# What were diapers like in medieval times? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 10, 2009, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202 "2009-02-10T12:32:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/61 "2009-02-11T21:05:47Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Still, for nails, wouldn’t they just break if they got long enough? Or are babies inactive enough that they don’t? The biggest problem with long nails on a baby is that they’re sharp. They scratch their little faces with them, and then you’ve got infection vectors. To be honest, the nibble-off-their-nails thing isn’t a Ye Olden Days thing. Mothering boards are full of that particular piece of advice to modern moms afraid of cutting off their kids’ fingertips with nail clippers. I did it with my first kid. (I’d had more practice with nail clippers and an education that babies aren’t \*that \*fragile by the time I had my second kid.) But I don’t remember the last time I cut my daughter’s toenails. They do just seem to break off when they need to. Or they’re \*really \*slow growing… [QUOTE=Lemur866] Why bother with the hand? You chew up the food, kiss the baby on the mouth and push the food in with your tongue. [/QUOTE] I guess you could, but I’d be worried about choking the baby like that. My fingers give me more control over the speed and texture of things going in and coming back out. (Hmm…I wonder if this is going to post right…I’m not seeing the last few posts when I preview, and I can’t seem to quote **Lemur** ’s post automatically. I sense the database is about to take a nosedive again…) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/62 "2009-02-11T21:05:50Z")
From what I can recall that was basically true for my kids as my wife breast fed them. I don’t honestly recall all that well though. ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/63 "2009-02-11T21:09:07Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Another nitpick! Poop from a typical healthy breast fed baby isn’t gross. Yes, I’m seriously claiming that my baby’s shit didn’t stink—it kind of smelled like yogurt or buttered popcorn. Really? That’s interesting. I know that a breast-fed baby’s poop is very runny, and I think I’d heard that it wasn’t so bad in smell – but the person I was talking to was talking about it in contrast to formula-fed baby poop, which they claimed smelled like something dreamed up by Satan. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/64 "2009-02-11T21:11:15Z")
> [@meenie7](#): > > Also, in reply to the formula thing, she makes formula with magic, too. She has to…the baby isn’t hers (in fact, he isn’t anyone’s – he’s a person with an adult mind who’s been made a baby by a magic spell gone wrong) and he doesn’t have teeth so he needs something to drink. But why? Does she do this when she finds an available source of milk (say, she stops at an inn where they have goats)? I can understand having to pull the “oh noes there must be a magical source” when you don’t have another one, but it’s way too much of a deus ex-machina when you use it for things like diapers or milk substitutes. People did such things as travel with a goat or, if they could afford a horse, a mare that had foaled and either lost the foal or it could be fed by a different mare. They used almond milk or chufas milk, both obtained by marinating the nuts in water (so it’s something portable, you can stick the nuts in a skin with water and let it stew - sorry, I don’t know what are chufas called in English). ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/65 "2009-02-11T21:27:48Z")
Apparently chufa is called “tigernut” in english, but I’ve never heard of it before. > **[Cyperus esculentus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chufa)** > > Cyperus esculentus (also called chufa, tiger nut, atadwe, yellow nutsedge, earth almond, and in Chishona, pfende) is a species of plant in the sedge family widespread across much of the world. It is found in most of the Eastern Hemisphere, including Southern Europe, Africa and Madagascar, as well as the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. C. esculentus is cultivated for its edible tubers, called earth almonds or tiger nuts (due to the stripes on their tubers and Cyperus esculentus can be ... ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/66 "2009-02-11T21:28:41Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > But why? Does she do this when she finds an available source of milk (say, she stops at an inn where they have goats)? > > I can understand having to pull the “oh noes there must be a magical source” when you don’t have another one, but it’s way too much of a deus ex-machina when you use it for things like diapers or milk substitutes. People did such things as travel with a goat or, if they could afford a horse, a mare that had foaled and either lost the foal or it could be fed by a different mare. They used almond milk or chufas milk, both obtained by marinating the nuts in water (so it’s something portable, you can stick the nuts in a skin with water and let it stew - sorry, I don’t know what are chufas called in English). Travelling with a goat or horse is not practical in their case (they do most of the travel by flying broom) but nuts in a water skin would be totally doable. I didn’t know that’s how you made almond milk (I thought it was really, really pureed almonds…) You’re right about the magic though…that’s why I asked about the diapers, I didn’t want it to be too “magic everything!” where there is no tension… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/67 "2009-02-11T21:38:21Z")
