This video made me remember the "good old days"! I had twin girls in the 70's and no washing machine in our rental. My mother, bless her heart, was my diaper service. Every evening after supper she came over and took all my used diapers home to wash, dry, fold and return in the morning. She did that for about a year until we finally bought a washer. When the twins were tiny babies she would come over when my husband came home and they would send me to bed for a few hours of sleep. That was a big help to me especially when they had to be fed so often. I usually nursed except during those times.
Mrs Stokes, you are a very rare treasure. Thank you for all of your videos, I only discovered your channel this week and I am hooked. Your topics take me down memory lane. Again thank you and God bless.
I tell you, I thank her every evening when I toss the ones I used that day, in my washer and grab 3 clean ones for the next day!! I have not used near as many paper towels ever since I started using these.
When my wife and I were starting out money was tight. When we had our first child my wife’s cousin gave us her used prefolds and plastic pants and we used them for all of children with the only cost being baby powder, diaper rash ointment, and some replacement plastic pants. We had very little problems with diaper rash even though many claim that plastic pants cause rashes. With my wife breast feeding and the diapers that her cousin donated we got by with very little increase in our monthly costs. When I see what folks spend on disposables or fashion trendy cloth diaper “systems” it makes me smile at how inexpensively we managed to get by with our children. Yard sales were a great place to pick up very slightly used baby clothes, cradles and car seats a great savings. It never made much sense to me to buy new baby clothes that they would just outgrow in a few months. Those days of having just enough to get by were some of our happiest times, but folks these days don’t seem to know how to be content with what they have, they always seem to what more.
we used these with my son 8 years ago and we are using them again when this baby is here. my favorite way to cloth diaper. and i love seeing all the diapers hanging on the line outside!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with this subject. The lost art of cloth diapers was a neat subject change of pace. Wonderful video as always.
Thanks for the info for the younger set. I am about 2 years older than you and I used cloth diapers. I am a big proponent of cloth for the babies. The paper diapers are just full of chemicals that I would never let near any of my babies. For our environment's sake and for the baby's sake, I just feel like cloth is safer, and better. I loved your video on them. Again, thanks.
I am more than grateful to find this lady! It’s exactly what I want to watch and learn. This is definitely what I will do with my children. Thank you thank you thank you!!
My daughter just turned 35 & we used cloth diapers for her. As far as washing, we also did the dunk in the toilet for poop & had a diaper pail near by. For a pre wash rinse we used bleach then Dreft soap & Final touch fabric softener (with bluing for extra whiteness!) also did 2 or 3 rinses. We chose cloth for the savings! I remember we did use disposable for trips etc. great.memories. Thanks for sharing.
I could watch you all day long. Very peaceful pleasant video. We have cloth diapered all 5 of our children. Still cloth diapering our youngest. Mostly flats, flour sack towles, and prefolds. We use pockets and all in ones also, but my favorites are the flats. You have a new follower ❤❤.
Random thoughts that pop in my head “how do clothes diapers work”. 😂 but this is great knowledge to have. We are so accustomed to the conveniences of modern technology that practical use skills and knowledge have been forgotten. Thank you for this!!
A girlfriend of mine had a child a few years back, and they were struggling. I spent $60 on cloth diapers, and another 30 for a breast pump, and she has never stopped thanking me. If more people would go back to breast feeding (if they can) and cloth diapers (which everyone can) they could save themselves at least 20 dollars a week in diaper costs and lord knows how much in formula costs! That one 60 dollar investment lasted her for so long and when she got a few spare dollars she bought more instead of the throw aways!
Kelly Ohl I was unable to breastfeed, but both of my kids were in cloth diapers! It was such a relief to know that no matter what, I wouldn't run out of diapers, lol!
I cloth diaper two babies. My oldest is almost completely potty trained 3 and a half and my second is almost 2. Yes cloth diapering has saved us a lot of money. My first I had to formula Feed because of complications early on. My second I was able to breastfeed. $75 a month on formula for her on average, for a year. Plus $2,000 roughly from birth to potty training using disposables. It adds up big time. Breastfeeding and cloth diapering has literally saved us thousands of $.
I used MCN for my last two girls. I breastfeed my youngest daughter and make baby food from scratch too. I do however purchase 1 tin of formula a month so if I'm out or sick my 6 month can still be feed milk. I think it works out to be $24 a month for her (formula and food). I have even had to give a tin to a refuge a few suburbs over because I wasn't going to use it up in time (4 weeks after opening it, its recommended you dispose of it) so on week 3.5 I gave the 3/4 tin to a refuge for women and children. Plus a spare breast pump and fenugreek pills. I have a breast pump still, I use it max twice a day to get milk for her food mix - cereal mixture and breastmilk with fruit.
I did an order to be delivered from Walmart and I tried to order the Main Stays flour sacks too...you couldn't get them delivered unless you got the 20 count size, which was perfect anyway...so, I ordered them and they should be here any day, so then I can make some kitchen-worthy dish towels and dish rags. I can't wait!! You get me so excited to try these things...I just love it!! Thank you so much, Miss Phyllis for all your precious time spent making these videos too. God Bless you and Mr. Bucky and of course, the furbabies.
People still use cloth diapers like these :D We used cloth diapers on our son who will be 3 next month. We used flats/floursack towels and prefold diapers too. Prefolds are a lot more absorbant, but floursack/flats wash and dry a little easier. If you used the Gerber brand prefolds, they're horrible, there are better made ones out there now. Pins are awesome, and there is also a "bungee cord" like product called "snappi" that works in a similar way but isn't a pin. The diaper covers have come a long long way since over the years. The modern ones are super easy to use, have velcro or snaps, and they're not as "hot" as the plastic pants.
Folding flat cloth diapers has been turned into an art form! It's so relaxing and we use more modern forms, but I'm working on adding them to our Diapers now for emergencies and simplicity! Thank you for sharing!
When my daughter was born in 1989 you could still buy diaper flannel in the fabric stores / it was called birds eye flannel I think. I made her diapers. My mother said the flat diapers (not prefolded ) were better because they dried faster in the clothes dryer or on the clothes line. Love your videos!
I was born in the late 70's.. but I remember my aunt using cloth diapers on my younger cousin. When it was a "stinky" diaper, she would have us girls swish them in the toilet until the solid was gone.. then flush. Then we would toss in a bucket with Ivory to soak. Wow, what memories! I used disposable for traveling and New cloth type at home. My aunt did a triangle fold, but it was different than what you showed. Her triangle fold had several layers between the legs, just like your square fold. Plus as baby/child needed, she would cut one diaper in half and fold several times and use as extra absorption just between babies legs. Thanks for sharing!
I used cloth diapers for my 1st son in 1967 and my 2nd son in 1969. I had the square ones and the longer rectangular type. I washed and folded them myself. When son #3 and #4 (1977 & 1978) came along I did use some disposable diapers and the cloth ones. Your video was very interesting and I enjoyed it.
I used the longer rectangular cloth diapers as well. I can’t find any now in the stores. Have you seen any? I would like to get them for one of my daughters to use.
My kids are now 22 20 and 10. I used old fashioned style and pins on all of them and loved it. (Yes I had some modern ones but they weren't my favorite.) I even made my own diapers too, adding elastic around the waist and legs on some. I have a few flat folds from the 40s, that my Grandmother gave me when I had my first, and some of mine and my Brother's flat folds from when we were born in 73 and 75! I can't wait til I have Grandkids and can cloth diaper them. My kids are totally on board with cloth diapering for their future children, and even helped me cloth diaper their Sister. None of them ever had diaper rash either.
thank you Miss Phyllis😍. I love your videos. Your voice and demeanor are so peaceful and calming. You're so thorough in your explanations, and you remind me of how warm my Granny was. Even as a young child I could sit and listen to her talk for hours. My husband and I are expecting our 5th child in 6 years. Lol. We are going to cloth diaper, and I'm elated to see you demonstrating with flour sack towels, because I just purchased 20 of them between Walmart and Target.😁 We'll be using these with a few cute waterproof covers we purchased from an online store, and good old fashioned, 4 for $1 locking diaper pins. Our son Jayce will be here in about 3 1/2 weeks, so I'm nesting like CRAZY. Lol. Thank you again for this wonderful, pleasantly reassuring tutorial, and I hope your day is as beautiful as you are😍😘
oh and, per your advice, I'll be heading to the store to buy a few more packs of these wonderful towels to make sure I'm covered, or the baby's bottom is covered I mean. lol
I have two beautiful babies that I currently cloth diaper. Its something I really love and enjoy, but it was very interesting watching this because this is one of my favorite forms of cloth diapering still. Cloth diapering have evolved so much as well, majority of my cloth diapers are conveniently built like a disposable , so they don't need to be folded each time.
