Madge Bumstead
Well-known member
My last started topic - Baby-care isn't what it used to be, prompted me to start this topic.
For all those here that remember or experienced (first hand) old-fashioned cloth diapers of the past, my bet is you well remember how quickly those old-fashioned cloth diapers got wet and how many times a day they needed changing. Newborn through to about 13 months, give or take a month or two on either side, changing baby a dozen (or more) times a day was all in a day's work, and as with most mothers of the day, folding the diapers double, even triple was the standard, so every diaper change amounted to two diapers being dropped into the diaper pail.
With 24 diapers a day, and a half dozen pairs of rubber pants being added to the plastic diaper pail each day, it didn't take long for the pails to fill, and for those like myself that had two children in diapers at a time, the number of diapers and pants quickly doubled!
I always made an effort to start off each day with a dozen folded diapers and a half dozen pairs of rubber pants on each child's dresser top. I kept a small diaper pail in the youngest child's room for wet-wets, a large plastic diaper pail in the older child's room also for wet-wets, and a commercial sized diaper service sized diaper pail in the bathroom for both wet-wets/dirties.
With one baby in diapers, washing was done every other day or every 2-3 days, with two in diapers, washing was done every day. From washing machine to clothesline, diapers and rubber pants were hung on the line to dry. With two wooden clothespins used for every diaper, and another clothespin for every pair of rubber pants, when I was done filling the line, I was often fresh out of clothespins in the early days before I acquired a collection of vintage wooden clothespins to add to the stash I already had.
1990 and 1992 welcomed the birth of my last two, and with the toddler newly toilet trained for only a handful of months, he began reverting back to wetting, so I found myself putting him back into diapers again, tired of changing and washing wet crib sheets and pyjama bottoms each morning, raising the total number of diapered bottoms in the home to three. My mom being the saving grace, walking through the front door one early morning with 3 packages of flannelette diapers and several packages of rubber pants to add to what I already had on hand. What a blessing the extra diapers and pants were!
Checking and changing was constant! I'd no sooner finish changing one, and another would need changed, and no sooner I'd sit back down, another would need changing, and I was back up and at it again. Need I mention the fact that those old-fashioned drop-side baby cribs made for the best changing area ever! Being able to drop (lower) the railings sure made for easy reaching inside!
Regardless of differing routines and schedules, there were plenty of times where all three needed changing at the same time, so I'd march all three off to the bathroom, line all three up on the floor side-by-side, and where I dropped to my knees was where I started. Other times I'd march all three off to the baby room, into the baby crib one at a time with the other two standing in line waiting their turn, like an assembly line or sorts.
Off with the rubber pants, out with the pins, change the diapers, fresh diapers pin-fastened, rubber pants rustled back on, When done three little bottoms would emerge from the bathroom or baby room, rubber pants rustling, them waddling like ducks, courtesy of the bulky folded diapers I was diapering everyone in.
I still remember the weighted sound rubber pants with wet ammonia diapers still inside made, hitting the bottom of the empty plastic diaper pail with a heavy dull thud. When diapers were wet, I often took to reaching inside rubber pants at change-time, stretching open the elastic waistband, unlatching and plucking the pins from the diapers, then pulling the rubber pants down and off with the wet diapers still inside the pants. Made for speedy and efficient changing!
Good old-fashioned, proper, no-nonsense cloth diapers and rubber pants saved the day in our house! Not only did they save the day as far as the household budget went, but they got the job done and very well may I add!
- Picture of my youngest (circa 1993), helping with the diapers fresh off the line!
- Diapers and rubber pants on clothesline!
- Diapers, pins, and rubber pants folded and stacked on the dresser top!
Those were the days...
For all those here that remember or experienced (first hand) old-fashioned cloth diapers of the past, my bet is you well remember how quickly those old-fashioned cloth diapers got wet and how many times a day they needed changing. Newborn through to about 13 months, give or take a month or two on either side, changing baby a dozen (or more) times a day was all in a day's work, and as with most mothers of the day, folding the diapers double, even triple was the standard, so every diaper change amounted to two diapers being dropped into the diaper pail.
With 24 diapers a day, and a half dozen pairs of rubber pants being added to the plastic diaper pail each day, it didn't take long for the pails to fill, and for those like myself that had two children in diapers at a time, the number of diapers and pants quickly doubled!
I always made an effort to start off each day with a dozen folded diapers and a half dozen pairs of rubber pants on each child's dresser top. I kept a small diaper pail in the youngest child's room for wet-wets, a large plastic diaper pail in the older child's room also for wet-wets, and a commercial sized diaper service sized diaper pail in the bathroom for both wet-wets/dirties.
With one baby in diapers, washing was done every other day or every 2-3 days, with two in diapers, washing was done every day. From washing machine to clothesline, diapers and rubber pants were hung on the line to dry. With two wooden clothespins used for every diaper, and another clothespin for every pair of rubber pants, when I was done filling the line, I was often fresh out of clothespins in the early days before I acquired a collection of vintage wooden clothespins to add to the stash I already had.
1990 and 1992 welcomed the birth of my last two, and with the toddler newly toilet trained for only a handful of months, he began reverting back to wetting, so I found myself putting him back into diapers again, tired of changing and washing wet crib sheets and pyjama bottoms each morning, raising the total number of diapered bottoms in the home to three. My mom being the saving grace, walking through the front door one early morning with 3 packages of flannelette diapers and several packages of rubber pants to add to what I already had on hand. What a blessing the extra diapers and pants were!
Checking and changing was constant! I'd no sooner finish changing one, and another would need changed, and no sooner I'd sit back down, another would need changing, and I was back up and at it again. Need I mention the fact that those old-fashioned drop-side baby cribs made for the best changing area ever! Being able to drop (lower) the railings sure made for easy reaching inside!
Regardless of differing routines and schedules, there were plenty of times where all three needed changing at the same time, so I'd march all three off to the bathroom, line all three up on the floor side-by-side, and where I dropped to my knees was where I started. Other times I'd march all three off to the baby room, into the baby crib one at a time with the other two standing in line waiting their turn, like an assembly line or sorts.
Off with the rubber pants, out with the pins, change the diapers, fresh diapers pin-fastened, rubber pants rustled back on, When done three little bottoms would emerge from the bathroom or baby room, rubber pants rustling, them waddling like ducks, courtesy of the bulky folded diapers I was diapering everyone in.
I still remember the weighted sound rubber pants with wet ammonia diapers still inside made, hitting the bottom of the empty plastic diaper pail with a heavy dull thud. When diapers were wet, I often took to reaching inside rubber pants at change-time, stretching open the elastic waistband, unlatching and plucking the pins from the diapers, then pulling the rubber pants down and off with the wet diapers still inside the pants. Made for speedy and efficient changing!
Good old-fashioned, proper, no-nonsense cloth diapers and rubber pants saved the day in our house! Not only did they save the day as far as the household budget went, but they got the job done and very well may I add!
- Picture of my youngest (circa 1993), helping with the diapers fresh off the line!
- Diapers and rubber pants on clothesline!
- Diapers, pins, and rubber pants folded and stacked on the dresser top!
Those were the days...
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