Cloth Nappies - Different Material?

[Baby_Richie]

Hi All,

I'm currently investigating getting some cloth nappies (diapers).  I can remember the Terry nappies that were quite common here in the Britain when I was a child, and I think I'd assumed that cloth nappies the world over were made of Terry cloth, but my research suggests that's not the case and I was hoping the hive mind here might help clarify things for me.

If I've understood correctly, then cloth diapers in the states tend to be either gauze or Birdseye; I'm not really sure what those are, and how different they would feel from Terry cloth.  Are both made of cotton?  I have the impression that Birdseye would be a little thinner than Terries.  Does anyone know whether that's actually the case?

I'd be interested to hear what was/is common in other counties around the world too, so please do let me know what the situation is wherever you call home! ?.  I think that Japan uses something different again, but I'm not sure about the other European counties.  It seems that these days bamboo and microfibre are commonly used.  Does anyone know when these first start to be used for making nappies?

Thanks in advance; I'm really hoping to expand my knowledge of the wonderful world of nappies!

[AbabeBill]

Hi Baby Richie,  I’m not sure if I can help, or hinder any clarification on this subject  It can be quite confusing for anyone.

This is because, there are a number of different types of base materials to produce a diaper, or nappy. Some you have already mentioned, there is cotton, hemp, bamboo, and others. They are the base plant fibers, that cloth is made from. 

Next, is how those base fibers are processed. Different processes, make materials softer, stronger, last longer, easier to launder, and so on. That is where terms like, Birdseye, or Gauze come in. That points to, the type of weave the cloth is made into. Some cloth, and the way they are weaved, make for better, or faster absorption. Some, hold moisture better. Some, just feel better. I wanted to also point out the term “diaper”, is a type of weave used in making cloth. That type of weave, became the common term used, for the cloth a baby would wear. Like for example, here in the US. By the way, terry cloth is also used here in the US for diapers. Just not as extensively, and more as an iner extra absorbing layer. Also, and I never understood exactly why, terry cloth has been used for training pants. Back in the day, training pants, using terry inside, and a plastic outside lining, were common. These days, companies like Gerber, still use terry in making training pants. They are used as an inner layer, or lining, in the pants, for better absorption. 

I think, companies here in the US used terry, more as a iner liner, is because, it’s harder to clean solids out of. It’s better, at absorbing, and holding liquid fast, while a smooth diaper material, is easier to clean solids off of. I guess, this is why training pants were made with terry here. Training pants are used, to help kids use the potty easier, by letting the child have the ability to just, pull them down. In most cases, poohing in the potty comes first in the learning process. So, that means less chances of a messy accident, while pee accidents might still be a problem. And for that, terry cloth is a good choice. 

Think of different diapers or nappies, in terms of what kind of bedsheet you want to use. Some are expensive, have much more fibers to them, last longer, and feel better. Some are much cheaper, but don’t feel as good, or last. 

Allot of how diapers, or nappies are made, are for similar reasons. Marketing, perceptions, and economics, those things drive all the differences in the many types of cloth used in diapers. 

[Baby_Richie]

20 hours ago, AbabeBill said:

Hi Baby Richie,  I’m not sure if I can help, or hinder any clarification on this subject  It can be quite confusing for anyone.

This is because, there are a number of different types of base materials to produce a diaper, or nappy. Some you have already mentioned, there is cotton, hemp, bamboo, and others. They are the base plant fibers, that cloth is made from. 

Next, is how those base fibers are processed. Different processes, make materials softer, stronger, last longer, easier to launder, and so on. That is where terms like, Birdseye, or Gauze come in. That points to, the type of weave the cloth is made into. Some cloth, and the way they are weaved, make for better, or faster absorption. Some, hold moisture better. Some, just feel better. I wanted to also point out the term “diaper”, is a type of weave used in making cloth. That type of weave, became the common term used, for the cloth a baby would wear. Like for example, here in the US. By the way, terry cloth is also used here in the US for diapers. Just not as extensively, and more as an iner extra absorbing layer. Also, and I never understood exactly why, terry cloth has been used for training pants. Back in the day, training pants, using terry inside, and a plastic outside lining, were common. These days, companies like Gerber, still use terry in making training pants. They are used as an inner layer, or lining, in the pants, for better absorption. 

I think, companies here in the US used terry, more as a iner liner, is because, it’s harder to clean solids out of. It’s better, at absorbing, and holding liquid fast, while a smooth diaper material, is easier to clean solids off of. I guess, this is why training pants were made with terry here. Training pants are used, to help kids use the potty easier, by letting the child have the ability to just, pull them down. In most cases, poohing in the potty comes first in the learning process. So, that means less chances of a messy accident, while pee accidents might still be a problem. And for that, terry cloth is a good choice. 

Think of different diapers or nappies, in terms of what kind of bedsheet you want to use. Some are expensive, have much more fibers to them, last longer, and feel better. Some are much cheaper, but don’t feel as good, or last. 

Allot of how diapers, or nappies are made, are for similar reasons. Marketing, perceptions, and economics, those things drive all the differences in the many types of cloth used in diapers. 

Thanks so much for your reply and for the detailed information!  That's really helpful!  I hadn't thought about it all this way, but it's really useful to think of it in terms of differing base materials and weaves.  I think I'd read somewhere that the "diaper" originally referred to a type of weave that was commonly used for infants.  Do you know any further information about what type of weave this is?  I wonder if it's still available anywhere?