Such a sweet video! My brother was born in 1964 when I was 3 and my mom used cloth diapers and "rubber pants" over them for him for a while. Then she switched to Pampers at some stage. But this brought back memories. I always wanted to help her change diapers so it became my "job" to get the rubber pants for her, lol.
I'm a mom of two toddlers and I have used cloth with both. I used modern cloth diapers with my son and my daughter has suck sensitive skin, I went back to basics with her. I bought about three dozen of the flour sack towels and they were so cheap!
Miss Phyllis I don't know how I missed this episode but you are a wealth of knowledge, Yes mam I do remember cloth diapers and rubber pants and the blue and pink safety pins Lol what memories I'm watching all the old videos and sending you Prayers and love for your recovery hoping to see you back in your kitchen cooking soon Thank you Miss phyllis for all your helpful advice 😃👍❤
i got my first one comming in march and i felt a little overwelmed with all these new expensive state of the art diapers to go over the cloth diapers, and everybody fearing me that the old way wont work because of leakage. seeing this i am determent to give it a try. i really love the idea of cloth diapers and the fact that it will save a lot on both diaper cost and trash (non reusable diapers). after my dad died (he was a hoarder) i felt a strong urge to get off the materialistic and consumers train and i think cloth diapers will be perfect to sustain that lifestyle. time to start practicing my folding skills ;) thank you so much for this video i am looking forward to see more of your content ^_^ have a nice day from denmark
I haven't been a young mother in about 45 years, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. This brings back a lot of really good memories. I remember my mother telling me a story of my father changing my diaper and me screaming--turns out my dear dad DID NOT have his fingers guarding the safety pin.
Linda P my dad did the same to me! And my parents quit the cloth diapers immediately. I haven’t used cloth with my babies (they’re 2 now) bc I didn’t know how they worked (sadly I had no one to show me either)
Oh my, does the "commode rinse" bring back memories! I was born in 1960 and my sister in 1963. My mother would soak badly stained poopy diapers in the toilet before she'd wash them. When we were visiting my father's parents, she had a diaper of my sister's soaking. Well, I flushed it, and got it clogged in the toilet. My mother became quite angry with me. She told me to go into the bathroom and watch what my grandfather had to go through to get the diaper out of it...well, my beautiful grandfather was working on the toilet in his standard striped overalls and was quite diligent in his work. He told me he knows it was an accident and everything would be just fine. He let me watch how he got the diaper out, explaining what he was doing. Now that I look back, I know he was in pain because he was kneeling and he had bad knees and a bad back. He was never affectionate, but I knew by the way he talked to me, and his patience, how much he loved me.
I was born in 2002 and when my baby brother dirtied his diaper my mom would tell me to throw in the diaper pale but for some reason I threw it in the toilet instead and then I flushed it and my dad couldn’t get it out no matter what we did so we just ended up getting a new toilet and I ended up in my room for the rest of the day😂 even though I was born in generation Z I feel like we can relate alot❤️
@Caroline.. Awh, the vision of your grandfather brought a tear 😢because mine was the same kind, gentle soul who showed love by doing, not so much verbally. Same with my Dad. Today, people are screwed up by societal expectation and don't listen to logic or heart it seems, and our education system doesn't help. Sounds like a sweeping generalization, I know, but consider the overwhelming lack of common sense today. We are so spoiled, self centered, and lost. I pray for our country's return to "reason" and soul.
Miss Phyllis...I can never thank you enough for turning me onto these Mainstays Flour Sack Towels from Walmart...when I went to order them, I had to order the 20 pack in order to have them delivered. Believe me, I am so glad I had to order that many too...I am so in love with these towels in my kitchen now, it is the biggest and best change I think, since I discovered Mr. Clean Magic Sponges!! Anyone who hasn't tried these, is definitely missing out on something that is so important and handy in the kitchen for all sorts of things...I use them to dry any dishes I have to wash by hand...I use another one to clean my counters and island off and still another one to dry my hands...I just toss them in the wash every day and grab 3 more for the next day..Oh, I almost forgot, I have started using them to cover my dough for bread making too. These are absolutely indispensable in my kitchen now and I will be 70 in December and I am widowed too, so I live alone...I am only mentioning this part because if I can find so many uses for these, then goodness knows how many uses younger women will find for them too!! Miss Phyllis...you are indeed a true miracle of information for all of us who love our homes and cooking and baking!! Thank you so much again!!
I used nothing but cloth diapers! And still would! So much better for the babies! Hard on trips but anyone can make it work. I soaked in borax, also used light receiving blanket for night for my son that had cerebral palsy, and wore diapers at night till he was 7. Also I hung mine out on the line 99% of the time. This was in late 70s early 80s, I had 3 kids in 4 years. Also gave them goat milk I milked when I couldn't breast feed. Good luck moms' it isn't that hard and you will save a ton of money.
My son was born in 1968 and I also used cloth diapers. (My mother gave me a gift of a two month diaper service right after he was born!) Bought special cloth diaper material at the fabric store. It was softer and more absorbent then the floor sac material. You bought a couple of yards of it and just cut it off into diaper sizes. Folded into thirds like you did. Then a plastic pantie over the diaper. Similar method of washing them. Only I'd soak them with Clorox bleach the night before, then rinse them well. Ivory snow. Loved the baby smell of the soap. Also, hung them outside on a clothes line to dry. I think the line drying also made them more absorbent. However. I also used plastic panties over the diapers. Somehow when my son "went" the urine would be on everything. The sheets, the sleeping suit, the daytime clothes. So there was LOTS of changing clothes and sheets. The disposable diapers came out when my son was 2 years old in 1970. I used them one week when we were traveling on vacation. Only time my son had a diaper rash. The best thing was they lasted for YEARS -- and made the best dust rags! Thanks for your trip down memory lane!
I am from Europe and we had different diapers. We folded them different and did not use those safety pins at all. We folded them triangular, pulled the bottom corner up and both corners around the belly and just tacked then in. It worked very well. they never got lose. I would have never taken my husbands hard earned money to buy expensive throw away diapers.
I was born in '58, my mother washed our nappies then boiled them in a galvanized pail on top of the stove. She used rubber pants and diaper liners. She used to explode the rubber pants in a wringer washer, occasionally. Also she used baby nightgowns until we were 2 y/o. They're the ones with the little drawstring cuffs, and they tied up in the back like a hospital gown. As newborns we would be swaddled in the gown, when we were 2 they were little tops with our diapers to go to bed in. They were flannel with a bit of smocking on the chest. She swore by those -- seems, we can't get them anymore up here in our part of Canada.
I bought some of these flour sack cloths at my WM after watching your video. They were very inexpensive and I recognized them as the old cloth diapers my mom used on us as soon as I saw them. Wow, do these things clean well! I loved them so much, I bought a bunch more. Thank you for your video about them.
Good Morning Phyliss, I so love your videos, especially since you are my age and I remember all of your 50's videos. The diapers bring back so many memories, I have 6 kids and used diaper service for the first 6-8 weeks after birth. Unfortunately I started to use disposable diapers on my 4th 5th and 6th kid, but knowing now how bad they are for our enviroment, I would not do that today! Not many young women today have ever heard of "diaper service". Also, I bought the flour sack towels and the Brother sewing machine that you recommended in another video and am teaching myself to sew!! I have already made 2 "wash rags"!! I'm so proud of myself! Keep up these great videos, I look forward to the next new one! God bless you and Mr. Bucky!!
