Diaper pins - Remember the days?

[Axel Slingerland]

I’ve raised two kids, and never had to use diapers. Then again, one of them was six when he came to live with me and the other was twelve.

That's what I did. My Dad would jokingly call it being a Rented Dad. I always loved that joke, in spite of the irony of it. The parents always pays the rent. That's why they call them Parents, which is a Portmanteau of Pay Rents.

 

[Jacob Petersheim]

As the oldest of 7 siblings, I did my share. We didn't have the money for some fancy-pants "diaper service" either.

Later I had 3 boys, but by then disposables had become the norm.

What bugs me now is that my 3 (and counting, soon to 4) year old grandson is still in diapers. Are people insane? My tongue is almost bitten through. That's just bizarre.

 

[Madge Bumstead]

As the oldest of 7 siblings, I did my share. We didn't have the money for some fancy-pants "diaper service" either.

Later I had 3 boys, but by then disposables had become the norm.

What bugs me now is that my 3 year old (and counting, soon to 4) year old grandson is still in diapers. Are people insane? My tongue is almost bitten through. That's just bizarre.

I don't understand it either, Jacob.

I often wonder if the whole double income movement today isn't to blame, where little ones are shuffled off to daycares and babysitters to be raised, and where the absence of mothers in the home around the clock has become the norm.

 

[Mary Robi]

I don't understand it either, Jacob.

I often wonder if the whole double income movement today isn't to blame, where little ones are shuffled off to daycares and babysitters to be raised, and where the absence of mothers in the home around the clock has become the norm.

A lot of it is due to the movement of "don't force the child to do anything".

There wasn't a lot of that school of thought in the yesterdays, when the objective was to get this one out of diapers before the next one arrives. Two in diapers would be bad enough; three would be disastrous.

I think of my sister-in-law-who had SIX in less than ten years. I had enough with one, who I sent off to my grandma to be potty-trained (which was accomplished in four days).

 

[Madge Bumstead]

A lot of it is due to the movement of "don't force the child to do anything".

There wasn't a lot of that school of thought in the yesterdays, when the objective was to get this one out of diapers before the next one arrives. Two in diapers would be bad enough; three would be disastrous.

I think of my sister-in-law-who had SIX in less than ten years. I had enough with one, who I sent off to my grandma to be potty-trained (which was accomplished in four days).

Times have changed for sure.

I was thinking back to my old babysitting days courtesy of this topic. In all the years I babysat I only ever remember babysitting for one mom whose kids weren't toilet trained by around 2-1/2 years. Age 2 to 2-1/2 years was about the top-end of when the diaper stage was done, at least that's what I seem to remember.

I firmly believe old-fashioned cloth diapers made a difference, because little ones felt the wet and discomfort compared to today's modern super-absorbent disposable version.

I often had two in diapers at a time, and at one point had three in diapers, two fulltime (day and night), and one part-time (nighttime). Changing and washing was constant. Eleven years straight of diapers between my six, and I did diapers, safety pins, and rubber pants for all.

As a mom who lived through having multiple little ones at a time, I can see how toilet training in some cases could take a backseat, but as Jacob mentioned, it seems to be more the standard today than the exception.

 

[Mary Robi]

Times have changed for sure.

I was thinking back to my old babysitting days courtesy of this topic. In all the years I babysat I only ever remember babysitting for one mom whose kids weren't toilet trained by around 2-1/2 years. Age 2 to 2-1/2 years was about the top-end of when the diaper stage was done, at least that's what I seem to remember.

I firmly believe old-fashioned cloth diapers made a difference, because little ones felt the wet and discomfort compared to today's modern super-absorbent disposable version.

I often had two in diapers at a time, and at one point had three in diapers, two fulltime (day and night), and one part-time (nighttime). Changing and washing was constant. Eleven years straight of diapers between my six, and I did diapers, safety pins, and rubber pants for all.

As a mom who lived through having multiple little ones at a time, I can see how toilet training in some cases could take a backseat, but as Jacob mentioned, it seems to be more the standard today than the exception.

