Originally Posted by
Trisher
ok... I had my babies in the late 70's and early 80's. I used cloth diapers - Curity Gauze if I remember correctly. I folded them in thirds and then folded as big of a flap as i needed to (to the front for my boy and the back for my girl) to fit. Then pinned them shut with sliding head diaper pins. Used rubber pants (they were likely plastic) too.
Disposable diapers were not widely available. I remember Baby Scotts and Luvs. Maybe Pampers were around too. They weren't too absorbent, they didn't wick like they do now and they didn't hold the breast-fed mustard poops in... so I LIKED cloth better.
I didn't like rinsing out diapers in the toilet, and stinky diaper pails, and hauling heavy wet diapers down two flights of stairs to the laundry, but that is what it took!!!
I remember folding down the front or back of the diaper, too, when diapering. Worked almost as well as a full-fledged double diaper. My oldest was born in 1978, and really, disposables hadn't at all taken hold... everyone used cloth diapers at that time, and even up until the mid 80's, disposables still hadn't really taken hold, at least not in our area they hadn't. Diapers, pins, and rubber pants, was still the standard go-to method of choice for most, but by the time I was nearing the end days of diapering my youngest (late 80's), disposables were hot on the heels of cloth diapers, and I do remember a few that used them.
I remember Baby Scotts. They had the funky gingham rubber pants that snapped-up the sides. No pins needed. Oh I feel so old.
Yes, toilet rinsing diapers, I hated that part, too, and lugging the big heavy (and awkward) diaper pail down the basement stairs, then back up again, twice, sometimes three times per week, I totally remember that, and then there was the never-ending duty of pinning diapers up on the line, then taking them down again... folding, stacking, and then... well, we all know what came next.