Remembering our old-fashioned motherhood days...
 

Had a wonderful visit with my dear SIL this afternoon, and one such memory we reflected on is how raising babies today has changed so much compared to a few short decades ago.

Dear SIL and I made our own baby food and formula, and preparing a baby's bottle meant warning the glass bottle in a sauce pan/pot full of water which sat on the stove. Always worried about the glass bottle cracking or shattering, I always held the bottle suspended in the pot of water until the water started to tumble, then I'd test the temperature and upon the temperature being just right, baby got his or her bottle.

Yes, there was disposable diapers around when my kids were babies, however, neither dear SIL or I used them, we opted to use good old-fashioned cloth diapers. The cloth diapers we used were large sheet style, which fit from birth to toilet training, and had to be folded from scratch. To secure those old-fashioned cloth diapers we used proper diaper pins... one on each side of the diaper, always being careful not to accidently stick baby with a pin. Then there was the rubber pants that went on over the diapers to waterproof baby's bottom. I remember when I'd double or triple diaper, I'd have to tuck the diapers in around the elastic waistband and elastic leg holes of the rubber pants to prevent leaking.

When diapers were changed, wet ones went into a plastic diaper pail, and the poopy ones were walked to the bathroom where they were dunked, bobbed, and swished up and down (and around) in the swirling toilet water, before being given a quick wringing (by-hand), then deposited into the diaper pail.

Twice weekly, diapers were laundered and hung to dry on the clothesline, rubber pants were hung on the line with the diapers. When dry, the line was stripped of all, brought into the house by way of a laundry basket, folded, stacked, and the whole process of changing, rinsing, storing, and washing happened again. Boy, was using cloth diapers ever frugal!

Cribs had drop-sided railing, making it easier to reach in to change and dress our babies, and when it came to lifting baby in and out of the crib, those old-fashioned drop-sided cribs were da-bomb! Saved moms backs big-time!

Crib mattresses were changed and made up using a fitted rubber crib sheet, with a flannelette crib sheet over, and I remember doing what I refer to as double sheeting, where I made up my babies cribs with a single rubber crib sheet, with a flannelette crib sheet over, then I added a second rubber crib sheet over the flannelette sheet, and a second flannelette crib sheet over the second rubber sheet. Made for quick and easy changing of the cribs! Just strip off the top flannelette sheet along with the rubber sheet, and voila, a fresh flannelette crib sheet wa always ready and waiting and in place to do it's job when a quick crib change was needed! A 2 am lifesaver double sheeting was!

No such thing as disposable training pants or pull-ups when my kids were little ones. Good old-fashioned 100% cotton waffle-knit training pants was how toilet training was done. I doubled the pants for absorbency and used rubber pants over them to prevent wet-through. Being able to outfit our toilet training kids bottoms with pants they could pull up and down themselves (sans safety pins) when they had to go potty, allowed the child more freedom and independance. No more having to lay our kids down like a baby to change their rubber pants and pin-fastened diapers.

Homemade baby food and formula was the way of the day. So easy and nutritious. Into the highchair our little ones would go, a vinyl bib put on, and baby/toddler was ready for their feeding. Gosh, those old-fashioned vinyl baby bibs lasted forever! Easy-care, quick wipe, no-fuss care, drape over the back of the highchair when feeding time was done!

I kept things simple and no-fuss in my home when my kids were little. They lived in t-shirts, socks, and diapers with rubber pants. When weather got cooler and throughout the colder months of the year (winter), two-piece pyjama bottoms with the nifty rubber-soled feet, or one-piece baby sleepers were introduced, with everything being fully machine washable and dryable.

Gosh, what memories.

- What about in your home back in the day, can anyone else relate to?
- Did you raise your children the same as my SIL and I did?
- Is there anyone here that opted for diaper service instead of home-laundering their children's diapers the old-fashioned way?
- Is there any mothers here that just couldn't stomach the idea of cloth diapers, and opted to use disposable diapers instead?
- For those who used cloth diapers, remember the OUCH that resulted when we missed the mark when applying a diaper pin to the diapers and instead stuck ourselves? Boy, did that ever used to smart! If only I had a dollar for every time I got myself with a diaper pin!

Been there, done that.

I prayed.that i would not have to raise grand children.

We did pretty nuch what you did, except we had a wringer washer. And did not do the double diapetummies. Diapers were changed during the night, it did not seem necessary.

I also breast fed my kids, so skipped the formula thing. They seemed to grow up allergy free And omparatively healthy. I give credit to my casual housekeeping style for their being relatively healthy now.

