Why are diapers so expensive? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#231

Post by rusk » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:12 AM UTC

bkovacev wrote: post #151

s4vi0r wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't even understand what privilege means, my dude. I expect my government to serve myself and the people, and not a handful of old dudes at the top of the food chain. If you think a government serving its people is a privilege, I think you have a very poor idea of what democracy is (or should be). >...certain people leech, do not want to find a job... This is privilege and propaganda at work right here. Being s…

First of, you're not the crazy one here. We are just simply discussing things - I apologize if you felt like I thought you were crazy, because that's a tough word. Whether we disagree - sure :) OT: To my eyes - there is a big difference in a sign "WILL WORK FOR FOOD/MONEY/ETC" and "PLEASE GIVE ME 100$ I NEED IT". Should the USA be like Mother Theresa, lend their helping hand to everyone in need? I can tell you for a…

I threw up a little bit in my mouth reading this.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#232

Post by yladiz » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:12 AM UTC

ILikeConemowk wrote: post #69

chrissnell wrote: post #54

This article is so frustrating. The helplessness and dependence are just sad. Cloth diapers cost less than $1.50 each in a 10-pack. If you are poor enough, you can wash them in a bucket with bar soap. That's what virtually everyone did before washers were invented. I'm saddened that this girl didn't figure this out. I know first-hand, when you're poor and desperate, you figure shit out. Unless, of course, you have a…

>I don't blame this woman. I'm not pissed at her. Although this is kind of you and your position is likely rooted in empathy and compassion, I think this is also wrong. At which point do we make the cut and let a person take responsibility for their lives? It's a chicken and egg problem, sure. But, who cares? I'm not saying that life isn't hard or that there aren't people who, by pure misfortune, had to endure situat…

> What I'm saying, however, is that each human being is the master of his or her destiny.

You have likely never been put into a situation like this, because if you had you would know that this is not true in reality. It's significantly more complicated than you make it out to be.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#233

Post by eesmith » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:17 AM UTC

akira2501 wrote: post #13

corvallis wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people don't live in places with an in-home washer/dryer. They have to go elsewhere in the building for pay laundry or to the laundromat. This makes it logistically and financially nearly impossible to use cloth diapers. Not to mention the substantial up front cost for cloth diapers, which makes them inaccessible for people living paycheck to paycheck. This is an example of how having money allows you to sav…

When I think about UBI I worry about responsible spending and wonder if just subsidizing common items food, clothing (diapers) and household goods wouldn't be a smarter solution overall. In relation to the case in the article, I wonder if we couldn't subsidize certain items and allow parents to receive a one month supply at low to no cost? Why should we give disadvantaged people $180 a month just to let several middl…

How is the package distributed? If the parents are homeless, where is it sent? If the package is stolen or damaged, how do they get a new one?

What is the basis if your concern? Over and over again studies show that poor people are no worse at managing money than non-poor people. Probably better, since they have so little to waste.

In this weird present where Gawker now has decent journalism, I'll quote from http://gawker.com/poor-people-do-not-just-blow-any-money-the... :

> The popular image of the "Welfare Queen" is one that is seared in the mind of many Americans. No big surprise, since countless millions of political advertising dollars were used to put it there. Nevertheless, evidence shows that the welfare state in the US, to the extent that we have one, works—that giving poor people tax breaks, and social welfare, and, yes, cash aid helps to bring people out of poverty and allows them to lead more bearable lives. ...

> I will politely refrain from addressing the racist overtones of the "poor people are lazy and stupid" position because they should not need lengthy explanations to debunk.

> Poor people are not perfect. Nor are middle class people, or rich people. Wasting money is a possibility, among humans.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#234

Post by rusk » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:18 AM UTC

ComputerGuru wrote: post #205

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, but there's a lot that the US (which, remember, is THE RICHEST AND MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD (caps for the people in the back)) can do as a country to improve the basic standards of living. Basic things like affordable health care for everyone (and free health care for those that can't afford it), education and equal opportunities for everyone (so that kids whose parents are poor can still go to universi…

“It's being the richest country in the world while 13.5% of its population is living below the poverty line,“ I don’t want to get into the political or moral issues, but I just want to point out that this is almost a non sequitur. The USA’s dominance is relative to other countries, but the poverty line is intra-USA. The single poorest person in the USA could be richer than everyone outside it and there could still ve…

There is such a thing as "absolute poverty" - rather than relative poverty [0]

"a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services"

I don't know, if the statistic for the USA is as high as the 13.5% cited by GP, but based on what I read about, and some small amount of personal experience, it is unusually high for such a wealthy, proud nation.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_poverty

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#235

Post by rusk » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:22 AM UTC

nailer wrote: post #225

s4vi0r wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jesus, your comment and the other replies just straight up reek of privilege/ignorance. What you're suggesting is obviously the pragmatic choice - obviously, if she's poor as shit and can't afford regular diapers, using reusable cloth ones is a great solution. But that's not the fucking point of the article - its $CURRENT_YEAR in the richest country in the world, this absolutely shouldn't be a thing that happens in t…

I'm from a first world country and grew up (in the 80s) woth washable diapers. Surely the privilege is expecting everyone deserves cheap disposable products?

