One-third of American families don’t have the diapers they need to keep babies clean, dry, and healthy. With diapers costing roughly $1,000 a year, many families struggle to afford (PDF) this necessity—especially families with multiple children in diapers and families with low incomes.

Some diapers are more affordable than others, but access to more-affordable diapers is not equitable. Many families facing transportation challenges, and those who have to rely on higher-priced convenience stores rather than big-box stores pay top dollar for diapers.

Nonprofit diaper banks collect and distribute diapers to families, but studies have found that local diaper banks are only able to reach a small share of families in need. Home visiting programs can help fill that gap. These programs provide education and parenting support to families facing a range of challenges.

For the first time—because of pandemic relief funds allocated to the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program—home visiting programs can now use MIECHV funds to purchase diapering supplies for eligible families and deliver donated diapers to families in coordination with local diaper banks. By partnering with local diaper banks, home visiting programs can reduce diaper need among the families they serve and improve family engagement with home visitors.

Federal assistance programs aren’t enough to help families access affordable diapers. Families in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children aren’t allowed to use those benefits to buy diapers.

When families run low on diapers, they may need to make the difficult choice of not sending children to child care because programs require parents to send in disposable diapering supplies. As a result, children may miss out on early learning opportunities, and parents may have to miss work or school to care for their children.

Research indicates that mothers who cannot afford a sufficient supply of diapers are more likely to experience maternal depression, poor mental health, and parenting stress. They may also face judgment from others, which can be compounded by pervasive biases about the parenting of families with lower incomes.

Read the full article about improving family services by Heather Sandstrom and Juanita Jaramillo at Urban Institute.