Thank you for making this video! Everybody has been looking at me weird because I've been saving up flour sack towels for my baby this July. But I like them so much better than disposables. This is going to be a life saver for me! Thank you
We had 5 kids younger than me, and at one point 3 were in diapers at the same time. We didn't use dish towels, we had actual cloth diapers. A lot of my time as a kid was spent hanging these on the clothesline and folding basket after basket of diapers. Put me off ever having any kids of my own. Whenever I see a white dish towel it makes me think of baking bread and canning season. We always covered the bread dough with a towel while it was raising and had folded dish towels under the hot canning jars. I think it was to keep the hot jars from coming in contact with the cool counter so they didn't break.
The towels are actually the old 1950's diapers that had to be folded, I thought I made that point in the video. They were actually sold back then as diapers not towels. Later on they made diapers that were pre-folded, this is the kind diaper services used.
This would have been in the '60s and '70s. They did have prefolded ones, but my other didn't buy that kind for some reason. The diapers had no hems, which was probably the only difference from a dish towel although the diapers seemed to be softer. Your videos are always interesting and informative for those who don't know about how things used to be.
Dear Miss Phyllis, Boy does this video bring back memories. I used cloth diapers with my 3 boys. We could not afford to buy the already made diapers. I don't know how these young kids can afford that now days. ~ Joanna ♡
I just got a pack of these, can't wait to wash then use them (it's canning season)! I'd often heard my mom talk about these, but had never seen any. She said back in the day, flour sacks came in printed patterns and folks would make dresses and boy's shirts out of them.
My mother also made my sister and I church dresses from the flour sacks, they had all kinds of printed designs on them. We had 4 or 5 dresses for church, I remember being real proud that I was dressed like my older sister - I don't think she like it so much but I sure did, it made me feel older like her.
Thanks for the memories 🎤. I used cloth diapers with all mine (4) & have to say, folding diapers was one of my more relaxing chores. And seeing rows of diapers drying was such a beautiful sight, you knew there was a home with babies 💕 I am not only concerned about filling our landfills with the disposable diapers (I'm sure everyone knows they will not burn or decompose), but what are we doing to our children? All the chemicals in them? I'm sure glad I found you.....another great video
Phillis you really brought back memories tonight with the diapers. My first baby was born in 1960 and back then of course there weren’t any disposables. I used what they called “ Birdseye” and Curity” diapers. I remember having 18 and I would wash every other day and hang them out to dry. And my routine for washing them was exactly like yours-amazing
My son was born in 1980. I used cloth diapers for him. I remember sometimes doubling the cloth diapers. I always kept my diaper pins in a bar of soap, It was supposed to keep them sharp. I hated the plastic pants. I also hung mine out on the line.
I think I mentioned before that I still have my son's diapers from 1979 - 1981. I would put them through a rinse cycle at night and let them soak the washer overnight with Biz. In the morning I'd rinse them again and then wash them with detergent and bleach. One more rinse cycle with softener was the final task. I had LOTS of diapers. I felt rich. LOL. Those diapers are as white and fluffy today as new ones, although even softer from the use. We use them for 101 purposes but The Drummer snatches them to polish his drums all the time. I always laugh when I see him with a diaper over his shoulder in a casino or nightclub at 2 AM when he wipes his kit down before packing it up. My stack is dwindling and I'll be sad when they are finally all gone. LOL! xoj
Those are what cover my rear end born in 54...lol After we were out of diapers she used them for dust rags and tieing up her freshly pinned curled hair....I've also changed many a cloth diaper in my days before disposables came along...
I was born in 1958 in Rome, GA. My younger brother was born in 1957 in Savannah. We went through a lot of those diapers. I found they were good for shining boots years later when I went into the Marines at age 17.
My children were born in 1964 & 1966. I used cloth diapers of varying shapes & sizes for both of my children. I never used the toilet for diapers. I had a diaper pail where I soaked the diapers in bleach water after dumping out the poop and rinsing the diaper by hand. Those diapers were used well into 1980s for rags.
I used cloth diapers for my baby in 77 and learned everything I needed to know from my mom. She used a diaper service sometimes and my job was to take a basket and take down the diapers off the clothesline. I especially preferred the "Birdseye cloth diaper," the last place I saw Birdseye brand before they went away was Sears in 88 and 85 for my next two babies. Cloth diapers were easy on the budget. And much more gentler on the baby's tender skin. In 1983 I switched to buying disposable for my baby but she broke out and I had to switch brands. She was allergic to the filling in some of the disposables and I went back to cloth. With some ladies who are more concerned with "green friendly" products, cloth diapers made a comeback when my grandson was born over seven years ago! Now they even make "organic" fabric cloth :)
No disposable diapers when my girls were babies so we had to use cloth diapers. I remember I always ran the diaper pin gently through my hair and across my scalp. That allowed the pin to go through the thick diaper easily. Ahhhh, memories.
Using cloth diapers involves one minimal up-front investment, and if you can do it breast feeding is free. I saved so much money utilizing both. IMHO, it is so much safer folding diapers this way and pinning on the sides than it is to use one pin in the front to hold everything together. I also kept a bar of soap wrapped in fabric handy to stick the pins into for safekeeping until needed, making them quickly and effortlessly slide right through those diapers every time. Can't remember who gave me that tip, but it was brilliant.
Diapers folded in a triangle. Gauze diapers were rectangular in the 1960's. I would fold them in half to make a square (2 thicknesses). Then make a triangle (4 thicknesses), fold the narrow point over to make a flat side (8 thicknesses), then pin one 'ear' to one side of the fold-over, and then the other ear. That gives lots of layers. Later (at the end of having an untrained baby) old receiving blankets were what I used at night. Those tiny receiving blankets weren't anything I used much, till then.
I remember cloth diapers. I was born in 1961 and have 4 younger brothers. Since I was too young to do the laundry, I can only imagine what a yucky job it was to get the poo off before putting the diapers in the washing machine. The plus side is that back then they did not have to spend a fortune on disposable diapers. Anyway, its sooo good to see Phyllis. I sure wished her and Bucky were still here, but I know they are in a better place.
This is one of my favorite videos! This is how i put them on my son now and its my favorite way and its so simple. Folding diapers is my favorite thing to do😂😂
Love this, it brings back many memories. I diapered my siblings growing up and when I had my son in 1979. In fact I had the best dust rags for years. My mom told me to dry them outside in the sun. It not only brightened the diapers but killed germs. Seems like everyone uses those paper ones now. Like you my son never had any diaper rashes. Oh Phyllis remember running the pin through your hair to pick up the oil so the diaper pin would go in quicker. To funny.
I did the sun for germs and also ran the pin through my hair. I never really knew why, just that it did work. My son was born in 69 and I still have the diaper pins...Yellow ducks...
Phyllis, my five babies were all diapered with cloth. My eldest did lots of folding and reminds me of it now :) I rinsed them in the 'commode' and pre-rinsed them it the masher before adding regular detergent and bleach. Then they were final rinsed twice. They were the cleanest clothes in the house. In fact, if I had a bleachable cloth that was super dirty I'd throw it in with the diapers! BTW, this was in the sixties and seventies.
This was interesting cuz our son wore throw-away Pampers. Mothers today who want to use cloth diapers will benefit from this. Glad you mentioned 'plastic pants' as I had forgotten about those. Amazing you thought to do a video on this topic.
That's how I diapered my babies. I remember now that you mention it. Even the duck on the pin. Ivory snow, yes. I even hung on the line to dry. Mine had no diaper rash either. I constantly changed and washed the bottom. Powder too. Now days I don't think many do this anymore. Saved a lot of money.
Hi, my younger sister was born in 1970. We pretty much did the same drill. The diapers were of a different make... gauze and prefolded, but the savings and usefulness in so much more than can be explained. I know for a fact that there are old diapers from 1970 in the rag bag in my mom's basement. She still has one last diaper pin that she pins her house key into her pocket when she is outside gardening. I was so confused when people bought paper diapers and started wrapping up "bad jobs" and putting it in the landfill. They spent so much on diapers. And they were so hot and burned the baby's behind in the early models. Washing diapers was not much extra work, we had fewer clothes then, so today it would probably add up to less work overall. This is useful to know that not so many bells or whistles are needed to care well for a baby in diapers.
