Virginia Loh-Hagan - Marion Donovan and the Disposable Diaper

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A Woman

Have you ever taken care of a baby?
Think of all the things you have to do. First,
you have to keep the baby safe. Second,
you have to feed the baby. Third, you have
to clean the baby. Babies pee and poop all
day long. They need a lot of diapers .

Marion Donovan changed many diapers.
But she didnt like the diapers during her
time. She thought they could be improved.
She invented the disposable diaper.

Marion Donovan was born on October
15, 1917, in Indiana. She came from a
family of inventors. Her father and uncle
invented a machine that helped make car
and gun parts. They were so successful
that they opened a factory to make their
machine.

Donovans mother died when she was
7 years old. Because of this, Donovan
spent a lot of time at her fathers factory.
She learned a lot from him.

She was always tinkering . She invented
a tooth powder while in elementary school.

Her father encouraged her. He showed
her how to solve problems.

At 41 years old, she went to Yale
University in Connecticut to get a masters
degree in architecture . She was one of
three women at Yale to do this during her
time. She even designed her own house!

Ask Questions!

Talk to someone who takes care of children. Ask questions
about what they do. Ask questions about their challenges.

An Idea

Donovan had two children. This gave
her real experience as a mother.

She had a problem with the diapers
available for her children. They were used
because they didnt leak. But they gave
babies a rash. They dug into their legs
and stomachs. She also didnt like cloth
diapers. Cloth diapers made a mess. She
wanted diapers that could hold liquid and
let air in.

Donovan thought these were design
failures. She wanted to fix these issues.
She decided to invent her own diapers.

She used material from shower
curtains and nylon parachutes . These
materials are light and waterproof. They
can be washed and reused. Donovan cut
and sewed the materials together. She
made them into diaper covers. Mothers
could stuff them with absorbent paper.
Donovan also used snaps, which made
things faster and easier.

Donovan called her diaper cover the
Boater. Like a boat, it didnt leak. It also

looked like a boat. Donovans invention
made life easier for mothers. It also
was more comfortable for babies. It was
the first diaper to use snaps. It was
also the first diaper to be waterproof.

Donovans diaper covers were a hit.
They sold out. Mothers everywhere
wanted them. Donovan made a lot of
money.

Think!

Think about names of inventions. Come up with different
names. What would you call them?

A Legacy

Inventors are always thinking of ways
to improve their inventions. Donovan was
no different. Her next goal was to turn
the Boater into a disposable diaper. She
made a model and tried to sell it. But
businessmen werent interested. They said
such diapers were not needed. But they
were wrong.

Donovans legacy can be seen now in
the millions of disposable diapers used and

sold every day. She was the first one to
present the idea of a disposable diaper.
Donovan knew what mothers needed
because she was a mother.

She wanted to invent things that
mattered. She had about 20 patents . She
invented a cord used to zip up dresses.
She invented a soap dish that drained into
the sink. She invented a special type of

Create!

Create a new invention. Try to solve a problem in your house.
Make life easier for your family.

dental floss. She invented a special clothes
hanger.

She looked for ways to improve the
simplest things. For her work, she was
honored in the National Inventors Hall of
Fame.

But she did more than just invent ideas.
Donovan developed the inventions. She
made machines to make her inventions.
She marketed and sold the inventions. She
did everything.

Donovan died on November 4, 1998.
She paved the way for women inventors.

GLOSSARY

absorbent (ab-ZOR-buhnt)
something that soaks up liquid
easily

architecture (AHR-kih-tek-chur) the
art or practice of designing and
drawing plans for buildings

diapers (DYE-purz) pieces of
absorbent material wrapped around
a babys bottom and between its
legs to absorb and retain pee and
poop

disposable (dih-SPOH-zuh-buhl)
intended to be used once and then
thrown away

factory (FAK-tuh-ree) a building or
group of buildings where products
are made in large numbers

legacy (LEG-uh-see) something
handed down from one generation
to another

nylon (NYE-lahn) a tough, light,
stretchy material

parachutes (PAR-uh-shoots) cloth
canopies that fill with air and allow
people or heavy objects attached to
them to descend slowly when
dropped from the air

patents (PAT-uhnts) the rights from
the government to use or sell
inventions for a certain number of
years

tinkering (TING-ker-ing) the act of
trying to fix or make something

FIND OUT MORE

BOOKS

Caldwell, Stella A. 100 Women Who Made History: Remarkable
Women Who Shaped Our World . New York: DK Publishing, 2017.

Maggs, Sam. Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and
Trailblazers Who Changed History . Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2016.

Marsico, Katie. Stinky Sanitation Inventions . Minneapolis: Lerner
Publications, 2014.

WEBSITES

The Atlantic The Woman Who Invented Disposable Diapers
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-