Tesco Creates Larger Nappies For Disabled Children In Response To Campaign

Parents of children with disabilities can now buy larger-size nappies for their children thanks to the successful campaign of a mum in need.

Laura Rutherford found it hard to find nappies for her four-year-old son Brody who has global development delay, epilepsy, autism and hypermobility syndrome. The mum petitioned supermarkets to sell or make larger nappies for children with additional support needs, and Tesco responded. 

The supermarket worked with Rutherford to create these nappies, which include a wetness indicator and double strength fixing tapes to help with a secure fit on a larger child. The ‘Tesco Health Junior Nappies’ cater for kids whose disability means they continue to need nappies and have outgrown regular sizes.

“When you have a baby one of the many things you don’t expect to use indefinitely is nappies,” said Rutherford. ”You look in to the not so distant future and envisage the ‘joys’ of potty training and eventually a nappy-free life. For parents of children with disabilities it can be very different. 

“There are thousands of children in the UK like Brody, older than ‘typical’ children, who are not potty trained and require bigger nappies. I felt like something needed to be done.”

After setting up the change.org petition – and getting more than 18,000 signatures – Rutherford was overwhelmed with the support from other parents in the same boat.

Families are able to receive nappies through the NHS continence service, but Rutherford said the referral age, eligibility, waiting time and the number of nappies a family receives differs greatly throughout the UK. “Because of this, there is a huge demand for larger nappies in supermarkets,” she said.

Rutherford was over the moon when Tesco got in touch saying they’d like to work with her on designing the new nappies. 

“It was great to work closely with Laura on the design of the nappies and incorporate her thoughts into the final product,” said Sinead Bell, Tesco category director for baby, beauty and toiletries. “We hope this is a little help to Laura and Brody and other families in the same position.”

They nappies are available in Tesco stores now and a pack of 20 is priced at £4.50.