Spotlight on Diaper Need in California
By Jillian Keegan,
Projects Coordinator, CalCAPA
What if you had to choose between having food on the table for your family or clean diapers for your children? For many families in California, this choice is very real as parents in poverty are forced to prioritize their needs as they spend their limited incomes.
Diaper need is defined as the gap between the amount of diapers needed by a family and that family’s ability to afford those diapers. A newborn needs 8-12 diaper changes per day, indicating a family may need more than 300 diapers in a child’s first month of life to keep them clean and dry. An adequate diaper supply costs families around $80-100 monthly per child. For parents operating on tight budgets, affording diapers can mean going without food, utilities, or necessities for themselves, such as menstrual and other hygiene products.
California State Senator Nancy Skinner noted that families in poverty may be spending near 14% of their income on diapers. This, coupled with the fact that vital government assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) don’t cover the cost of diapers, leaves families in need struggling to meet the needs of their children.
There are other costs associated with diaper need beyond the initial financial burden of purchasing diapers. Most childcare facilities require a daily diaper supply to be provided by the parents for their children. If parents cannot afford to meet this requirement, their children may not be allowed at the facility. According to the National Diaper Bank Network, 25% of parents will miss school or work due to lack of diaper supply, reducing the potential for families to improve their financial situations.
Another cost associated with diaper need is the potential medical expenses for not having enough diapers to keep a child clean and dry. Medical complications such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and diaper dermatitis (DD) in infants are associated with the frequency of diaper changes. When families in poverty stretch their diaper resources, such as going longer between diaper changes to ration their diaper supply, potential health outcomes can end up causing exponential financial burden.
Diapers are not an optional cost when it comes to raising children, but when resources are slim, this necessity may be overlooked to afford food and shelter. When diaper distribution programs can help alleviate diaper need by filling the gap, parents are able to afford other necessities and attend work and school, and the family has a range of positive outcomes.
The California Community Action Network is committed to connecting families in poverty to the resources they need. Through the California DDDRP and programs at the Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAPOC) and the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC), our network continues to address diaper need in our communities. This monthly blog series aims to bring awareness to diaper burden and need in California and highlight the programs our network has implemented to address the needs of its community members.