CAN I BEAR TO WRITE ABOUT DIAPERS? by Marisa Masterson

 

Research! It dominates by free time. Also, I want to be as accurate in my historical romances as I can possibly be. That is until I searched out the facts on diapers.

At least, I want to be accurate without ruining the fairytale quality of the romance. I'm afraid details about diapers in the 1800s would or could do just that.

I've imagined squares of flannel cut and hemmed for the baby. A handy pin would hold that material in place. Once the baby was changed, the dirty diaper would go into a pile to be washed. 

Oh, if only that was the truth!

First shock--reusing dirty diapers. Yes, that's what they did. After all, do laundry was a time-consuming chore. For the most part, people only laundered clothes and diapers once a week. 

The dirty diaper would be hung to dry and then reused. It wasn't until the late 1800s that people began to understand about germs and the spread of diseases. Boiling diapers came into regular fashion then.

Second shock--no pins. The safety pin wasn't invented until 1849. Even then, many couldn't afford to purchase pins. Women with infants kept a needle and thread handy. They simply stitched the diaper closed. Some knotted the diapers instead. It would really depend on the amount of extra material around the infant's bottom.

Women used what they had as material to make diapers. In 1887, the first massed produced diapers appeared. After this, folding the diaper into a triangle between the baby's legs came into fashion. And by that time, everyone used pins and changed the baby into a fresh diaper each time.

What do I do? Reusing the diapers is almost too much for a sweet story. Still, you might find this in one of my books fairly soon.