They actually DO have "training" disposables which are deliberately less comfortable....at least they used to have them. Remember the "training pants" made of thick material with extra material in the crotch? When they got wet, they hung down around the kids' knees.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Except for the brother who died recently, who was three years older than me, most of us were five years apart, which must have been comfortable from a parenting perspective.

 

[Madge Bumstead]

They actually DO have "training" disposables which are deliberately less comfortable....at least they used to have them. Remember the "training pants" made of thick material with extra material in the crotch? When they got wet, they hung down around the kids' knees.

I sure do remember the old-fashioned soakers (training pants). I used them. I used the thermal waffle-knit ones with the extra padding that ran down the centre. I used to double them up and put rubber pants over them, and yes, they sagged, as did double diapers when wet.

Those old-fashioned reusable cloth training pants also served as emergency diaper pants when all the rubber pants were in the diaper pail or hanging on the clothesline.

And... those old-fashioned reusable cloth training pants served as great nighttime boosters when it came to added absorbency! A pin-fastened nighttime double diaper, a pair of cloth soaker training pants over the diapers, rubber pants over top, and said kid was good till morning!

 

[Madge Bumstead]

Except for the brother who died recently, who was three years older than me, most of us were five years apart, which must have been comfortable from a parenting perspective.

So sorry to hear about the loss of your brother, Ken.

 

[Madge Bumstead]

Remember the red elastic rings our kids wore around the tops of their legs and waist from the rubber pants?

And how about the pink stains that would form around the elastic leg holes and on the seat of the rubber pants!

No amount of soaking, scrubbing, or washing got those pink stains out, once in, they were there till the end. I remember all of the stained rubber pants hanging on the clothesline with the diapers after someone had a bout of diarrhea!

And who can forget the swish, swish, swish plastic rustling sound the rubber pants made, I joke to this day that I always knew where my kids were in the house by the plastic rustling sound of their rubber pants! I could hear them from a mile away, and when they'd start down the hallway and into the kitchen, that all too familiar double diaper waddle they used to do courtesy of all the bulk, along with the plasticy rustle sound of their rubber pants served as a reminder to me I was living real motherhood in full colour!

Real babies, real motherhood!

 

[Marie Mallory]

Except for the brother who died recently, who was three years older than me, most of us were five years apart, which must have been comfortable from a parenting perspective.

Ken, being so far apart had its drawback's too, taking care of newborns while keeping up with toddlers was a challenge too.
My oldest was a female Houdini who was always trying to go outside. I put her on a child harness that buckled in back right outside front door, one of the neighbors let her lose, she was gone in an instant.
I had all mine by CF[sections no bikini cuts back then, so 22 steel clamps was incision, hurt like hell when they took them out.
I snatched up my newborn and 1 yr old and busted my stomach open, so I had to lay down push muscle tissue back inside tape it up, then run out side with 2 babies yelling for my baby, lol. One of the kids in yard said how many babies you got?
I had blood all the way up to my neck and sloshing in my shoes.
4 hours later here comes cops with the escape artist and I got to go to hospital for repairs.
Jake doesn't understand why I set my own toes when broken and knock em back in joint, if he hurts himself, he says, you get the hell away from me.

 

[Madge Bumstead]

Ken, being so far apart had its drawback's too, taking care of newborns while keeping up with toddlers was a challenge too.
My oldest was a female Houdini who was always trying to go outside. I put her on a child harness that buckled in back right outside front door, one of the neighbors let her lose, she was gone in an instant.
I had all mine by CF[sections no bikini cuts back then, so 22 steel clamps was incision, hurt like hell when they took them out.
I snatched up my newborn and 1 yr old and busted my stomach open, so I had to lay down push muscle tissue back inside tape it up, then run out side with 2 babies yelling for my baby, lol. One of the kids in yard said how many babies you got?
I had blood all the way up to my neck and sloshing in my shoes.
4 hours later here comes cops with the escape artist and I got to go to hospital for repairs.
Jake doesn't understand why I set my own toes when broken and knock em back in joint, if he hurts himself, he says, you get the hell away from me.

OMG, you had a real go of it, Marie!

 

[Marie Mallory]

OMG, you had a real go of it, Marie!

