Duct Tape

You're right, Becky, most parents don't have to resort to duct-taping their children's diapers! But then again, most parents don't have four two-year-olds! I didn't come up with this idea on my own, by the way! Would you believe I got it from another set of quads? The McNulty quads, being much more prone to poop-painting than us, have been taped for ages! And no, you don't have to cut it off with scissors. You just rip it right off!



If any of you parents out there are considering duct tape for your own children, here are some things I have learned that may be of use to you:

1. Duct tape is not good for skin. You have to be really careful to tape only the diaper. The kids were so wiggly at first, that we folded part of the tape over to make a thinner belt. That made it a lot easier to put on without getting any on their wiggly skin. Unfortunately, they soon figured out that it also made it a lot easier to get off!

2. Really good duct tape will rip a diaper to shreds when you try to take it off. Cheap duct tape will leave most diapers intact because it is so easy to remove. In fact, it's easy enough for a two-year-old to remove. After trying out both kinds, we have opted for the diaper-shredding type. After all, if the two-year-old can remove the belt, what's the point of having it in the first place?

3. Some diapers fare better against the duct tape than others. So far we have belted Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs. The Huggies have held up better than the other two brands, but they rip too. Oh, well. It's not like we're going to use them again!

Luckily, our kids only take their diapers off when they are supposed to be sleeping, so belts are only worn at night and during naps. I'm grateful we don't have to belt every single diaper!

Any other questions?