Help Keep Every Baby Clean and Healthy

All parents want their babies to grow up happy, healthy, and well cared for. But with diapers costing a monthly $100 per child, half of families in the United States struggle to afford a healthy supply of diapers for their babies (source: The NDBN Diaper Check, 2023). Despite the need, diapers are not covered under federal safety net programs like food stamps or WIC.

“Families are having to make impossible choices. It is not uncommon for us to hear that caregivers are going without meals in order to provide their children with enough diapers,” says Lisa Truong, the founder and executive director of Help a Mother Out (HAMO). 

According to HAMO’s annual survey of diaper retailers, the cost of diapers has risen 43% since 2020, forcing parents to scramble to make ends meet. 

“Diaper need is an economic justice issue. But there is a lot of individual shame around it. Caregivers don’t want to tell their social workers that they’re experiencing diaper need because they are afraid of being seen as an unfit parent,” says Truong.

Without enough diapers, caregivers are often forced to ration their supply, increasing the risk of infection for their babies. Children can’t attend early start and childcare centers as most programs require parents to provide diapers. Without access to childcare, parents cannot maintain the employment they need to keep their family clothed, fed, and housed. 

Access to diapers opens doors for parents and their young children – HAMO believes this basic need is the right of every family, and their team works daily to make this a reality. By providing diapers to families that need them, HAMO improves child health, reduces parental stress, and increases economic stability – with 91% of families saying it is easier to pay their bills and 96% saying their baby is healthier now that they have support from HAMO.

From 2022 to 2023, HAMO provided 7,709 local families with over 13.45 million diapers. These numbers show that diaper need is keenly felt in the Bay Area. “At Help a Mother Out, we want to remove this one item from a family’s budget so they can afford food, medicine, and other basic needs,” says Truong. “We have the power to put $100 back into a family’s monthly budget.”

Even with the worst of the pandemic behind us, continued economic instability is impacting hard-working families across the Bay Area. By providing diapers, Help a Mother Out makes sure families have one less thing to worry about, giving mothers and their babies the chance to thrive.