Parents: if you thought you were already paying an arm and a leg for diapers, think again.
| Cloth diapers, such as bumGenius 3.0, are a cute, |
Following their competitor’s lead, Pampers and Luvs producer, Proctor & Gamble also announced a seven percent price increase, according to MarketWatch.com.
Kimberly-Clark attributed the price increase to the inflation of raw material prices and energy costs. MarketWatch.com added that Kimberly-Clark is facing sluggish sales as consumers buy off brands and the North American birth-rate is declining.
Procter & Gamble also blamed their price hike on increasing ‘key material’ costs.
Instead of switching to cheaper brands of disposable diapers in response to the price increase, some parents are cloth diapering.
“Huggies and Pampers already cost a fortune! It’s ridiculous,” said mother-of-one Holly Kelsch. “I just switched my 18-month-old over to cloth and could not be happier!”
She continued, “I’m saving money, the environment, and it’s much better for my baby’s skin. As far as I’m concerned, I’m never going back!”
Jennifer Labit is the creator of one of the world’s best selling cloth diaper brands, bumGenius, and CEO of Cotton Babies, Inc. She said she believes the price increase on disposable diapers will cause more parents to consider cloth diapering.
She said, “With so many families struggling to purchase diapers already, the disposable diaper companies are really forcing the consumer to make a new buying decision; an unfortunate position that companies try to avoid during a recession.”
According to Labit, cloth diapers will not only save families money, but in doing so, will also relieve some stress. She said, “Our babies deserve good food. They deserve parents who can sleep at night because they know that the mortgage is paid and that they have money to fill the gas tank tomorrow.
“It's time for parents to stop throwing a portion of their ability to provide for their children in the trash.”
Labit also added that cloth diapers are “easy to use and significantly cheaper than disposable diapers.”
Both Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark say they are also raising prices on baby wipes and Charmin, Cottonelle, and Scott bath tissue.
