Question of the day... Motherhood

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
I used only disposables. Everything got thrown in a bag that was tied shut then tossed in a garbage, the location depending on where we were.

I didnt want to smell it in the car ride home!

How come you didnt use disposables? Lots cleaner and easier. I think the kids stayed dryer. None of my kids had diaper rash.
That's the nice part about using disposables, you can get rid of the aftermath right away! LOL!

Regarding not using disposables, my mom always used cloth diapers, and being old enough to help with the care of baby siblings, I changed lots of diapers, so cloth diapers were all that I ever really knew and was familiar with, so when my first came along, choosing to use cloth diapers just seemed right. It seemed proper to me.

Also babysat two cousins that wore cloth diapers, and all of the mothers I babysat for in and around the neighbourhood used cloth diapers (my teen years), so as I tell people, my kids were doomed to cloth diapers! LOL!
 
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Tanya M

Living with an attitude of gratitude
Staff member
- What era were you raising babies? 1960's? 1970's? 1980's? etc... The 1980's

- Were you a stay-at-home mom or did you work outside the home? I always worked. My son's bio dad was lousy at holding a job so it was up to me - big reason why I left him.

- Did you bottle or breastfeed? I breastfed and pumped while I was work. Did this for nine months then my son weaned himself to a cup.

- Did you Make homemade baby food and formula? I did some

- Did you use crib bumper pads? No, I always wanted a nice bumper pad but couldn't afford one.

- Did you use cloth or vinyl bibs? I only had a couple of store bought bibs and they were cloth. I mainly used dish towels held with a clothes pin.

- Did you bathe baby in the kitchen sink or a plastic baby tub? the kitchen sink.

- Did you use a playpen? never owned one,

- Did you use cloth diapers and rubber pants or disposable diapers? disposable.

- Did you use a changing table? never owned one

- Did you use a Diaper Service? no

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottle? both

- Did you use cloth training pants or disposable training pants? cloth

- Did you use a baby stroller of baby carriage? never owned one

- Did you use 100% cotton baby washcloths or disposable baby wipes? wash cloths

- Did you spank? yes

- Did you rely on family to babysit or did you use regular ordinary babysitters? didn't have family that lived close so I had to use a babysitter until my son was old enough for an organized day care.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Makes sense. I didnt babysit. I didnt do what my mom did. We werent close at all (long story) so I didnt ask her for advice (I didnt think she had been a good parent). I liked the idea of disposables.....not so wet and easy to get rid of.

Once you add rubber pants to cloth diapers...ewwwww. Dat smells!!
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
- What era were you raising babies? 1960's? 1970's? 1980's? etc... The 1980's

- Were you a stay-at-home mom or did you work outside the home? I always worked. My son's bio dad was lousy at holding a job so it was up to me - big reason why I left him.

- Did you bottle or breastfeed? I breastfed and pumped while I was work. Did this for nine months then my son weaned himself to a cup.

- Did you Make homemade baby food and formula? I did some

- Did you use crib bumper pads? No, I always wanted a nice bumper pad but couldn't afford one.

- Did you use cloth or vinyl bibs? I only had a couple of store bought bibs and they were cloth. I mainly used dish towels held with a clothes pin.

- Did you bathe baby in the kitchen sink or a plastic baby tub? the kitchen sink.

- Did you use a playpen? never owned one,

- Did you use cloth diapers and rubber pants or disposable diapers? disposable.

- Did you use a changing table? never owned one

- Did you use a Diaper Service? no

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottle? both

- Did you use cloth training pants or disposable training pants? cloth

- Did you use a baby stroller of baby carriage? never owned one

- Did you use 100% cotton baby washcloths or disposable baby wipes? wash cloths

- Did you spank? yes

- Did you rely on family to babysit or did you use regular ordinary babysitters? didn't have family that lived close so I had to use a babysitter until my son was old enough for an organized day care.
Nice to hear from you, Tanya!

I know all about money being tight, we lived the same for so many years.

Wow, we essentially did the exact same thing when it came to emergency bibs! I used to use a flannelette diaper and fasten it at the back with a diaper pin. How frugal is that! :)

Way to go on using cotton washcloths and training pants! In our house it was two pair of trainers with a pair of rubber pants over top!
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Makes sense. I didnt babysit. I didnt do what my mom did. I liked the idea of disposables.....not so wet and easy ti get rid of.

