• Diaperkind

  718-965-9555, diaperkind.com

  The mountain of waste created by a single baby’s disposable diapers may be abominable, but so is the alternative: filthy cloth diapers—especially if you don’t own a washer and dryer. New nappie-pickup service Diaperkind takes out much of the nastiness of cloth diapers, while leaving in most of the virtue (that is, if you ignore the carbon footprint question). Here’s how it works: You are provided with 100 to 180 prefolded organic-cotton-twill diapers (the younger the baby the more diapers you need); a set of Snappis, rubber T-shaped straps with dull teeth to secure around the baby (an evolutionary leap from safety pins); and breathable, waterproof covers that fasten with Velcro or hooks. Dirties are picked up at your front door every week (mostly in the wee hours of 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.), and a batch of clean, sanitized replacements are left for the following week. All for a flat fee of $35 (plus a start-up cost of $183.50 for the Snappis, covers, soap, and a diaper pail), which, over the total period of diapering, rivals the cost of the trash-can variety.

From the 2011 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine