TOILET TRAINING: TV TROPES

I also found this interesting so here 'tis. 

THE DIAPER CHANGE: TV TROPES

Here's a pretty spot-on summary of the way the use of diapers by babies and the subsequent task of changing them is often handled in popular culture.

I would like to add two more:

Nobody ever shuts up the person whining about diapers by pointing out that someone had to change them.

Second, even when a newborn or infant has a dirty diaper, it still stinks, even though diapers don't begin to smell that way till the child starts eating solid foods, or so I am told.

At any rate, the examples stated below the main content in the link should invoke some feelings of nostalgia, if not also disgust and a sudden desire to cut the cord. 

DON'T USE YOUR PHONE ON THE TOILET, PEOPLE!

New York Post

 

Here’s how many hours we spend using our phones on the toilet every year — and why doctors warn against it

By Adriana Diaz

Published June 24, 2025, 3:35 p.m. ET

 

You should flush sh-tty scrolling down the toilet.

 

A new study has revealed the total number of hours Americans spend using their phones on the toilet every year — and it’s shocking.

 

A team from QS Supplies — a bathroom supplies company — surveyed 500 Americans about their bathroom habits.

 

According to the study, Americans spend 49 hours using their phone on the commode — just over two full days a year down the drain.

 

And what are people doing on their phones while sitting on the throne?

 

They’re scrolling on social media (66%), watching videos (40%), responding to texts and DMs (37%), reading the news (36%), sending emails (36%), playing games (29%), shopping online (14%), completing work-related tasks (9%) and talking on the phone (8%).

 

But most disturbingly, a strange 2% of people said they answer video calls from the John.

 

And to no one’s surprise, Gen Z is the worst culprit of this dirty habit.

 

The generation born between 1997 and 2012 admitted to spending an average of 54 hours doomscrolling while on the toilet.

 

This habit has become more than just something to help them pass…time.

 

In fact, over 6 in 10 people (61%) admit to staying on the toilet longer to finish something on their phone.

 

Others — over in 2 in 5 (42%) — even lock themselves away in the loo just to get a break from others.

 

They’re trying to get sh-t done and hide when they get pissy.

 

And for 51% of Americans — they just want to enjoy some alone time.

 

“The data shows just how far social media, especially apps like TikTok, have pervaded even our most personal moments,” Director of QS Supplies Farook Member told The Post.

 

Unfortunately, this habit is dirtier than most might expect, especially because only 1 in 4 people clean their phones after using them in the bathroom.

 

Baby Boomers are the least likely ones to wipe down their phones after coming off the toilet.

 

Doctors warn that using a dirty phone can cause you to develop colds, flu, and gastrointestinal and stomach illnesses.

 

But even if you do clean your cell after you wash your hands, using your phone in the bathroom could still lead to health issues.

 

Experts have warned that sitting on the toilet with your phone could cause “TikTok tush.”

 

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the anus and rectum that can lead to pain, itching and bleeding.

 

Frequently, they form due to too much straining during a bowel movement, but just kicking back on the can for too long — like when you’re texting or on social media — can hurt you too.

 

If you want to prevent them, one gastroenterologist insists you’ll need to give your phone a rest when going number two — no ifs, ands, or uncomfortable butts about it.

 

And his “10-15” rule may be a huge help in keeping your bum healthy come toilet time.

TINKYPOO DIAPERS: BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY HOLD

Like Every Life, one of TinkyPoo's main features is that this company has a cause, namely the empowerment of black people. TinkyPoo, however, doesn't stop there but does the most important work of explaining why their product is the best, namely because it's both made from natural materials as well as being superabsorbent and providing blowout protection.

DISANA: THE CLOTH DIAPER YOU TIE ON

First of all, I had no idea there were tie-on cloth diapers.

Second, it's neat how Disana is the oldest surviving cloth diaper brand, going back to the time when old school flannel reusables with safety pins and rubber pants were the norm for catching baby's poops and pees.

It's also so cool how the daughters of the founders are now running Disana, and that they actually wore their product way back when.

Here's a history of the company.

THE HISTORY OF TOILETING

This history of teaching children to use the toilet contains lots of interesting things I didn't know and hadn't heard about. I question the accuracy of some of the items, but nonetheless this document clearly shows how and why the toilet training age has gone up and up and up, now to the insane point of one month after the child's third birthday. 

DISPOSABLE DIAPER EVOLUTION TIMELINE

Here's a history of the disposable diaper, at least up to the end of the 00s. Sure interesting to look back at all these old diaper brands and to find out about those of which I had never heard.

Came across this in PDF form years ago and glad I found it again. 

Here's an updated version, tracing disposable diapers all the way to 2019.

WHERE DISPOSABLE DIAPERS ARE HEADED

In addition to correctly predicting Huggies would bring back a pants-style diaper, I had some other predictions about disposable diapers a few years ago that I still stand by.

