Debunking The Diaper Dilemma

Pictured is the Little Keeper Sleeper, basically one-piece pajamas with a zipper in the back. The pajamas also have a “non-stretchable” neck and a two-way snap closure to help keep the zipper up. (Photo provided)

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I read somewhere that moms will change at least 7,300 diapers by a baby’s second birthday.

Let’s say it takes about 2 minutes and 5 seconds to change a diaper. That adds up to three 40-hour workweeks a year.

Now, in my case, I need to double that.

Well, quadruple it really because I’ve been changing at least two kids’ diapers at a time for the past four years. I basically think I should earn some sort of doctorate degree in diaper changing.

Because, in all, that adds up to . . . oh, I don’t know, a whole heck of a lot of time spent changing diapers!

And duct taping them.

Because that’s what we’ve had to do with our 2-year-olds’ diapers to prevent them from creating their own science experiments during naps and bedtimes.

Of course, even duct tape — the answer to most of life’s little dilemmas — doesn’t always work. One of my 2-year-olds has become so Houdini-like she can finagle her way out of even a duct-taped diaper.

I’m thinking she has a promising future as a magician.

The answer? Well, potty training them is in everyone’s best interest. I just can’t seem to convince them of that quite yet.

That’s a topic for another column, though I will say I’ve learned one thing: They’ll train when they’re ready, and not a moment sooner. (Still, I’m not above bribing. M&M? Sticker? Keys to the van? Trip to Disney World?)

If only I’d been as clever as Mike and Kris Steinberg of Crystal Lake, who invented the Little Keeper Sleeper (www.littlekeepersleeper.com).

The parents of four young children, including triplets, set out a few years back to create a product that would prevent their children from stripping off their diapers in their cribs.

The Little Keeper Sleeper, basically one-piece pajamas with a zipper in the back, was the result.
The pajamas also have a “non-stretchable” neck and a two-way snap closure to help keep the zipper up.

If my 2-year-old can get out of this one, I’m hooking her up with David Copperfield.

I wrote about the Steinberg family when they first came out with their product a couple years ago, and since then they’ve been featured on various sites geared toward parenting.

Based on the feedback they’ve received from customers, the Steinbergs have expanded their line to include larger sizes, particularly for children with special needs. The sleepers go up to size 5T and will soon include sizes 6 and possibly 7, Kris says.

They’re available for $19.99 each, two for $35 or three for $50.

“We do get a lot of repeat customers,” Kris says. “Once they realize these really work, they want to stock up on them. They’re getting sleep at night again and not spending two hours cleaning up messes.”

Instead of simply writing about it like me, she and Mike found a way to solve the problem. Perhaps they weren’t as MacGyver-like as me with the duct tape, but I suppose they’ve been more successful.

They have named their company Miraquad after “the miracle” of their four children.

“Our goal is to help as many people with toddlers who remove their sleepers and diapers,” they say. “We have heard some extreme stories about what happens once that diaper comes off! (We’ll spare you the details.)”

Me too.

• Columnist Jami Kunzer is the mother of Summer, 6; twins Anna and Lilly, 4; and twins Rowan and Finley, 2.