If you are ever in a pinch and don’t have a diaper handy for a child or an incontinent adult, you can make your own using a plastic bag and a few household items. It’s not ideal, but better than making a mess all over the person and on the floor. Be sure to monitor the use of the plastic bag diaper because although it will keep the urine or feces from going immediately onto the clothing or floor, it is not guaranteed to work every time as it can shift as the person moves around.

Unroll about two feet or more of toilet paper from a roll.

Fold the length of the toilet paper back and forth accordion style until you have a size that will cover the entire front and back of the crotch area. Set it aside.

Place a grocery bag on a table and smooth it out with your hands. Roll the bag lengthwise until it is just one long, narrow rectangular shape just a bit wider than the makeshift toilet paper pad.

Put the toilet paper on the rolled plastic bag, making sure that the toilet paper doesn’t overlap any of the edges of the plastic bag roll.

Slip the plastic bag and toilet paper together into the underwear or diaper cover, making sure the rolled plastic bag goes from above the front of the crotch and out the back of the underwear or diaper cover.

Put the underwear on the child or adult.