How does magic work in this world? If she can just “make” formula by magic, what’s the limiting factor that keeps her from just shrinking a goat down to fit in her pocket and then unshrinking it when it’s time for the baby to eat? What are the limitations on the broom that she can’t find an inn that has a nanny goat for milk each night? Is it just that we’re not hearing the whole spec of magic in the story world that it seems pretty random and difficult to find an excuse NOT to deus ex machina? Edited to add: I think part of what’s bugging me about it is that there’s way too much of a modern worldview going on with this main character. Nappies? Formula? It almost sounds more like a “modern girl magically lost in a fantasy world” trope. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/68 "2009-02-11T21:40:47Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > The biggest problem with long nails on a baby is that they’re sharp. They scratch their little faces with them, and then you’ve got infection vectors. To be honest, the nibble-off-their-nails thing isn’t a Ye Olden Days thing. Mothering boards are full of that particular piece of advice to modern moms afraid of cutting off their kids’ fingertips with nail clippers. I did it with my first kid. (I’d had more practice with nail clippers and an education that babies aren’t \*that \*fragile by the time I had my second kid.) But I don’t remember the last time I cut my daughter’s toenails. They do just seem to break off when they need to. Or they’re \*really \*slow growing… Ohhh. The more you know! Can’t the answer to anything we don’t know just be, “Uh, a wizard did it”? ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/69 "2009-02-11T23:08:22Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > How does magic work in this world? If she can just “make” formula by magic, what’s the limiting factor that keeps her from just shrinking a goat down to fit in her pocket and then unshrinking it when it’s time for the baby to eat? What are the limitations on the broom that she can’t find an inn that has a nanny goat for milk each night? Is it just that we’re not hearing the whole spec of magic in the story world that it seems pretty random and difficult to find an excuse NOT to deus ex machina? > > Edited to add: I think part of what’s bugging me about it is that there’s way too much of a modern worldview going on with this main character. Nappies? Formula? It almost sounds more like a “modern girl magically lost in a fantasy world” trope. Well, to take the last point first, I am a modern girl, after all. I’m trying to get some better understanding of the way things were back then, to decide how to make the little details more real, in a way that’s not too disgusting for a modern audience. As for the magic, the young witch is limited by the fact that she’s not very good at magic – small effects like making formula appear are possible but hard, and she makes a lot of mistakes. Something like making a mini-goat would be far beyond her abilities. (At one point, when trying to make the first diaper for the baby, she almost burns him, then turns his hair green.) The non-magical alternatives people have offered here will be very useful, I think. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/70 "2009-02-12T03:42:32Z")
I was wondering–when do babies start noticing that their diapers are full and smelly and they want them changed? Is it soon after birth or around six months of age? Are any babies nonchalant about a dirty diaper or do they want to be changed NOW! I don’t have much experience with babies after all. ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/71 "2009-02-12T03:49:55Z")
My 18-month-old son doesn’t care at all if his diaper needs changing. Doesn’t matter if it’s wet or dirty, he doesn’t seem to notice. What surprises us is that he doesn’t even seem to notice the _smell_ of a dirty diaper! Once we smell it, it’s off to the changing table, but he will play happily until we nab him. He’s never cared about the state of his diaper, as far as we could tell. I believe this varies from baby to baby, though – a friend has a baby who can’t stand for her diaper to be wet. I figure they’ll potty train muuuuuch earlier than we will. ---