First, the logical thing for these companies to do is to keep making baby and youth diapers in bigger and bigger sizes, which is already happening. Using Huggies as our template, make Huggies diapers that are just smaller than the smallest Good Nites and make Good Nites that are just smaller than the smallest Depends.

Speaking of Depends, make graduated Depends as Tena does with their Ultra line, where you have greater absorbancy the higher the numbers go.

Also, possibly meld at least the bigger size of Good Nites into their adult diaper brand so older kids who wet the bed or who need protection during the day are not wearing a brand associated with little kids. Alternatively, make a bigger brand of Huggies Overnight or a more absorbant night-time Pull-up and re-market Good Nites as a brand for preteens and teens.

Finally, make all sub-brands of baby diapers, from Little Snugglers to Snug and Dry to Overnight to Skin Essentials, pants-style and dispense with the tape-on method altogether.

EVERY LIFE DIAPERS

More than just being prolife, this company's product actually has to be better than the hundred billion brands of disposable baby diaper out these days. The commercials say Every Life are soft, nontoxic and offer twelve hour leak protection, but all brands claim that these days.

The thing about them I can truly get behind is how they offer sponsorships for clients of crisis pregnancy centres. Rather than depend on enough of a certain size diaper to have been donated, thanks to Every Life, a woman in a crisis pregnancy situation can now be sure she will have diapers from baby's birth to their second birthday. 

Update: OK, here's a short about how Every Life prevent blowouts.

HUGGIES LITTLE MOVERS HUGGFIT 360

So Huggies has brought back its pants-style diaper after discontinuing Slip-ons a few years ago. 

That's what I thought they were going to do. With Pampers Cruisers 360 doing well, they didn't really have a choice.

Besides, due to the growing population of immigrants from countries where diapers haven't traditionally been used or where children are in them a lot shorter, it just made sense to continue manufacturing a diaper that could be pulled up and down. 

Better to retail it in the style of the brand they already marketed for mobile babies as Pampers does than to sell them as a separate diaper like before. 

LISTENERS HUG THE MIX DURING DIAPER DRIVE

Half the applicable parents in Chicago struggle to afford diapers?! Holey moley!

DON'T PEE IN THE SHOWER, PEOPLE!

New York Post

 

Most people are guilty of doing this in the shower — but experts warn it’s incredibly dangerous: ‘Don’t do it’

By Fabiana Buontempo

Published June 15, 2025, 3:17 p.m. ET

 

What you do in the shower is your business, but there’s one specific thing experts wish people would stop doing while sudsing up: peeing.

 

One health care expert shared in a now-viral TikTok with over 1 million views that emptying your bladder while standing in the shower can be damaging — especially for women.

 

“Hot take but don’t pee standing up in the shower or anywhere for that matter. Ladies, you are training your bladder that it’s okay to empty while standing. Don’t do it! This could cause bladder leakage,” @kingsley.502 wrote as her caption.

 

As expected, people ran to the comment section to share their opinions on this advice.

 

“My body created a human… I’m gonna let her tinkle wherever she likes,” one commenter wrote.

 

“I can’t even enjoy the simple pleasures in life,” shared another frustrated person.

 

“Meanwhile sitting for too long messes with our pelvic floor. So what actually is ok anymore?” said someone else, making a valid point.

 

It’s no surprise that this news is upsetting for many, considering almost a quarter of Americans admit to peeing in the shower regularly, according to a survey.

 

Unfortunately for these multitasking people, @kingsley.502 wasn’t far off with her opinion on shower peeing — as other experts backed up her claims.

 

“It is one, not very hygienic, but more important than that, it will destroy your pelvic floor, and also it might create mental associations where you hear water running and all of a sudden you need to run to the bathroom,” Houston OBGYN Emma Qureshey explained in a TikTok.

 

And standing while peeing is not only unhealthy for women — it’s also dangerous for men.

 

Since the pelvis and spine muscles are most relaxed when sitting, Gerald Collins, a consultant urological surgeon at Alexandra Hospital in Cheshire, England, said that “sitting is probably the most efficient way of doing it [peeing].”

 

Standing while urinating also puts men at risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia — which occurs when the prostate gland and surrounding tissue expand, obstructing the urethra.

 

Sadly, for many men, the thought of sitting while peeing is looked down upon.

 

In Germany, those who don’t stand to relieve themselves are called “Sitzpinkler” — a slur implying they are “wimpy or effeminate.”

AH: It also corrodes the pipes, which you especially don't need if you have hard water.

HUGGIES DIAPERS NOW SUCK, TOO?

Known as the only good brand of conventional disposable baby diaper out there these days, it seems that Huggies are now of lower quality and efficacy, at least according to some posts on this Reddit thread. 

