Daddy-friendly nappies

[BabelFish]

I've seen this mentioned a bit in this section, and I'm just curious, is this really a serious consideration? I think it's great that men are becoming so much more hands-on now when doing things like changing nappies, but honestly - nappies are not difficult. Are we underestimating our man's abilities by trying to make things easier for them?

I know my DP would be SO offended if I chose a nappy based on it being easy for him. He would wonder if I thought he was some kind of inept moron. He hates the constant implication that men just aren't very good at doing the nuts and bolts stuff of parenting.

So I'm wondering what you all think. Do you really think your husbands are incapable of working something out that is a bit tougher than a disposable? Or are you just trying to encourage them to be interested in the first place? :laughing:

[Me]

TBH the thought never crosses my mind. I always make up my nappies and have them ready to use so that if DH needs to do a nappy change, things are ready to go, just as I like them to be ready to go too.

[borntobemummy]

the most difficult thing for my DH is remembering which ones need a liner, and which need a cover, other than that nappies are easy for him. In saying that though, we did switch from fitteds and covers over to AIOs and AI2s at his request because he was getting really annoyed at having to put a nappy on and a cover to the point where he was putting a lot of pressure on me to ditch the cloth nappies all together. I have spent countless hours researching the ins and outs of mcns, DH hasn't and all he has to go on is what I tell him, so that is something to consider. The fact that he fills his mind with other things and doesn't need to have a complex understanding of mcns in order to use them does not make him dumb or feel that way.. he is happy for me to keep it simple for him so he can concentrate on important stuff to him.

[BabelFish]

It was actually my DP who insisted on us using cloth nappies! He is a real greenie and although I'd thought about it I'd never given it any real serious consideration until he said that he wouldn't countenance using disposables at all. I'm glad he did - I then started doing heaps of research and became a total MCN addict! But it was him who started us off on the whole thing in the beginning.

[Kittylou]

Hmmm, well for mine it's not a matter of it being too complicated for him. He knows how all of our nappies work - which need liners, covers, which inserts go in which nappies - it's just that he is more inclined to reach for a disposable at times. DD still wears a disposable at night and has recently been back in them full time while I had morning sickness and DH is struggling to get back to putting her in cloth now that I'm feeling better again.

Having said all that, I have never bought a nappy based on whether or not it's daddy-friendly - I just have a go at him for being lazy if he puts her in a sposie.

[Merla]

See my DH hates changing nappies, sposies or cloth. To get him to change a nappy, it needs to be easy, he doesn't want to hear about which ones need a liner, or fiddle with a nappy whilst our DD tries to roll off the table. Some of my nappies are more complicated than others (OSFM with snap down fronts, Fitted with covers and liners, and AI2's which are doubled over). For him he doesn't like doing it anyway, so if its too complicated he just says no, or if he gets it wrong (folds down something that ment to be layed in, or snaps something too small or too big) I need to correct it and it really wrecks his confidence. I have brought some Bambooty Easy Peasy nappies (made sure they were all stripy) for him to use and he will. They are just like a disposable, no flaps, no boosters or liners or covers, he just grabs a stripy nappy and puts it on DD's bum.

So yes, being hubby friendly is something I look for sometimes, but I now have 6 DH friendly nappies, and thats enough, whenever I change her (which is 90% of the time anyway) I can put her in any nappy I want, and don't need to worry about how complicated it is.

[BabelFish]

My Dad doesn't do nappies either. I just don't accept that in men. It's their child, they can change nappies too. That's it.

But my Dad refuses. He's quite funny about it actually - we all just roll our eyes now. Even as much as he is totally besotted by my DD and will do ANYTHING for her, he won't change a nappy.

One time apparently, before I was born when one of my brothers was still in nappies, my Mum left for a couple of hours to do something and my brother **gasp** did a poo. My Dad HAD to change it. That was the days of terry flats and nothing else. After he'd changed it he didn't know what to do with the pooey nappy so - get this - he buried it. :laughing: :laughing:

That is such a good story.

[Bunnyhugs]

I always make up my nappies and have them ready to use so that if DH needs to do a nappy change, things are ready to go, just as I like them to be ready to go too.

:yes: I always have mine ready to go too but the big thing with my DH is that he's not too keen on MCN and if given half a chance, he'll whinge about the slightest little thing to do with them :o

[kezzaskids]

My DH has never chamged a nappy and never will.... so I just got over it and do it myself! So I can get any nappies I like :)

[Zalia]

I think this sounds like a common theme but my DH is just lazy. He doesn't want to deal with nappies so if its too hard he'll just pick up a 'sposie. He is perfectly capable of understanding how these things work its just easier to play dumb. In fact he swings between playing dumb for his own advantage and getting annoyed if I try to offer too much advice :rolleyes:.