Once you add rubber pants to cloth diapers...ewwwww. Dat smells!!
LOL, SWOT! Yes, those rubber pants had a way of stinking really bad at times! Especially when someone filled their pants bad!

Sometimes I'd have to change the rubber pants even if they weren't wet or dirty, because they'd smell nasty! And first thing in the morning I always changed the rubber pants.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
See?? Disposable diapers were so easy and much cleaner.

People who do things the hard way!
LOL! Surprisingly, all-in-all, I quite liked using cloth diapers. I could fold them for a perfect custom-fit no matter how small, how big, how chubby, or how skinny the kid was, and when extra-added absorbency was needed (nighttime, naptime, travel, etc), I'd double diaper! And the rubber pants worked great at waterproofing and keeping everything in!
 
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BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I used night time diapers at night. I didnt really have a problem. You just sound pickier than me. If it wasnt a perfect fit....I didnt care. In all, they kept the kids pretty dry.
My daughter never even thought about anything except paper diapers and she's much pickier about things than I am.

I have a new question for us all...hehe. How did you potty train? Did you take it very seriously, read while child was on potty until they went or were you easygoing? As you can guess, I was easygoing...and they all got trained. My youngest daughter pulled off her her diaper and went on the potty with no prompting by 18 months. The others were trained by 2 and 3. I wasnt in any race to potty train them. My boys were harder to train. Sonic, with his autism, had an accident now and again through five, but was mostly trained and did his business in school.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
I used night time diapers at night. I didnt really have a problem. You just sound pickier than me. If it wasnt a perfect fit....I didnt care. In all, they kept the kids pretty dry.
My daughter never even thought about anything except paper diapers and she's much pickier about things than I am.

I have a new question for us all...hehe. How did you potty train? Did you take it very seriously, read while child was on potty until they went or were you easygoing? As you can guess, I was easygoing...and they all got trained. My youngest daughter pulled off her her diaper and went on the potty with no prompting by 18 months. The others were trained by 2 and 3. I wasnt in any race to potty train them. My boys were harder to train. Sonic, with his autism, had an accident now and again through five, but was mostly trained and did his business in school.
Love your posts, SWOT! You make me laugh!

With old-fashioned cloth diapers, the better the fold and fit, the less chance of a mess inside baby's rubber pants, but by no means did I go out of my way to fuss and fiddle around making sure the diaper was perfect every-time I changed a bottom. :)

When I had two in diapers at once, I'd often fold the diapers close to the same size, and the kid who was smallest would get his or her diaper folded under at the front or back (depending on who I was changing)... thicker in the front for boys... thicker in the back for girls, and so long as I didn't poke anyone with a pin, I was happy.

As for training, I didn't start until my kids started showing signs of readiness. i.e. waking dry in the mornings, not needing changed as often through the day, pulling at their pants when wet or soiled, even asking to be changed.

In the beginning I still used diapers, but switched to training pants with rubber pants over top, that way my kids could learn how to pull their own pants down and up when they had to go.

I'd ask them (LOTS)... LOL, do you have to go potty? Do you need to go pee-pee? Do you need too poo-poo? Of course as a mom I learned to recognize emergencies when said kid had to go RIGHT NOW, and then we'd do the mad dash! ROFL! I'd sometimes yard the kids pants down as I was packing the kid off to the bathroom! Onto the baby potty or big toilet, and if they went we'd celebrate, and if not, it was back on with their trainers, and the process would repeat itself countless times over the course of the day.

My boys were terrible, I cannot lie. I was still buying rubber pants and diapering them at night until they were in their late 3's! My daughters, not so bad, as they trained by around age 3, and they wanted NO part of wearing diapers at nighttime like a baby! LOL!

I didn't spank, make threats, or embarrass them, I just rolled with it. Some days were better than others, and on the not so good days or on days where accidents happened again and again, back on went the diapers and we tried again the next day.

I did have a few pairs of pastel coloured training pants, which I referred to as "special pants". I'd tell my kids, you can't wet or soil these, because these are big girl or big boy pants, and big girls and big boys don't wet or mess their pants like babies do, and I think that helped make them more aware when they had to go.

I do know every kid is different, as I have two nephews who wore diapers (cloth diapers with rubber pants) until they were past the age of 4, yet 3 of my nieces trained by age 2-1/2, and were completely dry and accident-free by age 3, so what works for one kid doesn't necessarily work for all.

