Day 21 #100DaysOfOldDays
Today’s post also forms part of Linda G Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS and the prompt this week is ‘way to go‘.
Disposable nappies were invented in the 40’s but they weren’t used very much until the late 60’s. My man never used them. We all got the Terry nappy bum treatment—and the youngest in our family was born in 1972.
I used Terry nappies in 1994.
It took me a while to get used to them. Learning how to do a nappy fold and finding the right technique to suit me. A nappy liner was used to catch the solids, so changing was less messy and easier.
Over the nappy went a pair of plastic pants to prevent leaks (they weren’t always reliable though). They were called plastics or rubbers.
Used nappies were soaked in a bucket of Napisan before being washed. Napisan is a germicide and it also helped to keep the nappies white and stain free.
If you’re familiar with the Irish mammy, you’ll know that nothing pleases her more than a good dry windy day. “Great day for the drying.” You’ll hear her say. And a line full of white cloth nappies was a satisfying sight back in the old days!
Reusable nappies are still the way to go for eco-conscious mothers of today. They come in all sorts of fancy shapes and styles. Special nappy buckets are available too. Bambino Mio for example, are very easy to use—no nappy folding techniques to learn—and they come in really snazzy designs.
Here’s Lucy’s drawings of cloth nappies and the rubber pants drying on the clothes line.
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Gloria McBreen 
I used cloth diapers for both my kids in the early 2000s. They have great new choices called “all in ones”-the cloth and cover in one. I actually loved seeing mine out on the line too!
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Yes Bridgette, it’s great that there’s a wider choice these days. All chic and stylish too.
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well, however green we wanted to be it didn’t extend to nappies, not that I was much use with the disposable ones. My first attempt had me strapping my son’s arm inside the nappy. My wife saw it as a cunning ploy to try and pretend I couldn’t master the art. Her response was to tell me I needed to do them all for the practice…
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I suspect she was right! Hahaha!
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I used cloth diapers for both of my children unless we were going out, then I tucked in a couple of disposable ones. Fortunately, we had dryers by then.
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Same here Darlene. They are easier and quicker when out and about.
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I bought cloth diapers when my son was born in 1976. After a few months and calculating the change in the electric and water bills, I found it was cheaper just to buy the disposable kind.
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Yes, the jury’s out on whether they do save money in the end! I used disposables for my other three babies. I opted for the easy life! 😌
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With 4 children, the word I would use is “easier life.” Each child is a full-time job. 😊
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Sure is!
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