DryNites
A product of Kimberly-Clark, Huggies DryNites are disposable nappies which mimic underwear, essentially an enlargement of their successful Pull-Ups brand products but marketed at children and teenagers with bedwetting or incontinence problems. An alternate version of GoodNites, which first appeared in 1994, DryNites are sold in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and other countries. Unlike standard nappies, DryNites can be pulled up and down like underwear, to allow the wearer to use a toilet without needing to untape and retape the diaper. The two sizes are intended for the ages of four to eight and eight to fifteen, though the larger size often fits well beyond the age of 15.
Product history
Early designs
The original design was a blank, unisex nappy which came in three different sizes and was marketed as "night-time absorbent pants". The smallest size was for children up to the age of seven or eight, with a medium size for children aged seven to ten and a large size for children and teenagers up to the age of twenty. In similar fashion to the Huggies Pull-ups range, the pants feature seams on both sides, which allow them to be easily torn off in the event of an accident.
2006 revamp
Despite the fact that 7% of 4 - 15 year olds wet the bed on a regular basis, and that in the UK DryNites is the only brand of nappy catering for this group, research conducted in 2006 showed that very few bedwetting households actually used DryNites, and that many of those believed "DryNites" to be a generic term for all bedwetting products[1]. Therefore, in 2006, DryNites underwent a revamp so that Kimberly-Clark could try to shed what it felt was a perceived image that their products were simply 'nappies for teenagers', so as not to alienate those who considered it to be 'babyish' to still be wearing nappies at an older age. They tried to remarket them more as 'absorbent underwear' for those with bedwetting problems; a normal part of a child's development rather than a barrier which confirmed the negative stigma of wetting the bed.
Hoping to make their product more fun and less clinical, they renamed the product 'pyjama pants' and altered both the nappy itself and the packaging to be "more animated and positive."[citation needed] The previously blank, unisex versions have been dropped in favour of gender-specific styles which resemble normal underwear more than a baby's nappy.
2009 Redesign
In early 2009 DryNites were repackaged [2], the new versions feature a pink or blue rim around the front and back and are also more stretchy at the front and back, the boys version has a main picture of a motorbike. The new packaging is to emphasise that the products are not baby nappies, that children can improve their confidence by wearing them, and the children in pairs show that bedwetting is a fairly common problem. They are also a bit bigger.
Sleep Shorts
In mid 2007 Kimberly Clark introduced "Drynites Sleep Shorts" which are designed to look like shorts yet be absorbent like a nappy.
Public reception
Following the revamp, DryNites' sales increased 22% in the UK and 23% across Europe in a matter of months[1]
DryNites are generally popular amongst parents and bedwetters alike.[2].
In 2004, actor Jerry O'Connell was seen modeling GoodNites (the American version of DryNites) on the Last Call with Carson Daly show for a mock commercial in which he discussed his 'bedwetting problem'.[3] The National Enquirer caught him filming the skit and printed this photo of him cheerfully showing off his nappy.
References
- ^ a b Information on the 2006 revamp of DryNites[dead link]
- ^ a b [1] Cite error: The named reference "Reviews" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Jerry O'Connell in GoodNites