Companies bet parents won't pinch pennies for baby

APRIL 26, 2011

Are parents suckers for products regardless of price? The news came out yesterday that the makers of both Pampers and Huggies will raise the price of diapers, blaming increased commodities' costs. The Wall Street Journal notes that the companies are betting that parents are less likely to be stingy when it comes to junior's needs. Is it a good bet? Or will we turn to generic or roll up our sleeves and use cloth?

It turns out the same reason you cringe at the gas station is the reason diaper prices are going up. As diaper analyst Andrew Urban told Public Radio's Marketplace, "The absorbency in a diaper is really due to super absorbent polymer, which is a petroleum-based derivative." According to oil products expert Ian Butler, Pampers, Luvs and Huggies are all expected to go up "a couple of dollars a box" in price this year.

Since 90 percent of parents use disposable diapers, could this be the motivation needed to turn to cloth diapering? I doubt it. Could it prompt more parents to go generic? Quite possibly but I do recall finding that with cheap diapers, you had a lot more blowouts and messed up clothes, making the savings feel painful.

--Sharon Kennedy Wynne

Posted by Sharon Wynne at 7:00:00 am on April 26, 2011 in

Consumer

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Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.

E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
wynne@tampabay.com

After six long years of trying to have a baby, Kate Brassfield was finally able to have one. And then, two minutes later, another one. Suddenly the lady who had never been around babies before was juggling two! Just as Kate felt she was getting pretty good with babies, the girls became toddlers, and now Kate is back to Square One, learning about the care and feeding of these strange, wonderful creatures. She spends her days working part-time from home and trying to keep up with the Twinosaurus Wrecks.

E-mail Kate Brassfield:
katedaphne17@gmail.com

Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at courtneyblogs@gmail.com.

Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, ZannaLand.com , and she's a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel in addition to being addicted to Twitter, iced coffee, and watching way too much Yo, Gabba Gabba.

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