Madge, my childhood prepared me for marrying the wrong man. We lived part time in the country and was always getting into something, so I was used to accidents and my donkey was a good sparring partner, she'd throw me ,knew which trees to go between to get me off her back. Falling out of tree huts, swimming with snakes, etc. But it was a great life.

 

[Madge Bumstead]

Madge, my childhood prepared me for marrying the wrong man. We lived part time in the country and was always getting into something, so I was used to accidents and my donkey was a good sparring partner, she'd throw me ,knew which trees to go between to get me off her back. Falling out of tree huts, swimming with snakes, etc. But it was a great life.

OMG... and here I hated even getting my hands dirty!

 

[Marie Mallory]

Remember the red elastic rings our kids wore around the tops of their legs and waist from the rubber pants?

And how about the pink stains that would form around the elastic leg holes and on the seat of the rubber pants!

No amount of soaking, scrubbing, or washing got those pink stains out, once in, they were there till the end. I remember all of the stained rubber pants hanging on the clothesline with the diapers after someone had a bout of diarrhea!

And who can forget the swish, swish, swish plastic rustling sound the rubber pants made, I joke to this day that I always knew where my kids were in the house by the plastic rustling sound of their rubber pants! I could hear them from a mile away, and when they'd start down the hallway and into the kitchen, that all too familiar double diaper waddle they used to do courtesy of all the bulk, along with the plasticy rustle sound of their rubber pants served as a reminder to me I was living real motherhood in full colour!

Real babies, real motherhood!

I remember it well and the only positive thing about it was clothe diaper's were less expensive. I gave one of my granddaughter] s a pack of clothe diapers at her baby shower, some of the young mothers ask what were they for.I said in case you give out of the other, you'll have these.

 

[Marie Mallory]

OMG... and here I hated even getting my hands dirty!

You have to live it to love it, Madge you can do whatever you want or have to do, according to the situation.

 

[Madge Bumstead]

I remember it well and the only positive thing about it was clothe diaper's were less expensive. I gave one of my granddaughter] s a pack of clothe diapers at her baby shower, some of the young mothers ask what were they for.I said in case you give out of the other, you'll have these.

OMG, yes, uber-economical cloth diapers were! Once you had them they started paying a mother back almost right away.

Aside from economics, I loved always having a supply of fresh clean diapers ready and waiting no matter what time of day or night. No running out of diapers ever, no emergency runs to the store for Pampers, and those diapers fit and worked from birth to potty! Plus, more comfy for little ones.

The only expense was buying new rubber pants when needed, that, and the detergent and hot water used when washing, which equated to pennies.

Speaking of rubber pants, I never seemed to have enough!

Truth be told, Marie, I'd use cloth diapers again if I was raising a family today, and not the new-fangled modern ones, I'd use the plain old-fashioned ones, pins, pants and all!

 

[Marie Mallory]

OMG, yes, uber-economical cloth diapers were! Once you had them they started paying a mother back almost right away.

Aside from economics, I loved always having a supply of fresh clean diapers ready and waiting no matter what time of day or night. No running out of diapers ever, no emergency runs to the store for Pampers, and those diapers fit and worked from birth to potty! Plus, more comfy for little ones.

The only expense was buying new rubber pants when needed, that, and the detergent and hot water used when washing, which equated to pennies.

Speaking of rubber pants, I never seemed to have enough!

Thats for sure, you never ran out of diapers and pins when you ran out of money. Reminds me of the song, Needles and Pins,lol.

 

[Madge Bumstead]

Thats for sure, you never ran out of diapers and pins when you ran out of money. Reminds me of the song, Needles and Pins,lol.

Absolutely true!

I've spoken to moms that claim their children never got diaper rash from the cloth diapers, but my kids did. Maybe not all the time, but they got it.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Absolutely true!

I've spoken to moms that claim their children never got diaper rash from the cloth diapers, but my kids did. Maybe not all the time, but they got it.

Madge, I think most babies got diaper rash one time or the other, no matter the diaper type. Also, in the late 60s early 70s many mothers didn't breast feed their babies anymore.