious about the smell.

A fresh diaper, aswell as wet wipes and disposable gloves are also always in my travel bag.

Make a list of positive affirmations & take it with you everywhere.

It's not your fault, you're not broken, you're not icky, you are so valid & these accidents don't change anything about that!! <3

What to wear?

If your shy about wearing diapers, the right clothes may give you comfort.

Baggy clothes to hide them are a great option.

I found hoodies that are long enough to cover up the back areas especially comforting.

Baggy pants in general are great to hide your padding, just make sure to wear a belt so they don't slip of!

I always wear a tugged in shirt or a onesie, so there is no peeking of the diaper when I lean forward.

Wearing a short leggings/ underwear over your diaper might give you a feeling of safety aswell.

That's all I can think of right now, I might update this later though. Everyone is free to add their own tips, tricks or remarks aswell!!

I want you to know that there is nothing sameful or icky about having to wear diapers or simply choosing to wear them for comfort. There is nothing weird about it and you are not broken or less worthy of love for wearing/ needing padding.

You are strong, you got this and I'm so very proud of you for taking care of yourself!

Stay safe, kiddo!

Splatoon (games + manga)

Stardew Valley

Night In The Woods

OMORI

Sally Face

Amphibia

The Owl House

Sparklecare Hospital

BFDI

Inanimate Insanity