I remember living rooms in those days. That's where you went when you visited somebody and I'm talking about NC or SC. If the folks you were visiting had a daughter older than you, you would be invited back to her room but you couldn't touch anything. All stuffed animals and fancy stuff. They didn"t want little boys to mess anything up.
I remember my mother using cloth diapers on my younger sister after she was born in 1971. My mother had 4 teenagers in the house when that sister was born. My older sister Lynne is the oldest of the five of us kids. Then our brother Harold, then me, then my sister Karen then the baby,Lynne was 18 Harold was 17, I turned 15 3 days before she was born and Karen turned 13 in July before she was born. I spent a lot of time with my little sister and as a result of that we are very close despite our age difference.
I didn't like the pre-folded diapers either. They were more difficult to wash, Fels Naptha always got them white as snow, probably much like Ivory Snow did. I used Dreft for baby laundry, it smells so sweet. I remember putting up a sign at the College Day Care Center how to lay the diaper for my baby girl, just like you showed. Pleasant motherly memories 💖💖
My daughter had such bad diaper rash with the disposable diapers. I switched to cloth diapers and when she had a really bad rash I would lay several diapers under her and let her go without diapering. The air healed her skin.
Oh Mt ! CLOTH DIAPERS! 1970's diapers! Wish I had saved those! What wonderful, soft, great 100% cotton! I used cloth for my two children until 1976 when I was training my son and I used disposable and masking tape to reattach the diapers when it had not been used. ! HA! My children trained early as they did not like feeling wet ....disposable diapers draw away the urine and the child does not feel uncomfortable.
My three children were born in 1965, 1967, and 1972. I used cloth diapers with the plastic panty over them. With the youngest I used disposables for convenience, only if we were going out somewhere.
Miss Phyllis like yourself I to changed diapers they were cloth for my two brothers and then Along Came my sister but my mom was still in the hospital. She had birthing problems at the time. So you know I can continue to use cloth diapers on my sister and it really became very difficult as I was 11 years old and supposed to be at school but I was at home. That was those days. Anyway Along Came Pampers! It really helped me but I have never forgotten how to fold a diaper and I wish that the people that talk about saving the planet and not using plastic would go back to class because in my opinion they're much better. Thank you so much for being very flexible with your channel I really love that about you. Have a good day
Phyllis your shirt looks nice. My mom used cloth diapers, she had a diaper service that delivered clean diapers I believe, forgot the name of that, I'll ask my older sisters..
I used cotton diapers with my children and "rubber pants" over them. I only used disposables when I was away from home. I washed the diapers myself. Saved a TON of money. I did use disposable wipes. Do you remember what your mom used instead of the disposable wipes? Washcloths?
Hi Phyllis. I just watched your diaper tutorial. So much fun to watch. I remember those diapers, too. Nothing beats that smell of a stack of freshly washed/dried diapers Did you mention sticking the pin into a cake of soap makes the pin slide right through the cloth? I would even take a slight brief "scratch" across my scalp to get a tiny bit of oil on the pin) Thanks so much for these fun throwback videos
My two were born in 70 and 73 and they did have some disposable diapers but only were used by people with plenty of money...I used the cloth diapers and did it all the way Phyllis said they did it....I guess it all depended on where one lived.. at that time..
The old fashion cloth diapers make the best dust rags. I have spent a lot of time looking for them, Thanks for the heads up on Wal-Mart. I do have to confess going to Wal Mart is not my favorite thing to do
Miss Phyllis as I continue to get into this video it reminds me of a few things. When I had my first child I had her in cloth diapers. My mother-in-law had made the diapers from flannel sheets and she made them extra padding in the center and she just used a zigzag pattern over the diaper so that it really held the wet. I did the same thing with a dirty business dipping it up and down until it came off. I rinsed it after and then run it out. And threw it in the diaper pail. As far as baby wipes I never have gotten into them. They're not good for you and they have formaldehyde in them. What I did use was two plastic bags one with the clean wet cloth and one with a dry wet cloth and I would have a spare bag once I use the wet cloth on their bottoms I would put it in the dirty bag. I thought I'd just share this is so much fun
Lovely video - I used terry towelling nappies on my eldest daughter with liners and egg white on her she rarely had nappy rash but they were so bulky she was dry at 13 months but that was mainly down to her she wanted big girls knickers lol my youngest daughter wore shaped ones a lot less bulky and wasn't dry till she was nearly 3, I had to wash mine in the bath as I didn't have a machine- nightmare lol but that was back in 1987 -Xx
Remember well the days of cloth diapers. Most women nowadays wouldn't want to be 'bothered' with these types of chores. Instant, easy results, and filling up landfills faster than you can blink is where we are at. Hopefully the days of cloth diapers may one day come back.
Your comment makes me wonder how many mother from earlier generations would have "bothered" with cloth diapers if there was another option. I am guessing the same number as now. You might be surprised how many families use cloth diapers.
I did not intend to offend anyone. I never stated ALL women. For women & men using cloth diapers today, I applaud them gratefully, for they are conscious of our earth. We all have a tendency to want an easier method of doing our chores, however in our fast paced lives we truly need to reflect on the question of, if it's easier for me, what is the impact on others? Just being more thoughtful in our actions. Be happy, and have a good day.
Young mothers get a bad rep these days, I'm sure in your day your elders would have said the same about your generation in some form. A lot of younger parents absolutely do use cloth now, they are pretty popular. Life was different years ago, in a way simpler, in a way harder.
Where they actually flower sack towels you used on your babies or just a regular flat diaper? We can't get flower sack towels here but I got some when I visited the states but wasn't too impressed. I'd have to use at least 3 at a time. The traditional cloth diaper where I'm from are called terrys, basically just a towel, they are much more absorbent but not very soft. I personally use muslins or a close weave flat. I've tried a few really modern ones but they can be hard to get really clean. I like the combination of the "old style" with a more modern cover. I say old style but flats seem to be making a big comeback.
We folded hours in triangles but we folded the diaper in half so it was a square then we took the both sides in and the top down to make a rectangle. Then we folded the long end up two or three times for the front of the diaper
when I was a baby everyone in the UK used towelling nappies (as we call them) but they were very bulky things, and not that absorbent! These look nicer!!
Stick the pins in a bar of soap to make them go through the layers of the diaper easier. I always kept a bar of soap on my changing table to stick my pins in as I changed diapers and kept a half bar in my diaper bag.
I really miss her - I had tears throughout the video. Thanks for posting.
She’s gone?
It's so nice that so much wisdom is available from people who may live far away. I wonder how different cloth diapers were in previous centuries?
Ms. Phyllis, together with Mr. Bucky, left a perpetual wealth of knowledge; frugality and common sense.
This video made me remember the "good old days"! I had twin girls in the 70's and no washing machine in our rental. My mother, bless her heart, was my diaper service. Every evening after supper she came over and took all my used diapers home to wash, dry, fold and return in the morning. She did that for about a year until we finally bought a washer. When the twins were tiny babies she would come over when my husband came home and they would send me to bed for a few hours of sleep. That was a big help to me especially when they had to be fed so often. I usually nursed except during those times.
Mrs Stokes, you are a very rare treasure. Thank you for all of your videos, I only discovered your channel this week and I am hooked. Your topics take me down memory lane. Again thank you and God bless.
I just discovered Phyllis' videos a few weeks and I'm hooked, too!
I tell you, I thank her every evening when I toss the ones I used that day, in my washer and grab 3 clean ones for the next day!! I have not used near as many paper towels ever since I started using these.
When my wife and I were starting out money was tight. When we had our first child my wife’s cousin gave us her used prefolds and plastic pants and we used them for all of children with the only cost being baby powder, diaper rash ointment, and some replacement plastic pants. We had very little problems with diaper rash even though many claim that plastic pants cause rashes. With my wife breast feeding and the diapers that her cousin donated we got by with very little increase in our monthly costs. When I see what folks spend on disposables or fashion trendy cloth diaper “systems” it makes me smile at how inexpensively we managed to get by with our children. Yard sales were a great place to pick up very slightly used baby clothes, cradles and car seats a great savings. It never made much sense to me to buy new baby clothes that they would just outgrow in a few months. Those days of having just enough to get by were some of our happiest times, but folks these days don’t seem to know how to be content with what they have, they always seem to what more.
we used these with my son 8 years ago and we are using them again when this baby is here. my favorite way to cloth diaper. and i love seeing all the diapers hanging on the line outside!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with this subject. The lost art of cloth diapers was a neat subject change of pace.
