Mop up the rain puddle at the bottom of the slide with a diaper

Nina's hack will come in handy when you're at the playground after some rainy weather:

A solution to drying up the pool at the bottom of the slide after a rainy day (when you forget to bring a rag): use a disposable diaper! I didn't want to use his clean washcloth, so I turned a Pull-up inside out and sort of wore it like a glove to wipe up the water. It actually worked better than a rag because of its absorbency.

Related: Snap a bib over the park baby swing for a clean(er) teething surface

Comments

[Tony Bullard]

Here's hoping no one thinks you're trying to smear poop all over the playground!

[John E.]

What a way to create more landfill waste! Gasp!! Not water! My kids will melt if they get wet!

[Candy]

I keep a batch of cloth diapers in our vehicle just for reasons like that. They make great rags, burp cloths, mops, you name it.

You can get them pretty cheap in batches of 12 at Babies R Us.

And they are washable and reusable.

[STL Mom]

Parents should remember the advice from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and always carry a towel!

[Allen K.]

My kids will melt if they get wet!

While I too was somewhat aghast at the idea of wasting a disposable diaper when a washable solution was ready at hand, I will stick up for the parenthacker's desire to dry the slide. The three times my elder son had really horrible (going-to-the-doctor horrible) diaper rash were also the three times we let him go on really wet slides.

[becki]

Who the heck uses disposable diapers anymore? Cloth are so much cheaper and easier. Sheesh, way to leave waste for our kids.

[Nutmeg]

Oh my. I've been cloth diapering my kid for 2.5 years and converted three people to cloth through proselytizing about it... but even I can let that go and see that a hack is a hack. An unlikely solution to a common problem. This might help someone.

[Dad]

I keep a small windshield squeegee/cleaner in my car. It works really well on those pesky slides. Still anyone with a towel at the playground has got to be a hoopy frood.

[Dad]

or Shamwow!

[Kip W]

I'm with "Dad" up there. I have a squeegee in the car -- and a towel -- and I used to squeegee first, then use the towel, when taking my daughter to a park with a wet slide.

[anna]

I am glad so many of you cloth diaper. It would be nice to see your concern for the environment and the future of our children's world extend to their parents' current feelings.
Many of us use disposable, and this is an awesome hack. To tell you the truth, disposable diapers are REALLY absorbent, which is awesome for this use. I've used this hack on all sorts of weird spills. Like when my kid spilled water in the cup holders in the car, or the basket of the stroller. I grabbed the diaper from the bottom of the bag or that had fallen out in the trunk, the one that was to squished to put on a kid, and it works SO WELL to mop up weird spills quickly. And honestly, it was 1 more diaper. Don't think the landfill is going to suffer. Sorry.

[Jen]

Ok, so, couldn't the cloth diaper be used for the exact same hack? Phosphates, bleach, water and energy to use included? There.

That said...we used this hack this weekend, and it worked brilliantly! Even shared with another mom (next set of slides over), and she had a "Holy Crap, Can't Believe I didn't think of that" look. I then shared Parent Hacks with her, and felt like a good playground person.

[Amy]

Takes all of those to make disposable diapers, too. Plus another several dozen chemicals. What makes a diaper absorbent has been banned from tampons.

Sorry to go off, it just really irks me when people would rather do something they see as "easier" rather than educate themselves for something that's better for all of us.

[office 2007 key]

we used this hack this weekend, and it worked brilliantl