If Nighttime Bladder Control Wasn't a Thing (2025)

Think about something a twist in human evolution. What if, at night, it were beyond our control to manage our bladder? That it was simple impossible to learn (control while asleep) and diapers at night were the absolute norm .
Do you think that potty training would be such a big issue or would be pushed so hard. Or do you think better quality diaper ointments would become a thing?

What I imagined was lots of tic toc and youtube vidéos on how to make cloth diaper.
And manufacturers of adult disposables having many international meetings about quality products..

It'd still very much be a digital word but there'd be a lot more know how on how to keep that bed dry .

Probably a split bag some people posting helpful thoughts about catheter use and other feelings more comfortable in diapers.

Especially if that was a part of people's nightly routine for years or even decades .

PerfectlyMe said:

Think about something a twist in human evolution. What if, at night, it were beyond our control to manage our bladder? That it was simple impossible to learn (control while asleep) and diapers at night were the absolute norm .
Do you think that potty training would be such a big issue or would be pushed so hard. Or do you think better quality diaper ointments would become a thing?

What I imagined was lots of tic toc and youtube vidéos on how to make cloth diaper.
And manufacturers of adult disposables having many international meetings about quality products..

It'd still very much be a digital word but there'd be a lot more know how on how to keep that bed dry .

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It's an interesting thought and question. I can only speak for myself, but this is what I would imagine for me: if I were born into a world where there is no night-time bladder control, I wouldn't know any difference. Whatever my parents had decided would be what I grow up with--diapers or other solutions--and that wouldn't change until I get out on my own. Then I would decide on however I was going to take care of my own night-time needs. I think I would stay in my night-time diapers.

I really don't know how potty-training would be approached. Achieving daytime dryness could still be a good goal and it would be cheaper for families with children--and adults, too. One other good thing I could see as well: the stigma of wearing diapers past some certain age, at least while sleeping, would never develop. It would be the normal thing for people to do. I'm sure science would continue working on making better quality diaper ointments and other ways of protecting our skin.

Interesting thought exercise. I think that there would be some effective collection devices that would work very well. But their would also be people who could not afford such luxuries and would probably rely on waterproof bedding and under garments. Those beds and garments would probably get pretty stinky from residual urine but I bet almost no one would care since it would be the normal odor that people would associate with a bed.

Just like it’s relatively normal for some older bathrooms to have a bit of a lingering odor even after being cleaned. Since everyone has this issue i I think their would actually be fewer fetishes associated with it. The naughtiness factor would be gone. Kind of like no one seems to have a fetish for a person who perspires excessively, diaper would probably only have the appeal of under arm deodorant.

I always indulged in a slightly different thought exercises. What if instead, if people were not dry at night by say 10, then they would likely continue to wet for the rest of their life with the same frequency as a ten year old. Maybe ten percent of the population instead of 1 or 2 percent. Or what if any cold or virus could potentially render anyone incontinent for a week or so.

There would be allot more acceptance of diapers while still maintaining their appeal for those of us who are titillated by such things.

tiron101 said:

I feel like mattresses would have evolved to be made out of whatever materials let it flow through and out as efficiently as possible. There's no reason such a thing wouldn't be easily possible today, probable even self cleaning and drying. But it's too small a market when there are other options.

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I'd think all mattresses would be impervious to liquids. ONCE fabric (ESPECIALLY foam rubber) takes an odor, you're NOT getting rid of it and I don't care WHAT these places that claim they can completely remove ALL odors say. I've seen vehicles drastically reduced in value (in a few cases, almost worthless as the smell would make you literally gag/puke!) that had EVERYTHING done to try to rid the smell, INCLUDING replacing the majority of the interior in one instance. MAYBE if they had stripped the ENTIRE interior, used a couple gallons of Spray Nine and BOILING water (hot water pressure washer) then MAYBE that car could had been saved. Shame too as it did not have 12k miles on it and it was a beautiful upscale Lexus.

That one was due to the son and his friends doing some night fishing, drank some beers and left a dozen BIG channel catfish in the trunk from Friday night until Monday morning when Dad got in the car to go to work and was REPULSED. The fish liquified/putrefied, the "juices" were sucked up by all of the trunk interior, the back seat, the carpeting.... They had the trunk interior replaced, sent it to three places that claimed they could remove ANY odor, then replaced the seats & carpet but that smell was STILL there. NOWHERE NEAR as strong, but "in there" and they took a BEATING trading a 15 month old vehicle in!

The other was a sweet old woman with a Town car and she was obviously incontinent AND 100% nose blind! I once laid down 2 newspapers AND a cardboard box to pull that in & out and I STILL "reeked" afterwards. I had to go home and change! After she died, they could not sell that car. A friend of mine bought it for $300 with barely 5k miles on it and replaced the entire interior out of a wreck. No matter, that smell remained. Drastically reduced, but there.

Trust me, I have smelled how BAD something can get.. allowing urine to pass through would never work.

BigAl3 said:

I bought a vehicle cheap because of cigar smoke smell. I put a deodorizing disk in it. It took care of the smell. We now use them where we keep the cat litter box. And in the room where we keep the the feeder rodents for our snakes.

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Smoke is different than liquids........ I've never seen a "stench" FULLY removed from a vehicle personally, and I have been in/out of tens of thousands vehicles.

The old woman's car was BAD but that Lexus? HOLY FUCKING PUKE!

