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Diapering by babies doesn't seem like a topic for discussion among mothers in general. Because babies are still learning to control their bodies and, for a period of their lives, lack full control of their urinary and gastrointestinal functions, diapers become necessary for everyday use for practicality and hygiene reasons. However, what seems simple and whose use dates back to the dawn of humanity can now lead to major headaches. Therefore, choosing the right diaper for your baby may end up taking more time than you initially thought.
This initially occurs because some brands fail to meet the specifications required by Anvisa (the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency) regarding products that can be used in diapers. This results in some batches being recalled by the Agency, or even opting to sell without obtaining registration. This was the case with one brand in the recent past. The first, Megafral Baby, produced by Megafral Indústria e Comércio Ltda., had its sales, manufacturing, advertising, and distribution suspended because it lacked Anvisa registration that would allow the product to be sold. Since Megafral Baby did not meet the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency's quality criteria, diapers of this brand could not be sold in Brazil.
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Besides Megafral, another well-known brand in Brazil had its sales suspended in 2018 because Anvisa failed to meet the necessary criteria to be considered non-toxic for babies. The brand in question is Huggies Turma da Mônica, and according to the National Health Surveillance Agency, this occurred because the brand in question failed to complete tests for skin irritations, the well-known allergies, which are well-known and quite common among mothers.
Beyond the allergy risks mentioned above, other factors should be considered when choosing which diaper to use. Some may seem exaggerated at first glance, but when you consider the motivations behind the discussions surrounding the use of products with these specifications, such concerns become justified.
This point can be illustrated by a case in the United Kingdom that sparked a discussion about the use of plastic bags for disposable diaper disposal. According to the UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, it is estimated that at least seventeen babies died from suffocation caused by the bags used to dispose of their diapers. These deaths occurred because these bags are within babies' reach and, due to their thickness, can end up blocking their noses and mouths, causing them to suffocate. Because these items have bright colors and sometimes contain drawings, in addition to special scents intended to alleviate diaper odor, the products end up becoming attractive to little ones. Babies' interest in these products can also be attributed to the noise made when handling one of these plastic bags. Thus, it is clear that the campaign ends up being justified in such a way that a large supermarket chain, Morrisons, chose to include a warning on its diaper disposal bags regarding the risks of suffocation for babies.
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Given the above, cloth diapers seem like the safest and most viable option for babies. This point is a point of agreement among some celebrities, who exclusively use them. Among them, Mônica Benini, the wife of singer Júnior, stands out. She says she has never used disposable diapers in the entire life of her son, little Otto. Mônica explains that her choice was due to the extremely sensitive skin of babies. Therefore, cloth diapers would be a way to prevent skin irritations and other types of allergies that can be caused by some of the components present in disposable diapers.
Like Mônica Benini, TV host Bela Gil is also not a fan of this product. However, she states that she hasn't used any type of diaper on her baby, Nino, since he was six months old. Gil explains that, from this point on, she decided to adopt a method called elimination communication, which involves noticing the child's cues that they need to pee or poop and, based on that, taking the baby to the bathroom when the urge arises. Bela Gil says that the results of the method, which she learned about during her second pregnancy, have been satisfactory, so much so that now she can always tell when Nino wants to use the bathroom.
Faced with so many arguments presented and so many methods to be considered, the use of diapers ends up becoming yet another point in which motherhood becomes complicated and open to discussion, and it is up to each mother to research what best suits her routine and how she can adapt her reality to each of the proposals.