Two big changes since the 1960's. Decent car seats and babies are to sleep on their backs instead of their tummies.

i never could figure why it supposedly took boys longer to catch on to when they had to urinate - after all, they could see what they were doing instead of just going by sensation..

I think there were more stay at home moms then I suppose we might have be e n considered lower income people - but we always had enough food. Sometimes the pickings were thin, but I do not remember ever being hungry hungry.

we also actually cooked- most of the time.

in- laws were nearby. It was mostly good back then.

are kids better off. now? They have different opportunities and different perils since my kids were babies.

I love the memories of raising my two babies. Many of the same as y'all. Times sure were different

I began with disposable diapers (the 80's) but changed to cloth diapers because my baby would get horrendous rashes from the absorbant gel in the disposables. I think today's disposables have something different in them, because my grand children have been fine with them. I double diapered and washed and hung them on the line. I had two little boys in diapers at the same time (1 year apart) so double that and you can imagine how my clothesline went all the way around my back yard. The neighbors joked that I must be diapering a dozen kids.

I actually loved hanging those dipes on the line. We had a fenced backyard and the 3 kids would play while I hung diapers. It was a very relaxing task and the dry diapers smelled so good from the outside air. We saved a mint on disposables.

I also breastfed all 3 of mine, so no formula to fool with here. One of my grands had to be bottle fed... so expensive! When the kids got to the age of adding food to their diet, I would usually blend up some of the soft foods we were eating. I love to give a blender as a baby shower gift, but some of todays new moms just look at it like a cow looks at a new gate.

Yes, it was a special time. I had my 3 babies in 4 years ('86, '88, and '89.) It was a handful, but at least they got to grow up always having someone to play with. Made the homeschooling easier, too.

And don't forget, hanging those diapers when it was COLD - they froze dried..lolo OH what good memories we have. Everything was exactly like what I did - cloth diapers, rubber pants, doing the crib that way.. Sure did save time at 2am, when one flooded the bed..lolo Those were the days...

. I didn't do everything by the book or what was considered the way I should do things. Whole milk at age six months and table food at age one with their favorite jar baby foods. After bassinet age they slept anyway they wanted in a crib. No car seat laws then but I used the seats to keep them in one spot in the car. I guess it was okay, they both are healthy, smart, and living a good life as adults. Now my great grandson is being raised more relaxed then any of the grandchildren. No stress parenting is what my granddaughter calls it. He's seems to be thriving.

OMG, I remember wringer washing machines!

I used to help my mom launder baby siblings diapers in her wringer washing machine, and remember us popping a couple of pairs of rubber pants by running them through the rollers the wrong way!

I breastfed for my first two, not fulltime, but a good portion of the time, then switched to the bottle with my last two. As for getting up in the night to tend to a wet bottom, I did the same, however, when it came to double diapering, I always felt my kids were more comfy when they were well-padded for the night, and double diapering definitely equated to more absorbent diapers.

Like yourself, I, too, remember all the kerfuffle over putting babies down on their tummies or backs, and yet with my kids I'd put them down in their cribs one way, and a half hour later I could go in and check up on them and they'd be sleeping another way, so I never concerned myself over sleeping styles back in the day.

When I think of young and growing children today as compared to in the past, I can't help but think of how free children were (back in the day) to run and play for blocks around, whereas nowdays kids are kept contained within white picket fences.

Times sure were different.

I remember the first time I came across disposable diapers (late 70's). I was in high-school and babysitting for a new neighbour that used Pampers and I hated them. They leaked, the plastic tore every time I opening a tape to check for a wet diaper, and the padding bunched and shifted badly. That was the only household I babysat at where disposables were used.

Yes, yes, yes, on having two babies in diapers at the same time and double diapering! I recall telling a neighbour how I used to go through 24 to 30 diapers a day (early stages), and she couldn't believe it, but two diapers, per baby, at every change, it didn't take long to depleat the tall stack of diapers that I'd start off with each morning that sat folded and ready on top of the dresser beside the cribs.

By day two, which was when I'd do a wash-load of diapers, I used to run out of clothespins, because I had so many diapers to hang, and I remember how the line used to sag in the middle under the weight of all those freshly laundered diapers which stretched from back porch, all the way out to the corner post in the back yard, and how the diapers would gently wave and sway with each gentle breeze, and how the rubber pants would bob and dance.

Agree, hanging and folding diapers was relaxing, even meditative, and diapering my kids in cloth the old-fashioned way somehow made me feel more like a real mom. It always seemed more befitting to me, more proper.

No arguing the economics of old-fashioned cloth diapering, and nothing makes for better window cleaning cloths than old leftover cloth baby diapers!

Yes to using a blender to ready a batch of fresh baby food, and then there was my fork technique I used to mash-up whatever were were eating when feeding my older ones.

Oh yes, clothesline drying extended well into the fall months for me, too, however, I did forego hanging diapers outside during the winter.

The double sheeting I learned from a mom I babysat for in my teens. Thought it was the niftiest idea ever!

So right you are... whether it was a bad spit-up, baby puke, or rubber pants that failed to contain an overly flooded diaper, stripping baby's crib of wet sheets was made super-quick and easy with the double sheeting technique!

Touché! I never followed any baby bible either.

I tried my best to keep things simple and relaxing in my home, too. Do believe kids are more receptive to that than being raised in an oppressive environment.

Speaking of double diapering, I recall an old neighbour of mine (back in the day) complaining about her son waking faithfully each and every morning with a wet crib and pyjama bottoms. She couldn't figure out for the life of her how my kids could make it through the night without soaking their cribs, that's before I mentioned double diapering to her.

Two diapers under rubber pants was the standard when I used to babysit, every mother I babysat for double diapered, and my mom did the same with me and my baby siblings.

I started out using cloth diapers because I got so many at my baby shower. That didn't last long, the cloth diapers with pins were not working for me. I was forever washing diapers and no diaper service around. I switched to disposables and that is all I used for both children.

OMG, yes, washing, drying, and folding diapers was endless!

I grew up with baby siblings that wore cloth diapers with pins, and I got lots of practice changing them, and cloth diapers with pins were in vogue when I babysat outside the home, too, and so when motherhood came along I was well-practiced and right at home with diapering the old-fashioned way.

Of course being the true old-fashioned mom that I was, I was adamant when it came to using cloth diapers with pins.

No diaper service out my way, an hour to a city. I quickly moved from cloth to disposables with the first (mid-80's) and never used cloth with the second. Working full time after a few months at home meant no time to do all of that laundry.

I double sheeted the crib; no idea where I found out to do that, but it was a help. I breast fed for a while, but switched bottles with both within a few weeks. Now, I realize I was definitely not drinking enough to produce enough - but with no internet to look anything up, no idea what the problem was, I just gave up. I tried calling LeLeche League in the city, but never heard back from them. :(

We did some purchased baby food - does anyone remember the freeze dried flakes? - but mostly just mashed/minced our food. Our younger daughter insisted that "baby lead weaning" was sooo much better than anything thought of before. When I found out that it's basically what we did, without a special name, I just giggled.

I don't know why flat spots on heads were unheard of when we had children. Maybe bc we had them "sitting up", surrounded by blankets or towels before they could do so on their own? Our girls LOVED their walker; it was never a safety issue bc I didn't ever leave them unattended. Nobody is perfect, but some of the things that have become problems seem odd to me, just watch the kids or put them someplace safe - a playpen or crib - if you can't watch them. We had no cell phones to have our noses pressed to all of the time, though, so I guess that was easier.

It's a choice and should be for Moms today to go the cloth diaper route but I wonder what they get out of it in the long run except to say I used cloth diapers.The only day care that will use cloth diapers in town charges for diaper changes not disposable and hands the mom a bag of dirty diapers every day. A worker there said most of the new mothers with their firstborn last about two weeks of using cloth diapers. Reality sets in fast.

My children were born before disposables so I had no choice. They came into being close to the time Sweet Son was getting potty trained. Also we had no money so it was a cost savings for me. I didn't work and had time to wash and hang diapers. We didn't have money for disposables had they existed.

When I was born there was no disposables. All babies wore cloth diapers. I think that is why early potty training was the normal back then. When my mother heard of disposable diapers she said I had disposables too. I threw away most of the poopy ones. That was accepted to do according to her and my aunts.

Can one buy cloth diapers Now?

I have been looking for diapers similar to the curity gauze rectangular ones - and only see them once in a while on ebay for somethimg l8ke $10 or more each.

We had a diaper service until the late 80's, at which time it closed its doors, however, I do remember the cost of diaper service vs disposables was comparable cost wise.

Your entry related to surrounding baby with blankets and towels, reminded me of how I used ro prop my kids bottles on occasion when they were little. I recall drawing serious opposion and scorn from a few moms related to the practice, yet I remember propping was all in a day's work for a busy mom back in the day. I remember my own mom propping baby siblings bottles (late 60's, into the 70's).

Do think mothers today are going the route of cloth are more environmentally in tune with the waste that society creates nowadays, and, the affordability of using cloth over disposable.

