By Sarah Carmona
Sarah Carmona is the Government Relations, Advocacy & Data Manager at 914Cares, in Westchester, NY. 914Cares is a basic needs distribution center and member of the National Diaper Bank Network that distributes approximately 1 million diapers to Westchester families in-need annually.
3.62 million babies were born in the United States last year. Infants go through an average of nine diapers a day, at an average cost of 30 cents each, costing their caregivers approximately $1,000 during that critical first year. Because of this significant cost, babies do not always have access to the diapers they need. In fact, nearly 1 in 2 U.S. families with young children report struggling to afford diapers. And this struggle has been ever growing—since the pandemic, the cost of diapers has grown 48%.
While there may be strategies to cutting costs on diapers, such as bulk purchasing or using cloth options, for low-income families, these upfront investments are not realistic. You might think that for such an essential item, there must be some sort of program to help families with the cost of diapers, but this is not the case. TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) is the only government program that allows for the purchase of diapers, but only about 23% of families living below the Federal Poverty Line receive TANF. And with these limited funds, diapers are not necessarily the item being prioritized when a family is struggling to afford food, rent, utilities, and more.
This is where the End Diaper Need Act comes in. Introduced in both the Senate (by Senator Duckworth, Senator Cramer and Senator Welch) and the Assembly (by Representative DeLauro and Representative Watson Coleman), this would do two things: 1) Allocate $200 million annually to programs that address diaper need, and 2) Define diapers as being “medically necessary”—meaning that families would be able to use their health savings accounts and HRAs to purchase diapers. The End Diaper Need Act was first introduced in 2011 by Representative DeLauro and has been introduced and struck down in every session since then (seven times in total). At 914Cares, we are hopeful that this year’s results will be different, and that our representatives will recognize the widespread and pressing issue of diaper need. Enacting the End Diaper Need Act is the solution to improve the state of diaper need in our country.
When a baby doesn’t have an adequate supply of diapers, they are often left in the same diaper much longer than they should be, which can lead to UTIs, rashes, and in some cases, trips to the ER. The baby doesn’t bear the burden of diaper need alone; families also feel the impact. Many daycare centers require diapers to be provided by caregivers, but cannot provide an adequate supply, parents are forced to miss work, leading to lost wages, and putting the family deeper into financial distress. Moms Rising heard from one family in Brooklyn facing this very challenge: “I can’t tell you how many times I missed out on going to work because I did not have any diapers to provide at the childcare center.” This family is not alone. 1 in 4 parents report having missed work or school because they can’t afford diapers. This inability to adequately provide for their babies can have a serious impact on the caregivers’ mental health, as well as the baby’s physical well-being. 75% of moms cite feeling helpless when they can’t afford diapers for their baby.
Families should not have to struggle with diaper need any longer, especially when solutions like The End Diaper Need Act exist. You can help make a difference. It takes just minutes to reach out to your local representatives to encourage them to support this critically-needed legislation: Urge Your Legislator to Support the End Diaper Need Act