LA Times uncovers diaper crisis

[poindexter]

Enough of your Atlantic and New Yorker articles that are fodder for thread topics, **** Whitman and YF.

The LA Times is giving a hard-hitting look at the disposable diaper crisis among the poor.

It's a silent epidemic, folks.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-diaper-need-20130729,0,1515372.story

 

[amraeder]

Well, ****.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Luckily we buy ours at a regional warehouse chain. $20 for a box of generic diapers that lasts two weeks. When our toddler was an infant, a $20 box lasted a month.

For those without access to a Costco or Sam's Club, and buy name-brand, those prices skyrocket.

 

[WriteThinking]

Not to be unsympathetic, but people could go the old-fashioned way and go back to cloth diapers. I am kind of surprised this wasn't addressed in the story.

If a baby shower I went to last week was any indication, cloth diapers are actually making a comeback. The mother-to-be received two large packages of them, at her request. It's something some people are going back to for both environmental and economical reasons.

I can take it from my mom's experience with her six kids -- disposable diapers were just becoming all the rage by the time the last two (twins) came around -- and trust that cloth diapers are much less expensive over time.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Not to be unsympathetic, but people could go the old-fashioned way and go back to cloth diapers. I am kind of surprised this wasn't addressed in the story.

Cloth diapers are often not an option because they require frequent and expensive trips to the laundromat.

 

[RickStain]

Son is going on four and still can't get potty training down. Reaalllly sick of spending the money.

 

[RickStain]

Not to be unsympathetic, but people could go the old-fashioned way and go back to cloth diapers. I am kind of surprised this wasn't addressed in the story.

Cloth diapers are often not an option because they require frequent and expensive trips to the laundromat.

That is the joy of being poor. Constantly having to make bad long-term decisions because you can't afford the short-term start-up costs.

 

[WriteThinking]

Not to be unsympathetic, but people could go the old-fashioned way and go back to cloth diapers. I am kind of surprised this wasn't addressed in the story.

Cloth diapers are often not an option because they require frequent and expensive trips to the laundromat.

Probably quite a bit less expensive than boxes and boxes of disposable diapers, though. And who says all these people would go to a laundromat? None of them wash their clothes at home? I'd doubt it.

The other issue these days, from what I see, is that many kids are not toilet-trained in a timely manner -- i.e. as soon as possible.

All six of us kids in our family were completely toilet-trained by the time we were 2 years old. No kidding. Nowadays, hat seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It's almost unheard of for kids to be potty-trained before they are three or even four or more years old now.

I believe this is partly due to the much greater numbers of mothers working outside the home now. But I also believe there is a large element of just plain lack of discipline/commitment/effort involved. Parents are letting the kids eventually "figure it out," instead of actively and consistently teaching them.

 

[Captain Obvious]

I doubt most lower-income apartments have washer/dryer hookups.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Not to be unsympathetic, but people could go the old-fashioned way and go back to cloth diapers. I am kind of surprised this wasn't addressed in the story.

Cloth diapers are often not an option because they require frequent and expensive trips to the laundromat.

Probably quite a bit less expensive than boxes and boxes of disposable diapers, though. And who says all these people would go to a laundromat? None of them wash their clothes at home? I'd doubt it.

The other issue these days, from what I see, is that many kids are not toilet-trained in a timely manner -- i.e. as soon as possible.

All six of us kids in our family were completely toilet-trained by the time we were 2 years old. No kidding. Nowadays, hat seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It's almost unheard of for kids to be potty-trained before they are three or even four or more years old now.

I believe this is partly due to the much greater numbers of mothers working outside the home now. But I also believe there is a large element of just plain lack of discipline/commitment/effort involved. Parents are letting the kids eventually "figure it out," instead of actively and consistently teaching them.

Your point was that the story did not address the matter of cloth diapers.

 

[Armchair_QB]

I doubt most lower-income apartments have washer/dryer hookups.

They usually have sinks and running water though.

 

[WriteThinking]

Not to be unsympathetic, but people could go the old-fashioned way and go back to cloth diapers. I am kind of surprised this wasn't addressed in the story.

Cloth diapers are often not an option because they require frequent and expensive trips to the laundromat.

Probably quite a bit less expensive than boxes and boxes of disposable diapers, though. And who says all these people would go to a laundromat? None of them wash their clothes at home? I'd doubt it.

The other issue these days, from what I see, is that many kids are not toilet-trained in a timely manner -- i.e. as soon as possible.

All six of us kids in our family were completely toilet-trained by the time we were 2 years old. No kidding. Nowadays, hat seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It's almost unheard of for kids to be potty-trained before they are three or even four or more years old now.

I believe this is partly due to the much greater numbers of mothers working outside the home now. But I also believe there is a large element of just plain lack of discipline/commitment/effort involved. Parents are letting the kids eventually "figure it out," instead of actively and consistently teaching them.

Your point was that the story did not address the matter of cloth diapers.

I did not see that it did. I read the story, but not closely enough, I guess. I will look again. If the line you referenced was the only one, then I'd say it didn't address the possibility and the apparent return of cloth diapers enough.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Diapers are a major expense when you have a young kid. We tried to go the cloth route, but we were constantly doing laundry. I can't even imagine trying to do that without our own machines in the house.

We spring for Pampers because we get much fewer leaks and blowouts than with Luvs, which are quite a bit cheaper. The problem with getting generic store brand stuff is you never know what you are going to get. Say you get the Target brand it might be just as good as Pampers when you start, they might even actually be made by Pampers, but a couple of months later Target might contract with another company and the quality could go way, way down.

We lucked out last time I bought diapers Target was having a big sale, plus we had a good coupon, plus 5 percent off with our Redcard, plus another 5 percent from pharmacy rewards and got like 350 diapers for $20.

 

[Rhody31]

Son is going on four and still can't get potty training down. Reaalllly sick of spending the money.

From what I've been told, boys take longer to get going. Have you tried the let him walk around naked route?
Luckily, our daughter has picked up on it quick. My mother used her hippie mind tricks and got her on the potty quick. Downside is she wakes up in the middle of the night screaming because she has to pee.

 

[Here me roar]

I doubt most lower-income apartments have washer/dryer hookups.

They usually have sinks and running water though.

You cannot sterilize a diaper by hand washing. And yes, diapers full of poop need sterilizing.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I doubt most lower-income apartments have washer/dryer hookups.

They usually have sinks and running water though.

You cannot sterilize a diaper by hand washing. And yes, diapers full of poop need sterilizing.

Nah, poor people should be forced to use their sinks as toilets too. That will incentivize them not to be poor.

Awesome idea, AQB!