DIAPERS TO DIAPERS

Some people believe that life stages exist on what the mathematician calls a "normal curve." This means that the left side of the curve is very similar to the right side. If true, it means that small children, ages 2 to 7, act in pretty much the same way seniors, ages 70 to 76, do.

Is it true? Do toddlers have similar characteristics to totterers?

Should entrepreneurs design similar products for children and seniors?

Let's try to connect the dots.

• The supermarkets in youthful Salt Lake City have huge displays of Pampers and Huggies, but relatively small displays of Depends.

• The supermarkets in retiree-oriented Naples, Florida, have huge displays of Depends, but relatively small displays of Pampers and Huggies.

• Toys for tots have thick, rounded, easy-to-grasp handles.

• The Good Grips brand has made a huge success designing kitchen implements with soft, rounded, thick handles which are very friendly to arthritic, older hands.

• Strollers have been designed for small tots who have weaker leg muscles and problems with balance.

• Walkers have been designed for seniors who are troubled by weakening leg muscles and difficulties with balance.

• Children love candy and all kinds of sweets. The desire for sweets declines during teen and early adult years as mature palates prefer spices and flavorings.

• The desire for sugary sweets reappears with seniors who indulge in extra-sweet products, especially bakery. Already-sweet bakery products are further slathered with sugary glazes.

• Breakfast cereal is very popular with children and teens, but its use falls off the table with adults ages 20 to 40.

• Cereal begins to regain popularity with the over-forties and peaks again with seniors.

• Little kids have a habit of losing scarves, caps, boots, shoes and other clothing. Mittens are connected with a cord which is strung through the sleeves of a coat so mittens are almost impossible to lose.

• Seniors tend to lose or misplace everything from sweaters to slippers to keys. Since time immemorial, seniors have been portrayed wandering about looking for glasses which are perched on the top of their heads.

• Little kids who do not get enough sleep become cranky.

• Seniors who do not sleep well become grouchy.

• Little kids take naps in the afternoon.

• Seniors who want to go out in the evening take naps in the afternoon.

• Children are often afraid of the dark.

• Seniors are generally afraid to drive in the dark.

• Children have not developed a sex drive.

• Senior adults have generally lost their sex drives.

• Since biblical times, children have complained, "I am bored."

• Post-retirement seniors frequently complain of boredom.

• Little kids have larger tummies and smaller behinds, making belts impractical. That's why toddler clothing emphasizes bib outfits.

• Senior men grow above-the-belt potbellies and suffer shrinking behinds, making belts impractical. Suspenders become preferred over belts.

• Little kids prefer uncomplicated music with simple, dominant melodies.

• Seniors scorn rock, heavy metal and rap in favor of show tunes with simple, dominant melodies.

• Mothers place their small children in daycare so they can work during the day.

• Many caregivers place aged parents in daycare so they can work during the day.

• During the 1980s, safety advocates persuaded the drug industry to package their medications in containers with child-proof caps. The caps worked in that children couldn't get into the packages and poison themselves with adult medications.

• During the 1990s, seniors persuaded the drug industry to provide alternative non-child-proof caps for their medications. Child-proof caps proved senior-proof for painful, arthritic hands.

Does the normal curve work in defining life stages? Are small children very similar to aged seniors? Can we design products which are equally adaptable for seniors and children?

Some business people have connected the dots. For some them, the answer appears to be yes.

Finding extraordinary compatibility between toddlers and totterers, some entrepreneurs have created "intergenerational" daycare centers which allow children to interact with seniors. Both sides seem to benefit. Kids in traditional daycare tend to absorb the manners of their peers. Aggressive behavior, grabbing toys from each other and squabbling spreads across the class. But kids in intergenerational daycare seem to take their behavioral cues from the seniors. Kids become polite and better behaved, using the word "please."

Seniors in traditional daycare tend to become overly absorbed in health problems, which become the dominant subject of conversation. The combination of being with problem-plagued peers and confronting the possibility of entering the nursing home leads to boredom, fear and depression. But seniors in intergenerational daycare tend to be stimulated by the energy and activity of the surrounding "grandchildren." These seniors become more alive, more enthusiastic and tend to feel more useful and needed.

The dots predict a bright future for the next new things that please both toddler and totterer.