1 in 3 American families report experiencing diaper need (the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to to keep an infant or child clean, dry and healthy). Diaper need affects not only a child’s health, but also parental mental health and family well-being.
Here are a few more facts from the National Diaper Bank Network:
- 5.2 million children in the U.S. aged three or younger live in poor or low-income families. {In Cole county, Missouri, 30% of children under age 6 lived in poverty in 2017.*}
- Infants require up to 12 diapers per day, toddlers about 8.
- Disposable diapers can cost $70 to $80 per month per baby.
- No state or federal child safety-net program allocates dollars specifically for the purchase of diapers.
- Without transportation, buying diapers at a convenience store rather than a large “big box” store can significantly increase the monthly cost of diapers.
- Most childcare centers, even free and subsidized facilities require parents to provide a day’s supply of disposable diapers.
Click here to read scholarly journal articles, reports and other publications examining the association between diaper need and social, health and economic outcomes.
*From the 2019 Missouri KIDS COUNT Databook, available here.
Capital City Diaper Bank 