Remember when diapers were CLOTH?

Couldn't agree with you more, Butter. Proper diaper folding made for not only a more comfy fit, but for a more reliable fit as well.

A dry crib and pyjama bottoms in the morning stood as testament to a proper folded and pin-fastened diaper.

Grandma70s

Disposable nappies were hardly ever used when I had my babies (now in their 50s!), so the routine of bucket soak, machine wash and dry was automatic. Nappy liners, which were flushable, dealt with the worst of the mess. The pants were plastic, not rubber.

Wasn't until the late 70's, that I changed disposable diapers for the first time (babysitting). Other than that one home, proper diapers (cloth) and plastic pants were still the order of the day in all the other homes where I babysat.

keepingquiet

Never had diapers, only terry nappies. Until recently some of them were still being used as dusters!

I still have a dozen and a half leftover diapers in service that I use for dusting, window washing, and wiping up kitchen spills! They date back to the mid 90's!

I have just one terry nappy left from my five children. It's in the "rags" cupboard now but still nearly white - however I had some American diapers too as our second baby was born there.
I liked them a lot when he was small but they certainly leaked rather more as he grew and UK style nappies were better then.

Like Grammaretto's babies, all my little ones were out of them ASAP!

My daughters both used washable nappies for their little ones. The oldest grandchild had a mix of terry squares and then the more "modern" sort - but with wool outers.

I hate the American word diaper they re nappies and certainly were then
Mine were all in terry towelling nappies and were all early trained as soon as they were walking… my son and one daughter 10 months and my eldest daughter just over a year all three trained fairly easily I used to take a potty with me on the bottom of the pram when we were out walking in those early months
My eldest was born in HK and we were in trouble with China so for a few weeks they with held the water and would only turn it on for four hours every fourth day You had to fill everything you could find bath, buckets, bowls it went on for a few weeks and I had a young baby !! Nightmare
I didn’t have a washing machine until much later then it was a twin tub
My grandkids all had terries too

I think the disposable nappies are a massive blight for the world and for conservation and also allow children to be much later trained you can see 3 years old pottering around in heavy, smelly nappies
Not a fan

First baby in 1965, so Terry towelling nappies. Bucket of Milton beneath the sink for soaking and a Baby Burco, boiler to boil them in . Different fold for boys to girls. Though I doubt I could remember that now. And plastic over knickers, that went crinkly after a few washes. ….what joy, but a line of nappies drying in the wind ….well .

Nappies for me too….never diaper.

pably15

remember the lovely white nappies hanging on the clothes line, blowing in the wind

Oh yes, what a wonderful sight that was and no wonder the children were potty trained so quickly. Disposables today are far too comfortable, as well as adding to a massive disposable mountain of dirty used nappies

I’ve just remembered Marathon nappy liners, they were like dish cloth material and were supposed to keep baby dry overnight as they soaked the wetness away.
I don’t think they “caught on” as they didn’t stay around for long.
Also Napisan for soaking.

My mother used cloth diapers with all of us kids. (For context I'm in my early 40s. We are six kids and my youngest brother was born when I was nine.) I developed severe diaper rash from disposables. I well remember the stacks of diapers on the dresser, the rubber pants, the diaper pail for the dirty diapers, and the diaper pins.

When Mum was teaching me how to wash laundry, I remember her telling me the only thing she washed on hot was diapers because that's gross. (She meant the diaper mess was gross, not washing things on hot.)

Where is all this ‘diaper’ talk coming from?

It’s nappies, whether cloth, towelling or disposable.

👶

Calendargirl

Where is all this ‘diaper’ talk coming from?

It’s nappies, whether cloth, towelling or disposable.

👶

Seemed odd to me too, but the OP is presumably in the US - talk of cents, diapers, etc.

I'm sure we potty trained earlier due to fabric nappies. All that boiling, soaking, trying to get them dry in wet weather. It was an incentive to get our babies clean and dry as soon as possible.

Of course we did Travelsofar none of this walking around at 3 or even going to school in nappies
Dreadful lazy parenting in my eyes
And yes they are nappies over here

travelsafar

I'm sure we potty trained earlier due to fabric nappies. All that boiling, soaking, trying to get them dry in wet weather. It was an incentive to get our babies clean and dry as soon as possible.

and the schools did benefit. I never heard of any child starting school in nappies, not like nowadays

We are UK, we call them nappies here

My two were both in terry towelling nappies at the same time. The little Mothercare nappy bucket was nowhere near big enough, so I bought a bright orange beer-brewing bucket with a lid (about two feet tall and wide) and used that outside the back door!

Nappies not diapers

The new design of towelling nappies were very much used by my young family and friends, but all commented on how it impacted on clothes buying for their children.
Modern baby and toddler clothes are often made slim fitted around the waist and bottom, and there's no room for a nappy that isn't disposable.

Oh, the smell of nappies soaking in Napisan! 🤢🤢🤢 I can smell it now that it’s come to mind! 🤦‍♀️😆

BlueBelle when we lived in America we had both diapers and nappies.
It was useful to know what I was referring to so I did (and do) use both words as that was an obvious way to differentiate.
They are very different in shape and fabric.

Not sure that "diaper" is coming into general use here...

What is the difference?

Have to say, Nappisan is wonderful at getting red wine stains out of tablecloths!

I remember the towelling nappies and nappy liners to go under them.

Calendargirl

Where is all this ‘diaper’ talk coming from?

It’s nappies, whether cloth, towelling or disposable.

👶

Canadian here, we call them "diapers".

Speaking of word usage, when my mom spoke of diapers, "diapers" meant cloth, and "Pampers" meant disposables (regardless of brand).

agnurse

My mother used cloth diapers with all of us kids. (For context I'm in my early 40s. We are six kids and my youngest brother was born when I was nine.) I developed severe diaper rash from disposables. I well remember the stacks of diapers on the dresser, the rubber pants, the diaper pail for the dirty diapers, and the diaper pins.

When Mum was teaching me how to wash laundry, I remember her telling me the only thing she washed on hot was diapers because that's gross. (She meant the diaper mess was gross, not washing things on hot.)

Your story mirrors that of my upbringing, less one child.

5 kids in our family (I'm the oldest), with 10 years difference between me and my baby brother.

Diapers were cloth in our house, stacked on the baby dressers beside the baby cribs (we had two cribs on the go), rubber pants beside the diapers, diaper pins open and ready, stuck in a pincushion, and a plastic diaper pail in the corner of the baby room for wet-wets, with a second diaper pail in the bathroom for dirties.

Hot water washing in our house, too... did the same with my babies, and always line-dried providing the weather permitted. Rubber pants were hung on the clothesline with the diapers.

And... diapers were always doubled (daytime and nighttime) for extra-added absorbency, tripled for those times when needed.

By age 8, I was making bottles and changing diapers, and by age 10, babysitting in and around the neighbourhood and for an aunt.