Does Anyone Remember Cloth Diapers Before Pampers?
Absolutely. For generations, cloth diapers were simply the normal way of caring for babies. Before disposable diapers became widely available, parents typically used pieces of cotton or other absorbent fabric, folded them around the baby, secured them with pins, and washed them for reuse. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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What diapering looked like
Cloth squares and prefolds: Parents folded fabric into different shapes depending on the baby’s size and needs.
Safety pins: Pins were commonly used to hold the diaper together. Early Pampers themselves were also fastened with pins.
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The New Yorker
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Waterproof covers: Plastic or rubber pants helped prevent leaks onto clothing and bedding.
A lot of laundry: Used diapers had to be collected, washed, dried, and reused. Some families used diaper-laundry services instead of doing all the washing at home. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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Then came Pampers
Disposable diapers actually existed before Pampers, but they weren’t widely used. Procter & Gamble researcher Victor Mills began developing a better disposable diaper in the 1950s after becoming frustrated with cloth diapers while caring for his grandson. Pampers reached stores in 1961.
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Pampers en-us
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The earliest Pampers were quite different from today’s diapers: they were bulky, rectangular, and initially required pins. Adhesive fastening tapes came later, in the 1970s, followed by improvements such as elastic leg gathers and thinner, more absorbent materials.
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Pampers en-us
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So when grandparents remember washing diapers, hanging them on the clothesline, folding them into neat stacks, and keeping a supply of safety pins nearby, they’re remembering a very real part of everyday family life.
And cloth diapers didn’t disappear when Pampers arrived. Some families continued using them because they could be reused many times, while others preferred disposables for convenience.
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Los Angeles Times
The biggest change wasn’t simply the diaper itself—it was the amount of work involved in caring for a baby. Pampers helped turn diapering from a cycle of pinning, washing, drying, and folding into something that could be done in a few minutes.
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