For me, using cloth wasn't at all about saving money, instead, it was about diapering the old-fashioned way. Having always been frugal and old-fashioned, diapering the traditional way just felt right, and it seemed more natural and comfortable for baby... healthier, too, plus I loved being able to reach for a freshly laundered diaper at any time during the day or night without ever having to worry over running out. Always a fresh supply of diapers on-hand ready and waiting.

Do think having grown up in an era where cloth diapers were in vogue, definitely helped steer me in the direction of following in my own mother's footsteps and carrying the cloth diaper tradition forward.

Your story is pretty much mine to a T.

We didn't have the budget for disposables either, but being that I was always a fulltime stay-at-home mom, I seen no reason as to why I couldn't (and shouldn't) use cloth diapers.

Same here, at least not to my knowledge.

I can't help but reflect on the 70's, when I started babystting, everyone used cloth diapers, and in fact, up and until the mid to late 80's, at least in our small town, cloth diapers were still really popular and widely used. Wasn't until the early 90's, that cloth diapers fell out of favour here.

I haven't seen old-fashioned cloth diapers in stores in ages, same goes for rubber pants.

The diapers I used on my kids came in a package of 12, were flannelette, and I remember them costing under $10.

With my first I outfitted her with everything she needed in the way of diapering needs for under $50. That was cloth diapers, pins, rubber pants, and a diaper pail.

Fifty years down the road, I still have some of my son's old thin cloth diapers. They are great to dust with. But I mostly used a diaper service so I had very little diapers to buy. Broke as we were, that service was the best thing!!

If disposable diapers were available when my children were in diapers, I was not aware of them. What I did use later on that was "cutting edge" and a real work-saver was disposable diaper liners. Kind of like one of today's wipes that you laid into the center of the diaper and then hoped that the poop stayed on it because you could just lift the whole package out and flush it away. That didn't save me from a lot of toilet rinsing, though.

One thing I remember that is absolutely taboo today is gripe water. My first was colicky and gripe water calmed her right down. Poor thing, it's a blessing she's not an alcoholic today.

This is me, too!

Still have a dozen and a half old leftover diapers dating from 1990/91, that I use for windows!

Oh yes, disposable diaper liners! I used them also.

For about the first 4-6 weeks after each of my kids were born, I employed the use of diaper liners. What a blessing they were! Those early meconium poops are so sticky and messy and the diaper liners kept the diapers cleaner! Off with the rubber pants, unlatch and pluck pins from diapers, remove the diaper liner and flush, diaper into the diaper pail. Little to no rinsing! Loved those liners!

Didn't bother with the liners beyond the early newborn stage, but did add a liner to my older kids nighttime diapers if they had a sore irritated bottom or diaper rash, because the liners formed a wetness barrier between the diaper and their skin, helping keep them more comfortable and dry.

I remember blue diaper liners from my babysitting days. The moms would have the diapers folded and stacked, and inside each diaper was a liner ready to go.

Something I just remembered... Gerber rubber pants!

Gosh, Gerber made great rubber baby pants! The vinyl stayed soft forever, was durable and withstood laundering in the washing machine with the diapers, and the elastics were long-lasting and held their stretch!

Gerber rubber pants were domed with a full-cut seat, so they accomodated bulky double diapers like no other, and Gerber rubber pants were always available at the supermarket where I grocery shopped, so being able to do my weekly grocery shop and pick up rubber pants for the baby at the same time was a huge time-saver and convenience.

Any other moms remember the slapping, suction, pitter-patter sound those old one-piece rubber-soled (footed) sleepers made when our little ones would toddle around the house on those old linoleum floors?

I could hear my kids coming from a mile away!

With my first one, I used cloth diapers and rubber pants. When she was left with her dad, I always came home to find her in disposable diapers :) When the second one came along, he was a preemie so we went disposable diapers as it was easier to fit him. The rest is pretty much how I raised my kiddos. The grands were in disposable diapers. We discovered with the youngest that he had an allergy to the formula. I had my goats at that point and put him on fresh goats milk, which was what he needed.

Love this discussion.

Goatmom

Did you cut off the foot part when the kids got too tall for the footie pajamas? That is what I did. We could get another year's use out of them that way.

I also used cloth diapers for both my boys, breastfed them both, and was a stay at home mom.

It was disposable diapers for my grands, too.

I'm with you, Goatmom, enjoying hearing from everyone as well.

I never cut the feet off of the pyjamas, but what a nifty and thrifty idea to help get extra-added wear out of the pyjamas!

