subject: The Diaper Wars - Are Disposable Diapers Right For You? [print this page] The Diaper Wars - Are Disposable Diapers Right For You?
Every parent can attest to the fear of the 2 a.m. scream. Will you creep into your child's room only to find the crib, the walls, the floor and the ceiling covered in poop? Did the diaper hold back your child's cannon of feces, or did it surrender?
The War Zone
My first experience with the poop explosion happened vicariously through my husband. He was on nighttime duty when my son was a few weeks old. He crept downstairs as my son was crying and entered the room. Not wanting to fully wake our son and to maintain the beginnings of my son's sleep schedule, my husband only turned on a low light. He lifted my son onto the changing table and removed his diaper. Quickly grabbing a new diaper, my husband began to lift my son's legs to put on the new diaper. He quickly wiped my son noticing that our baby may have already pooped a little. Then, before he realized what was going on, my son coated my husband in poop all the way up to his forearm. If my husband had waited a few minutes, the diaper may have saved him from a very messy and disgusting event.
Armaments
We tried various kinds of diapers through my son's infancy and found that certain brands fit him more than others. But, beyond fit, we searched for the poop-explosion stopping diaper. We found our best luck with disposable diapers. These were the only diaper that had explosion-stopping elastic strong enough to keep us clean. They also have a substantial amount of soaking-up ability with their leak-lock system.
Engagement
After choosing the right diapers as our weapon of choice, we waited for our son to launch his next poop campaign. My son was six months old when he decided to test our diaper choice. He had tried prune juice for the first time. Within four hours I could smell something acrid coming from his diaper. I knew it was time to see if we had chosen wisely. After getting my son settled on the changing table, I opened his diaper. I had been fully expecting to see feces inside his clothes. I was pleasantly surprised to find the mess well contained to the diaper. Most of it had soaked into the LeakLock area and with a few wipes my son was as good as ever.
Is the War Over?
While no diaper is 100% guaranteed, I am an advocate of disposable diapers. Since my son's infancy, we've faced many an explosion. Some have been as well contained as the first, but some have been much, much worse. Now that we have moved to potty training, I know I will continue to trust the brands we've tried and will rely on pull up training pants because they use the same technology as the diapers. If you are struggling your way through the diaper wars, try as many kinds of diapers as you can. You will eventually find one that works for your child; and then you won't dread the 2 a.m. scream as much.