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY STRIPPED NAKED AND POOPED ON SEAT AS PLANE WAS LANDING

New York Post

 

Southwest Airlines passenger allegedly stripped naked, pooped on seat as plane landed: report

By Shane Galvin

Published April 26, 2025, 8:50 p.m. ET

 

She went excre-mental.

 

A female passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight to Chicago allegedly stripped down naked and pooped on her seat as the plane landed, according to a report.

 

Police officers were called to Chicago’s Midway Airport Saturday as flight 418 from Philadelphia arrived with one passenger shocking the cabin by taking off her clothes and emptying her bowels on a plane seat, NBC reported.

 

“Our teams are reaching out to those onboard to apologize for the situation and any delay to their travel planes,” Southwest said in a statement to the outlet.

 

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees, and we appreciate the professionalism of our flight crew,” the statement concluded.

 

It wasn’t clear what happened to the passenger.

 

The plane was taken out of service for cleaning, according to the report.

 

Last month, Southwest had a more serious mishap at Chicago Midway Airport, when a landing jet had a near-miss with a taxiing jet due possibly to a sun glare, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

 

Southwest did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.

FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A PELVIC FLOOR SPECIALIST

New York Post

 

I’m a pelvic floor specialist — 5 things I would never do and why you shouldn’t listen to ‘TikTok kegelers’

By McKenzie Beard

Published April 4, 2025, 5:41 p.m. ET

 

It’s easy to forget about your pelvic floor — until it starts making life miserable.

 

Like a hammock at the base of your pelvis, these unsung muscles keep your core stable and hold vital organs like your bladder and bowel in place, all while helping with basic bodily functions.

 

The bad news: You’re probably sabotaging them with your everyday habits. Dr. Amanda Neri, founder of The Pelvic Institute, shared with The Post the five things she would never do as a pelvic floor therapist so you don’t have to suffer the fallout.

 

Pooping without a Squatty Potty

 

“They are the best,” Neri said. “On that note, don’t push your poop out!”

 

Doctors agree that sitting with your feet flat on the floor messes with the natural angle your body needs to eliminate waste efficiently.

 

Enter the Squatty Potty: the footstool raises your knees above your hips and tilts your body forward into a squat-like position. This helps the muscles around the rectum to relax, allowing for easier bowel movements.

 

And it seems to really work. A 2019 study found that after just two weeks of using the Squatty Potty, all 52 participants reported less straining, quicker trips to the porcelain throne and more complete bowel movements.

 

Another study reported that using the stool cut bathroom time almost in half — down from 113.5 seconds to 55.5. Plus, nearly everyone said it felt easier to go.

 

The benefits don’t stop there. Experts say regularly using the Squatty Potty can improve pelvic floor health and prevent uncomfortable problems like prolapse, when the pelvic organs sag or bulge into the vagina.

 

In fact, research shows that in countries where squatting toilets are the norm, pelvic-related conditions and bowel disorders are less common.

 

That means our Western pedestal toilets could be contributing to issues like hemorrhoids, prolapse, irritable bowel syndrome and even colon cancer, according to Healthline.

 

Hovering over the toilet seat

 

While hovering over a public toilet seat may feel like the safer option to avoid germs, experts warn it’s actually doing more harm than good.

 

“It’s not good for your pelvic floor because it creates tension,” Neri explained, adding that “it’s the hover-ers that pee on the seat!”

 

Tension in your pelvic muscles can make it harder for urine to flow freely, causing straining and weakening of those muscles over time, which increases the risk of pelvic organ prolapse.

 

On top of that, hovering can result in incomplete bladder emptying, raising the likelihood of urinary tract infections.

 

Peeing ‘just in case’

 

“You can train your bladder to need to go more often by doing this,” Neri warned.

 

When your bladder fills, it sends a signal to your brain, which tells your bladder to contract and sphincter to relax — allowing you to pee.

 

Going to the bathroom when your bladder isn’t full means these messages are never sent, confusing your organs. As a result, your bladder gets coached to empty at smaller volumes, according to Aeroflow Urology.

 

Over time, this can lead to feeling the urgent need to pee even when your bladder is barely full, making you run to the bathroom more often and increasing the risk of incontinence (AKA accidental leaks).

 

Doing kegels — unless they’re prescribed

 

“Don’t listen to those TikTok kegelers!” Neri warned.

 

Kegel exercises involve repeatedly contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles to strengthen them. This can help with issues such as incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

 

While beneficial for many, doing kegels incorrectly or unnecessarily can cause problems. For example, overdoing it can lead to a hypertonic pelvic floor — or overly tight muscles that can result in pain, difficulty urinating or having bowel movements and even sexual dysfunction.

 

Skipping pelvic floor therapy during pregnancy

 

“It’s so beneficial for birth prep and postpartum planning,” Neri said.

