A Few Thoughts on Diapers

Yesterday at Sam’s Club, I noticed a young mother intensely studying packages of disposable diapers, her tiny infant tucked into one of those big, expedition-style strollers beside her. Since her baby was old enough to take shopping, one can assume she had already made the cloth vs. disposables decision and was shopping for the best value for her money.

Talk about disposable income.

Diapers are such an expensive necessity, aren’t they? Either you buy cloth diapers and launder them yourself, (economical, but time consuming); hire a diaper service, (convenient, but costly); or you opt for the convenience of disposables and throw your money away—literally. Don’t even get me started on the environmental impact of disposables. We lived in Southern California when Robert was born. We were thinking “green” while the rest of the nation was still calling us “the land of fruits and nuts.” You may call me a hypocrite, but at the time thinking “green” took a back seat to dealing with the “brown” of baby diapers. Yes, I’ve seen those photos of soiled Pampers blowing through the Black Hills of South Dakota.

While watching the young mom at Sam’s, my mind drifted back twenty-some years when I was shopping for diapers and later, big-boy pull-ups. The hospital where my son was born presented its new moms with a free month of commercial diaper service, but I didn’t like the idea of strangers handling my precious baby’s bottom wear. As a forty-year old with a new infant, I soon realized that washing, drying, and folding cloth diapers myself wasn’t going to work either. So, like the new mom at Sam’s, I wandered the diaper aisles, searching for the right fit at the right price, wondering when the day would come that I could stop flushing my money away.

“Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it.” Marshall McLuhan

It was a satisfying few moments, watching New Mom and feeling grateful that I don’t have to spend my money on diapers any longer. Then a cold, hard smack of reality brought me out of my comfy little reverie. Next to the Huggies and Pampers section were the Attends and Depends. It occurred to me I might be shopping for comfort and value in the disposables’ aisles again before too long. Now I think I should have had my son when I was much younger. Then there would have been more time between diapers.

How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
~Dr. Seuss

Donna