A month’s worth of diapers for babies and toddlers can cost $100/mo. and up. And at inner-city convenience stores, where low-income families are more likely to shop, diapers cost exponentially more than they do at big box stores or online. Even for middle-class families, this can become a burden, when considering the other costs of having children, like day-care, food, clothes, doctor’s visits, and toys. For low-income and poverty-stricken families, this can become an almost insurmountable difficulty.

Consider that full time work (40 hours/wk.) at minimum wage in California ($8/hr.) grosses just $1,280/mo., while average social security benefits are just $875/mo. On average, housing eats up 35% or more of household income for 41%+ of Los Angeles residents. Added together, this is just $2,155, while 40% of one’s budget on rent leaves a low-income family with just $1,293 per month to pay for transportation, food, utilities, and more. Can you imagine paying for all these costs on this small amount of money, all while raising a child (or perhaps two?); what if you were doing this as a single parent?

It’s a common mis-conception that diaper donations are easy to come-by. But in fact, diaper manufacturers do not provide low or no-cost diapers unless a parent has quadruplets (or more), and have a publicist who will help raise the profile of the family. While child care costs are sometimes subsidized, there are no subsidies for diapers in California. Traditional government programs for low-income and poverty-stricken families (like WIC, or food stamps) also do not cover the cost of diapers, leaving a gaping hole in public assistance for families with children in diapers.

Cloth diapers are not a solution
People often ask about cloth diapers, and why they aren’t the answer to the problem of providing clean diapers for low-income families. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors which make cloth diapers a less-than-ideal solution, most notably that low-income families do not have access to private washing machines. Public facilities, such as laundromats, do not allow cloth diapers to be laundered due to hygiene concerns. The transportation costs to-and-from locations where cloth diapers can be washed is also a burden on these families. Most importantly, the daycare providers on which low-income families rely, to help move out of poverty through education or work, do not allow cloth diapers.

The consequences of dirty diapers
Babies in poor households may be in a single diaper all day, or longer, if their parent cannot afford fresh diapers. These babies in soiled diapers suffer from numerous health problems, including skin diseases and even Hepatitis. And worst of all, a baby in a soiled diaper will cry for a prolonged period of time, sometimes resulting in child abuse.