The Last Diaper Pin - Opportunity Lost

Elena was born at a major turning point in history. Disposeable diapers had been introduced shortly before her birth. Word was that cloth diapers were "healthier", less likely to cause diaper rash. If you didn't want to fuss with washing the cloth diapers yourself there were diaper services that would pick up your dirty diapers and deliver fresh ones a couple times a week, an entire industry built on dirty diapers.

Disposeables were covered with a thin layer of plastic so you didn't need to used plastic pants over them to keep baby from wetting through to her clothes. It was easy sticking a diaper pin through a cloth diaper but the pin never seemed to want to poke through the plastic. I stuck my finger much more often when trying to change a disposeable. One day I noticed a roll of masking tape on my desk and got an idea! Yup, masking tape would work with a disposeable diaper.

A roll of tape became a fixture on the changing table and in the diaper bag we carried with us everyplace. I brought a roll to the daycare center and pretty soon all the babies had taped disposeables, their mothers embracing the New World Order with glee.

Life was very different 30+ years ago. Men weren't supposed to be able to change diapers. It would be another 20 years at least before public mens' rooms had changing tables. When I slung the diaper bag over my shoulder and picked up the baby carrier for a trip to the mall I'd just kneel down where ever. When you gotta change a crying baby you gotta do it! Right now! Disbelieving women would suddenly appear out of nowhere. "Here let me do that for you." I NEVER managed to change a diaper at the mall. I wasn't allowed to....LOL. A lot of women saw the roll of tape and thought it was a great idea. By the time Jonathan was born five years later disposeable diapers had little tapes already in place. Pins were history. Now if only I'd had the good sense to patent the idea. Let's see, a penny a Pamper, times...?