I’ve been in a relationship for almost five years now. At first, it was just an exclusive kind of thing… but then, for a short period of time, I actually had two to contend with. And let me tell you, when you’re going at it two at a time, sometimes, it’s overwhelming.
Of course that only lasted for a few months; the first outgrew it – or rather, I forced a full breakup. You see, we both needed our freedom.
So I was left with just one – back in my comfort zone, if you will. And now, after two and a half years, it looks like I’ll finally be done. I’ll finally be free.
Our home is about to become Pampers-less.
Truthfully? It’s mostly awesome, but also kind of bittersweet. No more diapers means that I officially no longer have babies in my household. Those tender moments – changing a diaper in the middle of the night before a feeding, gently applying cream to those oh-so-soft cheeks – will be replaced with hollers of “Come wipe my bum!” and “Look at this one, it takes up the whole toilet!”
Right.
Splendid.
And so with Reid’s potty training officially underway, I began reminiscing about my relationship with Pampers. Truthfully, in terms of products, it has likely been the most long-lasting, trusted relationship that I’ve had. From the very first hour of their lives, both Ryder and Reid’s sweet little bottoms were coddled with Swaddlers. Through the months that followed, I’ve believed in Pampers’ ability to keep their delicate skin soft and dry; to take them through the night with comfort; and to keep their business contained in the diapers… and off my very expensive leather sectional.
Will it feel strange to not see the familiar green Baby Dry box in the corner of Reid’s room?
Will I miss scanning the flyers for sales, clipping coupons and inputting Gifts to Grow Points?
I’ll never forget the first few moments of Ryder’s life. After enduring over 30 hours of labour and a natural childbirth (someone told me that us “au naturel” mamas have bragging rights for the rest of our lives) I was understandably exhausted. As my head rolled to the side of my hospital bed, I saw the most enduring thing – the nurse showing my husband how to properly diaper Ryder.
And I thought, “Phew. Maybe he can show me how to do it later.”
And I remember feeling a little bit vulnerable, because Ryder was swimming in his newborn diaper.
And I thought, “What have I done?”
Husband went on to be a champion diaper-changer, and I’m still convinced the nurse showed him a critical technique that allows him to consistently have the best time.
Next, my trip down memory lane took me to my Baby Sprinkle. It’s like a Baby Shower – but, on a smaller scale for a second or third child. Already having one boy, and with another on the way, I honestly and truly didn’t need anything for baby-to-be… other than diapers, of course. So my friends and family decided to host a sprinkle, and the rules were simple: No formalities, no registering and no gifts unless you want to bring a pack a Pampers.
And boy oh boy did I receive Pampers! I was well stocked for the entire first year of Reid’s life. It was a fun and thoughtful way to celebrate my second baby – because all babies are a celebration and moms-to-be should always be surrounded with love. If you know a lucky lady who is expecting another baby, I encourage you to throw her a sprinkle.
My last fond Pampers moment took place just months ago, when I travelled with the children for the first time aboard our Royal Caribbean cruise. Days before we departed, I called a few friends in a panic – how many diapers should I pack?? Eight days, with the potential for a funny-tummy at multiple stops – GAH! I literally ended up taking a whole box – in fact, one of our carry-on suitcases consisted mainly of diapers. Of course, Reid surprised me by being constipated for most of the trip… let’s just say I returned home with more than half the Pampers I’d packed. Sheesh.
And now… now, that’s all going to go away. My two little boys are becoming big kids; with each day they’re gaining independence and relying on Mommy a little bit less. Soon, they’ll wear boo-boos as a badge of honour and rebuke my attempts to kiss them better. They’ll give me “that look” when I hold out my hand and squirm when I go in for a hug. Soon, I’ll have to say goodbye to my diaper bag.
Then again, swapping Pampers for Prada is not necessarily a bad thing.
Do you have fond memories of your diaper days? What are some of your favourite moments?
How can you make me laugh and be misty eyed in the same post! Both my girls were also Pampers babies. You put a lot of trust in that diaper, one of the first things to touch their skin and keep them dry all night long!!
I wish you tons of success in your next adventure of toliet teaching and know that one day soon you will be thrilled to trade that diaper bag in for a designer bag:)
:) Thank you Stephanie. “One of the first things to touch their skin” – couldn’t have said it better.
Fond memories of diaper days? Oh no – so glad those days are gone. Though we still get a laugh out of recounting the times of not covering the ‘apparatuses’ fast enough and dealing with the subsequent sprinkes!
Haha! Maybe I’ll miss the boys being babies more than I’ll miss the diapers :)
I was lucky that I didn’t have to deal with two kids in diapers. I don’t think I could have handled it. After two babies worth of diapers, though, I was able to save up enough Pampers Gifts to Grow points to redeem for a pretty sweet ride-on toy for my son. Can’t believe Reid is potty training already. Way to go, buddy!
SO awesome you used your points for the ride-on! It’s such a great program, and I love the rewards! I redeemed for $80 at Well.ca, and stocked up on all the essentials before our Disneyworld press trip!
Great post, by the way, Lena! Your intro was quite humorous!
Thanks Diana! My husband read the few lines and was like HUH? Then he started laughing :)
Such a lovely, heartwarming post! We’re not diaper free here yet (and yes Pampers is our first choice too) but now you have me wondering if I’ll be emotional about a diaper-free household too. Love your writing!!!!
Thank you Alexandra! Have fun with the Pampers – they don’t last long! Kids grow up way too quickly!