 

Pregnancy puts a lot of strain on pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor therapy can help strengthen them with targeted exercises that improve bladder control and relieve lower back, hip, pelvic and shoulder pain.

 

Before delivery, therapists can also assist with pushing techniques and breathwork. After childbirth, they can help with core stabilization, bladder control, lifting techniques and even breastfeeding positions.

SHE HASN'T PEED IN SIX YEARS, A RARE CONDITION PREVENTS HER FROM EMPTYING HER BLADDER

New York Post

 

I haven’t peed in 6 years — a rare condition prevents me from emptying my bladder

By SWNS

Published April 14, 2025, 12:19 p.m. ET

 

A woman hasn’t had a pee for six years after she was struck with a rare medication condition overnight.

 

Anna Gray, 27, spent three months in agony before she was finally diagnosed with Fowler’s Syndrome – a rare condition which stops the bladder emptying.

 

Anna first noticed symptoms in November 2018 when she ended up hospitalized with a kidney infection after not being able to wee for days.

 

Weeks later, she was still having trouble going to the toilet and had two liters of urine drained from her bladder.

 

Anna claims she was “fobbed off doctors” – who, she says, urged her to ”keep trying” to wee at home.

 

She landed back in hospital on Boxing Day 2018, and doctors finally ran tests and discovered she had no activity in her bladder – meaning the brain “stopped communicating” with the organ.

 

Anna was shocked to discover there was “nothing more” doctors could do, and she would never be able to wee “naturally” again.

 

She was eventually fitted with a permanent catheter in her stomach – a tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine – and empties the bag attached several times a day.

 

Anna is now discussing the next steps with her pain management team, and hoping to raise awareness around the rare condition.

 

Anna, who is currently unable to work due to her illness, from Sailsbury, Wiltshire, said: “It’s had a massive impact of every area of my life.

 

“Last year I was predominantly housebound – it’s affected me seeing friends or dating.

 

“Talking about going to the toilet is still very taboo – especially amongst women.

 

“Hopefully by speaking out I can help others.”

 

Anna had never experienced any ill health before she woke up in November 2018 unable to go for a wee.

 

She ended up hospitalized and doctors inserted a catheter to help relieve her bladder – suspecting a kidney infection was the cause.

 

Anna hoped the issue was sorted, until she was struck by the same condition again in December 2018.

 

Anna said: “At first, when I couldn’t wee in the morning, I thought maybe I just didn’t need to go.

 

“But as the day trudged on, I thought ‘this isn’t right’.

 

“Things like this don’t happen to people my age.

 

“The GP said to ‘keep trying’ and turn on the tap to help me go.

 

“I was in a lot of pain and there was some miscommunication when they prescribed me laxatives – which did nothing to help.”

 

Over the next two months, Anna had multiple trips to the hospital where they had to relieve her bladder with a catheter.

 

She pushed for more tests and was finally diagnosed with Fowler’s Syndrome in February 2019.

 

Doctors discovered there was no activity in her bladder and revealed it would “never work normally again”.

 

Anna said: “I was told there was nothing they could do and I would need to a catheter for life.

 

“I think I went through a process of grieving to begin with, because it was so unknown.

 

“But it was a relief to know that it wasn’t all in my head.”

 

The condition solely affects women and is the difficulty or inability to pass urine due to the bladder’s sphincter muscle’s failure to relax.

 

The cause is still unknown, but it often can develop after childbirth or surgery.

 

Anna was taught how to self-catheterize five times a day in order to relieve her bladder manually.

 

But after numerous infections, she was fitted with a more permanent system called a suprapubic catheter in 2020.

 

It is a tube inserted directly in the bladder through her stomach and attached to a bag, which Anna empties several times a day.

 

Despite struggling with her mental health at first, Anna has found more confidence.

 

She said: “Accepting it was a life-long condition was a lot to get my head around and I was in hospital for my mental health last year.

 

“But I’m slowly getting there, and now I’m used to the bag.

 

“I’ll wear shorts and tops where you can see it – it doesn’t bother me anymore.

 

“People ask questions and I’m fine with that.”

 

Anna ended up in hospital in January 2024 when she developed the infection sepsis in her stomach where the tube is inserted.

 

She ended up in intensive care for three weeks, before she was she discharged.

 

“I still have lots of issues due to the condition,” she said.

 

“I developed sepsis and deteriorated massively.

 

“I remember thinking I was dying.

 

“Luckily, I was already in hospital and they caught it in time.”

 

Anna underwent a clinical trial in 2020 for a sacral nerve stimulation pacemaker – a device that send signals from the brain which control urination.

 

Unfortunately, her bladder function was “too low” to continue the study.

 

For now, Anna has found comfort and support with fellow suffers online.

 

She said: “At first I thought I must be the only person in the world who was going through something like this, it’s so isolating to be in that position.

 

“But finding a community of people who understand it has been incredible.”