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Original poster

Nappies on Call the Midwife

41 replies

CatWithKittens · 08/03/2015 09:49

Can anyone with a historical turn of mind satisfy my idle curiosity? Call the Midwife is now in the 1960s it seems but all the shots which show a baby's nappy show it without any form of cover or wrap. According to my mother my older brother - born 1966 - had plastic pants over his nappies as I did in my turn. My MIL who saw a lot of children in the late 60s when training at Great Ormond Street says that it was the rare baby who did not wear them by that time. Does anybody know when these became usual and, if they were around by the time in which these programmes are set, why CtM does not reflect actual childcare practices of the time?

OP posts:
hackmum · 08/03/2015 11:17

I don't know the answer, but one of my very earliest memories is having my nappy changed and plastic pants put on. I guess I would have been about 2, and this was 1964. The current series is set in 1960, I think.

Samcro · 08/03/2015 11:27

plastic pants were the norm back then, your right

eddiemairswife · 08/03/2015 11:33

Yes, they were certainly around in the 50s and 60s. You could get frilly ones for little girls. In fact you could get them made from very thin rubber.

bigTillyMint · 08/03/2015 11:35

Yes I remember plastic pants! Born in 64. Maybe they were relatively expensive?

Imnotaslimjim · 08/03/2015 11:36

Could it be because they are portraying poor families, it's showing that they used the nappies for several babies but couldn't afford extras like rubber pants? Some of them will have been used to working without them so won't have seen the need

ggirl · 08/03/2015 12:15

I used plastic pants with dd in 1991 , as well as normal folding nappies. The shaped nappies were just coming out but I was oblivious .

I am 1962 baby and wore plastic pants , remember my mum commenting when she changed dd.

Original poster
CatWithKittens · 08/03/2015 18:20

Imnotaslimjim - i had wondered about that but the Doctor's little girl is also shown without them too and my mother says they were very cheap in real terms then. As those of us who still use washable nappies know, they save an awful lot of work even with an automatic washing machine so how much more important would they have been then for people who had to wash nappies and other baby clothes by hand.

OP posts:
IreneA78 · 08/03/2015 21:36

I thought it was set in the 50s.
Incidentally very proud of friend's daughter who played deaf 'June' in tonight's episode!!

1944girl · 08/03/2015 23:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SelinaG · 09/03/2015 17:15

I still use plastic pants over DS terries, never had any problems with them :-)

toldmywrath · 09/03/2015 18:55

The current series of Call the Midwife is set in the 60's Irene

I remember changing my little bros terry nappies (he was born in mid 60's) & I still recall the peculiar odour of rubber pants when they'd been wee'd on!
You're not alone op in thinking something was awry.
By the way, when I went to secondary school, we were taught (the girls were)how to fold terry nappies-kite, triangle& square. The shape depended on whether a boy or girl baby.

DanaBarrett · 09/03/2015 19:03

I'd assumed late 50s/early 60s, as reading up, thalidomide was only available 1958-1962, so I would put last nights episode as 1958/9. I remember putting rubber pants on my brother in the late 80s, you can still get them in boots!

escondida · 09/03/2015 20:03

There must have been something before plastic pants, rubber pants? Anyway, something before plastic that was roughly waterproof.

toldmywrath · 09/03/2015 20:44

I thought that the contraceptive pill wasn't introduced until mid 60's- but I've just googled & seen that it was December 1961 (they mentioned that in last night's episode)I stand corrected-sorry.

eddiemairswife · 09/03/2015 22:27

Before plastic/rubber pants babies wore large knickers called pilches. I have an ancient 1920s book of knitting patterns with a pattern for a knitted pilch.

ShelaghTurner · 09/03/2015 22:31

Last night's ep was October 1960. No idea about the plastic pants but I wore them as a 70s baby.

SelinaG · 09/03/2015 22:36

There's still loads of places selling plastic pants, I have no trouble getting them for my 3 yr old. I use terries full time so he's in them everyday without any problems.

I still use safety pins too ;-)

1944girl · 09/03/2015 23:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

eddiemairswife · 09/03/2015 23:17

Think of the washing. Not only the terry nappies, but also the pilch; and all by hand.

SelinaG · 09/03/2015 23:27

Yea it would have been hard work washing the terries by hand.

Now with washing machines they are easy peasy, I often put 2 on my son for extra absorbency and change the minute they are wet (no matter where we are) so I get through a lot of terries in a day but have no problem.

Nowadays they are the only nappies I use.

ladybird69 · 09/03/2015 23:30

I was born in 60s and until recently had a box of my baby clothes (I was 3lb so clothes were Sooo cute) my first outfit was little woollen vest,terry nappy and thick rubber pants. Flannelette embroidered nightgown and bootees with matching bonnet and matinee cardigan. And first pair of shoes were bright red felt. My brother had matching but with blue knitted items. Mum was in hosp with preeclampsia and was encouraged to smoke to relax!!!!!!!!! I'm surprised Gin wasn't offered too.

mammuzzamia · 10/03/2015 00:38

I'm sure my granny said they used a kind of wool soaker as an outer back then (and a bit earlier, maybe more). I don't know what form they would have taken, the knitted pants you see nowadays or a wrap, or if they were widely used at all?

Solo · 10/03/2015 00:44

I wore them in '64...

Pixel · 10/03/2015 00:47

I had plastic pants and I was born in 1966. I remember we kept a couple of pairs for years (one lemon, one pale blue) because I used them for my big doll when I was putting nappies on her. I remember the nappy bucket with a lid, it was pale blue and had a bunny on the side!

I remember nappy liners too that meant you didn't have to scrape poo off the actual terry nappy but I'm not sure when that was. Maybe I remember them from friends' babies when I was a bit older?

SelinaG · 10/03/2015 00:53

Yea liners are a great help :-)

I don't know why more mums don't use terries, they save us a fortune !