A new report, issued by the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), found that one-third of low-income families are struggling to afford diapers. And for many families, this means making fewer diaper changes. One survey included in the CEA’s issues brief found that nearly 8 percent of the low-income families reported that they were forced to stretch the time between diaper changes to make their stock last, which increases children’s risk of infections and — in extreme cases — hospitalization.
The CEA issues brief, which was released on Thursday, comes as the White House works to close “The Diaper Gap” by finding new ways to help struggling families get basic necessities for their children — including diapers.
The White House’s specific plans to address this issue were laid out in a press release issued yesterday, December 22nd. And, according to the release, low-income families with infants and toddlers spend 14 percent of their income on diapers alone, leaving less money for other necessary living expenses.
“This pressure can lead to serious health problems for children and unimaginable stress for parents,” White House officials confirmed.
Lower-income families also face “surge pricing for diapers,” as White House officials wrote in March that low income families pay up to twice the price on diapers than higher-income families, who are able to order in bulk online, or with a paid subscription to get cheaper deals.
“Closing the Diaper Gap” became a White House initiative earlier this year, as they challenged the private sector to help struggling families gain access to basic childcare necessities.
So, What’s Being Done to Close the “Diaper Gap”?
According to White House officials, companies like Jet.com and First Quality have teamed up to form the JetCares Community Diaper Program. Through this program, over five million diapers were shipped to various nonprofit organizations, many of whom were able to double the number of diapers they could distribute to low-income families.
On Thursday, Huggies also announced its own diaper program, “No Baby Unhugged,” which will ship its diapers to different National Diaper Bank locations, where they will be sold in bulk at competitive prices. In 2016, Huggies and its partners through the “No Baby Unhugged” program will have donated more than 48 million diapers and wipes, and are making a final push to match Rewards Point diaper donations to help those in need.
Additionally, Pampers partnered with Feeding America to donate nearly 19 million diapers and 19 million baby wipes to food banks nationwide this year. The Honest Company also donated 3.3 million diapers and 1 million other baby products, according to officials. By the end of 2016, Baby2Baby, will have distributed about 5 million diapers to 120 nonprofits across the country.
How You Can Help:
- Hold a diaper drive in your community
- Post on social media your story using #DiaperGap
- For more information on the Huggies program, click here
