Confessions of a British DL

[WeakEndPartyPerson]

I think Libero is the international name but they still use the Peaudouce brand in French-speaking North African markets. Does anyone know if they are called Peaudouce or Libero in France itself?

Libero nappies and pants (including night pants) are available in the UK from NRU/Incontinence Shop.

- Oho I knew that

 

[abrich]

Don't know about parenting but I've found quite a bit out from the archive of Chemist & Druggist which you can get on the Wayback Machine / Internet Archive. I got loads of old adverts for plastic pants from there and put them on some sites I'm on which I'm flattered to see have been widely copied!

Just a quick note to say thank you again for pointing me in the direction of this archive! It's been a wonderful resource, and I've been able to find out some of the answers to the questions I had. I'll post what I've found out that was of interest to me, but apologies to all if this would be better in another threat.

• Pampers were introduced to the UK in London and the South East in June 1981.
• A trade advert for Cosifits from January 1981 states that disposable nappy use was at 15%in the UK, compared to 80% in West Germany, 90% in France and 100% in Sweden. I guess that would be for 1980, so, as PCS mentioned elsewhere, the UK was using cloth nappies for longer than other similar countries.
• The national rollout seems to have begun in February 1982, but it looks like the first TV advert wasn't until April of that year and apparently there were some issues with supplies in the first few months.
• The Peaudouce child size is first mentioned in January 1983.

Anyway, just a few things that I found of interest that I thought I'd share. Again, apologies if this should have been in separate thread.

 

[BabyAdamUK]

A really long yet interesting read to normal and very much how I recall from my own childhood however I was in cloth nappies from 1982 and never in disposables I do not recall. I was very jealous of the disposables though from a age of when I think I was not in nappies (I was rushed out of them I think - by my mum who of course felt it was the right thing at the time and trying her best). I had such as like for the disposables as you could certainly see and hear them, smell them etc. The waist bands always stuck out and the back square bottom area was obvious a nice thick plastic nappy was being worn even before being used. I loved it and still do thinking about it - who knows why but maybe it was a too quick babyhood?

 

[PCS]

Ah those old thick plastic disposables of the 80s and early 90s. They certainly were not discreet!

I would be interested to hear your experiences. I can certainly relate to the jealousy when seeing other children (especially those around my own age) wearing a nappy.

 

[BabyAdamUK]

Ah those old thick plastic disposables of the 80s and early 90s. They certainly were not discreet!

I would be interested to hear your experiences. I can certainly relate to the jealousy when seeing other children (especially those around my own age) wearing a nappy.

I think the late 80s was the time what did it for me - you could not hide having any disposable nappy on.

 

[PCS]

I think the late 80s was the time what did it for me - you could not hide having any disposable nappy on.

I remember that time well. Something of a golden age for disposable nappies.

Did you ever manage to get your hands on any of them in that era? I’d be interested to hear your recollections if so, to see if they jog any memories of my own!

 

[BabyAdamUK]

I didn't as I was to shy and embarrassed as to how I was feeling - it was difficult when my cousins where in them, I was in suspense all the time. I don't even think I even touched a nappy back then.

 

[PCS]

I didn't as I was to shy and embarrassed as to how I was feeling - it was difficult when my cousins where in them, I was in suspense all the time. I don't even think I even touched a nappy back then.

I can relate. Although there were times when I was able to pinch a nappy or two, most of the time it was just a sheer burning jealousy when I saw children around my own age wearing them.

Holidays abroad (Spanish or Greek Islands) were the most intense as there were often children the same height/age as me playing poolside wearing nappies when I was about 3-6 and I just longed to be one of them.

 

[BabyAdamUK]

I would have loved to have stolen a nappy and been able to put it on and fill it as full as I could

 

[BabyAdamUK]

I would have loved to have stolen a nappy and been able to put it on and fill it as full as I could

When my auntie used to do my cousins nappy so so wished she would have pulled me over and put one on me just for the sake of it.

 

[ChocChip]

I think the late 80s was the time what did it for me - you could not hide having any disposable nappy on.

I guess that must have been true of adult nappies as well, then...

 

[ade]

I guess that must have been true of adult nappies as well, then...

Not really: youth/adult dispies were dire in those days. NHS supplied dispies consisted of 'pads' which were much like vintage Pampers, see here,

Did some Vintage baby diapers come in larger sizes than actual size 6 or 7 baby diapers

I'm just curious here, maybe some people could confirm this, we know the sizes of the actual size 5-6 and 7 modern baby diapers, but I wonder, did anyone had any chance to check the size on some vintage baby diapers from the 70's 80's and 90's perhaps, I've stumbled upon an old pack of Pampers...

www.adisc.org

and could be used as both a 'nappy' and a bedmat.
If you take a Drynites bedmat, cut off the 'wings' so that there's just the mat, fold it accordingly and then tape it on......
Of course, those old styles were a bit thicker, but not much, and they'd struggle to hold even a slight wetting.

