Part One – The Problem

My daughter was eighteen months old when she first started taking her nappy off. It was something we initially laughed at and we certainly weren’t expecting it to turn into the terrible experience it swiftly became.

Nap times and bed times rapidly became a time to dread. Aside from the obvious as to what happens when a baby takes their nappy off - wee and poo everywhere – there is also the tedium of having to be up cleaning in the middle of the night.  There was extra washing and cleaning to be done every night with the mattress, the sheets, and the clothes, not to mention she needed a bath.  It was a never-ending series of events that infuriated and tired us out mentally and physically.

At first we attempted to put extra clothes on in an effort to stop the removal of her nappy. Tight shorts or all in one sleep suits were tried, but these efforts proved futile against her persistent fingers.  This was worse in summer, when we wanted her to be able to be comfortable in just a nappy.  Threats, cajoling, bribery became our only arsenal. I would hover outside the bedroom door waiting to hear the inevitable 'rip, rip' sound of the grip tabs being torn open.  But obviously I couldn’t wait outside her door all day.  It was so frustrating! 

We had heard that there were some other tricks to try – nappy on backwards or taping the nappy on. These were worth a go.  At first we started with a small length of tape, just to cover the grip tabs, but she soon mastered that. Eventually we were completely encircling her waist with duct tape. I'm not proud of it, it was demoralising for me and it was even more demoralising for her. 

It worked, but it was far from comfortable. It was also something that was very hard to do with just one person.  As I circled the waist of my wriggling baby with heavy duty duct tape, I would inevitably stick tape to skin and have to start again. Even worse, in the morning we had to cut them out of her nappy with sharp scissors, I dreaded cutting into delicate skin every time. 

It was then that I started thinking, surely there's an easier way.  Considering the thousands of gadgets on the market, all designed to make life easier for new mums, I assumed there would be something to buy that would help make this simpler?  Guess what?  Nothing existed!  Not one thing! 

Part Two – The Solution
I started thinking of a solution; just something I could make that would alleviate our problem. I instantly thought of a soft, belt like device designed to go over the grip tabs of nappies to stop the problem of nappy removal by a child.  I wanted it to be soft, easy to apply, machine washable and to look good. I wanted it to be something you could put on and take off in the dark. Most of all, I wanted it to relieve the stress, anxiety and frustration that bedtime had become. No more mess, no more washing, no more yelling, no more upset children.

The design of Button Up Baby was something I spent a lot of time thinking over.  Various sketches were made, many prototypes were sewn up by a local dressmaker and then tested on my youngest child.  Improvements were made as glitches or problems with design arose. In total I had three prototypes made before I had it right. I realised I needed two 'loops' of material passed down under the nappy in order to secure properly. The elasticised belt was added after the first prototype as there was a need for extra stability and tautness across the front panel. The belt also has the added benefit of being able to tighten or loosen as the need arises. Thus, it can be used on babies as well as older children.

I decided on cotton drill as it is machine washable, extremely durable and made out of a natural material -best for baby skin. After considering many other options, including Velcro, buttons were finally chosen as the fastening mechanism as they are the most difficult of all clothing fasteners for babies and young children to negotiate and undo. 

Button Up Baby is designed so that the panels that travel under and up over the front avoid the absorbent parts of the nappy so as to not inhibit the way the actual nappy works in soaking up moisture. Any dampness arising on the Button Up Baby would be due to an overly full nappy and leakage has occurred. In these situations a simple wash in the machine is all that is required.

When I first started using Button Up Baby on my youngest child, it was amazing. This was something new and she instantly liked the look of it. She was comfortable, not restricted by a tight tourniquet around her little waist and of course the problem of removing the nappy was solved.