Yes I can attest to that! My first is going to highschool this September! Where did the time go!
I agree with Sassy Modern Mom, you made me crying and laughing throughout the post. No diapers here for over 17 years now but I do miss the smell of (NEW) diapers!
LOL I’m so glad that you clarified that it’s NEW diapers!
Lena I love the idea of a baby sprinkle! It make so much sense because I’m always at a loss what to buy as a present for a 2nd, 3rd or 4th child. And now I know – DIAPERS!! Sounds like you are surrounded by a lot of loved ones.
Oh, my baby sprinkle was awesome. Just a nice little tea time get together and you know what? $20 for a small box of Pampers is the perfect gift, because no one has to wonder what to get you/baby and Pampers were very much appreciated. Let me know if you need more info or if I can help in any way.
Nope, no fond memories of diaper days here, glad to be rid of them!!! But we did use pampers too, never tried anything else.
Awesome! Happy to see all the faithful Pampers customers!
We loved Pampers too – tried Huggies once and they were leaky and didn’t work for us at all! We still have a bedwetter, so now we use the Pampers nighttime training pants – they rock!~
Amazing! Well, not that you’ve got a bedwetter (still, there’s something so sweet about that) but that Pampers nighttime are working for you :)
my baby (8 1/2 months) is in pampers size 3 so we usually either get him swaddlers or cruisers. my oldest is also in pampers. he started out with swaddlers then cruisers (we tried the baby dry and they leaked a bit so we never bought them again) hes used their night time diapers a few times when they were on sale with a good coupon and now hes in the pampers easy ups.
i’ve tried other brands with both of them and they were all garbage. huggies leaked every single diaper (although their slip on diapers or pull ups worked ok for my oldest if we had coupons to get them free) fisher price diapers swelled up and got brick hard. walmart diapers did the same. kirkland diapers leaked…
my post sounds like a pampers ad, lol. i got a 3 pack of sesame street books, a tricycle, a bubble train, 2*10$ superstore gift cards, a bath time “shaving kit”, a bath time basketball net, entered a few contests (no wins) and donated a few points to charity. and i currently have over 1100 points saved up.
I am still working on potty training my oldest. he will sit on the potty but wont go in it.although he will change his own easy up if its just a pee. I do love my stubborn boy, maybe i’ll have better luck with him when the baby starts potty training…
Interesting that you found that the Baby Dry leaked – I actually prefer them to Cruisers! But every baby is different. And way to SCORE on all the GTG rewards! Amazing – makes imputing all the codes totally worth it!!
A fantastic post, Lena! Perfect headline…I remember I did have a Prada purse at one time. My Mum bought Sara a toilet of her own. I kept it out and if she used it great, if not no worries. She wasn’t even crawling yet…yup…that’s my Mum! Toilet training Sara was so easy…she just started using this little toilet one day.
Too, too adorable, Teresa. Love that she had her own little potty! I think there’s one on the market right now with lights and music, LOL!
Such a sweet post Lena. It’s true that there are so many changes when the kids are young, but embrace them. Soon, everything will be all about what’s cool, who’s cool and how can I get my parents to buy me stuff. Wish there were Gifts to Grow rewards for skateboards and skinny jeans!
Hahaha GTG points for skinny jeans – LOVE that!
Oh, wow! I laughed, I cried, and thought…”Man, she’s a great writer!” Love the way you tell a story. Such a great post. So amazing to think of how quickly little ones grow!
Thank you Christine, you’re too kind!
Such great memories of when kids were little. We used cloth diapers but the hospital here uses pampers so my daughter did use them for couple days and during a visit to the ER. My son was a home birth though!!
Ah, a home birth! I have much respect for you Tara – I’d never have the courage to do that.
My three year old potty trained pretty quickly but I didn’t start until he was 2 and a half. With my second, he is only a year and 4 months but I am preparing him for potty training now..especially with baby boy number three in the way! Baby is due end of June so my goal is to have my second one potty trained before baby boy #3 arrives! I could live without diapers lol but I do love Pampers the best. Their wipes are also much better than Huggies which seem to always rip.
(My comments are always sooo long..haha..oops)
First, I adore your long comments! Second, I’ll cross my fingers that potty training does well for Baby #2 – June is just around the corner, and you’ll certainly have your hands full!
Oh – I know this feeling! But I still have one in diapers! I will be glad when the diaper days are over but it will be bittersweet as well!
I really think I’ll just miss seeing them around the house. It’s like they’ve become part of the decor!
I Loved it! Oh it brings back some memories! :P
So happy it did, Jennifer!
What a wonderful post! No diapers anymore in this house and I don’t miss them at all, although I do miss my children being babies!
Ah, I think we all do. I think potty training this time around will be a bit more difficult, so I’ll probably miss the diaper days LESS once it’s all over!
I don’t think there are any particular fond diaper memories other than the party I threw when I saw the last one.
Hahaha LOVE that you had a party when you saw the last one :)
I am almost tearing up …. my youngest is well out of diapers but I still catch myself looking at baby isle and gushing at little socks , and impressed with diaper deals {lol} , looking at the new products that are amazing and wernt available few years back. I have good news though , my niece is pregnant and I now have a outlet for my instinctive baby radar. I have been ordering off line and collecting coupons and sending her links to deals and cool products.
Thanks for sharing
That’s so sweet Barb, thanks for sharing! And wonderful news about your niece!