I recently purchased 2 bags of diapers from CVS in New York City. I was charged with 4.875% of sales tax. I then looked up new sales tax info and even call 311(NYC hotline). They both confirmed that there are 0 percent sales tax on clothing and footwear under $110 in New York City. Diapers are considered clothing.

After going into the store and being treated like an idiot, I sent an comment to CVS and asked for an explanation. Here is the response I got from CVS:

Dear Punhon (redacted):

Thank you for contacting CVS/pharmacy regarding your purchase of Huggies Diapers.

Effective August 1, 2009, New York City now taxes clothing and diapers are considered clothing. The 4.875% tax rate you were charged is correct.

Again, Punhon, thank you for contacting CVS/pharmacy.

Sincerely,

Laura
CVS/pharmacy
Customer Relations
07684510

I'm no tax lawyer, but the New York state tax code seems to disagree with CVS:

The exemption from New York City's local tax for clothing and footwear regardless of the cost is repealed, and New York City will conform to the New York State exemption for clothing and footwear costing less than $110 per item or pair. As of August 1, 2009, purchases of clothing and footwear costing $110 or more per item or pair in New York City are subject to the full 8 7/8% rate of tax. Purchases costing less than $110 remain fully exempt.

Diapers are expensive enough on their own, let alone when apparently unlawful sales taxes are piled on. New Yorkers, be sure not to buy more than $110 worth per purchase. And if you do spend less, check that sales receipt to make sure you're not improperly dinged for a tax you shouldn't have to pay.

(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane)

Presumably, mothers can also save money with cloth diapers. In fact, in the interest of self-preservation and the yearning to never rinse out a soiled piece of cloth over the sink, I'd like to advance the notion that ONLY mothers can save on cloth diapers. Fathers should stick exclusively with bundle-and-chuck disposables, or even better, should never have to change diapers at all.

But those are the musings of a not-so-great dad. Here's what a great one has to say:

Some have estimated that an average baby goes through approximately 5,840 diapers in their first two years, which can add up significantly in cost. By using cloth diapers, fathers can save money and use the savings for either dental checkups or clothing for their new baby.

The Real Diaper Association estimates that most diapers cost 25.5 cents each, which adds up to about $1,500 for the first two years of a child's life. And this is only assuming that your child is potty trained by age 2.

By the way, if you can somehow pull the miracle of potty-training your tot by 2 — at that rate, your baby will be dunking on LeBron by age 5 — you'll get jealous glares from all the other parents at the playdates.

Fathers can save money with cloth diapers [GreatDad.com]
(Photo: the c-side)

I am one of those few mothers who decided she really wanted to do cloth diapers on her baby. Trouble is, cloth diapering has been out of style for decades, and it's hard to find a local place to buy cloth diapers let alone find someone who actually supports doing cloth rather than disposable. Thankfully, the Internet gives you great access to lots of cloth diapering information from how to do it, what to buy, and where to buy it. I chose to buy from cottonbabies.com because of all the articles and support they have to help their customers be successful with cloth diapering. I just didn't realize how committed they were to helping their customers use cloth until last week.

Last August, two months before my child was born, I bought $600 of a particular brand of cloth diapers from them. (I know, $600 sounds like a lot, but I was planning to use them with a 2nd and possibly a 3rd child, so I bought more than recommended to rotate through them more and have them last longer.) I diligently followed the directions in the care of these diapers from day one. However, they started leaking on me. I read through the FAQs on cottonbabies.com to try and solve the leaking problem. It would work for a few days, maybe even a week, but then they would start leaking again. I did everything they recommended to get the leaking to stop and nothing worked. Finally, I gave up and packed them up. I then wrote them an email in the afternoon of Tuesday, June 30 describing the problems I have had, trying to fix it, and finally just giving up. I honestly didn't expect anything for the diapers because they had been used for 9 months and definitely looked like it. I just wanted to let them know that the diapers I had purchased didn't work.