There were a couple of brands which we would recognize, today, by their form as disposable nappies, but they, too, were dire, lacking inner guards (you'd be surprised what a boon they were when they were introduced) and SAP.
I was using these in the late 80s/early 90s (bit hazy on the actual dates),

But they weren't overly bulky; although, in the context of slimmer fitting clothes, back then....

 

[ChocChip]

I guess in the absence of reliable adult disposables, the severely incontinent were still reliant on giant terry nappies and plastic pants then, which are definitely not discreet...

 

[billybobtombo]

Holidays abroad (Spanish or Greek Islands) were the most intense as there were often children the same height/age as me playing poolside wearing nappies when I was about 3-6 and I just longed to be one of them.

Goodness yes, that's taken me back. I remember those feelings of intense jealousy too when on family holidays and there being other children my age who were padded, and seemingly so happy to be so.

 

[ade]

I guess in the absence of reliable adult disposables, the severely incontinent were still reliant on giant terry nappies and plastic pants then, which are definitely not discreet...

There was a ying and a yang about it. Don't forget that we were then only just emerging from a mindset of hiding the disabled. A 'care in the community' approach, and all that would entail, was still new.
It was around that time that I noticed that youth/adult plastic pants designed for use with traditional nappies were being changed into pants designed solely for use with disposable pads and wadding. The traditional side of the market still hasn't recovered from that, in the west.

Disposable products were heavily pushed by the authorities as part of the move from institutionalization to care in the home and in care homes.
Of course, there would've also been some recognition of how big a business it would be.

 

[ChocChip]

What about the essentially non-disabled though - for example, the young mother left severely incontinent through childbirth injury that was not as commonly repairable as it would be today? I guess such women would have been reliant on adult terry nappies and plastic pants at one time, and probably the gradual improvement in adult disposable nappies gave them some freedom in life back over time, for those whose incontinence proved permanent.

 

[ade]

What about the essentially non-disabled though - for example, the young mother left severely incontinent through childbirth injury that was not as commonly repairable as it would be today? I guess such women would have been reliant on adult terry nappies and plastic pants at one time, and probably the gradual improvement in adult disposable nappies gave them some freedom in life back over time, for those whose incontinence proved permanent.

Yeah, that comes up periodically and whilst better catered for, nowadays, the olden campaigns often revealed how women were getting by by using sanitary towels which, back then, were thick pads, devoid of SAP or suchlike. As sanitary products became more technogically designed for peroids (and discreet), they became less useful for capturing urine.

In one of those 'back in time' episodes, the gingerheaded historian revealed how she was using what were little more than 'nappies' for her periods; I think that was about the Victorian/late industrial era (probably into much of the twentieth century).
Considering that and the other 'women's conditions' (childbirth, breastfeeding, etc), it's little wonder that a culture and a mindset of women being tied to the home existed and still persists.
Women's dribblings are also probably the reason for the division of dress between male and female (excluding ridiculous fashions, of course).

 

[ChocChip]

Yeah, that comes up periodically and whilst better catered for, nowadays, the olden campaigns often revealed how women were getting by by using sanitary towels which, back then, were thick pads, devoid of SAP or suchlike. As sanitary products became more technogically designed for peroids (and discreet), they became less useful for capturing urine.

In one of those 'back in time' episodes, the gingerheaded historian revealed how she was using what were little more than 'nappies' for her periods; I think that was about the Victorian/late industrial era (probably into much of the twentieth century).
Considering that and the other 'women's conditions' (childbirth, breastfeeding, etc), it's little wonder that a culture and a mindset of women being tied to the home existed and still persists.
Women's dribblings are also probably the reason for the division of dress between male and female (excluding ridiculous fashions, of course).

Yes I guess that makes sense, women in history couldn’t have worn trousers etc. due to the chance of leaks, visible padding and so on. “Social continence” would have meant long dresses/skirts to disguise anything they needed to!

Would be easier if women just stayed in nappies for their whole lives

 

[abrich]

A really long yet interesting read to normal and very much how I recall from my own childhood however I was in cloth nappies from 1982 and never in disposables I do not recall. I was very jealous of the disposables though from a age of when I think I was not in nappies (I was rushed out of them I think - by my mum who of course felt it was the right thing at the time and trying her best). I had such as like for the disposables as you could certainly see and hear them, smell them etc. The waist bands always stuck out and the back square bottom area was obvious a nice thick plastic nappy was being worn even before being used. I loved it and still do thinking about it - who knows why but maybe it was a too quick babyhood?

I was very jealous of those disposable nappies too! I remember noticing the back square bottom that nappies had in those days, and wishing that my bottom looked like that, and that I could be the one in nappies.