That's one way of looking at it. Another is that the privilege is having time and energy with which to apply to cleaning diapers. We're increasingly time-poor these days, in particular when we're working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#236

Post by c22 » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:24 AM UTC

ILikeConemowk wrote: post #79

EugeneOZ wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or religious. Most idiotic decisions were made by religious reasons.

At which point did we, as a society, settle the philosophical conundrum that is taking an unborn life? Cells, fetus or baby? What is it? Since when? Why? How should it be done? I'm not religious at all but it seems to me that, at least tangentially, most religious believes are rooted in philosophical unknowns and feeling of uncertainty. Religious people then resort to their faith of choice as a way to find answers. T…

It's not that religions are idiotic. It's that trying to enact any moral framework homogenously across a global population is idiotic and completely unrealistic.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#237

Post by collyw » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:31 AM UTC

shiftpgdn wrote: post #2

My wife and I cloth diapered both of our children. In addition to being radically cheaper it also resolved rashes/eczema in both kids as well as accelerated potty training. There is an 'ick' factor but liners and a toilet sprayer take care of 99% of that.

Its a whole lot more environmentally friendly as well. And that's something that will probably affect your kids more than you.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#238

Post by rubidium » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:33 AM UTC

tallanvor wrote: post #170

musgrove wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Birth control is much cheaper than diapers, and a lot cheaper than raising a child to adulthood. The person this article focuses on was chosen carefully. Most readers will feel sympathy for her, but in reality, the consequences of her decision to have unprotected sex out of wedlock while working at a low-paying job and living with her parents as an adult is her responsibility. And clearly, she's irresponsibl…

Birth control fails. Approximately 8% of women still end up pregnant during their first year on birth control, and even after the first year the percentage doesn't fall to 0. There are many reasons that it fails, although missing a dose is the largest reason. Other reasons can be improper storage, using certain drugs (prescription or otherwise), or even consuming an unusual amount of some foods or supplements. Even i…

Well, there is one form of birth control that's both free and 100% effective.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#239

Post by eesmith » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:36 AM UTC

mixmastamyk wrote: post #125

war1025 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We cloth diaper too (3 kids, a two and a half year old potty trained for about a year now, and 5 month old twins). Personally, I find disposable diapers to be way more disgusting than cloth. With cloth, you rinse it out and the majority of the gross stuff is down the drain. With disposables, you end up with a garbage can literally full of poop. Its like having a mini pit toilet in your house. We have also noticed, li…

> you rinse it out and the majority of the gross stuff is down the drain. How do you rinse it? What drain? > Get some quality covers and then buy a ton of flour sack towels. They make the best inserts. Super absorbent, cheap, and unfolds to a single layer, which means they get cleaner and dry faster. Don't understand this whole paragraph.

Many people have a laundry room (or area) with washer, dryer, and utility sink. For example, see http://www.mlexecutiverealty.com/_account/images/listing/122... .

Taking care of a baby requires specific education. You should not expect to know everything about the topic if you have not researched it.

It is rude to express your confusion this way. As written it implies that the author did not express things well, when it appears instead to be that you are ignorant of the topic and don't feel like doing the research. I'm often that way, but since no one else cares, I don't comment about it.

How is it that you did not think to do, say, a DDG search for "diaper insert", or even better, "diaper insert flour sack"? The first hit for the latter is http://mamanloupsden.com/2014/10/29/whats-deal-flour-sack-to... , which seems quite relevant.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#240

Post by beagle3 » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:37 AM UTC

paulryanrogers wrote: post #3

shiftpgdn wrote: post #2

My wife and I cloth diapered both of our children. In addition to being radically cheaper it also resolved rashes/eczema in both kids as well as accelerated potty training. There is an 'ick' factor but liners and a toilet sprayer take care of 99% of that.

Diaper services can also be better for the environment and the wallet.

That depends on your location; my experience in NYC was that diaper services were just a little more expensive than buying small bags of disposable at CVS, and vastly more expensive than ordering bigger bags of disposable at Amazon.