Being a Mother in India - The Diaper Conundrum

Being a mother in India – The Diaper Conundrum.

Being a mother in India these days presents one with a unique juxtaposition of choices. One, Western concepts and ideas which thanks to the proliferation of articles on the Internet one is able to peruse and follow and, other, Traditional ideas that have been handed down through many proud generations – not surprising, considering the rich culture and history of our country. The traditional ones are irrefutably followed or are made to be followed by diligent grandmothers, aunts and invested kin of the new mother in general.

After bathing and nappy changing and generally taking care of four tots as an aunt, I have long since stopped questioning the logic behind some of my mother’s practices. Some have lasted the test of time and some have been downright impractical. This blog post is one way of recording the things that worked for me, as an Indian mother. I hope to recount them clearly and support the choices I have made with meaningful and helpful reasons, so that another person like me can make a quick decision while presented with so many options.

In this blog post I write about the use of diapers and their substitutes – 

What worked

Pamper-ed babies – First up, I love Pampers. So this post is not a verbal bashing of this popular choice for harassed mothers. The name Pampers is synonymous with diapers these days; much like Xerox was to photocopying. Diapers are an integral part of a baby’s life and rightfully so. It’s practical and cute - practical for the mother and cute on the baby, just in case you were wondering. But wearing them the whole day, every day? That too in a tropical climate like ours? It’s close to punishing the baby. No matter how much literature has been spewed about quick absorption and dryness cover (much like our sanitary pads), it takes no stretch of imagination and a few nappy rashes to realise that the data is based on results of experiments done in simulated conditions.

When Ana kutti was born, we were quite clear that disposable diapers were not going to be my only saviour in the battle against her bladder. I have been an aunt four times and I had formed some ideas based on the practices we followed in our household.

Cloth nappies

Non-Disposable Diapers

Disposable Diapers

There were plenty of diaper options available – disposable diapers, of course; cloth nappies – padded, padded with liners or nappy pads, non-padded; cloth diapers (washable and reusable) with liners, also called non-disposable diapers.

Why Disposable Diapers?

They are a practical choice:

• ·      Disposable diapers are a practical choice while travelling and at nights when it is difficult to wake up and change baby’s nappy. How my mother and many like her managed when all these weren’t available, is beyond me. Almost all the big brands claim to give the baby up to 16hours protection from wetness. And that is saying something about the kind of technology available these days. Among disposable diapers, I loved Pampers most, especially the Pampers Premium diapers. They are super soft and light and left the baby dry for a long time; they are however a bit expensive; making it a not-so-economical option for daily use. Huggies, which is no less expensive, is a bit stiff, hence not so ergonomic for the baby. Mamy Poco Pants, I found, was good too, but Pampers remains my choice.

But don’t disposable diapers have harmful chemicals? Aren’t those reasons to limit them?

• ·       Disposable diapers I believe have harmful chemicals like Dioxin, Tributyl Tin (TBT), Sodium Polyacrylate etc. However, the impact of these chemicals on the skin is debatable as they don’t come in direct contact with tender skin of the baby, nor do disposable diapers seem to have these chemicals in worrying quantities. Citing chemical reaction of the chemicals used in diapers as a reason to avoid those, will not make a strong argument anymore as the chances of them coming in contact with the tender skin of our baby is remote. And I, frankly, think that good brands would keep in mind the kind of damage these chemicals cause to the baby. Research has shown that chemicals indiapers are the least possible causes for diaper rash. That brings us to the most possible reason of diaper rash in babies.

So what are the cons, really?

• ·       Nothing that should make one stop their use altogether. It came down to a reason unique to my situation to limit their use in a day. I have found that I tend to get lax about changing Anna kutti’s disposable diaper at regular intervals because I don’t know when it gets filled up. Only when she poops do I remember to change one. On those odd days when I use a diaper back to back on her I do find redness around her inner thighs. A generous dose of virgin coconut oil has helped alleviate it. The disposable diaper has an inner lining, the one that is against the baby’s skin, of polyester. It is quite easy to understand that the compact design of the diapers and the polyester greatly reduces air circulation creating a stagnant environment for bacteria to thrive. Also the heat generated by the climate outside can cause rashes and other irritations.

What did I do?

• Every day Ana wears a cloth nappy with a nappy pad to keep her comfortable. I discovered Extra Care Nappi pads a few days after her birth. These are soft, absorbent pads, very much like sanitary pads. To the cloth nappy, I stick this pad and I tie it around her. The cloth nappy allows plenty of air flow from the sides and thus keeps her skin dry. The minus to this is that there are nappy leaks galore, but I have countered that by making her wear soft, cotton panties. They keep the nappy pad in place and last for a couple of toilet breaks. The cloth nappy with its padding is able to soak up her urine twice at least and her poop of course once. I have used this combination of cloth nappy and nappy pad from the time she was born. I am happy to report that she has never once had a case of diaper rashes. She’s 16 months old now and I am still using the same cloth nappies and the same brand of nappy pad that I bought for her when she was an infant. A pack of 60 Extra Care Nappi pads costs around 350INR.

To use with cloth nappies

Other options:

There is growing awareness for the need to be green and so, non-disposable diapers are gaining popularity, though how far they are useful in India remains debatable and how green they are is also not clear.  These diapers are handy for a mother who wants to use cloth nappies but not the hassle that come with it - the washing and drying of innumerable ones in a day; though that can be countered by using a nappy pad with a regular cheap cotton cloth nappy. These come in cute designs and are washable. These are like disposable diapers in shape and look, only that they can be washed and reused. The outer cover is made from industrial cotton or PUL (polyurethane laminate). For the inner lining, polyester fabrics like micro fleece or suede cloth are used. There are many, many options available to these.

I have a cloth diaper for Ana Kutti which I tentatively use. Why not regularly? Because it is made of this thick, fleece material which is again hot against her skin (yes, I was not thinking when I had purchased her first!) and the inner lining is this thick pad which has the texture of a turkey towel. More heat. I put them on for her during her morning nap and take it off when she is up, which is after an hour or so. The one day that I forgot to remove it when she got up, she had a bad case of diaper rash. I found that though the diaper could hold on to a couple of toilet breaks for her, it smelled a bit as the absorbency reduced. Of course, washing the inner lining was easy and so was the diaper itself, but I seemed to find the regular cotton nappy or flat as they call them abroad, with the lining of the nappi pad.

So there you go, I hope I have managed to make a proper case for a situation that is uniquely Indian. Of course, one can't write away a disposable diaper. It is by far the most sensible option for use at nights and on baby's day out. However, other times, millions of Indian mothers use the cloth nappy with or without their absorbent pad, simply because, here we have maids to wash our clothes (luckily), extended family to take care of the little one and to wash him/her up whenever there is a nappy leak, and also as it is absolutely airy and light against the baby’s skin. For all of these reasons, I too am happy to be one of the mothers who uses cloth nappies.