Could you imagine what you would do if you couldn’t afford diapers for your newborn baby? A new nationwide study conducted by the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) and Huggies reveal that more than one-in-three surveyed families – including parents and other household members – reported struggling with diaper need in 2017, with the average household in need falling 19 diapers short each month.The 36 percent experiencing diaper need is slightly higher than the 34 percent recorded in a 2010 Huggies survey of mothers alone.
Following the initial 2010 survey, the diaper bank community has grown substantially to more than 300 NDBN member programs serving local families, from 40 in 2011, and so has the number of diapers and dollars donated to help keep babies clean, dry, and healthy. The new study provides an updated and comprehensive portrait of the impact of diaper need on families and the pervasiveness of the issue nationwide. And it makes clear the need to expand overall awareness of diaper need as well as community support for diaper bank programs and services.
Two-in-three families (65%) surveyed said they weren’t aware of diaper banks, even though the NDBN and its community-based diaper bank programs distributed more than 52 million diapers in 2016.6 Huggies, the largest supplier of donated diapers to NDBN, has contributed over 200 million diapers and wipes since its founding sponsorship of the Network in 2011.
The new study also underscored that families reporting diaper need encompass a wide array of ages, racial groups, and income levels. Of those identifying as in diaper need, 96 percent are under 45 years of age, with the majority (55%) between 25 to 34. Most respondents are married (65%). Two-thirds are employed, with 14 percent working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Diaper need can cause even more problems:
-Increases economic hardship and high levels of stress in families striving to provide enough diapers and other necessities, including food, clothing, and housing. This impacts their physical and mental health.
-Increases health risks, such as more frequent cases of diaper rash and urinary tract infections (UTI) for babies and toddlers left in dirty or reused diapers for prolonged periods of time.
– Affects respondents’ ability to go to work and school. Almost three-in-five parents in diaper need (57%) missed work or school in the past month because they didn’t have enough diapers when dropping their children off at childcare, daycare or early education programs. On average, parents in diaper need missed work or school four days in the past month.
The NDBN and Huggies study sought to identify the effect on families who can’t afford the average cost of $18 a week for the six-to-ten diapers a baby needs daily–equal to an estimated 3,000 in the first year. When they’re short of diapers, two-in-five families (39%) said they stretch the diapers used by keeping a child in the same diaper longer. Research has found that this practice increases a child’s risk for skin rashes and urinary tract infections, among other serious side effects. Accordingly, the survey found that 54 percent of respondents in need took a child to the doctor to treat diaper rash, with one-in-four taking a child three or more times in the past year.
Individuals and organizations interested in helping families experiencing diaper need can visit a local diaper bank or even host a diaper drive with a neighborhood, school or local organization. The National Diaper Bank Network active membership includes more than 300 diaper banks, diaper pantries and food banks located in 47 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. To find a diaper bank near you, visit nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org.