Facts

Southern California Diaper Bank

Helping Infants & Toddlers In Need

Facts

BARE FACTS

Infants need up to 12 diapers per day; toddlers up to 8 per day
A healthy change of diapers can cost up to $100 a month
In low-income households, babies and toddlers often spend the entire day or longer in one single diaper, because the family cannot afford to buy an adequate supply of diapers
Safety Net Programs such as food stamps and WIC do not cover diapers
Diaper manufacturers do not donate diapers
Food banks do not receive expired diapers (as they do food) from grocery stores since diapers do not have an expiration date
Cloth is not an option. Many poor families do not have washing machines and laundromats do not allow cloth diapers to be washed in their facilities, while childcare centers require disposable diapers to be left by parents.
There are 324,252 families with children under the age of 5 currently living at or below the poverty level within Southern California

DIRECT IMPACTS

Inadequate diaper changing increases the risk of numerous health problems including diaper rash and may be linked to an increase rate of hepatitis
Low income families cannot take advantage of free or subsidized childcare, if they cannot afford to leave disposable diapers at the childcare centers. An unfortunate consequence of an inadequate supply of diapers is work and school truancy among the caregivers
A baby crying from being in a soiled diaper for a prolonged period of time may be at a greater risk of physical abuse by the caregiver, as recognized in studies in patterns of abuse among low-income families