Nappy happy
The collective bottoms of a nation of 600,000 or so Aussie bubs aged less than two are clad in around 4,800,000 nappies every day. That’s a lot of nappies.
Changing nappies is arguably one of the least favourite parenting jobs — and if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a “poonami”, you’ll know why. It’s an explosion of poo of mammoth proportions, leaving parents shaking their heads wondering how so much of something so stinky can come out of something so tiny and cute. Thankfully we have nappies, which are there to collect all matter of posterior body waste until your baby is toilet trained.
Nappies come in many different materials and styles and they can be reusable or single use (disposable). Single-use nappies are usually made with synthetic polymers and wood pulp. Reusable nappies are made from cotton, terrycloth, bamboo, fleece, hemp or muslin.
Before nappies
Prior to the advent of the modern-day nappy, infants were wrapped in milkweed leaf wraps, animal skins, strips of linen or wool. Early Inuit civilisations used nappies made from reindeer moss, hair and possibly even wood shavings.
In parts of the modern world, not all babies wear nappies (or diapers as they’re also known)., so they can squat and use the toilet when they need to.