Wonderful video as always.
Thanks for the info for the younger set. I am about 2 years older than you and I used cloth diapers. I am a big proponent of cloth for the babies. The paper diapers are just full of chemicals that I would never let near any of my babies. For our environment's sake and for the baby's sake, I just feel like cloth is safer, and better. I loved your video on them. Again, thanks.
Very important information to pass in to our future generations. Thank You
You are such a neat lady! I love your channel. I bet you are an awesome mom! 💕
I am more than grateful to find this lady! It’s exactly what I want to watch and learn. This is definitely what I will do with my children. Thank you thank you thank you!!
My daughter just turned 35 & we used cloth diapers for her. As far as washing, we also did the dunk in the toilet for poop & had a diaper pail near by. For a pre wash rinse we used bleach then Dreft soap & Final touch fabric softener (with bluing for extra whiteness!) also did 2 or 3 rinses. We chose cloth for the savings! I remember we did use disposable for trips etc. great.memories. Thanks for sharing.
I could watch you all day long. Very peaceful pleasant video. We have cloth diapered all 5 of our children. Still cloth diapering our youngest. Mostly flats, flour sack towles, and prefolds. We use pockets and all in ones also, but my favorites are the flats. You have a new follower ❤❤.
I just love your video's. You remind me of my mother in law who taught me so many things. Thank you and God Bless
Random thoughts that pop in my head “how do clothes diapers work”. 😂 but this is great knowledge to have. We are so accustomed to the conveniences of modern technology that practical use skills and knowledge have been forgotten.
Thank you for this!!
A girlfriend of mine had a child a few years back, and they were struggling. I spent $60 on cloth diapers, and another 30 for a breast pump, and she has never stopped thanking me. If more people would go back to breast feeding (if they can) and cloth diapers (which everyone can) they could save themselves at least 20 dollars a week in diaper costs and lord knows how much in formula costs! That one 60 dollar investment lasted her for so long and when she got a few spare dollars she bought more instead of the throw aways!
Kelly Ohl I was unable to breastfeed, but both of my kids were in cloth diapers! It was such a relief to know that no matter what, I wouldn't run out of diapers, lol!
I cloth diaper two babies. My oldest is almost completely potty trained 3 and a half and my second is almost 2. Yes cloth diapering has saved us a lot of money. My first I had to formula Feed because of complications early on. My second I was able to breastfeed. $75 a month on formula for her on average, for a year. Plus $2,000 roughly from birth to potty training using disposables. It adds up big time. Breastfeeding and cloth diapering has literally saved us thousands of $.
I used MCN for my last two girls. I breastfeed my youngest daughter and make baby food from scratch too. I do however purchase 1 tin of formula a month so if I'm out or sick my 6 month can still be feed milk. I think it works out to be $24 a month for her (formula and food). I have even had to give a tin to a refuge a few suburbs over because I wasn't going to use it up in time (4 weeks after opening it, its recommended you dispose of it) so on week 3.5 I gave the 3/4 tin to a refuge for women and children. Plus a spare breast pump and fenugreek pills.
I have a breast pump still, I use it max twice a day to get milk for her food mix - cereal mixture and breastmilk with fruit.
I did an order to be delivered from Walmart and I tried to order the Main Stays flour sacks too...you couldn't get them delivered unless you got the 20 count size, which was perfect anyway...so, I ordered them and they should be here any day, so then I can make some kitchen-worthy dish towels and dish rags. I can't wait!! You get me so excited to try these things...I just love it!! Thank you so much, Miss Phyllis for all your precious time spent making these videos too. God Bless you and Mr. Bucky and of course, the furbabies.
People still use cloth diapers like these :D
We used cloth diapers on our son who will be 3 next month.
We used flats/floursack towels and prefold diapers too.
Prefolds are a lot more absorbant, but floursack/flats wash and dry a little easier.
If you used the Gerber brand prefolds, they're horrible, there are better made ones out there now.
Pins are awesome, and there is also a "bungee cord" like product called "snappi" that works in a similar way but isn't a pin.
The diaper covers have come a long long way since over the years. The modern ones are super easy to use, have velcro or snaps, and they're not as "hot" as the plastic pants.
The Gerber prefolds are great dustrags for polishing furniture. They're horrible for anything else!
I personally have no problem with the gerber ones. I use a prefold and a FST for nighttime and just a prefold during the day.
Folding flat cloth diapers has been turned into an art form! It's so relaxing and we use more modern forms, but I'm working on adding them to our Diapers now for emergencies and simplicity! Thank you for sharing!
When my daughter was born in 1989 you could still buy diaper flannel in the fabric stores / it was called birds eye flannel I think. I made her diapers. My mother said the flat diapers (not prefolded ) were better because they dried faster in the clothes dryer or on the clothes line. Love your videos!
I was born in the late 70's.. but I remember my aunt using cloth diapers on my younger cousin. When it was a "stinky" diaper, she would have us girls swish them in the toilet until the solid was gone.. then flush. Then we would toss in a bucket with Ivory to soak. Wow, what memories! I used disposable for traveling and New cloth type at home. My aunt did a triangle fold, but it was different than what you showed. Her triangle fold had several layers between the legs, just like your square fold. Plus as baby/child needed, she would cut one diaper in half and fold several times and use as extra absorption just between babies legs.
Thanks for sharing!
I used cloth diapers for my 1st son in 1967 and my 2nd son in 1969. I had the square ones and the longer rectangular type. I washed and folded them myself. When son #3 and #4 (1977 & 1978) came along I did use some disposable diapers and the cloth ones. Your video was very interesting and I enjoyed it.
I used the longer rectangular cloth diapers as well. I can’t find any now in the stores. Have you seen any? I would like to get them for one of my daughters to use.
My kids are now 22 20 and 10. I used old fashioned style and pins on all of them and loved it. (Yes I had some modern ones but they weren't my favorite.) I even made my own diapers too, adding elastic around the waist and legs on some. I have a few flat folds from the 40s, that my Grandmother gave me when I had my first, and some of mine and my Brother's flat folds from when we were born in 73 and 75! I can't wait til I have Grandkids and can cloth diaper them. My kids are totally on board with cloth diapering for their future children, and even helped me cloth diaper their Sister. None of them ever had diaper rash either.
It's crazy how the world is wrong. But just a simple reminder takes us Right back.
thank you Miss Phyllis😍. I love your videos. Your voice and demeanor are so peaceful and calming. You're so thorough in your explanations, and you remind me of how warm my Granny was. Even as a young child I could sit and listen to her talk for hours. My husband and I are expecting our 5th child in 6 years. Lol. We are going to cloth diaper, and I'm elated to see you demonstrating with flour sack towels, because I just purchased 20 of them between Walmart and Target.😁 We'll be using these with a few cute waterproof covers we purchased from an online store, and good old fashioned, 4 for $1 locking diaper pins. Our son Jayce will be here in about 3 1/2 weeks, so I'm nesting like CRAZY. Lol. Thank you again for this wonderful, pleasantly reassuring tutorial, and I hope your day is as beautiful as you are😍😘
oh and, per your advice, I'll be heading to the store to buy a few more packs of these wonderful towels to make sure I'm covered, or the baby's bottom is covered I mean. lol
I have two beautiful babies that I currently cloth diaper. Its something I really love and enjoy, but it was very interesting watching this because this is one of my favorite forms of cloth diapering still. Cloth diapering have evolved so much as well, majority of my cloth diapers are conveniently built like a disposable , so they don't need to be folded each time.
Such a sweet video! My brother was born in 1964 when I was 3 and my mom used cloth diapers and "rubber pants" over them for him for a while. Then she switched to Pampers at some stage. But this brought back memories. I always wanted to help her change diapers so it became my "job" to get the rubber pants for her, lol.
I'm a mom of two toddlers and I have used cloth with both. I used modern cloth diapers with my son and my daughter has suck sensitive skin, I went back to basics with her. I bought about three dozen of the flour sack towels and they were so cheap!
