"Diaper lover" (or DL for short) is the popular term for a person who feels a strong desire to wear and use diapers without physiological necessity. This paraphilia is differentiated from infantilism in that those of the latter category are also focused with returning to babyhood in ways other than by wearing diapers. A vast majority of diaper lovers are male. Contrary to what some people might think, neither of these conditions are the same as, or even imply, pedophilia.

A desire to wear diapers seems often to be first created whilst a person is still at a very young age, during periods of emotional turbulence in their family, such as diaper punishment for accidents, or a reluctance to be potty trained, or the person has been potty trained too early or too late. In many cases, though, there is no real apparent known cause. Before puberty these desires are largely dormant in most of those affected, but during the period of approx 8-15 years of age the person becomes aware of an attraction to diapers, and sometimes will act upon this attraction, by various ways, such as using diapers from younger siblings or buying some for themselves and using them.

In most cases, the desire for these acts is of a sexual nature, in which case it is classed as a sexual fetish; in rare cases it is non-sexual, the wearer deriving a sense of comfort and safety from wearing diapers, and may not even use them. The Diaper Lover also usually feels extreme comfort wearing diapers and for elder Diaper Lovers it can become a substite for underwear.

Some people with this fetish may not want to go to a full intent of use of the diapers. Some might not want to look at pornographic based images of the fetish, and may prefer a simpler, more "kinder" drawn picture of a character in a diaper (see external links).

It is common for a diaper lover to feel ashamed and isolated in their desires and most try to hide this from others. Until the rise of online services, few persons interested in the subject had contact with any others, and felt rather alone. The CompuServe Adult Human Sexuality Forum established an "Adult Babies" section in 1987, which may have been the first online community based on sharing this interest. Today, there are numerous websites dedicated to various facets of the fetish.

See also

• Infantilism

Reference links

• Understanding Infantilism

Other pages (for above examples)

• JayJ's diaper art - A talented Diaper Lover/Adult Baby artist.
• Teenbabynet.org - A forum for Diaper Lovers and Infantilists, as well as Babyfurs.
• Surviving Babyhood - A reference website that describes diapers, toys and types of relationships for Infantilists, and Diaper Lovers.