The question of whether babies and infants had diapers once they progressed beyond the swaddling clothes stage (as alleged in a TI article -- citation) is not clear. No instructions for toilet-training the child show up in the 14th-16th century manuals (or excerpts thereof) I have found, though other instructions to the mother or wetnurse for care of the infant (including instructions to wash the child regularly), do.
Interesting! As a data point, in the 16th century, the normal "breeching" age for boys, when they stopped wearing skirts and put on breeches, was about age six. I've looked at an awful lot of portraits from the period as a part of Jehan's and my doublet research and this pretty much seems to be the case. I'm of several minds about the diaper thing and might it not just have followed the same practice as women did when they had their period, re wearing a rag or not.
BTW, do you have access to EEBO? If not, I'd be glad to look anything up that you might need.
no subject
Interesting! As a data point, in the 16th century, the normal "breeching" age for boys, when they stopped wearing skirts and put on breeches, was about age six. I've looked at an awful lot of portraits from the period as a part of Jehan's and my doublet research and this pretty much seems to be the case. I'm of several minds about the diaper thing and might it not just have followed the same practice as women did when they had their period, re wearing a rag or not.
BTW, do you have access to EEBO? If not, I'd be glad to look anything up that you might need.