Miss Phyllis I don't know how I missed this episode but you are a wealth of knowledge,
Yes mam I do remember cloth diapers and rubber pants and the blue and pink safety pins
Lol what memories
I'm watching all the old videos and sending you Prayers and love for your recovery hoping to see you back in your kitchen cooking soon
Thank you Miss phyllis for all your helpful advice 😃👍❤
i got my first one comming in march and i felt a little overwelmed with all these new expensive state of the art diapers to go over the cloth diapers, and everybody fearing me that the old way wont work because of leakage.
seeing this i am determent to give it a try.
i really love the idea of cloth diapers and the fact that it will save a lot on both diaper cost and trash (non reusable diapers).
after my dad died (he was a hoarder) i felt a strong urge to get off the materialistic and consumers train and i think cloth diapers will be perfect to sustain that lifestyle.
time to start practicing my folding skills ;)
thank you so much for this video i am looking forward to see more of your content ^_^
have a nice day from denmark
I haven't been a young mother in about 45 years, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. This brings back a lot of really good memories. I remember my mother telling me a story of my father changing my diaper and me screaming--turns out my dear dad DID NOT have his fingers guarding the safety pin.
Linda P my dad did the same to me! And my parents quit the cloth diapers immediately. I haven’t used cloth with my babies (they’re 2 now) bc I didn’t know how they worked (sadly I had no one to show me either)
Oh my, does the "commode rinse" bring back memories! I was born in 1960 and my sister in 1963. My mother would soak badly stained poopy diapers in the toilet before she'd wash them. When we were visiting my father's parents, she had a diaper of my sister's soaking. Well, I flushed it, and got it clogged in the toilet. My mother became quite angry with me. She told me to go into the bathroom and watch what my grandfather had to go through to get the diaper out of it...well, my beautiful grandfather was working on the toilet in his standard striped overalls and was quite diligent in his work. He told me he knows it was an accident and everything would be just fine. He let me watch how he got the diaper out, explaining what he was doing. Now that I look back, I know he was in pain because he was kneeling and he had bad knees and a bad back. He was never affectionate, but I knew by the way he talked to me, and his patience, how much he loved me.
I did the same thing once by accident and also got in trouble.
Caroline Garity happened a few timeswith me! I had to call a plumber! Ouch!
What a beautiful story, he showed he was a kind hearted Grandfather.
I was born in 2002 and when my baby brother dirtied his diaper my mom would tell me to throw in the diaper pale but for some reason I threw it in the toilet instead and then I flushed it and my dad couldn’t get it out no matter what we did so we just ended up getting a new toilet and I ended up in my room for the rest of the day😂 even though I was born in generation Z I feel like we can relate alot❤️
@Caroline.. Awh, the vision of your grandfather brought a tear 😢because mine was the same kind, gentle soul who showed love by doing, not so much verbally. Same with my Dad. Today, people are screwed up by societal expectation and don't listen to logic or heart it seems, and our education system doesn't help. Sounds like a sweeping generalization, I know, but consider the overwhelming lack of common sense today. We are so spoiled, self centered, and lost. I pray for our country's return to "reason" and soul.
Miss Phyllis...I can never thank you enough for turning me onto these Mainstays Flour Sack Towels from Walmart...when I went to order them, I had to order the 20 pack in order to have them delivered. Believe me, I am so glad I had to order that many too...I am so in love with these towels in my kitchen now, it is the biggest and best change I think, since I discovered Mr. Clean Magic Sponges!! Anyone who hasn't tried these, is definitely missing out on something that is so important and handy in the kitchen for all sorts of things...I use them to dry any dishes I have to wash by hand...I use another one to clean my counters and island off and still another one to dry my hands...I just toss them in the wash every day and grab 3 more for the next day..Oh, I almost forgot, I have started using them to cover my dough for bread making too. These are absolutely indispensable in my kitchen now and I will be 70 in December and I am widowed too, so I live alone...I am only mentioning this part because if I can find so many uses for these, then goodness knows how many uses younger women will find for them too!! Miss Phyllis...you are indeed a true miracle of information for all of us who love our homes and cooking and baking!! Thank you so much again!!
I used nothing but cloth diapers! And still would! So much better for the babies! Hard on trips but anyone can make it work. I soaked in borax, also used light receiving blanket for night for my son that had cerebral palsy, and wore diapers at night till he was 7. Also I hung mine out on the line 99% of the time. This was in late 70s early 80s, I had 3 kids in 4 years. Also gave them goat milk I milked when I couldn't breast feed. Good luck moms' it isn't that hard and you will save a ton of money.
My son was born in 1968 and I also used cloth diapers. (My mother gave me a gift of a two month diaper service right after he was born!) Bought special cloth diaper material at the fabric store. It was softer and more absorbent then the floor sac material. You bought a couple of yards of it and just cut it off into diaper sizes. Folded into thirds like you did. Then a plastic pantie over the diaper. Similar method of washing them. Only I'd soak them with Clorox bleach the night before, then rinse them well. Ivory snow. Loved the baby smell of the soap. Also, hung them outside on a clothes line to dry. I think the line drying also made them more absorbent.
However. I also used plastic panties over the diapers. Somehow when my son "went" the urine would be on everything. The sheets, the sleeping suit, the daytime clothes. So there was LOTS of changing clothes and sheets. The disposable diapers came out when my son was 2 years old in 1970. I used them one week when we were traveling on vacation. Only time my son had a diaper rash.
The best thing was they lasted for YEARS -- and made the best dust rags! Thanks for your trip down memory lane!
I really enjoyed this! I plan to cloth diaper and hearing it helps keep them rash free sells me on them.
I miss this beautiful soul. I wish anyone would’ve taught me like this when my babies were born.
Brings back memories , I was the oldest of a large family ,I was a second mama. So clothe diapers are very familiar to me lol
I remember running the pin end carefully through my hair which made the pins slide right through the fabric! Thanks for the memories!
I am from Europe and we had different diapers. We folded them different and did not use those safety pins at all. We folded them triangular, pulled the bottom corner up and both corners around the belly and just tacked then in. It worked very well. they never got lose. I would have never taken my husbands hard earned money to buy expensive throw away diapers.
My poor mama! She had six of us and all wore these. I'm the oldest and I thought I had forgot that smell until now, thanks Miss Phyllis! 😄
I was born in '58, my mother washed our nappies then boiled them in a galvanized pail on top of the stove. She used rubber pants and diaper liners. She used to explode the rubber pants in a wringer washer, occasionally.
Also she used baby nightgowns until we were 2 y/o. They're the ones with the little drawstring cuffs, and they tied up in the back like a hospital gown. As newborns we would be swaddled in the gown, when we were 2 they were little tops with our diapers to go to bed in. They were flannel with a bit of smocking on the chest. She swore by those -- seems, we can't get them anymore up here in our part of Canada.
I bought some of these flour sack cloths at my WM after watching your video. They were very inexpensive and I recognized them as the old cloth diapers my mom used on us as soon as I saw them. Wow, do these things clean well! I loved them so much, I bought a bunch more. Thank you for your video about them.
Love this video, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom God rest your soul❤
Good Morning Phyliss, I so love your videos, especially since you are my age and I remember all of your 50's videos. The diapers bring back so many memories, I have 6 kids and used diaper service for the first 6-8 weeks after birth. Unfortunately I started to use disposable diapers on my 4th 5th and 6th kid, but knowing now how bad they are for our enviroment, I would not do that today! Not many young women today have ever heard of "diaper service". Also, I bought the flour sack towels and the Brother sewing machine that you recommended in another video and am teaching myself to sew!! I have already made 2 "wash rags"!! I'm so proud of myself! Keep up these great videos, I look forward to the next new one! God bless you and Mr. Bucky!!
Thank you for making this video! Everybody has been looking at me weird because I've been saving up flour sack towels for my baby this July. But I like them so much better than disposables. This is going to be a life saver for me! Thank you
I use flour sack towels for my son's diapers too. Its amazing how absorbent they are.