I tell moms, be patient and it will come.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Re: toilet training, I also remember making a deal with my kids. I'd tell them, if you wake up in the morning dry and clean, then you get to wear big girl or big boy pants, but if you wake up wet like a baby, then mommy is going to put you back in diapers again, and I always held firm on my promise.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
My kids needed bigger deals than that. They didnt care if they wore big or baby pants.. lol. It held more weight if I promised they could buy something at Toys R Us. Greedy? Spoiled? I dunno.

They were trained when they were ready. The youngest, who also walked ar 7 mo., trained herself. The others...it came in time. I never got angry at all if they had an accident. I didnt think it was a big deal. My oldest wet his bed (immature bladder) until he was twelve. Never once did I say a word to him. I knew it wasnt his fault. Just got a plastic cover for the bed and washed the dirty pajamas.

Eventually bladder matured. I did not want to shame him so we never spoke of it. I dont think he even rrmembers how long he wet the bed.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
My kids needed bigger deals than that. They didnt care if they wore big or baby pants.. lol. It held more weight if I promised they could buy something at Toys R Us. Greedy? Spoiled? I dunno.

They were trained when they were ready. The youngest, who also walked ar 7 mo., trained herself. The others...it came in time. I never got angry at all if they had an accident. I didnt think it was a big deal. My oldest wet his bed (immature bladder) until he was twelve. Never once did I say a word to him. I knew it wasnt his fault. Just got a plastic cover for the bed and washed the dirty pajamas.

Eventually bladder matured. I did not want to shame him so we never spoke of it. I dont think he even rrmembers how long he wet the bed.
I knew you were a great mom! You did right. :)

With my late training boys, I don't know who was more embarrassed... me, or them. Sure, being made to wear diapers for babies probably isn't overly comfortable or fun, but hanging diapers on the clothesline for everyone to see when certain neighbours know the ages of your kids, always had a way of making me feel somewhat awkward on diaper wash day, or buying rubber pants at the department store and being chided by the checkout lady (who I knew) to the likes of, YOU'RE STILL CHANGING DIAPERS? (Where's the embarrassed, red faced smilie when you need one)! LOL!
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I have a vague (and I do mean very vague) memory of my siblings in cloth and rubber...lol. i remember something like cloudy colored whitish rubber pants and can imagine how yukky they would smell hiding fresh baby poop...lol. i have a pretty good imagination. Ewwww. But in the days my own kids were little i dont know anyone who didnt use paper diapers. Trust me, poop in paper diapers smells nasty too!!!
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
1980s

- Were you a stay-at-home mom or did you work outside the home?
A: I often found great PT jobs, some on a professional level.

- Did you bottle or breastfeed?
A: Bottle.

- Did you Make homemade baby food and formula?
A: No
- Did you use crib bumper pads?
A: Yes

- Did you use cloth or vinyl bibs?
A: mostly cloth, but had a few vinyl.

- Did you bathe baby in the kitchen sink or a plastic baby tub?
A: mostly plastic baby tub.

- Did you use a playpen?
A: yes

- Did you use cloth diapers and rubber pants or disposable diapers?
A: Disposable

- Did you use a changing table?
A: yes

- Did you use a Diaper Service?
A: no

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottle?
A: glass and sometimes plastic with first. All plastic with second.

- Did you use cloth training pants or disposable training pants?
A: disposable
- Did you use a baby stroller of baby carriage?
A: both

- Did you use 100% cotton baby washcloths or disposable baby wipes?
A: wipes

- Did you spank?
A: sometimes. Preferred "time out"

- Did you rely on family to babysit or did you use regular ordinary babysitters?
A: I only had paid babysitters available to me/us.
Sometimes I had to use two sister for my two kids due to one being very hyperactive. It was pricey!!!!
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
As mothers, we each chose a path as to how we want to do things, and in turn, we each choose what we are going to use as far as tools of the trade goes, i.e., glass or plastic baby bottles, cloth or disposable diapers, and so on and so forth.

Anyhow, thought it would be fun to peruse this topic with everyone to get a feel for what motherhood looked like in each of our homes in the day.

- What era were you raising babies? 1960's? 1970's? 1980's? etc..
Late 1980s for my three older kids, mid-2000s for my youngest

- Were you a stay-at-home mom or did you work outside the home?
Both, stayed at home but also had work-from-home business or rentals, etc. and other things at certain times, as needed.