Do remember using a diaper pin to pin rubber pants on like a diaper when the elastic waistband would go! I'd pin right through the elastic waistband or the vinyl right at the front of the pants. Worked like a charm!

Speaking of rubber pants, I remember the pink stains that would happen around the elastic leg holes and on the seat of the pants after a bout of diarrhea!

There was no getting the staining out of rubber pants no-how! Not amount of bleaching, washing, soaking, or scrubbing pulled the stains out!

I was just giving thought to the old-fashioned plastic diaper pail.

I kept a pail in the baby room for wet-wets, and another pail in the bathroom for dirties, and I still remember how the strong ammonia odour of the wet pail would burn at my nose and eyes when I'd lift the lid to put a diaper in at changing time!

Washing diapers was never easier with my old-fashioned top-loading washing machine. On diaper-wash day, I'd lug the big white plastic diaper pails down to the basement and dump them into the washing machine, spin-cycle was selected, diapers were spun for a minute, then detergent was added, a splash of bleach for good measure, lid was closed, hot water cycle selected, and the washing machine did all the work for me.

With my first baby I folded both daytime single-fold diapers, as well as nighttime double-fold diapers, however, I always found myself reaching for the nighttime double folds at change-time, because they were so much more absorbent and reliable than a single-fold, and so the days of relying on single-fold diapers quickly went by wayside.

Always bought rubber pants one to two sizes larger than needed to accomodate the bulky double diapers. Larger fitting rubber pants were easier to pull off and on at change-time, and I always felt my kids were more comfy in roomier fitting rubber pants... less binding and chafing and elastic irritation, and easier movement and freedom when they were crawling, bending, and kicking.

Also remember how I'd dash a little baby powder into the rubber pants at change-time. Helped the rubber pants slip over baby's sweaty little piggies and up their legs quicker and easier!

Do remember how the rubber pants were always harder to pull off when diapers were good and wet! The plastic used to stick to baby's legs like glue!

If only I had a dollar for every cloth diaper and pair of rubber pants I changed in my day, I'd be rich!

In ode to this topic...

Throwback Thursday question for the day:

Okay all you old-timey babysitters of the past, time to spill the beans... hands-up if you changed cloth diapers and rubber pants when you babysat!

Me!!! Holding hand up high! Cloth diapers and rubber pants always (1970's)!

As a "young" mom in the thick of it I have to say, not as much has changed as you might think. I say "young" because while my age is still young, I feel much older, as I'm expecting our seventh baby next summer and had twins last Christmas! I still have cribs with the sides that lower and I let my babies sleep as they like. Heavens, I would probably get a wrap on the knuckles by the "experts", but my twins have shared their crib together since the first day home from the hospital. They sleep better that way, curled up beside each other. It's so cute, because my little girl twin always scoots over to her twin brother's side of the crib and snuggles up, sometimes even laying on him! And he sleeps right through it!

I also prop their bottles up for their feeds with baby blankets. It's the only way I can do it most days! I breastfed all our other babies, but couldn't keep it up with the twins, especially with them being premature.

I do raise all our kids very simply and let them play by themselves. I had someone over to visit the other day and she was shocked how, once the twins had finished their breakfast of dry cheerios, I took them out of their high chairs and went and put them to play on the living room floor, then came back to the kitchen to start dishes. She was asking if they were okay by themselves and I said, " oh yes they are fine. The two and four year olds will keep an eye on them!"

I will say that one thing that has probably changed is the disposable diapers aren't as horrible nowadays as you described, with the bunching up, leaking and tearing. If you get a good brand, ie Costcos or Sams Clubs, they are pretty good and don't scream plastic. I did do cloth diapers for two of our babies, until the twins came, and honestly with the price of water nowadays, I don't know if it saved much $$$, which was the main reason I did it. I did like the fact that I never ran out of diapers, and if the pile of clean diapers was low, I would just wash another load. But when the twins arrived, they were so small! Even the hospital disposal preemie diapers were too big! And once the twins grew, I was so overwhelmed with two babies plus four other children, washing diapers wasn't on my radar. Costco diapers do the job! Maybe I'll do cloth diapers again for the next baby, since it's just one this time around!

As for little tikes running around in padded footie pajamas don't worry, we still get to enjoy that! I've done the cutting off the feet part of the pjs many times before, too. And then when the pajamas are too old to wear, I cut them into memory bears for the kids. They love that!

Wonder what people did for "diapers" before "cloth" was available?

Especially in cold climates?

I wonder what moms did before rubber pants?

I read once that the poor moms in London's slums in the '40s and '50s would let their babies and toddlers go diaperless because it was easier to clean a mess on the floor than wash laundry all day.