Why are diapers so expensive? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#71

Post by zeth___ » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:51 AM UTC

FuckOffNeemo wrote: post #64

adrr wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think thats a poor excuse. Even taking a payday loan out to buy a bulk bag(200 diapers) for $30 is more economical than buying a 10 pack every other day for $5. Pay day loan will cost $10 in fees but its cheaper than paying $75/m for diapers. And you just need do it once and save the $5 that you're spending every other day.

Using a legal loan shark to purchase nappies, we're now robbing Peter to pay Paul, the net gain once the legal loan sharks fees are rolled in would be pittance. How far did society have to fail for us to have to encourage the use of loan sharks so our children can take a shit, seriously? Edit: in an attempt to lighten the conversation which has suddenly became a class dividing conversation on economics and privilege.…

Have we thought about feeding the weaker children to the stronger ones and making diapers out of their skin?

It's only a modest suggestion.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#72

Post by dancek » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:52 AM UTC

war1025 wrote: post #21

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.

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…

Props for doing that. We tried with our twins, but eventually decided cloth diapers are for people with single kids that aren't burnt out.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#73

Post by watwut » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:53 AM UTC

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…

One my friend actually counted the total price of both and it came out as quite the same all counted in (water, "soap", etc).

But also, it is not all hygienic enough to wash them in bucket with soap. Back when my mother had kids, they had to went through boiling water and were ironed. You basically spent whole day dealing with diapers. Literally whole day, it is ridiculous amount of work.

Also, cloth diapers cause more rashes and that costs money too.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#74

Post by zeth___ » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:54 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…

Because those same middlemen are the ones who would benefit the most from UBI.

Of course subsidizing goods and services means we will have to stop pretending that all choices are equally good and start acting like adults again, where just because you really, really want to do drugs and have 8 kids doesn't mean you will get to do that regardless of how much money you have.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#75

Post by janekm » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:55 AM UTC

nroach wrote: post #44

j4kp07 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct. In your bathroom. Honestly, there is an epidemic of self defeatist in our day and age.

In my area, where relative humidity is often 60-90%, this form of drying would result in moldy cloth, not dry diapers. My guess is Tampa's microclimate is probably similar and line drying isn't an option.

People line dry everything in south-east Asia, in >90% RH. Though I suppose that’s usually out a window or on a balcony.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#76

Post by m_mueller » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:56 AM UTC

dancek wrote: post #68

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.

It's not about affording diapers, it's about affording clothes and food and healthcare and baby strollers and a bigger apartment and babysitting and diapers. The costs of everything you need to raise a child come as a surprise to most middle-class people. How would they not to the poor. Common sense says that people raise kids in developing countries and they have nothing, so it can't take money, right? But in a west…

Or to put it differently: If you raise a child like in a developing country, but you are in one of many developed nations, the government will come and abduct your child.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#77

Post by maaaats » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:57 AM UTC

ringe wrote: post #52

"Diapers are sold at much lower prices in Norway than in the rest of Europe. The large price difference has led to smuggling of diapers, mainly to Eastern-European countries. The diaper smuggler gain both from the price difference and by evading taxes on the trade" https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/57685

I was also thinking about that. Normally we do everything we can to buy stuff from abroad, but for diapers even low cost countries buy here. Kinda absurd.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#78

Post by endymi0n » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:58 AM UTC

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.

With all due respect, I never understood the prevailing attitude in the US to do everything it takes to make you keep that „sacred life“ if you get pregnant by accident – and then once it‘s there, drop it like a hot potato and do exactly zero to make it a tax-paying, happy and productive member of society. The hypocrisy of it all just blows my mind.

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#79

Post by ILikeConemowk » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:59 AM UTC

EugeneOZ wrote: post #66

gizmo686 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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.

Then again, since, as you say, being against abortion for religious reasons is idiotic, do we have an all encompassing scientific and philosophical answer about when, why and how it is "not idiotic" to perform an abortion?

If we don't, because as far as I know we don't, then why is it idiotic to decide based on your inability to understand a situation for which other people do not have answers?

As I said, I'm not religious and agree that religion is certainly not the only compass some people should lead their lives by. Nevertheless, your remark rubbed me the wrong way. "Idiotic," how can you be so judgmental if you to don't have answers to all the questions I listed above?

Re: Why are diapers so expensive?

#80

Post by hvidgaard » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 5:59 AM UTC

war1025 wrote: post #22

projektir wrote: post #9

Whenever something like this comes up, my first question is always: "OK, how did we do this before diapers were invented, and what happened to that?"

In addition to cloth diapers, babies got potty trained significantly younger than they do now. We had our daughter ~90% potty trained by her first birthday. From what we've found looking into it, that was extremely common until the past 50 years or so. Its not uncommon now for 3 year-olds to still be in diapers. That's two full years longer in diapers, simply because parents either can't be bothered to potty train th…

When both our children was in daycare somewhere between the age 1-2, we told them that he (both times) was almost potty trained, but still need a diaper to sleep. They wanted to just give them a diaper and told us "oh, but boys get out of the diaper later". No lady, he is well aware of when he needs to go, and we've trained this. Now work with us, rather than destroy our work. No wonder some of them get our of the diaper so late, when the professionals care takers have so little time that they recommend later potty training.