- Did you bottle or breastfeed? Both with older three, but when pregnant with my youngest my pediatrician told me that if I breast-fed exclusively for 6 months (no baby food or anything else at all) my daughter's chances of have ear infections or allergies would go way down. Since my older three all had many ear infections, tubes in ears, one had allergies, etc. I tried it and my youngest has never had any ear infections, and has only been on antibiotics once in her life. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

- Did you Make homemade baby food and formula? Both

- Did you use crib bumper pads? Yes

- Did you use cloth or vinyl bibs? Both

- Did you bathe baby in the kitchen sink or a plastic baby tub? Plastic tub

- Did you use a playpen? Occasionally with older ones, not youngest

- Did you use cloth diapers and rubber pants or disposable diapers? Disposable!

- Did you use a changing table? Had one with older kids, didn't both getting one for youngest

- Did you use a Diaper Service? No

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottle? no bottles with youngest

- Did you use cloth training pants or disposable training pants? Disposable

- Did you use a baby stroller of baby carriage? Stroller, had double stroller with older ones

- Did you use 100% cotton baby washcloths or disposable baby wipes? Both

- Did you spank? No

- Did you rely on family to babysit or did you use regular ordinary babysitters?
 

ahhjeez

Active Member
- What era were you raising babies? 1960's? 1970's? 1980's? etc... 1990's

- Were you a stay-at-home mom or did you work outside the home? Stay-at-home, but I started a business.

- Did you bottle or breastfeed? Started off breastfeeding, but then my son was misdiagnosed as having an allergy to my breastmilk so I stopped.

- Did you Make homemade baby food and formula? No

- Did you use crib bumper pads? I did until I woke up one night and he had somehow wedged himself under one and it was totally covering his little face. Completely freaked me out.

- Did you use cloth or vinyl bibs? Both

- Did you bathe baby in the kitchen sink or a plastic baby tub? Both

- Did you use a playpen? Yes

- Did you use cloth diapers and rubber pants or disposable diapers? Disposable.

- Did you use a changing table? For a very short time. Then I just put all the changing stuff into a basket and changed him on the floor.

- Did you use a Diaper Service? No

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottle? Plastic

- Did you use cloth training pants or disposable training pants? Pull ups.

- Did you use a baby stroller of baby carriage? Stroller. Which he hated with every fiber of his tiny being.

- Did you use 100% cotton baby washcloths or disposable baby wipes? Disposable wipes.

- Did you spank? No

- Did you rely on family to babysit or did you use regular ordinary babysitters? My parents were so beside themselves excited by being grandparents that babysitting was never an issue. My dad used to stop in during the day just to visit "his boy".
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
- What era were you raising babies? 1960's? 1970's? 1980's? etc... 2010s – Belle and Pat were 8 and 5 when I met them

- Were you a stay-at-home mom or did you work outside the home? Worked and still do

- Did you bottle or breastfeed? Both; at first I had trouble nursing, then when I returned to work I never got enough to send to the sitter so I had her feed Rose formula

- Did you make homemade baby food and formula? Nope… Unless you count pureeing whatever we were eating that night for dinner

- Did you use crib bumper pads? A soft mesh one she could breathe right through

- Did you use cloth or vinyl bibs? Both, whatever was handy

- Did you bathe baby in the kitchen sink or a plastic baby tub? Those, the shower, then the regular tub with me right there

- Did you use a playpen? Yes, a pack & play, though mostly for naps.

- Did you use cloth diapers and rubber pants or disposable diapers? Mostly disposables; I didn’t ever have enough patience

- Did you use a changing table? When in the nursery, otherwise the floor, sofa, my bed, and wherever was handy

- Did you use a Diaper Service? Nope

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottle? Plastic, as glass wasn’t readily available

- Did you use cloth training pants or disposable training pants? Both, cloth at home and disposable elsewhere

- Did you use a baby stroller of baby carriage? Stroller, and I would still if I hadn’t given it to Belle for Charlie

- Did you use 100% cotton baby washcloths or disposable baby wipes? Both

- Did you spank? *Yes but never hard enough to hurt, as pain is not the point, getting their attention is

- Did you rely on family to babysit or did you use regular ordinary babysitters? Family for once in a while, and for the time I was working we used a sitter who did in-home day care
 
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