For long term diapering in an emergency situation, cloth diapers are the way to go. They are reusable, washable,and you don’t need to loot your local store when a disaster hits because you’re worried about running out of diapers. Image may be NSFW.
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And cloth diapers aren’t what they used to be. There are some really nice designs out by makers like bumGeniusImage may be NSFW.
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and Charlie BananaImage may be NSFW.
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. They don’t use pins, “rubber pants”, etc. and are available in specific sizes (small, medium, large–check each manufacturers website for sizing charts) or “one size” that adjusts from newborn to toddler size with one diaper. Cloth diapers have come a long way since my baby sisters were using them.
However great the merits of cloth diapering, cloth diapering every day isn’t for everyone. Some of us really don’t mind using disposable diapers. In fact, a lot of people use disposable diapers and aren’t ready or willing to make the switch to cloth diapers. That’s okay. You can still be prepared for an emergency if you are using disposable diapers.
The first thing to do is to stock up on diapers. Have a few packs around in the size your baby is wearing plus some in the next size up. If your baby grows out of size 2′s before you use all the 2′s in your stash, just return them to the store you bought them from and exchange them for 3′s or 4′s or whatever. Most stores don’t have a problem doing a straight across exchange even if you’ve had the diapers for 3 or 4 months at your house.
For a little more emergency diaper insurance, you can buy some cloth diapers. Yes, they’re expensive, especially if you’re not planning on using them except in an emergency. However, whether you use them or not, when your baby is past diaper age you can always sell them on craigslist or ebay or some other classified ad type system and recoup most of your cost. In fact, you can buy them there in the first place and probably save a bit on your up front cost. So, say you purchase a 6 pack of diapers for around $100.00. In two years (or three+ years) your little guy is potty trained and no longer needing diapers and what do you know? There never was an emergency where you needed to use the diapers in those two years. So list them as new on your classifieds of choice, sell them for $90.00 (they are two years old even if they haven’t been used, plus this will make sure they sell quickly), subtract your fees for selling (if any) and for around $10-$15 you had emergency diaper insurance for those two years your little one was in diapers. If you ended up using them, you can still get a good price for them when you’re done using them if they’ve been kept clean and in good repair. Even if you end up keeping them (maybe you’ll have another kid sometime or want to have them available for a friend/neighbor/grandkids), $100 really isn’t all that much for diaper insurance.
If you are planning on using cloth diapers for emergencies, do be sure you have a good way of washing them. You’ll need to be washing often, especially if you aren’t purchasing very many of them for your emergency stash.
Give it some thought. You for sure don’t want to be caught without a way to diaper your baby in an emergency or long term survival situation. That would really stink.