 

[PCS]

Since I started this thread as a bit of a
memory repository for myself, in the interests of completeness I will add a couple more recollections that I already put in answer to another thread asking about siblings being potty trained:


Goodness me, yes!

I remember my sister trained in the day around the age of 2. It was before Pull-Up and Pampers Trainers became available in the UK so it was the old “going bare in the garden” method but also real pants in the house. She got the hang of it quite quickly and was reliably trained soon after. She had a turquoise potty that had been mine before.

Two memories of note relating to her training though. I remember at the start she had these washable training pants that were basically white elasticated plastic pants with an inner terry later that leaked as soon as she had an accident in them. She was very upset by that and they weren’t used again.

Another memory, which I think was after the DL thing had hit and she would have been about three (not long before she was out of nappies at night).

She was quite articulate at that age and after our bath she asked my Mum why she had to wear a nappy at night instead of knickers. Mum told her that if she could keep her nappy dry every night then she could wear knickers instead. She was really excited about that.

I also remember (and I think it was on the same occasion) her bouncing on my parents bed in just her Ultra Pampers for girls shouting “I’m wearing a nappy! I’m wearing a nappy” over and over again. I was really jealous of her at that point, though I had already been sneaking her nappies secretly for quite some time by now. I wished I could wear openly as she could.

I think within a week or two of this conversation she was no longer in nappies at night and my supply dried up. The last of hers I wore was the last in a pack of Ultra Pampers for Girls that I found shortly after she stopped wearing at night.

There is one other memory that springs to mind, but I think this was a little bit earlier than that. She was sitting on my parents bed, sole of foot to sole of foot, having just had her night nappy put on.

She pointed to the nappy and said “I’m doing a wee in my nappy!” My Mum was a bit cross and said she should have asked to use the potty (suggesting she was day trained at this point) and she would have to change her again now. My sister thought this was hilarious and couldn’t stop giggling all the way through her change.

One more recollection, though it wasn’t my sibling so don’t know if that counts...

When I was about eight or nine I went to a friend’s house to play after school and stay to tea.

He had a two year old sister who was potty training. Pull-Ups existed at this time but (typical Brits) the Mum either hadn’t heard of them or chose not to use them.

The girl was just in normal knickers and a red t-shirt.

She seemed to wet herself very frequently and always became distressed when she did, though the mother wasn’t angry or anything like that “oh dear, never mind, let’s try again” and put on fresh knickers every time it happened. Eventually the knickers ran out (I think the mother had a pack of about four or five) and she just went around bare (but still had further wetting accidents.

When the Dad came in from work he was slightly surprised about the fact that his daughter had nothing on her bottom with company in the house. He said something like “would you mind dressing for the occasion, young lady?” in a light hearted way. The mother replied “I have been putting pants on but she just wets them”.

I don’t know what happened next as my friend and I were busy playing, but when she next appeared she had a nappy on.

I realised that here was the opportunity to pinch a nappy for some fun later. I didn’t mind (and to this day don’t mind) that it was a girl nappy. I was an expert at “borrowing” nappies by now.

Just before we left, and had my coat on, I asked to use the toilet, which was upstairs. There were no nappies in the bathroom so I quickly nipped into the sister’s room and spotted the pack of nappies under her bed. They were “Huggies Ultra Thin from Kleenex” for girls, which were new to the UK at that time.

I grabbed one and stuffed it under my clothes in my armpit. I was just in the nick
of time as the mother shouted upstairs “are you OK?” and I dashed out and down the stairs.

When I got home I dashed straight up to my room and hid the nappy down the side of my bed. That night...oh bliss!

After I had got into bed and pulled the covers over, I slowly got the nappy and opened it out. I took my pyjama bottoms off and slipped the nappy on. It only just fit- I remember the tapes were more or less at the side rather than the front so if I’d been any bigger it wouldn’t have fit. The nappy did not come over my belly button either but fit like a pair of briefs.

These nappies were definitely much thinner but also stiffer than the ones I had been used to pinching, which were usually Pampers or own-brand. They were still plastic backed at this time.

I did my wee in it, which I had been “saving” for the nappy. Perhaps because it was quite tight, or perhaps because the SAP content was higher than most nappies, instead of getting the usual sensation of hot wee flowing down my bottom and pooling in the seat of the nappy, the warmth spread around the front and the nappy swelled up. It was different, but still wonderful. It didn’t leak either.

As I usually did in those days, I took it off not long after I had finished weeing in it.

I looked at the yellowed padding and girl themed waistband and once more the usual “why on earth do you like doing this?” question entered my head.

I screwed it up and put it back down the side of my bed. The disconcerting thing is, I cannot remember disposing of it. I hope to goodness that I did manage to sneak it out as I usually did. If my parents did find it they certainly never said anything.