Why Diapers?

"Diaper need" is a lack of sufficient supply of diapers to keep babies clean, dry, and healthy. Diapers cost over $1,000 every year, a cost that nearly 1 in 2 families struggle with in our country. Government assistance programs, like food stamps, Medicaid, and WIC, do NOT cover diapers. Diaper need affects our community: over 8,000 children are at risk of diaper need in the Athens, GA community.

The Real Cost of Diaper Need

Physical Health

When families don’t have enough diapers, they may re-use soiled ones or leave a baby in a dirty diaper too long. This puts children at risk of diaper rash, UTIs, staph infections, and costly medical care that can strain families further.

Mental Health

Diaper need takes a toll on caregivers’ mental health. Seventy percent of parents report feeling stressed or anxious, and 53% feel judged negatively because they couldn’t provide enough diapers, adding to emotional strain.

Basic Needs

Diaper need forces families into impossible choices, like deciding between buying diapers or paying for food, rent, and other essentials. More than 1 in 4 parents report skipping their own meals to afford diapers, creating added stress and strain for the whole household.

Emotional Health

Mothers facing diaper need are more likely to experience stress and mental health challenges. This emotional burden can affect the entire family and influence how caregivers care for their children.

Economic Stability

A lack of diapers often keeps babies home from daycare, which prevents parents from working or attending school. One in four parents experiencing diaper need miss an average of 5.1 workdays each month, affecting household income and long-term stability.

Social Development

Without clean diapers, babies can’t participate in early childhood education or social opportunities, limiting healthy growth, peer interaction, and developmental milestones.

Diaper Need
in Georgia

Georgia’s 5 diaper banks provide nearly 1.4 million diapers annually, helping over 2,300 children monthly. There are over 8,000 children at risk of diaper need in the Athens, GA community.

25% of parents experiencing diaper need had to miss work because they did not have enough diapers for daycare. These parents missed an average 5.1 days of work because they didn’t have enough diapers.

Working parents who received help from a diaper bank said that without the help, they would have to work 19 fewer hours each month. In Georgia, this means more than $138 each month (based on minimum wage).

Personal income increases 11-fold for every $1 invested in diaper assistance.

In Georgia, 65% of mothers with infants are in the workforce.

Sources

GA Diaper Facts - provided by National Diaper Bank Network.
Porter and Steefel. Diaper Need: A Change for Better Health. Pediatric Nursing. 2015.
Diaper Check 2023. The National Diaper Bank Network. https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/the-ndbn-diaper-check/
Smith et al. Diaper Need and Its Impact on Child Health. Pediatrics. 2013.
National Economic Impact Study - by National Diaper Bank Network (in press)
Massengale et al. Diaper Need Met Among Low-Income US Children Younger Than 4 Years in 2016. American Journal of Public Health. 2020.
Carstensen and Gunther. The Social and Economic Impacts of the Diaper Bank of Connecticut. 2018.

Additional information and stats can be found at the National Diaper Bank Network.