Live data from Hacker News

How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

thehustle.co

41–50 of 311 posts

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#41
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We tried with "hybrid" diapers for all three of our kids, a cloth shell with a disposable liner. They worked, but they're still a lot of extra work. We always kept disposables on hand for when we couldn't keep up. Our second and third kids are twins (2 for 1!!) and that was a lot harder to keep up with. And I ran into problems where I didn't set the diaper right and they would leak overnight, making more work. We had…

Yep, absolutely! Everyone's situation is different, and I'm not gonna be on a high horse and tell people to think of the environment or their wallets. It's hard to think of the environment when you're dealing with literal shit in your house. Twins... God bless you

thanks, mate! and you as well :D I love having kids, lot of work and all that. but it's the best thing I've done with my life so far.

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#42

Have any parents tried Elimination Communication? Basically teaching your baby to inform you that they’re ready to go, and taking them to the toilet immediately. This is something my partner wants to try when we eventually have kids. Something I’d never heard of until last week. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication

it must have made a big impression on you!

Enough to make a comment, that’s for sure!

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#43
post #15

My mom toilet trained me at 3 months. She had me on a schedule and she would hold me one toilet during the determined times and I would go. This was right after communism fell so she only had access to cloth diapers, and cleaning them was so annoying she did it as early as she could. She was shocked at how long my kids stayed in diapers. I asked her how, and well there is a slight difference between us. She had 2 yea…

> My mom toilet trained me at 3 months. Is this a typo? I don't see how it could be physically possible for a three-month-old to be toilet trained. Among other things, they can't sit up on a toilet seat or walk to the bathroom.

She had me on a schedule and would hold me up. Yep at 3 months babies can't even sit up. She said at the start she would hold me up until I went, even if it took hours, and if I went she would reward me. She Pavlov'ed me. I think she said I would cry or babble in a certain way, or if she even suspected I needed to go she would put me on the potty and hold me up.

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#44
post #11

Babies and childcare can cost either a huge amount, or not very much at all.

Modern American middle class norms are that babies cost a fortune. The best nutrition, daycare, early childhood learning, classes, tuition, etc. Extreme expenses. All throughout history, children have been cheap, and if you look back far enough - disposable. And even parents viewed kids as a free source of labor. Kids used to be left to roam the woods, streets, and neighborhoods. Now a lone child will get a call from…

> We did okay for hundreds of thousands of years.

Yeah, why don't we just go back to the "okay" times of 40%+ child mortality rates instead of the current You're a genius

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#45
post #15

My mom toilet trained me at 3 months. She had me on a schedule and she would hold me one toilet during the determined times and I would go. This was right after communism fell so she only had access to cloth diapers, and cleaning them was so annoying she did it as early as she could. She was shocked at how long my kids stayed in diapers. I asked her how, and well there is a slight difference between us. She had 2 yea…

> My mom toilet trained me at 3 months. Is this a typo? I don't see how it could be physically possible for a three-month-old to be toilet trained. Among other things, they can't sit up on a toilet seat or walk to the bathroom.

[deleted]

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#46
Parent of 2 kids. Parents receive enough judgement. Do whatever works for you!

-cloth diapers? Awesome

-train early? Awesome

-train later? Awesome

There's trade offs for each, and you are going to figure out what works best for you.

If you want to train later and the diaper companies make more money, that's how a market is supposed to work. They're providing a product you value. So all good!

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#47
With declining birth rates in the west, wouldn't it also make sense that Big Diaper is increasing prices and expanding into luxury products while unit sales go down? Expanding into products for the elderly, like incontinence, would also make sense, or perhaps expanding products into more countries (I don't know the global reach of say Pampers).

I know it's not the same thing as enshitification, and I don't know if the diaper industry is even vulnerable to enshitification, but it would be such a nice play on words if the diaper industry had enshitification.

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#48

Have any parents tried Elimination Communication? Basically teaching your baby to inform you that they’re ready to go, and taking them to the toilet immediately. This is something my partner wants to try when we eventually have kids. Something I’d never heard of until last week. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication

A friend wanted to try this, but no daycares would do it.

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#49
post #44
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Modern American middle class norms are that babies cost a fortune. The best nutrition, daycare, early childhood learning, classes, tuition, etc. Extreme expenses. All throughout history, children have been cheap, and if you look back far enough - disposable. And even parents viewed kids as a free source of labor. Kids used to be left to roam the woods, streets, and neighborhoods. Now a lone child will get a call from…

> We did okay for hundreds of thousands of years. Yeah, why don't we just go back to the "okay" times of 40%+ child mortality rates instead of the current You're a genius

Child mortality saw steep improvements in the 1900s - 1940s all over the world. I didn't think I had to clear myself of this argument.

"Helicopter parents", the desire to call CPS for unattended children - these are new and novel phenomena that are symptoms of society's desire to raise the cost of parenting through marketing, social norms, and peer pressure.

Re: How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

#50
All our kids were trained between 2-3 y.o, with overnight 3-4 (boys take longer (¬_¬)) honestly diapers isn't even a cost factor. When daycare is 2500-3000/month those first 3 years, diapers are picking up pennies in front of a steam roller.
Post reply on HN