We had 5 kids younger than me, and at one point 3 were in diapers at the same time. We didn't use dish towels, we had actual cloth diapers. A lot of my time as a kid was spent hanging these on the clothesline and folding basket after basket of diapers. Put me off ever having any kids of my own. Whenever I see a white dish towel it makes me think of baking bread and canning season. We always covered the bread dough with a towel while it was raising and had folded dish towels under the hot canning jars. I think it was to keep the hot jars from coming in contact with the cool counter so they didn't break.
The towels are actually the old 1950's diapers that had to be folded, I thought I made that point in the video. They were actually sold back then as diapers not towels. Later on they made diapers that were pre-folded, this is the kind diaper services used.
This would have been in the '60s and '70s. They did have prefolded ones, but my other didn't buy that kind for some reason. The diapers had no hems, which was probably the only difference from a dish towel although the diapers seemed to be softer. Your videos are always interesting and informative for those who don't know about how things used to be.
Dear Miss Phyllis, Boy does this video bring back memories. I used cloth diapers with my 3 boys. We could not afford to buy the already made diapers. I don't know how these young kids can afford that now days.
~ Joanna ♡
I just got a pack of these, can't wait to wash then use them (it's canning season)! I'd often heard my mom talk about these, but had never seen any. She said back in the day, flour sacks came in printed patterns and folks would make dresses and boy's shirts out of them.
My mother also made my sister and I church dresses from the flour sacks, they had all kinds of printed designs on them. We had 4 or 5 dresses for church, I remember being real proud that I was dressed like my older sister - I don't think she like it so much but I sure did, it made me feel older like her.
Thanks for the memories 🎤. I used cloth diapers with all mine (4) & have to say, folding diapers was one of my more relaxing chores. And seeing rows of diapers drying was such a beautiful sight, you knew there was a home with babies 💕 I am not only concerned about filling our landfills with the disposable diapers (I'm sure everyone knows they will not burn or decompose), but what are we doing to our children? All the chemicals in them?
I'm sure glad I found you.....another great video
Phillis you really brought back memories tonight with the diapers. My first baby was born in 1960 and back then of course there weren’t any disposables. I used what they called “ Birdseye” and Curity” diapers. I remember having 18 and I would wash every other day and hang them out to dry. And my routine for washing them was exactly like yours-amazing
I cloth diapered my youngest, 15 years ago. So easy to do and much better for the environment.
My son was born in 1980. I used cloth diapers for him. I remember sometimes doubling the cloth diapers. I always kept my diaper pins in a bar of soap, It was supposed to keep them sharp. I hated the plastic pants. I also hung mine out on the line.
Land of Lincoln same here!
I think I mentioned before that I still have my son's diapers from 1979 - 1981. I would put them through a rinse cycle at night and let them soak the washer overnight with Biz. In the morning I'd rinse them again and then wash them with detergent and bleach. One more rinse cycle with softener was the final task. I had LOTS of diapers. I felt rich. LOL. Those diapers are as white and fluffy today as new ones, although even softer from the use.
We use them for 101 purposes but The Drummer snatches them to polish his drums all the time. I always laugh when I see him with a diaper over his shoulder in a casino or nightclub at 2 AM when he wipes his kit down before packing it up. My stack is dwindling and I'll be sad when they are finally all gone. LOL! xoj
I can totally recall, however, the smell of plastic pants. No matter how we washed them they had that certain smell.....
Yes! My husband still has a few cloth diapers of our kids' born in '80 and '81 in with his guitars.
Those are what cover my rear end born in 54...lol After we were out of diapers she used them for dust rags and tieing up her freshly pinned curled hair....I've also changed many a cloth diaper in my days before disposables came along...
I was born in 1958 in Rome, GA. My younger brother was born in 1957 in Savannah. We went through a lot of those diapers. I found they were good for shining boots years later when I went into the Marines at age 17.
My younger brother was born in 1959. I'm a moron. Math was never my thing.
Love this video! First time mammy, due in May & I'm so excited to use cloth nappies. Going to stock up on some of these. It's the little things 😊
How's the diapering going?
My children were born in 1964 & 1966. I used cloth diapers of varying shapes & sizes for both of my children.
I never used the toilet for diapers.
I had a diaper pail where I soaked the diapers in bleach water after dumping out the poop and rinsing the diaper by hand.
Those diapers were used well into 1980s for rags.
I used cloth diapers for my baby in 77 and learned everything I needed to know from my mom. She used a diaper service sometimes and my job was to take a basket and take down the diapers off the clothesline. I especially preferred the "Birdseye cloth diaper," the last place I saw Birdseye brand before they went away was Sears in 88 and 85 for my next two babies. Cloth diapers were easy on the budget. And much more gentler on the baby's tender skin. In 1983 I switched to buying disposable for my baby but she broke out and I had to switch brands. She was allergic to the filling in some of the disposables and I went back to cloth. With some ladies who are more concerned with "green friendly" products, cloth diapers made a comeback when my grandson was born over seven years ago! Now they even make "organic" fabric cloth :)
No disposable diapers when my girls were babies so we had to use cloth diapers. I remember I always ran the diaper pin gently through my hair and across my scalp. That allowed the pin to go through the thick diaper easily. Ahhhh, memories.
My Aunt Judy had taught me the diaper pin through your hair trick; worked great!
Using cloth diapers involves one minimal up-front investment, and if you can do it breast feeding is free. I saved so much money utilizing both. IMHO, it is so much safer folding diapers this way and pinning on the sides than it is to use one pin in the front to hold everything together. I also kept a bar of soap wrapped in fabric handy to stick the pins into for safekeeping until needed, making them quickly and effortlessly slide right through those diapers every time. Can't remember who gave me that tip, but it was brilliant.
Diapers folded in a triangle. Gauze diapers were rectangular in the 1960's. I would fold them in half to make a square (2 thicknesses). Then make a triangle (4 thicknesses), fold the narrow point over to make a flat side (8 thicknesses), then pin one 'ear' to one side of the fold-over, and then the other ear. That gives lots of layers. Later (at the end of having an untrained baby) old receiving blankets were what I used at night. Those tiny receiving blankets weren't anything I used much, till then.
Exactly how I remember folding my sons' (rectangular) diapers in the 60's.
Thank you for sharing! I plan on cloth diapering this way with my next baby :)
I remember cloth diapers. I was born in 1961 and have 4 younger brothers. Since I was too young to do the laundry, I can only imagine what a yucky job it was to get the poo off before
putting the diapers in the washing machine. The plus side is that back then they did not have to spend a fortune on disposable diapers. Anyway, its sooo good to see Phyllis. I sure wished her and Bucky were still here, but I know they are in a better place.
Still don’t have to
This is one of my favorite videos! This is how i put them on my son now and its my favorite way and its so simple. Folding diapers is my favorite thing to do😂😂
Love this, it brings back many memories. I diapered my siblings growing up and when I had my son in 1979. In fact I had the best dust rags for years. My mom told me to dry them outside in the sun. It not only brightened the diapers but killed germs. Seems like everyone uses those paper ones now. Like you my son never had any diaper rashes. Oh Phyllis remember running the pin through your hair to pick up the oil so the diaper pin would go in quicker. To funny.
I did the sun for germs and also ran the pin through my hair. I never really knew why, just that it did work. My son was born in 69 and I still have the diaper pins...Yellow ducks...
Phyllis, my five babies were all diapered with cloth. My eldest did lots of folding and reminds me of it now :) I rinsed them in the 'commode' and pre-rinsed them it the masher before adding regular detergent and bleach. Then they were final rinsed twice. They were the cleanest clothes in the house. In fact, if I had a bleachable cloth that was super dirty I'd throw it in with the diapers! BTW, this was in the sixties and seventies.
This was interesting cuz our son wore throw-away Pampers. Mothers today who want to use cloth diapers will benefit from this. Glad you mentioned 'plastic pants' as I had forgotten about those. Amazing you thought to do a video on this topic.
I used these for four babies. I folded a little differently, but washed same way. Phyllis could you move next door ??? ❤️
That's how I diapered my babies. I remember now that you mention it. Even the duck on the pin. Ivory snow, yes. I even hung on the line to dry. Mine had no diaper rash either. I constantly changed and washed the bottom. Powder too. Now days I don't think many do this anymore. Saved a lot of money.
