Terry nappies

I used Harrington's in the early and mid seventies and oh... I can still smell the bucket in the bathroom. Yuck.

harrigran has raised the point I was going to make: I wonder if our children were out of nappies faster than those of today who use disposables? Having a wet cloggy nappy half-way down one's legs in conducive to wanting to be dry!

One daughter used disposables and the other shaped terry nappies which I found a bit of a faff but that was probably just me. I admired her 'nappy-ethics'.

I know of small children who are rising five and still not completely 'dry' - I have always thought that this was perhaps due to early use of disposables or, dare I say it... laziness.....?! We were constantly checking if our sproglets needed the loo and couldn't rely on a hidden 'trainer' pant which is really just a big nappy.

Yes, I have 4 children and certainly started potty training before 18 months, as both my daughters were dry day and night by 18 months. The boys day by 2, night by 2.5. We had a real incentive, washing those darn terry nappies. With disposables it's easy to put it off till they are " ready". But they don't feel wet, so they won't be ready until mums decide!

Ooh granjura, I hope you gave as good as you got, if that was aimed in your direction! Ouch!!

Today's parents will no more go back to washable nappies than we would to using newspaper for toilet paper.
I took pride in my line full of snowy nappies but they took an hour to wash, boil and hang out and babies don't get nappy rash with disposables.

The potty training in our house was more about my awareness of body signals. After the first few months I never got a soiled nappy from DD, from 6 weeks old I held her over the potty after her feed and she performed. I think it had a lot to do with taking the nappy off and not having central heating.
I believe the Chinese used to carry their children without nappies and used split trousers for convenience.

Alea- never face to face- and would have never dared with DD1 or young friends- a bit tooo close for comfort. But I did discuss the issue with an expat Forum full of young mums- and they were having none of it- saying us older mums/grans were being dishonest about toddlers being potty trained and dry by 2 for girls and a bit later for boys... and one of them said it was all lies, lol.

There have been trends in potty-training over the years, going from very strict to laissez faire.
I can't remember in detail what happened with ours but we got there in the end.
I do remember 2nd son, at the age of about 2, one day ripping off his nappy and saying something like "I no want nappy - I big boy - I go on toilet." And so he did.

watermeadow- when we've run out of landfill- but will mums do?

Did you watch the video about shaped nappies with liner and outer- it's nothing like the old terry nappies we had to use with ours.

Where I live now, there is a big switch to shaped terries- as people have to PAY FOR WASTE DISPOSAL BY WEIGHT - those disposable nappies are not only an environmental disaster from production to recycling, via transport, water usage for manufacture and tons of chemicals for cellulose bleaching- but especially the special water absorbing gel - disastrous for the environment and VERY HEAVY - so very expensive to dispose off in a 'polluter pays system like ours'.

There are ways to 'concentrate the mind' and engineer a change in attitude. As proven here where I live, it works.

It would be impossible to run out of landfill.

Links? Please? How do you work that one out???

Well what a cheek, granjura, I am speechless!!

A cheek- in what way, pray tell?

You dont need links,. 90% of the UK is not build on.

What about all the methane gas produced? Much of the UK not built on is either unsuitable, or required for housing, schools, hospitals, agriculture and yes, even leisure and beauty. Is it worth losing all that to landfill- and nappies? Truly.

A quick Google will provide dozens, hey 100s, of links to the effect the UK is very quickly running out of 'suitable' (questionable any of it was ever 'suitable') landfill sites. Is it really the legacy we want to leave for our grandchildren? Not me, I have to say.

Alea, you've not come back, so not quite sure what your comment meant. Perhaps that it is 'cheeky' and wrong to ever compare systems, and to ever say 'there are things we do very well and can be proud of- but there are things others do differently, and perhaps better- and that maybe we could all learn from each other?

The principle of 'pollluter' pays is really very fair, I personally believe (and you are of course free to disagree- but your arguments would be interesting and valuable). People here were furious when the 'pay be weight for refuse' system came here some years back. But people did adapt- and the waste was cut down drastically- as people changed their ways as it was hitting them hard in the pocket. More recycling, more composting (this week-end there is one of the 3 days a year when the composting plant will be opened to the public who contributed to come and help themselves to as much free totally peat free compost as they want- hurrah)- and changing from Pampers to shaped terry nappies. It works- it's good for all- wonderful. What is wrong with saying it- why is it 'such a cheek'. Again, pray tell.

saying us older mums/grans were being dishonest about toddlers being potty trained and dry by 2 for girls and a bit later for boys... and one of them said it was all lies,

DM told me I was dry and clean day and night by 15 months [halo]
However, trying to get nappies washed and dried in those days must have been horrendous, no washing machine and drying particularly difficult with the harsh winters at the time.
My own were out of nappies in the day by just over 2 and DS was earlier than the girls - washing one night-time nappy was no problem at all.

I bet those young mums would have their toddlers out of nappies pretty quick if they had to wash them, even with automatic machines and tumble driers. I heard from a friend who is a school nursery teacher that several were arriving at nursery age 3 neither clean nor dry, parents expecting potty training to be part of the duties of the school nursery teacher and nurses!

Our Council runs a scheme to encourage parents to use terry nappies and even provides samples free of charge I believe.

Have you looked down from an aeorplane recently granjura? Green fields as far as the eye can see. Suitable landfill.

What is wrong with saying it- why is it 'such a cheek'
Does the poster mean that the young mums had such a cheek by saying that to you granjura?
That's how I read it, anyway.
And I too think they were very cheeky.

Green fields as far as the eye can see. Suitable landfill.
Farm land belonging to farmers?
Food comes from green fields!
Cattle, sheep etc graze in green fields.
Crops are grown in fields.
Not at all suitable for landfill.

Jalima- thanks for that and your interpretation. If that is the case, then yes, thanks Alea- a cheek indeed. It would be helpful perhaps, at times, to make a comment a little fuller so one does not have to interpret what is meant too much. Thanks.

Darling daughter uses modern terries only resorting to disposable on rare occasions.
Dgd1 only discarded at 3+
Dgd demands a nappy to PU in otherwise would be dry
Both of mine were dry by 2

That's dgd2 who insists on a nappy. She's 18/12 months

When my generation were infants we were put on the potty from a very early age and 'encouraged to perform'. Apparently this worked but I am sure that attitudes to bodily functions were warped by these early experiences. My mum was forever plying us with the most ghastly laxatives - Syrup of Figs, Cascara, Milk of Magnesia - throughout my childhood. GPs didn't help. One of them said we should sit on the loo and 'concentrate' after breakfast each morning. I found this a fine opportunity to read my book!

Sorry - time lapse.*granjura*I was responding to the comment you received from the "young mum" - which you referred to at 16.56 and 19.24 - cheek indeed.
C'était tout!

DH swears by this regime. Toilet at fixed time every day and train yourself to go, apparently In military situations it is imperative that you are ready for action so routine is everything.

Hmm. I suspect that under fire, my "natural urges" might take over as it were and nature would call!