**Author:** ![apricot835](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@apricot835](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apricot835)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/72 "2015-10-27T21:11:30Z")
Interesting question. My middle child hated diapers and did not like being soiled. My sister-in-law gave me a potty chair for her. When she was eight months old she crawled over to it, pulled off her diaper, sat on the chair and went poppy. She refused to wear diapers after that. She potty trained herself. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/73 "2015-10-27T21:49:26Z")
Baby poop is always gross. It’s just not as bad at first. When a kid gets older (and/or gets a more varied diet) it gets worse, much much worse. I’m a dad of two daughters and changed lots of diapers. If you want to get creative, come up with some fragrant herbal concoction to mask the smell. ETA: I didn’t realize this fantasy story was about ZOMBIES… ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/74 "2015-10-27T22:58:40Z")
_he’s a person with an adult mind who’s been made a baby by a magic spell gone wrong) and he doesn’t have teeth so he needs something to drink._ If this “baby” has an adult mind, then he could communicate his needs as soon as he develops any sort of muscular control. In other words, he’s going to be a “baby” for about 3 months and by then he should be able to make his needs known. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/75 "2015-10-27T23:09:25Z")
> [@meenie7](#): > > The baby is newborn to six months old in the story, and he’s a boy, so a dress is out. 🙂 Guess who this baby is as fast as you can without looking at the caption and then read who it is. That isn’t an anomaly. Sex specific clothes for babies and small children are not the historical norm. [https://www.google.com/search?q=franklin+roosevelt+baby+dress&es\_sm=93&biw=1097&bih=540&tbm=isch&imgil=nIMNVqHgWqlrnM%253A%253B31U-5N6MsDCODM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.themarysue.com%25252Fgender-specific-clothing-for-children%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=nIMNVqHgWqlrnM%253A%252C31U-5N6MsDCODM%252C\_&usg=\_\_CdElmseXoVmwkD3Cw5AlCmG4yts%3D&ved=0CCwQyjdqFQoTCN-vnsDi48gCFYttPgodUwYNSg&ei=7wMwVp\_8B4vb-QHTjLTQBA#imgrc=nIMNVqHgWqlrnM%3A&usg=\_\_CdElmseXoVmwkD3Cw5AlCmG4yts%3D](https://www.google.com/search?q=franklin+roosevelt+baby+dress&es_sm=93&biw=1097&bih=540&tbm=isch&imgil=nIMNVqHgWqlrnM%253A%253B31U-5N6MsDCODM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.themarysue.com%25252Fgender-specific-clothing-for-children%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=nIMNVqHgWqlrnM%253A%252C31U-5N6MsDCODM%252C_&usg= __CdElmseXoVmwkD3Cw5AlCmG4yts%3D&ved=0CCwQyjdqFQoTCN-vnsDi48gCFYttPgodUwYNSg&ei=7wMwVp_8B4vb-QHTjLTQBA#imgrc=nIMNVqHgWqlrnM%3A&usg=__ CdElmseXoVmwkD3Cw5AlCmG4yts%3D) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/76 "2015-10-28T01:07:47Z")
Baby boys definitely wore dresses that long ago. And before diapers were called diapers, they were sometimes called [clouts](http://www.hrgalaska.org/lullaylitelgrom.html) (depending on location of the speakers, of course). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/77 "2015-10-28T07:43:03Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > One of the things he mentions is that all food had to be boiled for at least two hours With respect to Terry, this is bullshit. I have several medieval recipes for salads that say different. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/78 "2015-10-28T08:32:00Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > With respect to Terry, this is bullshit. I have several medieval recipes for salads that say different. Cite? Not that I don’t believe you, I’m just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/79 "2015-10-28T09:59:22Z")
You might look up a movie called “[Babies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babies_%28film%29)” where they look at 4 babies around the world for some ideas. One is being raised in an African village with no diapers and what happens is when the baby poops, the mother wipes the butt on her knee then scrapes it off with a corncob. Or the baby just sits on the ground or in the river or wherever and just poops and potties there. Since people wear few clothes its not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202/80 "2015-10-28T09:59:23Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > One more thing…if this baby is six months old, what is it eating? There wasn’t any formula in medieval times, and cow’s milk or goat’s milk won’tsubstitute. Either the baby’s mother nurses the baby, or another lactating woman nurses the baby, or the baby dies. :dubious: A baby can be weaned at four months. Granted, that’s in the age of Gerber baby food, but it’s not like six-month-olds have to live on mother’s milk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-diapers-like-in-medieval-times/485202.md?page=5)