An Education through Diapers

Luke has been potty trained for quite some time now but as I was going through his drawers to weed out clothes that don't fit I came across a diaper from long ago...size 2!  How it remained in there after two moves is beyond me but it certainly got me thinking.  Here is my take on the diapering world:

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again, and again, and again.  Because I was still sore from the c-section L was in charge of the diapers while at the hospital.  Well, let me be honest, other than that first day I totally could have done the diapering but I was smart enough to have some foresight into the next 2+ years of my life so I let him be the diaper king.  I had changed diapers before, I was the neighborhood’s best babysitter (self proclaimed) for God’s sake, I knew how to change a diaper.  However, for some reason my skills had deteriorated since my babysitting diaper days, poor Luke went through AT LEAST 3 outfits a day for a good 2 week period.  In fact, there was one day in particular that I distinctly remember him going through 6 outfits due only to the misguided diaper.  I can’t believe I just admitted that.  We finally concluded that our little guy was not so little and that at 2 weeks old we had to move up to the size 1 diapers.  Now, not being a “petite” gal myself I can totally sympathize.  But I told my son to not be concerned with the size, it is all about how you feel in the clothes and he felt much drier!  Crisis one was figured out…we could do this.  Our first hurdle was keeping our kid out of his own filth and we figured it out.  We are awesome parents!

            Another thing about diapers…don’t be fooled…brand does matter.  I am cheap, thrifty, frugal, whatever you want to say.  I come by it naturally, my dad never let us go out to eat unless we had a coupon and I am pretty sure my parents have existed on hotel soaps and shampoos for the last 5 years now.  I tried the “off”  brands but I just wasn’t pleased.  My kid’s butt had to have the best diaper on the market.  I tried them all, honestly, everything from the local “Hiney’s Helper” to “Huggies”…in case you are wondering we are a Pampers family through and through.

            I know diapers have changed because I heard my mom mention it constantly.  “You know, the tabs were tape when you were a baby, there was no readjusting..you had to get it right the first time!”  “I cannot believe they make diapers with an indicator line…puh-lease!” I have heard it all and let me say this, thank God for the progressive world of diapers.  L comments very little about what goes in this blog but he did voice his opinion on this one…”You MUST mention the indicator line!”  Ahh yes, the indicator line, the key to a man’s diapering survival.  I must agree, it is a genius idea,  litmus paper in a diaper, I should have thought of that.   Just a little sneak peak and you know whether or not to bother changing the diaper.  My darling Luke was quite the fussy baby (understatement of the year!) and that indicator line was number 3 on our “why is he crying?’ checklist (behind 1. tired 2. hungry but before 4. cold/hot and 5. just fussy for no reason - most common answer).   Then I learned to simply just grab the diaper and use this very precise method to judge just how full it is.  I liked my new method better but in those early days I was naïve and I found comfort in that “yellow-turns to green when wet” line. 

            I also adore the Velcro-ish tabs.  I mean you can adjust and readjust till your heart’s content…and I did.  Every time I had to redo the right side at least twice…no longer out of necessity but more so due to an obsessive compulsive ritual.  It put me at ease, it gave me a sense of calm, I was completely crazy about it and I knew it.  It doesn’t bother me in the least.  One of the 13,000 books that I read pre-baby talked about how diapering would become second nature and how I would be doing it in 10 seconds flat with one hand.  I do not change a diaper that quickly (most likely due to the OCD flap adjusting) and I could never change Luke with one hand…in fact I should look online to find a “how to” video just so I know that it can actually be done.  Does being able to change a diaper with one hand make you a better mother?  Can I readjust the right flap using this elusive one-handed technique?

            And last but not least for my critique of diapering…I believe whole heartedly that there is a difference between daytime and nighttime diapers.   Luke is a drinker (let’s hope this term cannot be reapplied once he hits his twenties if you know what I mean) and he loved his nightcap of water while we read through endless Dr. Seuss pages.  Surprisingly he was not soaked when he woke up.  The diaper was filled to its capacity…seriously, it must have weighed at least 2 pounds….but he wasn't  soaked.  I love a nighttime diaper!!  I really don’t think the ones he wore during the day could do it, I don’t understand the nighttime technology but I am all for it and I was a sucker and paid the extra 2 bucks per package…whatever kept my kid asleep worked for me. 

            I know this is going to sound a litte whack-a-doodle-doo but I enjoyed changing a diaper.  It is a necessity for the well-being of my child and there are no questions about it.  It is just the right thing to do. There is no research involved, what I mean is that you don’t have to consult anyone or do any background research to know that changing your kid’s diaper is going to be the best possible thing you could do as a mom.  Unlike choosing a daycare, or making sure a certain toy is not going to come in a hundred little pieces 10 of which will undoubtedly be swallowed, changing a diaper is a no brainer and made me feel like a very fit mother!