History on Poopy Diapers

Today most of us see a diaper as such a commodity that its hard to believe times could have been so different. A baby goes and the mother runs to change the baby's diaper instantly for 3 main reasons.

1. The smell is unacceptable.
2. The idea of a rash is horrible for the tiny one.
3. The sanitary concept is right up there with our need to eat.

But looking back on the history of diapers and getting more familiar with what diapers were a few hundred years ago would astonish most of us today.

In natives times milkweed pulp was put around the baby's bottoms before strapping them onto a papoose board. Women that lived in very cold climates such as Eskimo would use moss and place it in animal skin that was used to carry the baby.

Native times seems very natural and care free, the era that is of most amazement is the Elizabethan era. History shows that in the years (1558–1603) the most common of folks would have a baby with a soiled diaper for a length of four days. After that the cloth diaper was discarded and a new one put to use. Children lucky enough to be born in wealthier families would have the luxury of a daily change. In areas that were of warmer climates babies were allowed to walk around naked as parents tried to time their bowl movement to avoid big messes.

In the 1800s diapers took a step forward in evolution. Changing happened more frequently but the cloth diapers were not discarded. Instead the baby was bathe and the diaper was hung out to dry for the next use.

In the late 1800s the importance of hygiene and not to mention serious issues with baby bottom rashes brought about concern.

Around the 1940s the disposable diaper gradually evolved through the inventions of several different people. One person I seem to admire in my research was Marion Donovan who as a housewife came up with the "boater diaper". She invented it by using a shower curtain and placing a disposable cloth in the middle to change out. This become our first water proof diaper.

Slowly after that the diaper evolved to what we have today.