Yes, Terry nappies can be difficult to clean.  I guess that's why we can buy nappy liners here, which are supposed to contain messes for easy disposal.  Are liners not really needed if using Birdseye diapers?  I wonder if there's anyone here in the UK supplying Birdseye diapers, as I'd be keen to try them too.

Thanks also for the information on training pants in the US; that certainly makes sense.

Thanks again for adding to my knowledge and contributing to my topic; I'm really grateful!

 

[AbabeBill]

It’s always a pleasure, to respond to others seeking information. Not that I’m the all knowing expert, but what I can help with, I like to pass on. About liners, they have been around a long time too. Disposable liners, that went inside cloth diapers, go back a ways too. They were advertised as, an easy way to remove, and dispose of solid waist from baby’s diaper. And, to also cut down on laundry. If you could lift out baby’s poopies, from an otherwise clean diaper, it can stay on the baby longer, and the diaper wouldn’t take as long to wash too. That extended the life of a diaper. Multiple washings, ware out cloth fabric faster. 

I’ve always had a fascination with terry cloth nappies. Over the years, I have bought them from vendors in the UK, and even had some custom made here in the US. Although, I have never messed in any, only pee. I couldn’t really imagine (want to) trying to clean a poopy terry nappy. 

As a child, I don’t think I had any of the terry training pants. I think, mom used just the regular cotton cloth type, with plastic panties over them. But, I might have had some? I do remember, my cousins wearing the plastic terry lined type though. There were basically 2 types, the ones with a plastic panty built in, and ones that were just terry cloth, no plastic. My aunt, used the plastic type, and would reverse them, when she used a diaper, like at night. 

If you want to read more on cloth “diapers” Baby Richie? Check out Wikipedia. Here is a link for you.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper#Etymology 

It can give a bit more in-depth information. 

[Baby_Richie]

Thanks for your additional reply, and for the link; I'll have a look and see what I can else I can learn.

I'm really grateful for your taking the time to share your knowledge with me.  It's interesting how different sides of our personalities interact.  I'm generally interested in history, and I really like to learn the history of the things around that we just take for granted, such as the telephone system, or TV and radio broadcasting, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that this desire to get in to the history of everything should extend to my little side too!  (The downside is that I now can't help from wondering when plastic pants overtook rubber pants in popularity, and what people used before rubber pants…)

I don't really remember my own potty training, which is something I'm quite sad about.  I think I can just about remember underwear that could have been made from terry cloth, but I'm not really sure.

Thanks again for sharing the information; it's great to get to know more!

[AbabeBill]

It seems, you have an affliction. It’s caught, by some of us unsuspecting people. You’re affiliated with, a thirst for knowledge. And you’ll never be done with it. 

You mentioned plastic, and rubber pants, (things very near, and dear to me). In general, plastic panties started coming in after World War II. But didn’t really get popular till the 50’s. This happened, mostly due to the absence of the ability to get rubber during the war. Plastics got a boost in development, because of the war. Plastic is made from oil, or petroleum, which was more widely attainable. Before rubber pants were a thing to use, for waterproofing baby’s diapers, heavy wool pants were used. They sometimes are referred to as “wool soakers”. They were usually treated with lanolin, which comes from sheep also. 

Here comes more reading for ya, and another link! Lol.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_pants

https://www.yookiwool.com/blogs/yookiwool-blog/17601912-a-short-history-of-wool-covers-in-diapering

Enjoy! 

[Baby_Richie]

8 hours ago, AbabeBill said:

It seems, you have an affliction.

Yes, I certainly seem to!  Sometimes I wish I were a bit less "scatter gun" in my approach; I do seem to be able to spend far too long learning about things that aren't really relevant before moving on to the next things…. Still, it does mean that I'm almost never bored, and at least my strange interests occasionally give my friends something to laugh about, and someone's got to be interested in old technology…

Thanks for the information regarding plastic pants and rubber pants.  I wore plastic pants as an infant (although I think we called them "elastic pants", but I may have just misheard!), and I don't think I've ever got to wear rubber pants, but, again, this is something I'd be very keen to try.  Thanks for the links, and that additional information.  I wish we has a really good history of diapers and baby care products resource available.  I'd love to know when the use of disposable diapers overtook cloth in different countries around the world.  I'd assume that the US led the way there, but that's only an assumption, and it feels like that would have happened sometime in the 1980s here in the UK.

Thanks again!

[AbabeBill]

No problem Baby Richie. It’s a pleasure, for me to talk about these things sometimes. I too wore plastic pants as a baby, mom did call them rubber pants at times, but I never actually had rubber, or latex pants. Now, as an adult, I have lots of real rubber/latex pants, and even more plastic panties. 

From my own recollection, disposables really started coming into mass use (in the US), in the early to mid 70’s, even though they were around before that time. The 70’s, is when they started showing up with attached tapes, prior they need pins like cloth diapers. By the 80’s, most moms were using disposables. 

[Baby_Richie]

It's been a real pleasure for me too; thank you again! I do love the people in the AB/DL community! :-)

Thanks for the information on the use of disposables in the US; that's really helpful.  I think there was some calling plastic pants rubber pants here too, but I'm not sure this is something I ever experienced personally.  It's wonderful that there's such a wide variety of diapers out there, and so great that some of us get to wear them long than most!

Thanks again; I'm really grateful.