Daily Routines with a Tube or Line: Dressing, Laundry, and Travel
A tube or line is not a one-time problem. It shows up in every ordinary part of the day: getting dressed, feeds, naps, laundry, the car, the grandparents' house. Small routines around clothing can take a surprising amount of friction out of all of it.
This guide collects practical routines for dressing, laundry, and time away from home. It covers clothing only. How to care for the tube or line, the site, feeds, and your child's health is guidance from your child's care team, and theirs always comes first.
Contents
- A one-person dressing routine
- Through the day: feeds, checks, and diapers
- Nights
- A laundry system that keeps up
- Out and about
- Daycare, family, and other caregivers
- As your child grows
- A clothing packing list
A one-person dressing routine
The goal is dressing that one person can do without lifting or threading arms past a line.
- Set up first. Lay the garment open and flat on a safe surface, and have everything within reach before your child is on it.
- Place your child on the open garment, managing lines and tubes the way your care team showed you.
- Bring the sides up and fasten. Nothing goes over the head.
- Tuck and route. Rest tubing or lumens in the pocket, and guide the line away from the front of the body.
Clothes that do not open flat can still work with a garment that opens at the front, a kimono-style top, or a side-snap shirt. Read How to Dress a Baby with a G-Tube for more.
Through the day: feeds, checks, and diapers
- Feeds and site checks. Clothing with an opening at the site means you can reach the tube or line without a change of clothes. Keep the opening fastened between uses so the tubing stays covered.
- Diaper changes. An open-bottom gown means a diaper change does not disturb the rest of the garment.
- Keeping small hands busy. Child life specialists often suggest a toy that only appears during feeds, so it becomes part of the routine. Read My Toddler Keeps Pulling at His Feeding Tube.
Nights
Nights are where clothing design shows up most.
- Reach the site without fully undressing. Overnight access is easier when the opening sits right at the site and can be opened in low light.
- Keep the line off the crib rail. Tubing guided down and toward the back of the body is less likely to catch as a child moves.
- Keep a clean spare within reach so a leak does not mean a search in the dark.
- Follow safe sleep guidance from your child's care team, including how lines, tubes, and pumps should be positioned overnight.
A laundry system that keeps up
- Own enough to get through a wash cycle. Two garments is the minimum. Three is better.
- Wipe the lining first. A moisture-resistant pocket lining can be wiped out between washes if a leak is small.
- Wash warm, tumble dry low. Skip bleach and fabric softener, which coats cotton and reduces absorbency over time.
- Choose pre-shrunk cotton so sizes stay true through daily washing.
- Avoid velcro, which catches on everything else in the load.
Out and about
- Pack a spare garment in the diaper bag, every time.
- Plan for changing away from home. A garment that opens flat can be changed on any safe flat surface without lifting.
- Car seats. Follow your car seat manufacturer's instructions on clothing under the harness, and ask your care team how to position lines, tubing, and any pump for travel.
- Imaging and appointments. If a scan is scheduled, the imaging team decides what your child can wear, so bring a change of clothes in case they ask for a garment to be removed.
Daycare, family, and other caregivers
Anyone who dresses your child needs to know how their clothes open.
- Show them once. Walk through how the garment opens, where the tubing rests, and how to fasten it again.
- Label spares for daycare or school.
- Keep care instructions separate. How to handle the tube, line, or site should come from your child's care team, in writing if possible, not from a clothing guide.
As your child grows
- From gown to bodysuit. Once a child rolls and crawls, a bodysuit that stays in place often works better than a gown.
- Size up when your child is between sizes or wears a dressing. Check our Sizing Guide as they grow.
- Revisit what works. What helped at three months may not help at eighteen. Tube pulling, crawling, and new equipment all change what clothing needs to do.
A clothing packing list
- One spare adaptive garment, or two for a long day
- A spare layer for temperature changes
- A small wet bag for soiled clothes
- A change of clothes for any scheduled imaging
- Your care team's written instructions for anyone else caring for your child
What belongs to your care team
How to care for the tube or line, the site and dressing, feeds and pumps, safe sleep, car seat positioning of equipment, and your child's health. Nothing in this guide is medical guidance.
What we designed
Our garments were designed around these routines. Every one opens completely flat for one-person dressing, has a lined PediaPouch™ at the site, RoutePoints™ to guide the line away from the front of the body, and Dual Arm Access™ on both sleeves. Gowns have an open bottom for diaper changes. Resin snaps, no velcro, 100% pre-shrunk cotton, and made to be washed often.