Of course, the Daycare center’s exclusive use of disposable diapers was never mentioned. Ninety percent of their patrons used disposables on a daily basis with their babies and it would have been committing fiscal suicide to tell the mothers that they were polluting the Earth. Had the parents demanded that the Daycare’s nursery use cloth diapers, the Daycare would have been happy to oblige. In the long run, cloth diapers that are cleaned and disinfected by a diaper service are cheaper than disposables. The Daycare would have had to have a high pressure, diaper rinse sink/toilet installed for rinsing the diapers before putting them in a barrel for soiled diapers, but the cost would have been amortized early in the first year. After that, the Daycare center’s costs would have gone down as each patron contributed to the diaper service costs for the Daycare. The only problem was convincing their patrons to pay for their share of diapers rather than use the disposables that they brought in their babies’ diaper bags. Instead, the Daycare bowed to the customer’s convenience and accepted the world as it was. The Daycare was happy to diaper their patron’s babies if the parents provided the diapers even though it cost them a bit more to have more trash picked up each day by their commercial garbage collection service. That cost, plus the hidden cost of providing extra disposable diapers when needed would have made them pleased to offer cloth diapers. Unfortunately for the Daycare center’s bottom line, there was at least one parent each day who inevitably failed to provide enough diapers for her baby. For these children, the Daycare had to provide diapers out of its own budget to care for the child’s care.
If questioned about the origin of the building blocks, the attendants would point out that since the original contents were meant for babies’ bottoms, there was no toxic residue to poison a child. The tightly fitting lids made them useful for storing small objects like crayons for the older children as well. How could a mother object? Especially since the mother who recognized the container for what it was, was likely to save and use them herself. Andrew was so amused by the originality of the marketing concept that it occupied his thinking while Jimmy drooled and mouthed the boxes around him until it was time for his nap.
After his morning nap, Jimmy woke to find that the other babies had awoken before him and were active. He fussed a bit in his crib and was carried over to join his infantine colleagues on the floor after his diaper change. A pacifier was provided for him to suck on while he played with the stuffed animals and made the acquaintance of his diapered compatriots. Jimmy, like the others in the nursery, was really too young to share or play with others. The best that could be expected of him and his playmates was that they share the same space without getting upset with each other. And that they did.
Every infant went his or her own way, taking up toys and dropping them before moving on to some newly discovered infantine excitement. Jimmy had a grand time, tasting/mouthing the toys in front of him, cuddling the soft plush toys scattered about the floor and peeing with abandon as the need struck him. All the other infants in the nursery were engaged in approximately the same activities: They babbled delightedly at beams of sunshine that streamed in through the East window and tried to capture them in their hands. When the workers walked by, they cooed in appreciation in the hope that they would be picked up and held. If the other diversions didn’t capture their attention, they crept on all fours about the room exploring their world for new pleasures. When all else failed, they sat and sucked their thumbs or pacifiers in perfect contentment. Theirs was a simple, happy world without complications or worries. If a worry arose, such as the absence of their mothers, they quickly forgot their anxieties and worked hard at playing. When the workers decided the schedule called for a “quiet time”, they stopped and listened silently while sucking their thumbs serenely as the sound system played Brahms or Chopin to relax them before lunch.