Our earlier photos (here and here) were taken inside the bus – but at the end of today’s four-hour diaper drive, you could best tell by looking at the bus windows from back to front, it was pretty full! Congratulations to WestSide Baby. Moments later, we talked with WestSide Baby executive director Nancy Woodland in the day’s first brilliant burst of full sunshine:
The families served by WestSide Baby need help all year – here’s how to pitch in with time and/or money any time.
On behalf of WestSide Baby, I must say a very loud THANK YOU to every single family, volunteer and business who participated in Stuff the Bus on Sunday – and throughout the month! A few last minute drop offs brought us over 27,000 diapers bringing the total with our Costco match over 41,000 diapers for local children in need. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of this community especially during times when everyone is feeling the economic crunch. Thank you West Seattle!!
That’s a whole lotta landfill! What ever happened to using cloth diapers on our children? I do.
Yes, thank you, DALYDBL. And I’m sure you power your car on your own sense of self-satisfaction as well. Congratulations.
Dalydbl – If you use state-sponsored child care, they do not let you use cloth diapers, they will ONLY allow you to drop your child off with disposables. Disposables are not allowed to be purchased with food stamps (as they are not food, despite if you give your child food, they will eventually need a diaper) So, if you need to use subsidized child care you also have a need for disposables that you probably can’t afford.
Oh, and I feel like the amount of pesticides and fertilizers for growing the cotton, water for both irrigating and washing them, and fuel to heat the water and the bleach and chemicals used to clean cloth diapers, really kind of evens out the math on which is better between disposables or cloth.
We used cloth diapers way back in the day(s) when we were dealing with a baby … but WestSide Baby explains very compellingly why its clients need disposable diapers — “que” points out one of them. We had the luxury of using cloth diapers because we managed to arrange our schedules so that our child wasn’t in day care, and we were able to afford a diaper service to come pick up the soiled ones and replace them with fresh ones, but many of the “working poor” families helped by WestSide Baby don’t have that luxury on either count. WestSide Baby even had a cute little display explaining “Why disposables?” next to the bus during yesterday’s drive. Two of the diaper packages we donated were “Seventh Generation” chlorine-free disposables I found at Bartell on the way to the bus – TR
Is there no end to the PC bashing-can no one do any good with out it being trashed. Look I understand the landfill issue-and I am fortunate enough that I can afford to do what I can to make a difference, and I do everyday-but if for one day you had a diaper rash baby due to not enough clean diapers you would not even think for one minute that a landfill is more important than your babys bum. Don’t stand in judgement of the poor until you are. Give the baby a clean diaper and give WestSide baby their due credit for MAKING A DIFFERENCE in a very real way. Now off you go DALYDBL and recycle your toilet paper!
It seems like there’s a need for disposable diapers in this case, the first part of que’s comment addressed that. It’s great that someone set this program up for those that need it.
I realize that the remainder of this comment is off topic of the diaper drive and the good that it does, but addressing cloth vs. disposable – do you throw away your dinner plates and silverware or wash and reuse them? As another aside, there are many, many diapers available with organic cotton. If you can afford the time and money to do it it’s fairly easy to prove it’s a better option.
I do understand that what WestSide Baby is doing is wonderful! I simply wish that people knew the truth about cloth diapers. It is a fact that cloth diapers that you launder at home are the very cheapest option when it comes to diapering. The reason being, you can sell them for almost half of what you paid for them when you are finished using them! The other reason I have a peeve about disposable diapers is that when I joined a PEPS group, all of the moms in the group were as well off as me if not more so. I was the only one using cloth diapers, and in that case and in the case of most of my peers who have young children…using disposables comes down to sheer laziness. Laziness doesn’t make the world a better place. I certainly don’t power my car on my own sense of self satisfaction, and I’m not “going off” into some corner to run away from the meanies that comment on this blog. In fact, I think I’ll take my over-educated mind away from the comments section in the future and just stick to reading the stories. I like to know what is going on in the neighborhood, but unfortunately I find that there are just too many people who leave comments that are only interested in proving other people wrong or just getting their kicks by anonymously telling off their neighbors. I don’t see the point in trying to have petty arguments on an internet forum.
I never said I thought WestSide Baby was doing a bad thing. I see that it is necessary. However, it is a fact that cloth diapers laundered at home are the most affordable option available. The intial investment may seem to be a lot, but you can sell the diapers when you are finished with them. Environmentally they are also superior, no doubt. It does bother me when I see SAHM’s with money oozing out of their ears using disposable diapers. That comes down to sheer laziness. P.S. Sarah, would you like to come check out my ecotoilet? I’m sure there is plenty of toilet paper in there for you to collect to make lovely greeting cards out of ;) Thanks for the info, que. It looks like we’re going to have to try to get state sponsered day care to make changes in their policies at some point in the future. and to Kelly…go jump in some cold water, you jerk!
When you have the resources to make a choice, it’s wonderful to do what makes the most sense for you and your family! However, if you are living in an apartment without a washer/dryer or living in a motel or even a car, disposable diapers are a must. Can you imagine holding onto a weeks worth of dirty diapers, getting them onto a bus and hauling them to the laundromat with your children in tow! – – Some people NEED disposable diapers!
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