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A Clean Diaper Should Never Be Out of Reach
Through the lens of the National Diaper Bank Network, this article identifies diaper insecurity as a public health issue and examines its effects on child health, development, parental well-being, and access to child care and employment, while highlighting the importance of investments in diapers, health care, child care, and family support programs to help children thrive.
Troy Moore
Chief of External Affairs, National Diaper Bank Network
Troy Moore is Chief of External Affairs at the National Diaper Bank Network, where he leads strategic communications, public relations, and development efforts to help ensure every baby has access to the basic necessities they need to stay clean, dry and healthy. He brings decades of experience in communications, public affairs and nonprofit leadership.
The first thing people picture when they think about babies is joy.
Tiny fingers. First smiles. First steps.
What they don’t picture is a parent standing in a store aisle, calculating whether they can afford diapers this week or if the electric bill has to come first. They don’t picture a mother making the last diaper stretch just a little longer. Or a father missing work because he can’t send enough diapers with his child to child care.
At the National Diaper Bank Network, these aren’t rare stories. They’re everyday realities.
Nearly one in two families with young children experience diaper need in the United States (Source: The NDBN Diaper Check 2026). All parents work hard to provide what’s best for their children, but raising a baby has become increasingly expensive, especially for low-wage families. And while we all recognize diapers as basics that every baby requires, nutrition-based programs like SNAP and WIC don’t cover diapers.
The earliest years shape a lifetime. Every baby deserves to begin them with their basic needs met.
The First Years Can't Wait
We know the first years of life lay the foundation for everything that follows. Babies’ brains are growing rapidly, and loving, responsive relationships help shape healthy development.
But families can’t focus on bonding, play, and everyday moments of connection when they’re forced to make impossible choices between diapers, food, rent, and utilities.
Diaper need is about much more than diapers. A clean diaper protects a baby’s health, but it also helps parents stay employed, access child care, and reduce the daily stress that can make it harder to be emotionally present.
One in four parents experiencing diaper need report missing work or school because they didn’t have enough diapers required for child care. Seventy percent say they feel stressed or anxious about their responsibilities as a caregiver.
Those aren’t just statistics. They are barriers standing between babies and the strong start every child deserves.
Investing in Babies Starts With the Basics
Every day, diaper banks throughout the country help families through moments of crisis, but the heroic efforts of nonprofits and philanthropy alone cannot solve an affordability crisis.
The average cost of raising a young child has climbed to roughly $30,000 a year, and families with young children spend nearly 22% of their income on basic expenses.
If we want babies to thrive, we have to support the parents and caregivers raising them.
That means supporting public policies that ensure families have access to diapers, quality child care, health care, nutrition, and the other essentials that create the stable, nurturing environments every baby needs.
Because choosing to invest in the earliest years isn’t only about preparing children for the future.
It’s about ensuring families have the basics they need to care for their babies today.
