The other day I was reading this article complaining about Elmo being on the back of Pampers, while other Muppets are on the front. Apparently, this sufficiently confused the author, such that, in the dark of night, he didn't know at first, what was front and what was back. He argued that the back should be plain, for a "stylish, uncluttered diaper."
My response? "Pah!" Seriously? While I can sympathize with people that just don't want to do the work involved with cloth diapers, I really can't see anything stylish about disposables. Due to completely ineffective elastic, they don't even fit a baby's heiny right! Even though style is not one of my requirements for diapers, of all things, I have to admit to going all cutesy, wutesy with the printed ones. Flowers! Cars! A cow (which particularly struck a chord when he was still a nursling)!
Now this is stylish - and commercial-free.
However, I did identify with the author's lament about the sheer advertising of it all. (These guys are bothered too.) Why do diapers need Elmo & his friends, Winnie the Pooh, or Mickey Mouse (the three signature characters of the Big Three diaper manufacturers)? The truth is, they don't. It's just another form of marketing. Evidently, not even the pre-potty set is immune to cross-platform advertising.
But now, for my confession. Little Man is now potty training, and guess what underpants I've strategically bought for him? (Or "panties" as I invariably call them half the time, leftover from potty training my daughter three years ago. Hopefully, my little boy does not grow up referring to his "panties.") Yep. Elmo! And a package of assorted Disney characters, whom he doesn't even know, because he hasn't seen 'Toy Story' or 'Cars.' And Thomas the Tank Engine! But we also have some with dinosaurs (his favorite) and generic cars and trucks.
And how's it going? Well, I'm (almost) sad to say: they're working. He really does not like to pee in his underpants. He had an accident a few weeks ago, and he hobbled over to me, legs spread wide, "I pee. On. Thomas!" He was so upset. But really, I think he would have had the same reaction regardless of what, or who, he'd peed on.
Do you buy character-based items? Do you see a difference between those and non-character items?
And how's it going? Well, I'm (almost) sad to say: they're working. He really does not like to pee in his underpants. He had an accident a few weeks ago, and he hobbled over to me, legs spread wide, "I pee. On. Thomas!" He was so upset. But really, I think he would have had the same reaction regardless of what, or who, he'd peed on.
Do you buy character-based items? Do you see a difference between those and non-character items?
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