As diaper industry booms, 1 in 3 American families struggle to afford them
The Tampa Bay Times just released a new report proving an in-depth look at the cost of diapers and its impact on families, citing a study that found a third of American families struggle to afford them.
In the United States, the average diaper sells for about 25 cents.
The quarters add up quickly. Newborns need as many as 12 changes a day. That’s $21 per week, or $84 per month. Bigger kids need fewer, but their diapers are more expensive.
For a single mom or dad working full time at minimum wage, the cost can consume 6 percent of total annual pay. For the lowest-income parents, it’s as much as 14 percent.
New research shows a third of families in the United States struggle with the expense.
Cloth diapers aren’t always an option. They are difficult to clean without a washing machine at home or paying for a service. Some coin laundries don’t allow them in their machines.
Diapers can cost about $1,000 every year, which is a lot for many parents. There are ways to minimize the cost; buying in bulk definitely saves dollars. However, the people who are living paycheck-to-paycheck don’t exactly have that luxury. And they’re forced to buy diapers one pack at a time at the local store.
Why are diapers so expensive? The Times reached out to diaper companies, but they all either ignored requests or declined to comment.
The top manufacturers don’t publicly report profit margins on their diapers, and many insiders won’t discuss the bottom line. Consultant Carlos Richer, who ran a large diaper factory in Mexico, joked he would become “the enemy of the diaper industry” if he did.
Carl Cucuzza, a consultant based in Georgia, said Huggies and Pampers typically make about 2 cents per diaper. The profit on a generic diaper, he said, is about half that.
It’s “good money,” he added. Billions of diapers are sold annually.
Business will likely get better.
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1. If you are poor, don't have kids
2. Reuse the diapers
3. Shoplift.
4. Get a second or third job so you never see your kid.
Ahhh, I see what you mean now. Much like healthcare,education and machine guns, diapers should be a right.
If you think the cost of diapers is bad, look at the prices of laundry detergent!
Just got a Mondo jug (Actually 2) at Menards. Less then $7.50. On Sale and a Rebate of %11.
And if you have to work 3 jobs your kid has to go to daycare, and you have to provide disposable diapers. Cloth ones are not allowed
I think the real point should be, and I think you get it, that some people need a little help making it, at the barest level, in this society.
Yes, they do. What kind of society are we that we can't help the neediest amongst us?
The kind of society that wears Jesus on its sleeve while doing to opposite of what a Jesus would do.
How many kids did Jesus have that he couldn't afford and expected others to be stuck paying their bills?
None - Jesus has magic abortion powers.
Jesus couldn't have kids; he was gay.
To me, bringing kids into the world that you can not afford is a form of child abuse`.
Didnt realize you were so pro abortion.
?
Let's have Trump visit the poorest districts in America and he can throw diapers at the crowd as the cameras roll.
Okay!
LOL cloth diapers might have been a pain in the ass and hard on the nose , but when my kids needed them back in the early 90s , they saved a lot of money even back then...and after they didn't need them any more , I had good wax rags or shop rags.
And I bet your wife stayed at home, or one of you did since daycares insist on disposable diapers
At home use cloth then. Still a lot of money saved..............
Retro back to the olden days, use cloth and wash them.
For those that don't like washing nappies, there are still diaper services available which is far cheaper than those overpriced disposables.
You can't always do that if you have to put your kid in daycare
sooooo......don't put your kid in daycare and quit your job?
You can show me that kind of stuff all day long, but the reality is that people have to use daycare and they don't allow cloth diapers
Use Cloth at home then......................
Use disposables for daycare and cloth the rest of the time, will cut down on the overall cost at least.
I find it telling that it's the males here that are saying to use cloth diapers.
Are you saying that women should stay home and take care of their kids? Never thought that you would actually say women need to stay at home.
Aw, I'm hurt:)
My two boys made it with cloth ( and yes I changed and washed out my fair share), we splurged on my daughter and went half and half.
I was a single parent.....
Well gee maybe they can pass a law. Christ they have passed laws that you can't collect rain water in some cities, what is another one, right?
Hmmm What did Families do before disposables where invented?
Smell god awful.
Politicians are like diapers, they're often full of shit and need to be changed frequently...
So child protective services were called out to a trailer park, where a family of Trump supporters were sitting on their lawn couch drinking beer watching NASCAR, because a neighbor thought they weren't taking care of their toddler. The woman noticed the child crawling around on the front lawn with a diaper so full it was dragging behind the child like a ball and chain. The woman said "Excuse me, but don't you think you ought to change that diaper?" to which the out of work man of the house leaned forward, hefted the over-full diaper dragging behind the child and said "Nah, the box said 10-15 pounds...this ain't even close to 10 yet....".
That's cute.
Let me tejj you a real story. in our wonderful world of truth, humanity.
I just ledr re hab after spending nine weeksin hospiral and re hab.
I would spend, sometimes three hours in a soiled diaper. Not pee, but diaarhea. You would let them know, but it was in a minute aned the minuteturned into hours.
The name of the place is Montrose Bay Rebab Center, Montrose, AL.
Praise God I am out of there.
I am also glad you're no longer being subjected to that kind of mistreatment. No one should be made to suffer like that.
and if the story was changed to inner city, different people ect some would claim it is racist
Buy cloth diapers! You can use them over and over. Buy just enough plastic for daycare use. Using cloth would help the environment.
They can essentially charge what they want because people have very little in the way of another choice.
Oh, I complained. Insurance paid it. Graveyard shift was the worst. Complain? They ignore your light signaling for help. Nurses were great.