Diapers Q&A

What did they use for baby diapers a long time ago?

What about in Alaska, did we use animal skin? I think we had no cotton lol.

Public Comments

1. Cloth
2. Reusable diapers, usually made of linen or wool, and later cotton. As you could probably imagine, disposable diapers were a big hit for mothers. ;)
3. They used cloth squares, often made of cotton bunting, and sealed with one of those scary big safety pins! They still use them in some countries- it was a shock for me to find that out!
4. The safety pin wasn't invented until the early 19th century. A *long* time ago, they used squares of fabric, usually soft , worn linen, either held in place with ties or possibly fastened by straight pins. This isn't as bad as it sounds, since infants were swaddled, snuggly wrapped, so the pins weren't likely to poke them. Over the linen diaper and under the swaddling bands they sometimes put on a "pilch", a woolen diaper cover. Wool absorbs a lot of moisture without getting clammy or clingy. The pilch served to take the place of waterproof diaper covers. It wasn't as effective but it was the best thing available.
5. cloth and safety pins. A realllyyy long time ago, yes, they probably did used animal hydes. They were known for using alll the parts of an animal. Beofre that, they went naked.... Why do you ask?
6. Nappies