Wetness Indicator, I'm On To You!

They're super convenient, I know. Your little one peeps a squeal, you notice the wetness indicator changing colors, and off to the changing table you go! If you had to envision the scenario like an action novel, it would read something like this (names changed for privacy, so don't go Googling the characters or anything):

Sound of child wailing in the background, "Bbbbbwwwaaahhhhhhh!!!!."

"Don't worry daughter, I shall save thee!" screams Papa Hondo from the backyard where he's chopping wood. "WIFE, THERE'S TINKLE ON THE TOOTIE!"

"What?!" inquires Mama Xena from the laundry room where she's pressing underoos and socks.

"OUR DAUGHTER HAS URINATED!" explains Hondo in big people language as he lays down his axe.

"Fret not my dear, I'm en route; just waiting on another load of laundry to finish drying." proclaims mama cheerily.

They meet at the child's crib, and they are aghast. In unison they cry, "THE LINE IS BLUE!!!" NEED CHANGING MATERIALS STAT!"

Sounds of alarms and sirens can be heard throughout the neighborhood, and neighbors sally forth to offer comfort and assistance. Luckily, the diaper is changed, screaming subsides, and all returns to normalcy in short order. No more chapters, this story is set to repeat every 30 minutes or so.

Perhaps a bit dramatic, but it often feels like that when the first cries come out of your child like a livid banshee. At first, I loved the wetness indicators as well, but then I noticed something. We were changing a lot of diapers that didn't seem much heavier than when we put them on, and sometimes we changed them before the kiddo even sounded the alarm. I did some complicated math and realized that, on average, we changed about 5 more diapers a day when they had the wetness indicator. Doesn't seem like much, but that adds up to a jumbo pack of diapers extra each month. That's a big deal, especially over the course of a couple months. Honestly, we were changing them because of the possibility of a diaper rash or because we felt it was just the right thing for a parent to do.

My opinion is this. The wetness indicators are great in those first couple weeks at home when everyone is still trying to figure out the different cries and frequency of diaper changes. Once you think you've got it down, there's no reason you really need the indicator unless you have a child that doesn't seem to mind having an extremely soiled and drooping diaper. Naturally, my little girl sounds off like a fire alarm when the first drip starts to cool in the diaper. She has a built in wetness indicator.

For me, it simply comes down to cost. The diapers with the little lines usually cost more anyway, so it's like a double junk-punch. They cost more and get changed out more frequently. Brilliant, if you own stock in diapers. I do not.