I imagine that baby diapers would be sized up for kids age 10 to 14. Good nites would still exist yes but there'd be at least seven different sizes available. Changing pads would be cute with lots of different designs like flowers, outer space, maybe even licensed it'd be a market.
Dora the explorer or Family Guy anyone

A child would probably start changing their own nighttime protection between age four and six . Responsible and empathy would be taught earlier in life .
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If bed wetting was less stigmatized my childhood would have been a lot easier.
Until the second or third grade I still had the occasional bladder or bowel accident at night and it kept me from going to sleepovers. I would have appreciated some darn protection back then.

HappyNappin said:

I think the human race would probably have died off if this was the case, I don't think reproduction would be nearly as popular if adults all had to wear diapers in bed

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On the contrary, evolutionarily, only people who were into it would reproduce then, leading to only such genetics proliferating. Everyone would be into it because everyone else went extinct

TheMat said:

On the contrary, evolutionarily, only people who were into it would reproduce then, leading to only such genetics proliferating. Everyone would be into it because everyone else went extinct

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It is kinda weird how this is almost a thing, how bedwetters end up marrying other bedwetters and passing the genes along to there kids, before you know it bedwetting is rife through the extended family and is largely normalised

Well, since I think from always an animals perspective I would say our asses would have been sniffed-out, and we would be a "No-go" in the evolutionary chain.
I mean, sure. Scent marking territory is important. But most animals don't soil their areas. They do it around the areas to mark their territory as a warning. Animals that mess their sleeping area are attacked by even their own kind, depending on the animal. Rats think it a good idea. But that's how predators find them. (Just playing this thought. Don't get mad.)

Ideally, peeing wherever is fun, I guess. animals do this. But it sure smells bad where I live with my neighbors, and all the beer they do. Kinda awful. Even from a guys point of view.

But I do enjoy a good night time diaper pee. Bless such things.

Woncrinklz said:

Well, since I think from always an animals perspective I would say our asses would have been sniffed-out, and we would be a "No-go" in the evolutionary chain.
I mean, sure. Scent marking territory is important. But most animals don't soil their areas. They do it around the areas to mark their territory as a warning. Animals that mess their sleeping area are attacked by even their own kind, depending on the animal. Rats think it a good idea. But that's how predators find them. (Just playing this thought. Don't get mad.)

Ideally, peeing wherever is fun, I guess. animals do this. But it sure smells bad where I live with my neighbors, and all the beer they do. Kinda awful. Even from a guys point of view.

But I do enjoy a good night time diaper pee. Bless such things.

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Maybe not humans have always sought house like structures with barcades to keep predators out. Be that two legged or four legged!

If we're going back to cave man days then everyone would have worked in shifts. Making noise and waving fire. To keep predators out. No matter the time of day or night.

Maybe early modern humans could have created a primitive external catheter a large cup funneling into a larger container. Possible tied around the thighs with long grasses or animal hair.

Living conditions would constantly stink but before soap and non contaminated water , no body really smelt really good.

HappyNappin said:

It is kinda weird how this is almost a thing, how bedwetters end up marrying other bedwetters and passing the genes along to there kids, before you know it bedwetting is rife through the extended family and is largely normalized

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Weirdly enough, coming from a parent's perspective - I myself had zero issues with bedwetting growing up (although had a HUGE extended family, and a few cousins/siblings that did).

Now though, one of our kids not only doesn't wet the bed, but he actually was staying dry well before we really got into the weeds with daytime potty training.

His brother I suspect will buck that trend though. Though I'd like to be proven wrong!

PerfectlyMe said:

Maybe not humans have always sought house like structures with barcades to keep predators out. Be that two legged or four legged!

If we're going back to cave man days then everyone would have worked in shifts. Making noise and waving fire. To keep predators out. No matter the time of day or night.

Maybe early modern humans could have created a primitive external catheter a large cup funneling into a larger container. Possible tied around the thighs with long grasses or animal hair.

Living conditions would constantly stink but before soap and non contaminated water , no body really smelt really good.

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Probably why humans were able to take over.
We fucking stink.
And I mean it. Dang straight.

Woncrinklz said:

Well, since I think from always an animals perspective I would say our asses would have been sniffed-out, and we would be a "No-go" in the evolutionary chain.
I mean, sure. Scent marking territory is important. But most animals don't soil their areas. They do it around the areas to mark their territory as a warning. Animals that mess their sleeping area are attacked by even their own kind, depending on the animal. Rats think it a good idea. But that's how predators find them. (Just playing this thought. Don't get mad.)

Ideally, peeing wherever is fun, I guess. animals do this. But it sure smells bad where I live with my neighbors, and all the beer they do. Kinda awful. Even from a guys point of view.

But I do enjoy a good night time diaper pee. Bless such things.

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I was thinking the same thing. I've owned many pets and they have all got up even in the middle of the night and then went back and laid down again.

Woncrinklz said:

Well, since I think from always an animals perspective I would say our asses would have been sniffed-out, and we would be a "No-go" in the evolutionary chain.
I mean, sure. Scent marking territory is important. But most animals don't soil their areas. They do it around the areas to mark their territory as a warning. Animals that mess their sleeping area are attacked by even their own kind, depending on the animal. Rats think it a good idea. But that's how predators find them. (Just playing this thought. Don't get mad.)

Ideally, peeing wherever is fun, I guess. animals do this. But it sure smells bad where I live with my neighbors, and all the beer they do. Kinda awful. Even from a guys point of view.

But I do enjoy a good night time diaper pee. Bless such things.

Click to expand...

What? Your neighbors just "whip it out" and let it fly everywhere???

Woncrinklz said:

Probably why humans were able to take over.
We fucking stink.
And I mean it. Dang straight.

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Yeah and pet dogs be thinking " Dummy are you trying to attract wolves, hogs and tigers?!"
" You smell like sweaty meat that rolled in flowers "