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Why are diapers so expensive?

tampabay.com

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Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#161

Post by eljimmy »

s4vi0r wrote: post #82
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…

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…

You seem to think first world means everyone is happy, content, and without struggle. No country such as that has ever existed.

The common concept of first world is so misconstrued by people who live in it that those from second and third world countries would ridicule you for your comment.

Perspective, don't forget it.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#162

Post by columb »

columb wrote: post #159

In UK nappies are ultra cheap. My Wife uses Lidl's nappies but Aldi's are equally good (if not the same!). They cost around 5-7 pence each. Can't really exactly remember because they are so cheap. Pampers are more expensive but by much.

*by not much. Sorry, 17,5 flight is taking it's toll.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#163

Post by flukus »

romwell wrote: post #113
flukus wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you think people washed and dried clothes there 100 years ago? How do you think they do it in more humid and poorer places today? Do you leave your towel on the towel rack and let it dry there or do you throw it in the dryer every time? Mold thrives in moist, dark places, not most sunny ones.

A 100 years ago housekeeping was a full-time job, and quality of life was generally pretty bad. Also the society functioned differently; one middle-class salary could sustain a middle-class family, for one. We no longer live in that reality, nor would anyone want to. It's like saying that homeless people are OK because there were no buildings in prehistoric times.

Neither societal structure or quality of life affect the drying time of cloth diapers in humid places.

Edit - and having lived in both, you're much better off drying things in a hot humid place than in colder ones.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#164

Post by j79 »

djrogers wrote: post #28

There are a couple of ‘facts’ listed here that don’t line up with my current reality and very recent knowledge (3 kids, most recent is 18mo). First off, 12 changes a day is a huge outlier - even for a newborn. 8 would be a more reasonable number, and it drops down to the 4-6 range in the first year, and by now we’re at 3 if we don’t go swimming. Second item that sounds waaay off is $1000/yr for diapers. Again, that h…

My son is 4 months old. For the first few months, 12 changes a day was definitely not an outlier. However, we were very quick to change his diaper once we noticed it was wet.

$1000/yr for diapers is definitely possible. You and I may have the luxury of purchasing diapers in bulk, but for many people (such as the young woman in the article), 32 diapers for 10 bucks is reality.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#165

Post by maccard »

gizmo686 wrote: post #57
mirimir wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they got pregnant. And an abortion wasn't possible, for medical or ethical reasons. Edit: Or for other people's ethical reasons, manifested as laws against abortion.

Or political. Abortion is not accessible in all parts of the country.

Or in all western countries.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#166

Post by briandear »

egypturnash wrote: post #148
tw04 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When bulk is $40, you're just making some really, really poor life decisions if you both have a kid, and can't find a way to save that much money in a 30 day window.

Condoms break, and it’s pretty damn hard to have an abortion if the only place you can get it done is halfway across the state.

Adoption? And, there are abortion clinics in Tampa Bay, where this story took place.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#167

Post by c22 »

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…

> 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?

There might be a difference between those two signs, but I'm not sure it's as profound as you make it. People change and learn as they grow. Someone holding a "Need $$ for beer" sign today may be holding a "Will work for food" sign tommorow, and who knows, perhaps "Now hiring" the next. Should we make sure the man starves to death in the first or second phase before he has a chance to mature and contribute to society? What percentage of humans are irredeemably intolerable? Can we not afford to help them out anyway just to make sure we don't miss the others?

I agree that people ought not have babies they cannot afford, but given that the entry bar is low and, ya'know, it does happen, is it fair for society to leave the child adrift in the wind to... punish its parents? Does society work better when it's comprised of adults who were such children?

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#168

Post by boobsbr »

cm2012 wrote: post #90
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…

Okay, real talk. My time, according to society, is worth $300ish per hour. Hers is probably worth $10 an hour. I didn't do anything special to earn this and I'm a very lazy person. I would much rather have people like me pay more taxes and this lady not have to spend her whole day cleaning diapers.

> I would much rather have people like me pay more taxes

Then pay more taxes if you will, or donate to some charity, just don't force other people to do so.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#169

Post by m_eiman »

mantas wrote: post #32
craftyguy wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

folks living paycheck to paycheck cannot afford big upfront costs like this. even if it saves them money in the long term. too bad personal finance isn't a thing taught in public schools.

$30 is big upfront costs? Seriously? Of course, that may be a bigger sum in 3rd world countries. But they don't have Amazon there at all and probably don't use diapers either.

Try one of the poverty simulators, here's one: http://playspent.org/html/

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#170

Post by tallanvor »

musgrove wrote: post #95
rubicon33 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would people bring a child into the world if they can't even afford diapers, will always blow my mind.

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 if you do everything right there's a small chance that it will happen anyway.

Now, people like to claim that if you skip a dose or mess up taking it at the wrong time of the day it's your fault, but it can be complicated due to the different types of pills available, and if you get switched to a different brand, it can be easy to mess up. Typically pills come in a 28 pack. The first 21 or 24 of those will have the hormones used to prevent pregnancy, and then either 7 or 4 will be placebos. But some schemes only give you 21 pills and then you go a week without taking any before starting up the next set. There's also now larger packages and the hormone concentrations and days without taking them vary as well.

Condoms have certain advantages, but they break. And other forms of birth control tend to be more expensive and out of the reach of people living in poverty.

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