Hi, my younger sister was born in 1970. We pretty much did the same drill. The diapers were of a different make... gauze and prefolded, but the savings and usefulness in so much more than can be explained. I know for a fact that there are old diapers from 1970 in the rag bag in my mom's basement. She still has one last diaper pin that she pins her house key into her pocket when she is outside gardening. I was so confused when people bought paper diapers and started wrapping up "bad jobs" and putting it in the landfill. They spent so much on diapers. And they were so hot and burned the baby's behind in the early models. Washing diapers was not much extra work, we had fewer clothes then, so today it would probably add up to less work overall. This is useful to know that not so many bells or whistles are needed to care well for a baby in diapers.
We are so lucky to have you, Phyllis.
I remember living rooms in those days. That's where you went when you visited somebody and I'm talking about NC or SC. If the folks you were visiting had a daughter older than you, you would be invited back to her room but you couldn't touch anything. All stuffed animals and fancy stuff. They didn"t want little boys to mess anything up.
I remember my mother using cloth diapers on my younger sister after she was born in 1971. My mother had 4 teenagers in the house when that sister was born. My older sister Lynne is the oldest of the five of us kids. Then our brother Harold, then me, then my sister Karen then the baby,Lynne was 18 Harold was 17, I turned 15 3 days before she was born and Karen turned 13 in July before she was born. I spent a lot of time with my little sister and as a result of that we are very close despite our age difference.
I didn't like the pre-folded diapers either. They were more difficult to wash, Fels Naptha always got them white as snow, probably much like Ivory Snow did. I used Dreft for baby laundry, it smells so sweet.
I remember putting up a sign at the College Day Care Center how to lay the diaper for my baby girl, just like you showed.
Pleasant motherly memories 💖💖
I must say, I really had forgotten most of this. Glad I don't have to do that anymore, LOL
My daughter had such bad diaper rash with the disposable diapers. I switched to cloth diapers and when she had a really bad rash I would lay several diapers under her and let her go without diapering. The air healed her skin.
Oh Mt ! CLOTH DIAPERS! 1970's diapers! Wish I had saved those! What wonderful, soft, great 100% cotton! I used cloth for my two children until 1976 when I was training my son and I used disposable and masking tape to reattach the diapers when it had not been used. ! HA! My children trained early as they did not like feeling wet ....disposable diapers draw away the urine and the child does not feel uncomfortable.
My three children were born in 1965, 1967, and 1972. I used cloth diapers with the plastic panty over them. With the youngest I used disposables for convenience, only if we were going out somewhere.
My mother had triplets when I was 16, so I had plenty of cloth diaper experience, by the time I married at 18, and had my first child at 19.
i miss the old days so much do you????i remember my mom teaching me the twistlol
Miss Phyllis like yourself I to changed diapers they were cloth for my two brothers and then Along Came my sister but my mom was still in the hospital. She had birthing problems at the time. So you know I can continue to use cloth diapers on my sister and it really became very difficult as I was 11 years old and supposed to be at school but I was at home. That was those days. Anyway Along Came Pampers! It really helped me but I have never forgotten how to fold a diaper and I wish that the people that talk about saving the planet and not using plastic would go back to class because in my opinion they're much better. Thank you so much for being very flexible with your channel I really love that about you. Have a good day
Phyllis your shirt looks nice. My mom used cloth diapers, she had a diaper service that delivered clean diapers I believe, forgot the name of that, I'll ask my older sisters..
I used cotton diapers with my children and "rubber pants" over them. I only used disposables when I was away from home. I washed the diapers myself. Saved a TON of money. I did use disposable wipes. Do you remember what your mom used instead of the disposable wipes? Washcloths?
Mom used washcloths - she rinsed them and they went right into the diaper pail to be washed and disinfected along with the diapers.
Hi Phyllis. I just watched your diaper tutorial. So much fun to watch. I remember those diapers, too. Nothing beats that smell of a stack of freshly washed/dried diapers
Did you mention sticking the pin into a cake of soap makes the pin slide right through the cloth? I would even take a slight brief "scratch" across my scalp to get a tiny bit of oil on the pin)
Thanks so much for these fun throwback videos
Sheila M I used to slip a bar of baby soap into a newborn sock and that's what I kept the pins in.
Oh how I remember those days........LOL My kids were born in 1970 & 1972 & there was no such thing as disposable diapers then.
My two were born in 70 and 73 and they did have some disposable diapers but only were used by people with plenty of money...I used the cloth diapers and did it all the way Phyllis said they did it....I guess it all depended on where one lived.. at that time..
The old fashion cloth diapers make the best dust rags. I have spent a lot of time looking for them, Thanks for the heads up on Wal-Mart. I do have to confess going to Wal Mart is not my favorite thing to do
Miss Phyllis as I continue to get into this video it reminds me of a few things. When I had my first child I had her in cloth diapers. My mother-in-law had made the diapers from flannel sheets and she made them extra padding in the center and she just used a zigzag pattern over the diaper so that it really held the wet. I did the same thing with a dirty business dipping it up and down until it came off. I rinsed it after and then run it out. And threw it in the diaper pail. As far as baby wipes I never have gotten into them. They're not good for you and they have formaldehyde in them. What I did use was two plastic bags one with the clean wet cloth and one with a dry wet cloth and I would have a spare bag once I use the wet cloth on their bottoms I would put it in the dirty bag. I thought I'd just share this is so much fun
Thanku for sharing. Please share more of them from d past. They r precious jewels
Oh I remember hanging diapers around the house when it rained and snowed. Lol
I cloth diapered my daughter! It was the only thing for a LONG time that wouldn't give her a horrible diaper rash.
Lovely video - I used terry towelling nappies on my eldest daughter with liners and egg white on her she rarely had nappy rash but they were so bulky she was dry at 13 months but that was mainly down to her she wanted big girls knickers lol my youngest daughter wore shaped ones a lot less bulky and wasn't dry till she was nearly 3, I had to wash mine in the bath as I didn't have a machine- nightmare lol but that was back in 1987 -Xx
Remember well the days of cloth diapers. Most women nowadays wouldn't want to be 'bothered' with these types of chores. Instant, easy results, and filling up landfills faster than you can blink is where we are at. Hopefully the days of cloth diapers may one day come back.
Your comment makes me wonder how many mother from earlier generations would have "bothered" with cloth diapers if there was another option. I am guessing the same number as now. You might be surprised how many families use cloth diapers.
I did not intend to offend anyone. I never stated ALL women. For women & men using cloth diapers today, I applaud them gratefully, for they are conscious of our earth. We all have a tendency to want an easier method of doing our chores, however in our fast paced lives we truly need to reflect on the question of, if it's easier for me, what is the impact on others? Just being more thoughtful in our actions. Be happy, and have a good day.
Young mothers get a bad rep these days, I'm sure in your day your elders would have said the same about your generation in some form. A lot of younger parents absolutely do use cloth now, they are pretty popular. Life was different years ago, in a way simpler, in a way harder.
Where they actually flower sack towels you used on your babies or just a regular flat diaper? We can't get flower sack towels here but I got some when I visited the states but wasn't too impressed. I'd have to use at least 3 at a time. The traditional cloth diaper where I'm from are called terrys, basically just a towel, they are much more absorbent but not very soft. I personally use muslins or a close weave flat. I've tried a few really modern ones but they can be hard to get really clean. I like the combination of the "old style" with a more modern cover. I say old style but flats seem to be making a big comeback.
We folded hours in triangles but we folded the diaper in half so it was a square then we took the both sides in and the top down to make a rectangle. Then we folded the long end up two or three times for the front of the diaper
It's 😊good someone still Teaching this cause some women still use cloth diapers.
when I was a baby everyone in the UK used towelling nappies (as we call them) but they were very bulky things, and not that absorbent! These look nicer!!
Stick the pins in a bar of soap to make them go through the layers of the diaper easier. I always kept a bar of soap on my changing table to stick my pins in as I changed diapers and kept a half bar in my diaper bag.
My mom was born in ‘63, and she said she was cloth diapered as a baby. I can see how my grandma folded and cleaned cloth diapers back then
I love cloth diapering my baby. I wish i had clothed my other children. Thanks for sharing!