Why are diapers so expensive? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#331

Post by chrissnell » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 12:55 PM UTC

s4vi0r wrote: post #146

drstewart wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It completely does. Why are cloth diapers third world? Why are disposables seen as so superior that they should be had at a discount? They should be expensive to account for their environmental cost. Just because they didn't care about that in the 50s doesn't mean anything. So yeah, it's incredibly relevant.

No, you entirely missed the point. Cloth being better is something else entirely, nor was I suggesting that disposable diapers be discounted with taxpayer money. The point was "Why does the poor in the richest country in the world have to worry about something as inane as affording diapers in 2018?" I agree that people should use cloth - but the response to "Hey, this poor person can't even really afford to buy diape…

Let's be clear and honest about this article: there was no second job for her to work because she quit her first job before the baby was even born to go on assistance. Your argument doesn't hold water with me. My mom worked when she was pregnant with me and went right back to work after I was born. My wife, a physical therapist with a physically demanding job, worked until the very day both of our sons were born and then went back to work four weeks later. The girl in this story did none of that. Again, I don't blame her--the system practically invited her to do this.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#332

Post by JustSomeNobody » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 12:56 PM UTC

rubicon33 wrote: post #47

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…

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

So, only the wealthy should have kids? Because if you factor everything in that we "should" be doing for kids, only the wealthy could afford it.

Seriously, why don't we leave the decision of who should be allowed to have kids out of the conversation and we as a society buck up and help take care of the ones who need help?

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#333

Post by planetjones » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:00 PM UTC

It would appear that a large part of the problem is the person's finances are in such bad order, they cannot afford to buy the diapers in bulk. Could the local church or community organisation not buy the nappies in the bulk and then sell them at the lowest item price possible ?

When in such poverty (and potentially from a less educated background) I know finding solutions is difficult. But this is where community should help. Having a baby is super expensive and super stressful, but there are some things which can help e.g. consider cloth diapers, encourage breastfeeding to avoid formula costs.

I don't know how much support someone like this gets. But I guess not enough.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#334

Post by merpnderp » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:00 PM UTC

We used a combination of disposable and cloth diapers. Disposables for daycare or when not at home, and cloth for when at home. And this saved us massive massive amounts of money. You buy a couple dozen cloth diapers for $40, and then it is $.50/day for an extra load of laundry. My son still has his cloth diapers as rags he plays with and he's been potty trained for years.

But on weekends and evenings, cloth diapers were basically free. And word of warning, they are disgusting to shake into the toilet before throwing into the washing machine with a cap of bleach, but you get over that.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#335

Post by sd1642 » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:00 PM UTC

hycaria wrote: post #247

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.

Put it to adoption ?

Because the color of your skin matters. African American babies are cheaper to adopt but stay in the system longer because they are harder to place in adoptive homes.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#336

Post by toasterlovin » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:01 PM UTC

dpark wrote: post #309

perakojotgenije wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> or he pees all over the table including the diaper that's waiting to be put on) Now, that's just you being n00b :-). Source: father of 3.5 years old and 4 month old kids. And yes, I also think 12 is too many. 8-9 diapers a day was max for a newborn, now 4 months later it's around 6-7.

12 doesn't seem that strange to me. That's every 2 hours on average. 8 a day is every 3 hours like clockwork to keep a fresh/dry diaper on. Add in the unexpected poops that don't land on 3-hour boundaries and it's not hard to do 12. It seems like the upper end of normal but not an outlier.

It's pretty common for newborns to be on a highly regular 3 hours schedule for diaper changes. Happened with all three of our kids. Like clockwork, basically.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#337

Post by cullenking » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:01 PM UTC

billyhoffman wrote: post #251

distances wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 12 changes a day is not an outlier for a newborn, it’s normal. My son is 18 months and we change him probably 6 times a day at least. You can start potty training a kid at around one year's age though, which will decrease the need for diapers. That age depends on a kid of course, in my family it has started around when the kids learn to walk so age of 1-1.5.

What? Potty training is dependent on physiological changes around muscle control. It is usually not possible before 18-24 months. I have 3 kids under 5, and 24 months is the earliest that interest to go on the potty started. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/...

I'm a parent of a fully potty trained 24 month old. Mostly potty trained by 18 months, with lots of reminders. It's not easy, takes absolute commitment. The moment you look at your phone your 16-18 month old will be hiding behind then couch peeing (at least ours did).

That being said, it's nearly impossible if you don't have a parent doing full time caregiving. No daycare will do it. My wife used to do it as a nanny, where she learned about it, but that's an outlier. Really not easy to navigate between you and your family or friends who have similar age kids!

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#338

Post by noetic_techy » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:03 PM UTC

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…

Our pediatrician explained that the frequency of changes varies. Some children go more than others, some less.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#339

Post by dpark » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:05 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #330

dpark wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with tap water? Formula still costs a lot, obviously, but you generally don't need special water for mixing formula unless your kid has an immune disorder or you live somewhere with unsafe tap water.

Depending on where you live, maybe nothing, maybe a lot. For example many areas still have high PPB of lead in their tap water (even if below the EPA guidelines of 15 PPB, or the EU's 10 PPB since 2013, it can still be considered unsafe, just not economical to fix). Plus even ignoring heavy metal content, in some areas there might be micro-organisms in tap water (since it is sourced from a natural well or similar), s…

Meh, I’ll take a pass on that. Chlorinated tap water in developed nations should have no appreciable microbial content. If you’re concerned about lead, I can understand that. If your goal is sterile food and your baby is healthy, I don’t really get that. You’re presumably washing your baby’s bottles in tap water anyway.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#340

Post by SolaceQuantum » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 1:05 PM UTC

kmm wrote: post #318

gjm11 wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the same way, although cooking doesn't always make food safe to eat, there is a form of cooking that's simple and 100% effective: not eating. And although the various safety measures rock climbers use sometimes fail, there is a method of rock-climbing safety that's 100% effective: not going rock-climbing in the first place. And I have a perfectly safe car: that is, I never leave my house. I take it you can see how…

You need to eat. You need to leave the house. You need to use some form of motorized transport to partake in society. You don't need to have sex. Abstinence is a form of birth control as much as being bald is a hairstyle.

So pleasure should only be for the wealthy?

I know that this may sound strange, and I don't share this trait myself, but for many people sex is a critical part of forming a romantic bond with their partner. Without sex, they feel unloved and invalidated in the relationship. That's just part of their emotional needs. So for some people sex is indeed a psychological need.