DISPOSABLE DIAPERS

MAKE A HEATING PAD • Use a disposable diaper’s high level of absorbency to your advantage to create a soft, pliant heating pad. Moisten a disposable diaper and place it in the microwave on medium-high for about 2 minutes. Check that it’s not too hot for comfort and apply to aching muscles.

KEEP A PLANT WATERED • Before potting a plant, place a clean disposable diaper in the bottom of the flowerpot—absorbent side up. It will absorb water that would otherwise drain out the bottom and will keep the plant from drying out too fast. And you won’t have to water as often.

PAD A PACKAGE • If you have disposable diapers on hand, wrap delicate items in the diapers or insert them as padding before sealing the box containing breakables. Diapers cost more than regular protective packaging wrap, but in a pinch they are a great standby, and you can be assured your gift will arrive in one piece.

DID YOU KNOW?

Looking for an alternative to messy cloth diapers, American mother Marion Donovan first created a plastic covering for diapers. She made her prototype from a shower curtain and later parachute fabric. Manufacturers weren’t interested, but when she created her own company and introduced the product in 1949 at the prestigious department store, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City, it was an instant success. Donovan soon added disposable absorbent material to create the first disposable diaper and, in 1951, sold her company for a cool $1 million.