17 Diapers Is Trending on TikTok and Moms Are Breaking Down What It Means to Them

There's a new trend on TikTok (surprised?) that's sparked discussions among numerous moms who know all too well the grueling process of delivering babies and the stressful job of caring for them afterward. If you’re a mom, you get it — birthing a child is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding and breathtaking (both literally and figuratively) experiences, but let’s face it, being a parent is hard sometimes!

The latest TikTok trend, "17 diapers," started by a young woman, showcases her cleaning up dirty diapers left around her home. But there’s a deeper message behind her video than just showing 17 random dirty diapers strewn across her upstairs and downstairs. Let’s dive into what 17 diapers really means.

Here we go! The "17 diapers" trend on TikTok literally began when a young mom collected 17 dirty diapers from around her home after solo parenting for 24 hours with two kids. The trend started with a video uploaded by Hannah (@nursehannahbh) on Oct. 5, 2024. The video’s initial text overlay reads, “How many dirty diapers do I have lying around my house??”

Hannah invites viewers to follow along as she searches her two-story house for all the dirty diapers that were produced in a 24-hour period. Keep in mind, she’s been solo parenting with two kids, both presumably still in diapers. Before starting, she gives her educated guess, saying, “I kid you not, my guess is probably 15.”

Hannah also mentioned she doesn’t own a diaper pail or Diaper Genie, both of which are designed to hold used diapers while masking the smell until they’re full. This would normally save parents the hassle of trekking to the kitchen after every diaper change, because, hey, it gets tedious!

With a shopping bag in hand, Hannah explains that she collects the diapers at the end of the day and takes them straight to the dumpster. She starts by picking up four dirty diapers from her coffee table, finds three more behind the couch, and then heads upstairs.

At the top of the stairs, she spots three more diapers, and in the bedroom on her side of the bed — jackpot — she discovers seven more. “No wonder my house friggin' stinks right now,” she adds, after totaling up the dirty diapers to the magic number of 17.

Despite the literal meaning behind the "17 diapers" trend, folks on TikTok are chiming in with their opinions, especially since the young mom is facing some backlash in the comments section.

While one TikToker insinuated that it’s pretty easy to toss a dirty diaper in the trash, writing, “I’m a mom of four and there’s just no excuse. It literally takes two seconds to throw it away,” and another reminded Hannah that you don’t need a Diaper Genie to keep dirty diapers from piling up, several others are backing her up, saying she needs “support” and “compassion.”

To many people, the 17 diapers trend means this young mom changed 17 diapers that day! It means the babies who wore those diapers now have clean, dry bottoms and aren’t walking around with overly saggy, full-to-the-brim diapers — you get the picture.

But it also means more. Having not one, but two kids in diapers takes a toll, especially when you're handling everything alone. Some women on TikTok believe the 17 diapers trend speaks to the realities of postpartum life, how moms juggle the overwhelming aftermath of childbirth, sometimes letting things like diapers pile up so they can focus on their own well-being and that of their child.

Clearly, Hannah's house isn’t overrun with insects or pests, so she’s doing something right. Plus, we don’t know if she’s working from home, studying for a degree, or juggling other responsibilities on top of caring for two kids. Maybe it’s time to cut her some slack about the dirty diapers as she navigates motherhood.