Diaper Doublers, apartment life and CARPET

I have a lucky Duck. Duck can wear generic diapers with no problems. I don't have to spend oodles of cash on Huggies or Pampers, I can buy Target brand diapers. I only spend about $35 a month on diapers. Yep, you read it right $35.

That's TWO cases of Target size 5 and one package of Diaper Doublers. What are Diaper Doublers you ask? Diaper Doublers are basically maxi pads with no plastic backing. Kind of like the ones you get after delivery in the hospital. Nice and absorbent. The goal is to stop leaking by doubling the capacity of the diaper.

I first heard about Doublers from a mom on my local mommy board. I was complaining that Duck was leaking through his diapers at night. So, I figured at $2.99 for a pack of 30, I couldn't beat the cost of an experiment. So, I went to Publix to buy them. For those not in the south, Publix is a major grocery store here in Florida......oh how I miss Meijer's back home in MI, though. Anyway, I was a bit skeptical at first, but wanted to have a dry Duck with dry pajamas and a dry bed. So, we tried them when he was about a year maybe? Perhaps a bit younger.

Well, at 2.5, it's a nightly ritual. RARELY do they fail me. And that's only when I put it in his last diaper and then he has more to drink. Duck knows that when I change that last diaper and put in the Doubler, that it's time for night-night. He gets up and heads right to his room.

I don't use Doublers because I buy store brand diapers. I use them only a nap and bedtime because he goes so long between diaper changes. I have friends who use them in Huggies and Pampers as well. I just can't see spending $28-$30 on a case of diapers that I can buy at Target for $15.

The sitter even uses them at naptime at her house (well, when I remember to pack them in his bag that is).

Unfortunately for Target, Publix is the only store in my area that carries Diaper Doublers. So, while I'm at Publix, I generally pick up a few other things that I need that I could EASILY buy at Target, like Gerber pear juice. But why make multiple trips, right? Why can't Target just carry these? After all they're a nationwide store, they could help mommies nationwide.

Oh, and for that matter, why can't you buy Target brand diapers on the Target website? I've bought other things on Target.com, Duck's Britax Marathon for example. Which, btw, is an AWESOME car seat.

I've decided to start a list of all the real reasons I hate apartment life:
1. Carpet in Florida apartments is just plain SILLY. Not like you need it to maintain warmth like you do back in Michigan.
2. The neighbor's private life ain't so private.
3. The other neighbor's alarm clock is set at an unGodly hour and typically will wake my toddler by 6:30 so that I don't have to set an alarm.
4. The upstairs neighbor that just moved in likes to vacuum after 9 p.m. when said toddler is trying to fall asleep.
5. The carpet is the cheapest stuff you can find with the lowest grade of padding. Brand new can have obvious wear patterns in just six months.
6. BUGS BUGS BUGS. No matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of them. I mean, I realize bugs are a part of living in FL, but that doesn't mean I have to have them in my house 24/7. My current battle is with the damn ants that live in the walls.
7. No place to play. I know some complexes have really nice playgrounds or tot lots. Ours does not. They have a volleyball court and a pool. I wish we had a playground for Duck to run around in.
8. SPEEDERS. We're in a corner building, right off the main road. Enough said about that.
9. Having to clean up after the last tenant because the complex didn't do so.....we walked into our current place and found DIRTY BOXERS between the washer and dryer.....really, they were pretty much in plain site.

Reason I hate cleaning carpet:
1. infant vomit......when Duck was a baby, I eventually starting feeding him with a bed blanket between us and covering the couch and floor. You know that scene in Shrek 3 where the baby projectiles? Yeah, that was Duck.
2. toddler vomit.......I just LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the fact that my child walks out of his room, looks at me, and then vomits right in the middle of the floor. Yeah,my "favorite" was about 20 minutes before company was set to arrive.
3. toddler poop......everything from pellets to the runny stuff. Three times in one week is just insane.
4. husbands......full cans of pop/soda out left out overnight only for Duck to find it in the morning so he can empty the contents onto the floor.
5. water droplets......even the tiniest water droplet that doesn't get sopped up immediately can turn into a black spot within a day or so.
6. broken water pipes.......twice in the first 90 days we were in this apartment, the same pipe broke nearly flooding our apartment. The first time happened in the middle of the night and thankfully E had gone to check on Duck one last time around 3:30 a.m. He stepped in a half inch of water.
7. frozen A/C pipes.......when I was gone for two weeks, E inadvertently froze up the A/C unit.....when it thawed out, I had wet carpet.
8. leak in the wall for Duck's bathroom caused his carpet to get wet every time we gave him a bath. That was not a good thing.
9. takes FOREVER to dry. See #6.....the first time we wound up spending the weekend at Disney so they could get the repairs done and carpet dry.

So, yeah, my Bissell Little Green has earned it's cost. Though I think if we do wind up in a house that has carpet, I will buy a bigger machine. My goal, though, is to find a nice house with ceramic tile and/or hardwood floors throughout. I can buy a rug.....I can Swiffer every day.....but I will not WILLINGLY go into a house that is carpet throughout again.