Development of Disposable Diapers

Disposable diapers use tape instead of safety pins.

Diapers of some form or another have been necessary since the beginning of time. Ancient civilizations found interesting ways to cover their babies, using leaves and animal skins. In Elizabethan times, diapers were only changed every few days, and in the American West, diapers usually were not washed, but instead dried and used again. The diaper has gone through many modifications and changes.

First Disposable Diapers

Disposable diapers began as cloth inserts. In Sweden in 1942, Paulistrom created cloth inserts made of tissue. Then, in 1946, American Marion Donovan was issued four patents for her invention, "the boater." This prelude to the modern disposable diaper was a waterproof covering for cloth diapers. She is also credited with adding snaps to the diaper so safety pins were not needed. Later, in 1949, CHUX disposable diapers were created, which were rectangular. Swedish Paulistrom created another type of diaper in 1950---a roll of cellulose that had to be cut and put into a waterproof outer layer.

Limited Use

When disposable diapers first came on the market, few people used them. They were relatively expensive and inefficient, due to their small capacity. According to The Diaper Industry Source, the first diapers could only hold around 100 ml of liquid, so they were only good for one use. Families considered these diapers to be a luxury and only used them on rare occasions.

Changes in Material

To make diapers more efficient, diaper manufacturers replaced the tissue with pulp. This pulp made the diapers more absorbent and more useful to consumers. Pampers launched in 1961 and consisted of two sizes, medium and large, until 1969 when a third size was added. The diapers did not have attached tape like modern diapers, and so parents needed to have tape on hand. These diapers were also very thick, which helped reduce leakage but was cumbersome.

High Demand

In the 1970s, the diaper saw many improvements, which created a demand for the product. In 1970, Johnson and Johnson added paper tapes to diapers. Prefolded hourglass diapers became the norm, replacing the rectangular diapers. Luvs and Huggies both made their appearance in the 1970s. Diapers became easier to use, easier to purchase and easier to wear.

Super Absorbency

Heavy diapers got lighter in 1982, when the first super absorbent diaper was introduced in Japan. The superabsorbent polymer used in the diaper allowed diapers to become thinner and lighter, which fit better on babies. The thinner diapers made packaging smaller and created less waste. The Diaper Industry Source reports that "the average weight of a typical medium size diaper was reduced by about 50 percent from the weights used in the previous decade." Since then, manufacturers have perfected the absorbent core even further.

Biodegradable Diapers

A more recent innovation in diapering is the biodegradable diaper. The Mexican company Absormex introduced a biodegradable diaper in 2000. The product "Natural Baby Supreme," is said to degrade 200 percent faster than traditional diapers, according to The Diaper Industry Source. The diaper will degrade without light, which means it will degrade in landfills in a few years instead of hundreds of years.

References

• The Diaper Jungle: History of Diapers
• The Diaper Industry Source: Disposable Diaper History