Cleanliness and comfort of the baby - the guarantee of sound sleep andthe excellent mood of both the baby and his mother. Today it is impossible to imagine modern life without "gadgets" that have facilitated the difficult life of mothers, without disposable diapers. But they appeared recently, at the end of the XX century.

How was this arranged before?

Mentions of the first absorbent diapers can bediscover already in the 1st century BC. So, for example, in the ancient Greek myth describing the childhood of Zeus and Hermes, it was said that instead of diapers for babies, women used animal skins, in which they put moss, grass or other natural materials. In Russia, many practiced the method of "planting". At the first signs of the baby's anxiety - spinning, grunting, straining, etc. - the mother supported the child, helping him to cope with his natural needs. In the early 19th century, they appeared from knitwear and linen, the absorbent material of which was soft wool. Several layers of fabric were folded in an envelope, securing the free end to the back of the baby. This method turned out to be the most tenacious.1 / 2Photo: metroactive.comPhoto: americacomesalive.com

First try

The inventor of the progenitor of the modernnappy is considered an American Marion Donovan - literary critic, deputy editor of Vogue and a large mother. She was sorely lacking time to wash the diapers, and she decided to improve the process of caring for the newborn daughter. Marion cut several glues and curtains for the bathroom, creating from them waterproof children's panties, which were worn over the usual diaper. Not stopping at what was achieved, she came up with a sewn on the resulting design for children's panties, and instead of household oilcloth began to use a special adsorbent paper. At the end of all manipulations, our heroine replaced the sharp English pins that pinched the diaper, on a secure metal buckle. Comfort was always expensive. The idea of ​​waterproof children's panties so everyone liked that one department store even bought from Marion the right to an invention for 1 million dollars! In 1951 Donovan improved panties, made them one-time. But this idea has not found any feedback in the hearts of the owners of manufacturing companies. By the way, after a decade, Viktor Mills became interested in disposable diapers. Taking on the idea of ​​Donovan, he invented diapers Pampers. The first diaper under this brand was issued in 1961. Photo: Getty Images

First steps

But the inhabitants of Northern Europe, who usedtraditional at that time swaddling method, after the Second World War faced a serious problem - the deficit of imported cotton. All available reserves for the Scandinavian region were transferred to health care. Swaddling the children was practically nothing. There was an urgent need to find local raw materials for fabric production. In Sweden, thanks to the rich woodland, cotton has been replaced by cellulose fibers made from wood. So, very soft creped paper appeared in the form of cellulose pulp. After receiving new material, the local company Mölnlycke (in 1975 joined the SCA group) began the production of cellulose diapers. They looked like this: the panties of the plastic film attached pre-cut pieces of pulp. Parents had to independently put the necessary amount of absorbent material in the child's diaper, depending on the time of day - a day less, and at night more. Which, of course, was not very convenient. In 1955, "quick diapers" (snabb-blöjan) -one disposable panties made of waterproof cellulose coating with an absorbent layer inside, fastened with a fabric mesh, were launched into production. These diapers quickly became popular in most of Europe. In Germany and Italy, parents called them simply - "Swedish diapers." In 1967, Europe saw a new model - a one-piece Combinette diaper. Its main difference from its predecessors was the functional retaining clamp, which was fixed in front. The novel has gained unprecedented popularity and began to rapidly replace traditional diapers. Almost a decade they remained at the peak of sales, while the shape of the diapers changed to become most comfortable for kids. And in 1973 a new model appeared on the shelves - a T-shaped diaper. He was held in place by characteristic striped elastic panties. In many cities of Europe in the summer you could see a lot of young fashionable men, who sported in a novelty.

Freedom!

With the advent of disposable diapers for mom and dadgot rid of unnecessary worries and worries. No more endless laundering, moms stopped being afraid of children's "embarrassments" during long walks and traveling with babies. This truly ingenious invention has become so indispensable that even a well-known brand around the world got its name from the Italian word "free" - Libero. And in fact the truth, modern diapers gave us that freedom to carelessly enjoy the communication with your child, which our parents did not have enough.

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