In the early early days, babies were wrapped in animal skins, moss or in the tropics nothing, until along came cloth nappies.
For much of history, infant sanitary needs were handled by putting absorbent material (moss, rags) into a sort of sling under the baby; the absorbent material was periodically replaced. The word “diaper” originally referred to the fabric – a type of linen – and not to its use on babies.
In Europe, the act of swaddling served as a form of diaper. Linen was wrapped about a babies limbs and body. This linen would have captured the waste, and keep the baby warm all throughout the year. Each time a baby was unswaddled, dry linen was used.
The inner bark of Eucalyptus capitellata or Brown Stringybark was used as tinder for lighting fires especially in wet weather when other wood was wet. The soft inner bark of Melaleuca quinquenervia was used for babies' nappies.
People in ancient times would use cloth, animal skins and even moss on babies that had some form of outer covering already on them. Sometimes such a diaper might be left for too long as well. The fist actual “diapers” weren't created until the 18th century ACE.
Prehistoric babies were bottle-fed with animal milk more than 3,000 years ago, according to new evidence. Archaeologists found traces of animal fats inside ancient clay vessels, giving a rare insight into the diets of Bronze and Iron Age infants.
Swaddles as nappies
Back in the day, in Roman times, a gent named Soranus (not even kidding) suggested that babies be swaddled in soft cloth. The cloth would soak up the pee and poop and presumably be changed fairly often.
“Chinese babies never wore fabric diapers. Instead they always wore kai dang ku,” wrote Canadian author Jan Wong in Red China Blues, a collection of her cultural awakening when she visited China during the cultural revolution in the 1970s.
Yet throughout human existence, parents have cared for their babies hygienically without diapers. This natural practice is common in Asia, Africa, and parts of South America, and was traditionally practiced among the Inuit and some Native North American peoples.
How did our ancestors deal with the problem of infant excrement prior to the invention of diapers? Many First Nations Nations used carefully dried moss tucked up against the baby inside wrappings.
Potty training methodology at the onset of the 20th century was simple: Babies would be put on strict laxative schedules to induce pooping at predictable times. Most doctors encouraged caretakers to start this “training” as young as six months, and it was a philosophy that extended into the late 1930s.
His toddler theory, in essence, is that young children are cavemen. Like their Neanderthal ancestors, toddlers are stubborn, opinionated and lacking in complex vocabulary. They bite, spit and grunt. They react physically when angry.
The First Cribs
Even then, people used hollowed-out logs for this purpose, and rarely did they cradle a newborn for a full night. Parents would more often have their child sleep in bed with them as a way to ensure their safety from the potentially frigid nights.
Analysis of food residue in ancient drinking vessels shows that some babies were fed animal milk, possibly as an emergency measure.
Before disposable baby wipes were made accessible to families, caregivers used cloth diapers and cloths to clean up babies' messes.
Elimination Communication (EC) is the practice of identifying your child's bathroom cues early on—often as early as a few days old—to help teach them to use the toilet, not a diaper, for their bathroom needs.
Indeed, while Western babies go through diapers, training diapers, potty chairs, and then toilets, many Chinese babies go from diapers straight to crotch-less pants with nothing inside at all.
Infant Potty Training in India - the Sikhs
They use timing, intuition and cues from baby. A mother will either squat and hold her baby in position in her arms or else sit on the floor or ground and use her feet to form a toilet seat for the baby. In traditional Sikh society, babies do not wear diapers.
Babies sport special pants in China
These open-crotch or split-crotch pants allow children to urinate or defecate without having to lower the pants. “All they have to do is sort of squat, and they can poop without making a mess,” he said. Also, children are toilet trained fairly early.
As a general rule, diapers are burnable trash, (燃えるゴミ or 燃えやすゴミ) but must be disposed of separately. Take diapers home to dispose of them if you are out with your baby. The exception is if you are at a facility that has a specially designated trash can for diapers.
Alternative to diapers
If you are a parent making conscious lifestyle choices for your baby, you may want to switch to other options. There are several alternatives available to diapers. People have been using cloth diapers, flushable diapers, disposable diapers, organic nappy, or reusable nappies instead of diapers.
Depends. Adult diapers. While some new moms prefer using disposable postpartum pads, others like not having to worry about leaking off their pad onto underwear (creating more laundry). Some women will experience bleeding that requires them to use a disposable pad in conjunction with an adult diaper.
Animal-Pelt Diaper
Hunters and gatherers fashioned diapers from the same pelts they used to keep themselves warm.
The Pilcher: 1700s
In case you're not familiar; clout was the term used to describe a cloth diaper made from cotton diaper cloth.
The First Settlers
Absorbent materials like moss, grass or weeds might be stuffed around a baby's bottom before he was wrapped up tightly in a cradleboard. When soiled, the materials would be discarded and decompose naturally.