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It’s a given that most babies wear diapers, in western cultures anyway. But diapers may trap more than waste—they may also confine a baby’s ability to walk.
Scientists compared the walking gaits of 60 babies who were either naked, wore a thin disposable diaper or a thick cloth diaper. Half the babies were 13-month-old novice walkers and the other half 19-month-old experienced walkers.
When the 30 13-month-olds walked naked only 10 fell, but while wearing the cloth diaper 21 of them fell, and while wearing the disposable 17 of them fell. Among the 19-month-olds only four fell while naked or wearing disposables, while eight fell when wearing cloth diapers. But both age groups took wider and shorter steps while wearing diapers as opposed to walking naked. The research is in the journal Developmental Science. [Whitney G. Cole, Jesse M. Lingeman and Karen E. Adolph, Go naked: diapers affect infant walking]
Because the effects were immediate, this study cannot predict if wearing diapers has a long-term impact. Nonetheless, the researchers believe walking naked would speed up walking development. But then we are left with the issue of covering the entire house in plastic and relying heavily on the child’s ability to communicate his or her elimination intentions.
—Christie Nicholson
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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Add Comment"But then we are left with the issue of covering the entire house in plastic and relying heavily on the child’s ability to communicate his or her elimination intentions."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNot if you're practicing Elimination Communication, or Infant Potty Training. :) I did so with my son since his birth, as babies are born communicating their elimination needs and preferring to eliminate outside of a diaper (we train them to use the diaper, actually)...and my son crawled at 5 months and took his first step at 9.5 months. That is the day I ditched daytime diapers for good. And I think it had an incredible effect on his balance and agility! He was climbing boulders in the river on our property at 11 months. Even now at 2.5 months he is the most mobile kid in gymnastics (and most of the 3 year olds in there are still in diapers). There *are* options for going diaper-free at younger and younger ages (without mal affects)...my readers find that most of their babies are also mobile earlier, and more agile. Thanks for posting this study!
i agree andrea... i am infant potty training and my 4 month old tells me often when she has to potty. we do most of her floor time diaper free because i feel it hinders her leg movements... i feel it changes where a babies center of gravity is. natural is best. diapers are a need of modern society, but thru the use of infant potty training they can be minimized. Infant potty training is really " parent potty training and baby reading class" we DON'T MAKE the baby do anything, we simply give them oppertunity to potty in the potty. They can't take themselves !!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a midwife who provides ongoing in-home postpartum care for new mothers and babies, I have witnessed the phenomenon of the baby teaching the parents about the practice of Elimination Communication. These are babies who cry and cry and whose parents keep checking the diaper to see if the diaper needs to be changed. It's not until they carry the baby to the diaper changing station that the baby stops crying and then lets loose. Many parents have the experience of changing the diaper only to have the baby soil the new diaper immediately; maybe try waiting a minute or two to give baby the chance to finish off with the old diaper instead of wasting it and being frustrated. When babies are given the opportunity, they seem to really prefer to relieve themselves in the appropriate place.
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