VANGUARD
Before the advent of diapers, which have become the best partner for today’s nursing mothers, the conventional method of cleaning up babies and keeping them from pooing in their dresses was nappy.
A Nappy is a piece of soft white cloth, which is fastened around a baby’s bottom in order to soak up urine and faeces.
Nappies held sway until the turn of the 21st century when innovation brought about diapers.
At the time, the major criticism of nappies is that due to their reusable nature, it was susceptible to germs.
But diapers, a piece of disposable and more comfortable piece of cloth is adjudged clinically hygienic and far better than nappy.
However, the economy has taken a toll on the cost of diapers to the extent that nursing mothers, who usually buy pieces of diapers can no longer afford them.
And, now, like the biblical going back to Egypt, average nursing mothers are moving back to nappies, which had been abandoned a long time ago.
Economy&Lifestyle discovered that even the few nursing mothers, who could afford pieces of diapers, use them only during important outings and thereafter, wash and use them again. They remove the cotton wool on one side of the used diapers and fit a nappy into it for continuous usage.
Mrs Juliana Oladele, a businesswoman, said she uses four to five diapers for her baby of four months in a day and a pack hardly lasts three weeks.
She said: “The cost of diapers is increasing every day with different brands being introduced in the market.
“The cost of 60 pieces of diapers is now N10,000 and I use four to five diapers for my four-month-old baby in a day because
“A pack of diapers hardly lasts three weeks.”
Explaining the method of using napkins, Mrs Ijeoma Okon, a fashion designer, said: “I do buy two to three pieces of diapers for my nine months old baby now. This is because diapers are now expensive. Before a piece was N50 to N70 but now it is N150 to N200.
“I wash the used diapers when it is filled with only urine and reuse them. Then a third time I will remove the wool and replace it with a napkin.
“The nylon helps prevent urine from soaking the baby’s garment and this has saved me a lot.”
Mrs Favour Asemota, a provision seller, lamented that apart from the high cost of diapers, the quality of diapers has reduced.
“The way prices of things in this country are going is devastating. Imagine you use N10,000 to N15,000 to get a pack of diapers and everything keeps tearing as you are wearing it for your baby…