He is though very hands on with DD and a great dad. Nappies and cleaning are his only issues. He's a good cook too. :D

[misskittyfantastico]

DH doesn't need special treatment. He can wash 'em, stuff 'em and put 'em on bottoms as well as I can.:D He's partial to GK's though.

[Jaspat24]

I keep mine all ready to go and i generally get out the next nappy (esp if DH is home) i want to use on DS and leave it on top of the change table. DH knows which need covers etc and sometimes he'll stuff'n'snap them with me in front of the tv at night, asking which goes with which IYKWIM. The ONLY problem i have is getting DH to put the velcro tabs onto the laundry tabs. I'm also thinking this might be a problem for the daycare carers so i've bought extra nappies with snaps so that eliminates that problem for the future.

[tinlizzy]

My DH is perfectly capable of snapping nappies together, but if the actual change rountine gets complicated, ie using covers or liners, he'll start complaining. So I figure to keep things simple with only using AIO's or AI2's. Suits me as I can be lazy too then :)

[em1984]

It took me long enough to convince him to go to cloth, If they are too complicated he is going to regret ever saying yes! And its nothing to do with him being 'dumb' or whatever, he's far from it, its purely that I want to make them as simple as possible (as close to sposies as possible) so that he's happy to continue using them. He doesnt share the same passion/interest/obsession that I do with them, so he just wouldn't 'get it' if he had to do folding/snapping/boosting etc...he's not interested in complicated :D

[sweetseven]

I have some kid-friendly nappies, for when my daughters are changing her.

Daddy is expected to learn, but young children can have the advantage of something easier. That said, Miss15 recently complained that I had lots of different nappies and she wished they were all the same. If Miss6 or Miss8 are having a go, then I offer them the easiest AIOs to work with.

For some reason, Miss10 keeps trying to use a pocket shell with two microfleece liners (one brown and one white) and no absorbant material, ignoring the nice row of fully prepped nappies ready to go.

[2boyoboys]

My DP changes nappies daily. We used sposies exclusively :o with DS1, so at first DP did reach for them out of habit. But now he goes for the cloth. I have kept our stash simple (for me as much as him). I did have to remind him after he was getting slack and going back to sposies, that cloth are only a wast of money when he doesnt use them!! After that he has been consistant. It helps for us that our boys are both in the same size, so in our eyes, a nappy is a nappy no matter which bum it goes on.

I agree with what u said about sharing the responserbilities of nappy change. I have changed more nappies than DP but on the flip side DP has brought it more of an income than i have :laughing:. DP gets very annoyed when we go out places and the baby change is in the Womens toilets, and has been know to complain - stating "and what am i ment to do if i come here with out my girlfriend? change him in the middle of the restaurant?" :laughing:

It works for us, my DP is confident and very competent when it comes to our boys, and that makes us a great team. we are consistant and share the responserbilities between us. Sure it doesnt always work that way (esp cos im the one with them 24/7) but it helps.

Oh an to answer ur question, DP and i both decided to start using cloth- there was no point in doing it if we wernt going to both be on board- It is a little more work. We both decided on snap in Itti's and then it has gone from there. Men are more than capable, they often just hide behind the steriotypes.

[BabelFish]

Don't you guys with your self-confessed `lazy' husbands just want to yell at them `ohhhhh just get over it it's only a nappy'??? :laughing:

I remember when I was pregnant with DD everyone (male and female) used to go on and on about nappies and nappy changes. I've found it to be a complete non-issue. It just does NOT bother me, or DP. The only thing that's impossible is how much she wriggles around when you're trying to change her. DP calls it the Greco-Roman Wrestling bout. :D

Having said that, I can understand how it totally grosses some people out. But it still doesn't absolve men of their half of the deal!

[Nex]

I have a stash of the simplest homemade pockets. No harder to use than a disposable.

My dad managed to put one on inside out :rolleyes:

He said he wondered why it was so hard to do up? :laughing:

[em1984]

For us, its not laziness though. My dp just hates unecessesary complication, hes like it with everything. He just likes things simple. He has definitely done his fair share of nappies, thats never been as issue for us, in fact he changed the first ever nice sticky meconium poo Noah ever did (and managed to get covered in it in the process :D). He is brilliant with all that stuff, I have nothing to complain about at all.

But for him, he doesnt share the same passion I do in terms of the environment/land fill etc so thats not something that will run through his head when he's dealing with boosters/snap in's/cover etc as opposed to just grabbing a sposie and chucking it on. He's also concerned that its going to be more work for me in terms of washing/drying and all that comes with cloth. So, If I can provide a cloth that is just as simple, then its more likely he is going to love them as much as I do, which in turn, I'm hoping, will encourage more of an interest and a passion for using cloth vs sposies. I just want to convert him gradually :D ALthough, he doesnt really have a chance to back down now, I've bought too many nappies, and there will be no sposies available to him in the house! I just don't want him to regret saying yes is all!