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That is very sad but I wonder what demographic the study subjects were.

@travellingbee: how do you find a diaper bank? How do they qualify if someone is in need?

There is a diaper bank in my area and I will be honest, I would have rather seen them use the funds to buy cloth diapering systems rather than providing disposables.

@looch: I'm thinking the same way. Cloth diapers are more affordable than disposable.

I wonder if daycares in low income areas are open to cloth diapering. That may be one reason for CDs not to be option.

@looch: @Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I know a lot of areas aren't cloth diaper friendly. Most of the mothers using diaper banks are probably having to work full time, which means their kids are in daycare.. in my area if you get pregnancy medicaid they will give you daycare for free (or close to it) if you have to go to work/school full time. Most daycares in my country don't do cloth diapers, so they kinda have to use disposables. It's a crappy situation for them

This is really sad but very true with how expensive diapers are.

I know there are a lot of places that accept cloth diapers for donation. They are much cheaper (especially if you are getting them free) and you can hand wash as needed.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: From my experience, most of the centers we visited are not willing to do the cheap cloth diapers. Meaning the flat piece of cloth that you have to fold and pin and then put a cover on. Ours was willing assuming we had the nicer pocket/all in one diapers. These are more expensive.

I think anything new has a learning curve. I use gdiapers, and they take a few tries to get right. I don't see what the opposition is to using cloth, honestly. As things become more mainstream, the prices come down.

If it is that the center has to separate the poop out, well, in truth, they should be doing that for disposables.

@jedeve: Agreed, but cloth diapers can be washed by hand if needed. Most are recommended to be air dried on a line.

@jedeve: why not?

I didn't have a washing machine in my apartment until I moved abroad in 2008.

@Mrs. Jacks: I can see that, but honestly, we have to start somewhere. I think at least cloth should be an option that is offered.

@looch: I just can't imagine hauling two laundry carts down three flights of stairs holding one baby with a toddler in tow all to walk the three blocks to the laundry mat while keeping track o the dive dollars in quarters to get the loads done. I haven't been there as a mom, but there were times that I was poor enough that I could only afford to do laundry every 2-3 weeks.

Edited to add: $5 every three days is roughly $50/ month. Way more than disposable I you are using a laundrymat.

I read this on Monday... it's really quite sad, but so true, we likely couldn't afford to diaper P in sposies without strain or stress (they're so stinking expensive).

FWIW I know moms that don't use washer & dryers to wash their dipes.... so even for those that don't have a washer & dryer it could still be a viable option. Also, not all the moms in the study necessarily are without this amenity. They surveyed moms both under & over the poverty line (which really we're under the poverty line but still have always had a washer & dryer).

I think a program like WIC could be an awesome avenue to pioneer getting information out there, not just about them being more economical but generally healthier as well. They've done a wonderful job of helping moms be more informed about breastfeeding & having the support to successfully do so, why couldn't they include a class on cloth diapering & maybe give a pre-fold & nb cover in their "new mom" bag. And then what about information also on things like "diaper free baby" and early potty training?

I think these two things have become quite popular as mainstream "crunchy" but could really benefit alot (not necessarily all) that could use them for their economical benefits.

So, if we go back to the original point of the article, how is it that we as a society are supposed to make disposables more affordable for low income women? I mean we all know that if you want to find the best price, you have to do some research.

I just don't think the best and only answer is continuing to give low income women disposable diapers. It's not going to change anything...unless we're okay with things staying the way they are? I don't know, I haven't been there as a mom either.

And I think that all goes back to shore up opportunities for low income women. A huge piece of that is putting in place high quality affordable daycare so that women can work without worrying for the safety of their children.

I don't think cloth diapers are an across-the-board answer. Many daycares don't take cloth, many women at the poverty line are single parents already working full time or multiple jobs, and frankly; their time is money, too and they don't have much of either.

If you buy disposables in bulk, they are not that expensive. We spend less than $50/month on diapers buying through Amazon (it's more like $37/mo. now). But that requires a bank account, a debit or credit card, a computer (or access to a computer) and internet access. It also requires that someone be web-savvy enough to be able to research prices online and shop online.

If we bought diapers through a lot of the options that low income women have - like buying small packages at higher priced shops like Walgreens/Rite-Aid/corner stores because you can only shell out $10 or so at a time, the price goes up dramatically.

It's the same way with formula, and most everything else. If you end up buying "for convenience" as your main means of acquiring items, you're paying a premium.

Education seems more the answer to me, and making resources available; rather than cloth vs. non-cloth.

This article made me feel guilty...We have too many diapers right now bc I forgot to push our Honest shipment back...So we're pretty much inundated with cute printed dipes. And as I changed my LO into an ice cream/candy print dipe, I felt guilty that I pay for cute dipes when other people are scraping contents out of diapers and reusing:(. Sads:(

I saw this and found a bank in my area. One point it made was that a lot of laundromats don't allow cloth diapers to be washed in there.