Posts Tagged ‘diapers’

Travel lighter with your baby and Diaper Buds

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

If you don’t know about Diaper Buds, check out my ShopSmart Magazine blog post on this nifty new product: http://www.shopsmartmag.org/kids/index.html. Diaper Buds are vacuum-sealed regular diapers that are reduced in size by 70 percent, but spring back to life (and full size) when you open the packaging. I think they’re a great idea, especially when you’re traveling and trying to pack in as much gear as you can into one carry on and a diaper bag. Incidentally, many airlines allow to you carry on a diaper bag at no charge; that may be true for the carry on as well, depending on the airline. Check the airline’s Website for details before flying.

Happy travels!

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Posted in Proactive Parent | No Comments »

Save Dollars on Diapers

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

The other day, I chatted with Louise and Garen, radio hosts of The Frugal Yankee. (Love their site, BTW, www.frugalyankee.com.) We were talking diapers, specifically how to save money on them. They wanted to know about the age-old question: How much can you save by going with cloth diapers vs. disposables? The answer: Hundreds if not at least $1,000 by the time your baby is out of diapers by using cloth instead of disposables–if you’re willing to do lots of laundry detail (and not use a diaper service). Forget pins and plastic pants. If I were doing it all over again, I’d definitely try out pocket and/or all-in-one reusable diapers such as Fuzzibunz (www.fuzzibunz.com) or Bummis (www.bummis.com). They take cloth diapers to a new, more convenient and doable level for a fraction of the long-term costs of disposables (which amounts to roughly $2,500 by the time your baby is diaper-free). But cloth/reusable diapers aren’t for everybody. Maybe you hate to do laundry, for example, or your baby is in daycare, in which case, you’ll need to use disposables some of the time, or your baby is prone to diaper rash. As you probably know from previous posts, disposables have done wonders for eliminating irritant diaper rashes.

Stores and Websites often put diapers on sale as "loss leaders" to induce parents to shop there, so take advantage of good deals.

In any event, here are three more ways to save on both types of diapers:

–Shop Wal-Mart and Target. You’ll find rock-bottom prices on disposable and reusable diapers at www.walmart.com and www.target.com. Don’t be afraid to try the store brand and save at least 3 cents per diaper with every change. (It adds up!) 

–Visit www.drugstore.com, www.diapers.com, www.amazon.com, and www.cvs.com for good deals on name-brand and store-brand diapers (and save yourself a trip to the store) and stock up at sale time.

–Save on regular deliveries. Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program, which pops up at the checkout, offers the best deal if you sign up for regular deliveries; you can save 15 percent and get free shipping too.

What do you do to save money on diapers? Give us the poop!

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Posted in Budget Baby | 2 Comments »

The Poop on Pampers Dry Max

Monday, May 17th, 2010

I’m just as intrigued as anyone about the ensuing controversy surrounding Pampers diapers with new Dry Max and the growing Facebook contingent of parents who say that it’s causing diaper rash.

In case you missed ABC World News Tonight’s coverage of the diaper debate, click here to view it: http://abcnews.go.com/entertainment/video/miss-usa-rima-fakih-tripping-10664406&tab=9482931&section=4765066.
As a parent, word of mouth–whether it’s which stroller to get, what daycare to stay away from or enroll in or which bottle your baby liked best, can be a powerful influence in terms of what or what not to buy and other baby-care decisions. You think, “If it’s right for that mom or that baby, it’ll probably be right for me or my baby.” Facebook and Twitter are taking the concept of word of mouth and amplifying it to a national level. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that but as a journalist and a mom whose been swayed by other mom’s opinions from time to time and discovered that their advice wasn’t always right for me, I’m naturally skeptical about going with the crowd.
 
The Bottomline for Me–which may not be right for you
If my kids were still in diapers, I’d definitely buy Pampers with Dry Max and try them out. I love the concept that they’re 20 percent thinner than traditional Pampers and wear like underwear. From my research for Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, I know that some babies are more prone to diaper rash than others. Did you know, for example, that breast-fed babies are less susceptible to diaper rash than formula-fed babies, especially as they transition to solid food? Also, some babies are more susceptible to diaper rash in general because their skin is just more sensitive.  Overall, diaper rash can be caused by lots of things. But before someone told me a particular diaper caused diaper rash, I know I’d have to see for myself.
What about you? What’s your take on Pampers with Dry Max? 

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Posted in Safety Savvy | 3 Comments »

Fall-out from the economy: Changing diapers less often

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Members Mark diapersThe economy has affected us in all sorts of ways and a notice for a diaper drive in the restroom of my nearby public libary caught my attention recently. The notice about the drive, sponsored by the United Way, mentioned that babies in families struggling to make ends meet often spend the entire day or longer in a single diaper. Infants need up to 12 diapers a day and toddlers up to 8 a day. If you don’t change a diaper that often, it can lead to diaper rash. The notice mentioned that it can also increase the risk of hepatitis, even child abuse from the constant crying that can result when a child is left in a dirty diaper too long.

You can’t use food stamps or the WIC Federal Program to purchase diapers. That’s where the diaper drive comes in. Turns out anybody can organize a diaper drive in his/her neighborhood or workplace. If you’d like to help, contact the United Way. Here’s the link:

 http://volunteer.united-e-way.org/uwoci/org/opp/10243089539.html?return_url=%252fuwoci%252forg%252fopp%252fmedallions%252f%253fmedallion%255fid%253d10277321974

Meanwhile, to save on diapers in general, my best advice is to go with store-brand disposable diapers. Although Consumer Reports’ tests show that the name brands are the top-rated disposable diapers, because overall they tend to be more absorbent and fit better, you may find store brands more than adequate—and a cost cutter. You’ll save about 3 cents per diaper if, for example, you compare the cost of size 1 Par­ent’s Choice, Wal-Mart’s store-brand diapers, with Pampers, also size 1. Saving pennies per diaper may not seem like much, but with 10 changes per day (which is reasonable with an infant), you’d bank about $9 per month and $108 per year using the size 1 store brand diapers.

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Posted in Proactive Parent | 2 Comments »