skimping- on your baby's tushies?

dee's mommy

Thu, Feb 26 2009, 8:58 pm

We used disposable diapers till my baby was four months, and I did look for the cheap store brand ones.

For various reasons, we switched to cloth, but one of those reasons was economic. Whenever I change a diaper, I am not "throwing it out," but merely putting it in the wash. We are saving money on diapers this way. I don't have to buy new diapers, and the next child could use them.

We did go the "cheapest" route as far as cloth diapers go. We got the prefolds and Bummis covers. (As opposed to the more fancy pocket and fitted diapers. So I suppose I am continuing the pattern there.

Oh, and no wipes for me either. I use a washcloth.

Shalshelet

Thu, Feb 26 2009, 9:31 pm

We are pretty frugal, but I don't buy generic/cheap-o brand due to irritants and chemicals that can be in the diapers. I do however, buy in bulk, look for sales, clip coupons, etc. to make it worthwhile. I'm never sure what to do when you're changing a diaper and baby ends up wetting the diaper. Confused

In the beginning, I'd throw them out, but now I'm less apt to do that, but there will still be times that I question it.

We only use wipes when we're out on the town. Otherwise, cotton balls and J&J baby wash are really handy. Very Happy

Seraph

Thu, Feb 26 2009, 9:35 pm

fish123 wrote:

Even if a wet diaper doesn't give your child a diaper rash or seem to bother them it probably isn't the best thing for them to become comfortable with wetness and will likely make potty training a little harder.

Actually, I think I'd disagree. Kids in cloth diapers potty train earlier bec they're more aware of their functions bec they stay a little wet with the cloth. I would assume feeling wet in a disposable would probably help potty training and not hinder it.

fish123

Thu, Feb 26 2009, 10:03 pm

Yeah but if the child is used to being wet- as they would if they sit around in their pee for hours- they won't have a problem peeing in their pants and not feeling uncomfortable.

Cloth diapers make children more aware of the wetness but no one leaves their child sitting around in a cloth diaper.

Seraph

Thu, Feb 26 2009, 10:12 pm

Who says? Most people I know don't change a cloth diaper the second a kid pishes- they wait till its fuller. So the kid is feeling wet the whole time in the cloth after he peed, and is aware that "pee makes me wet". There is no absorbency chemicals and "stay dry feeling" unless you're using fleece, which I don't usually aside for at night.

RachelEve14

Thu, Feb 26 2009, 10:20 pm

Seraph wrote:

my son doesnt get rashes from sitting in pish, so I dont rush to change him when its just pish. I once babysat a kid whose mother wanted me to change him every hour or 2. That got to me, even though I wasnt even the one paying for the diapers--- the waste seemed astronomical!

Did you know there have been studies linking male infirtility to the use of disposible diapers and not changing as often? Even if he's not showing a rash, it still keeps the skin and the areas too warm. I don't think you should be changing every hour, but I had a friend who gave her toddler 4 diapers a day (1st thing in the am, after poo, after nap, before bed) and I think that is just ridiculous. If you are that worried about money get cloth diapers. Prefolds and covers are cheap (at least in the states) and Avraham Tzvi is still wearing prefolds I bought for the twins (and used heavily... I had 3 kids in diapers for 1 year).

alpidarkomama

Thu, Feb 26 2009, 11:13 pm

Yes, we absolutely skimp! We use cloth diapers. Smile

With 4 kids sharing (serially!) a set of cloth diapers (we have enough of one size for 1/2 week) I figured out that it costs about $0.02 per diaper change + the cost of laundering 2 loads per week. The cheapest paper diaper would cost us $0.20 per diaper change.

shosh

Fri, Feb 27 2009, 12:15 am

With nappies (I'm British origin) I took the Golden Middle Path - meaning that I wouldn't use the very cheapest brands bc they would leak and the child would need changing all the time. But I never wasted money on the most expensive either. I would therefore get the best Israeli brands- usually one of the Kimberly Hogla types rather than Pampers or Huggies.

With wipes, I would buy the thicker ones, rather than the thinner cheapie ones that would irritate their skin and you would need to use ten just to wipe up after changing one nappy. But again, I wouldnt buy the most expensive ones either.

So I'd say - go for the middle range rather than the cheapest or the most expensive.

Seraph

Fri, Feb 27 2009, 12:22 am

RachelEve14 wrote:

Seraph wrote:

Do they have the same studies if you keep your kids in cloth too long and overheating? How does keeping the area too warm at age 1 affect fertility later on? I know girls are born with all their eggs inside, but from what I heard, boys dont get sperm until much later- near puberty, so how would warmth at age 1 or 2 affect their fertility?

greentiger

Fri, Feb 27 2009, 2:36 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

I got 2 tubs of Pampers wipes free as part of a survey to rate. When I used them, I realized I was spending so much more buying cheap wipes -- because I had to use more of them. If I spent more $ on the thicker Pamper wipes, I could use much less, and save long term.

Heh so they won you through their samples! Very Happy

I buy the Huggies good quality wipes because of a sensitive tushie and its worth the few extra shekel for me not to have to deal with rashes.

Hashem_Yaazor

Fri, Feb 27 2009, 7:38 am

greentiger wrote:

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Heh so they won you through their samples! Very Happy

Well, they covered up the container; I wasn't supposed to officially know they were Pampers Wink

The Swaddlers they didn't win me over with. though....nor did the Cruisers. But I still liked the free diapers Smile

Barbara

Fri, Feb 27 2009, 12:23 pm

ShakleeMom wrote:

Expensive doesn't mean better, is my motto. Fancier brands makes Mom feel better, Baby doesn't give a poop!

If baby doesn't give a poop or a pee, then don't change her!

Honestly, it depends on the baby. Different babies fit different types and brands differently. Some are heavy wetters, some aren't. There's no one-size-fits-all answer or diaper.

RachelEve14

Sat, Feb 28 2009, 11:15 am

Seraph wrote:

Here is one link I found to one study.

Male Infertility

I think I've seen others in the past too.

The difference with cloth is it breathes, even in a waterproof cover. The disposable ones don't breathe at all, so the baby gets warmer. Even with cloth diapers, people used to not use covers all the time. I have a parenting book from 1990 that says you should not leave plastic pants on except when needed, and of course when your baby wakes up you will be changing pajamas, sheets, etc. I know there are so many ways to save money (including just using plain flats and pins) that I would not leave my baby too long in a diaper. It can't be good, kwim? Now how long is too long will depend on how much your kid pishes, etc, but I think as soon as the diaper is wet it should ideally be changed. Certainly before it's so wet that you can see it bunching from the outside and *know* it's soaking (unless you have a kid who doesn't pish for a while and when they give one pish the diaper is sopped, then of course it's going to look very wet before you can change it, but it wasn't wet before).