Every parent knows that diapers are an expensive necessity. Disposable diapers cost as much as twenty to thirty cents per diaper, and an infant can go through up to twelve diapers a day. Keeping a baby or toddler in diapers can add up to more than $100 per month per child. And for families who do not live near a large discount retailer and must rely on a corner grocery or drug store, the cost can be much higher.

Cloth diapering is not an option for many families. Working parents who rely on day care are often required to provide disposable diapers for their baby. And cloth diapers are not a viable option for families without access to a washing machine. In fact, some laundry facilities do not even allow cloth diapers.

Government subsidies such as Link (food stamps) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) do not cover the cost of diapers.

For struggling families, the expense of disposable diapers often competes with other living expenses like food and transportation. Parents may have to forgo meals or the bus fare needed to get to work in order to purchase diapers. Or worse, they may be forced to put their baby’s health and well being at risk, by leaving the baby in a soiled diaper for an extended period of time or attempting to wash and reuse disposable diapers. Such practices can lead to skin diseases, hepatitis and other health problems, not to mention fussy babies, who are more likely to be mistreated by caregivers.

“We’re definitely seeing major effects of the economy: Diapers are very expensive, and the longer you sit in a dirty diaper, the more likely the chances of an infection,” Dr. Taylor says.

Diapering a child six times a day costs about $1,500 a year, according to diaper makers, so it isn’t hard to see how it could become a burden on families dealing with chronic unemployment or struggling to cover rising costs.” — see the full article from Wall Street Journal, October 2011

 

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“The Greater Chicago Food Depository serves more than 60,000 children younger than 5, said Bob Dolgan, a spokesman for the depository. Mr. Dolgan said in an e-mail that when they have diapers “they fly off our shelves to pantries and soup kitchens.”

Velma Brown-Walker, program director at the Jadonal E. Ford Center for Adolescent Parenting, a Roman Catholic organization, said clients found diapers hard to afford because they cannot be bought with most forms of government assistance like food stamps.” — see the full article from New York Times, December 2010