I received an auto-reply email from them about an hour later stating that they had received my email and they would respond soon. I really didn't think anything about that. I was amazed, however, that a CSR replied with a personal email to me that same evening and asked me to call them the next morning. I'll admit I was hesitant to do so because I figured I would just get the run-of-the-mill try to convince to try everything I have already tried to fix the diapers phone conversation. I was pleasantly surprised. I talked to Angie who just talked briefly to me about the fit (I assured her I had already tried that), and then she promptly asked me if I wanted replacement diapers or a full store credit for them. (She also asked me if I had found any other cloth diapering options that were working for me. I told her I had, but I really didn't want to spend much more on diapers. I appreciate the fact that she was that concerned with my current cloth diapering situation.) Since I was disenchanted with the brand I had originally chose, I opted for the store credit. She had me return my current diapers which I did that morning. One week later (July 8), I received an email stating that they had received my diapers and that I had a full store credit waiting for me. Because of this, I can now try different brands of cloth diapers without feeling I'm just going more in the hole. This company really made me feel like I have a supportive and trustworthy place to go in my often lonely efforts to cloth diaper. Thanks for your help.

Now, that's a company that really believes in the product they sell—even when they aren't the manufacturer. It's the company's dedication to cloth diapering in general that made Rachel's experience so special and earned her trust.
(Photo: terren in Virginia)

3 Ways To Make Your Baby Cheaper Without Harming It:

1. Don't bother with convertible mattresses. Convertible mattresses are soft on one side (for toddlers) and firmer on the other for infants. And they're pricy. But they're also not necessary. CR says,

"Your baby will still be happy with a firm mattress when he becomes a toddler."

2. Skip the shopping cart covers Give the cart a wipe instead.

"These days, many supermarkets supply sanitizing wipes for cleaning the cart handle and seat when you walk in, and the wipes can do a good job of reducing the germ load. If the store doesn't provide them, keep a small supply of disinfecting wipes in your purse or diaper bag. Even after wiping, keep your baby from gnawing on the handle by bringing his favorite teething toy."

3. Disposable diapers-go with the store brand. Yes, the name brands tested better, but Consumer Reports says... who cares?

"Saving pennies per diaper may not seem like much, but with 10 or so changes per day (which is reasonable with an infant), you'll bank about $9 per month and $108 per year using the size 1 store brand diapers."

For more info, click here.

Baby cost-cutters that don't skimp on safety [CR]
(Photo:Jonathan Harford)

Reader Sean says:

I bought 6 boxes of the old ones for the “free” 24 diapers.

Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure you can just explain to your baby that it needs to stop pooing so much.

Or something.

Through the VocalPoint front company, 600,000 moms are employed to reach other moms.

"By crafting product messages mothers will want to share, along with giving them samples, coupons, and a chance to share their own opinions with P&G, the Cincinnati consumer-product giant is using personal endorsements to cut through advertising clutter. "We know that the most powerful form of marketing is an advocacy message from a trusted friend," says Steve Knox, Vocalpoint's CEO."

Spotting P&G shills is easy, just look out for the friend constantly handing you Pampers coupons.

"I Sold It Through The Grapevine" [BusinessWeek via Mr. Consumer]

Last November the online superstore did the same, except the minimum order was $79.

Which, as Greg Allen of Daddytypes.com pointed out to us, makes one feel like Pavlov's dog, being conditioned to order a garageful of diapers one month, then a $31 stack of DVD's the next.

Yes, back in Pavlov s day before Amazon.com little Fido sure ran up a high Blockbuster bill.

Qualifying Products, Details, N -Dad-Stuff [Daddytypes]

Alongside food and fire crackers, Chinese are adding a new item to their lunar New Year shopping: Adult diapers. Sales have soared ahead of the holiday as travelers prepare for long trips home aboard trains so crowded that even the toilets are jammed with people, newspapers said Tuesday.