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If she can't afford diapers now then she is in for a world of hurt because as kids get older the expenses get bigger.
Is she cutting back on food and not feeding that baby enough for development ?
Makes you wonder if maybe we need to start taking these kids away from parents that have no money.
If anything for the kids sake so they grow up healthy.
I'm sure there's much more deplorable conditions that aren't being reported about.
Not in the subsidized units I've seen! Geez, both of my daughters rented market rate apts and had a basement coin laundry. The one apt had a decent sized kitchen, so she could have had one of those portable numbers, the other one would have had no place to keep said item.
Oh well - like I said, if for some reason someone doesn't have room for a washer, and doesn't have easy access to a washer, then they COULD wash diapers in the bathtub - many people do just that. It won't kill anyone and can save a lot of money.
Dry them outside or inside on a drying rack ($7) and you're good to go.
And if you're poor, how do you afford a portable washing machine? The devil is in the details.
How does anybody afford anything? You save for it. If you are pregnant, or plan to be pregnant, it's wise to start saving up for baby needs. News flash: Babies can cost $$$.
going to the laundry mat does not just entail the cost of the washer and dryers.
add the cost of laundry supplies and paying to get to the laundy mat. Unlike towles and underwear, diapers dont hold up till the end of the week wash. they have urine and fecal matter. having to run to the laundry mat every other day is a chore. not to mention if you have a newborn in tow.
Look past your prejudices to see all sides of an issue.
Prejudice? So to expect people to provide for their own kids is prejudiced?
You've been against every suggestion/solution post.
I think, like most real issues, it's complicated. Most of you rant against insurance companies covering birth control, or want abortion banned, but those are prime ways to avoid having children you can't afford, and the more readily available birth control is, the more the abortion rate goes down. Telling adults to stop having sex is ridiculous, and I'm going to ignore any comments suggesting that as an option.
I think diapers are as much of a medical need for infants as a personal care item, so in some instances, support would be appropriate, probably through WIC. I also think some needs could be addressed through broader charitable giving--most people don't think to donate diapers, but it was the biggest need we had when I ran a shelter, and they're one of the highest demand items at the foodbank our church runs.
One example given in the OP's link was a disabled woman with a young child. I have a cousin who was recently diagnosed with MS, and her condition has deteriorated at an alarming rate in the last six months. She could no more stoop over a bath tub to hand scrub 20 diapers a day than she could climb the empire state building. She's had to leave work. She's in good shape financially and has a strong support network, but what if that wasn't the case? Although I think cloth diapers are a good option for lots of people, there are plenty of other instances where they're not going to work.
I used to run non-profit agencies, and I've been in tiny little efficiency apartments with entire families living in them, where I'm not sure where you would HANG twenty diapers at a time, where there is no bathtub, where there might be a tiny little beverage sink instead of a kitchen sink, and that's it. I think you have an unrealistic view of the way some people live. If the laundromat costs $7 a load, and your food budget for the week for two people is $30-40, that's a steep hill to climb.
Again--I think using cloth diapers is great, if you can swing the start up costs, and if you have a way to actually clean them effectively and affordably. If you have a washing machine at home, it's a no brainer. Can some people hand wash their diapers every day--sure. Can everybody--no. If you want poor women to work, they have to have disposables for child care--unless you're in an in home daycare setting with a very very flexible provider, it's a rare center that will take a child in cloth diapers.
I think, like most real issues, it's complicated. Most of you rant against insurance companies covering birth control, or want abortion banned, but those are prime ways to avoid having children you can't afford, and the more readily available birth control is, the more the abortion rate goes down.
I think diapers are as much of a medical need for infants as a personal care item, so in some instances, support would be appropriate, probably through WIC. One example given in the OP's link was a disabled woman with a young child. I have a cousin who was recently diagnosed with MS, and her condition has deteriorated at an alarming rate in the last six months. She could no more stoop over a bath tub to hand scrub 20 diapers a day than she could climb the empire state building. She's had to leave work. She's in good shape financially and has a strong support network, but what if that wasn't the case?
I used to run non-profit agencies, and I've been in tiny little efficiency apartments with entire families living in them, where I'm not sure where you would HANG twenty diapers at a time, where there is no bathtub, where there might be a tiny little beverage sink instead of a kitchen sink, and that's it. I think you have an unrealistic view of the way some people live. If the laundromat costs $7 a load, and your food budget for the week for two people is $30-40, that's a steep hill to climb.
I think using cloth diapers is great, if you can swing the start up costs, and if you have a way to actually clean them effectively. If you want poor women to work, they have to have disposables for child care--unless you're in an in home daycare setting with a very very flexible provider, it's a rare center that will take a child in cloth diapers. Can some people hand wash their diapers every day--sure. Can everybody--no.
And you'd see packages of diapers for sale on craigslist right next to the WIC formula cans.
They get it for free and sell it for cash in hand.
And the kids would still have no diapers.
Just did a quick craigslist..185 postings this month for baby formula in Houston alone.
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