View the 9/28/2021 Panel Event Recording Here!

In support of National Diaper Need Awareness Week, Cradles to Crayons hosted a panel of experts to discuss diaper need realities and highlight the current work aiming to support families across the United States who are facing this burden.

Moderator:  Lynn Margherio, Founder and CEO, Cradles to Crayons  

Panelists:
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, IL, End Diaper Need Act
Kimberly Owen, BBA, LPN, WCC, RAC-CT, Clinical Services Manager, First Quality eNanny
 Jerilynn Sams, Patient Care Coordinator, Mother/Baby Unit, Chicago Sinai Hospital
Larry Seamans, President, Family Aid Boston

COVID-19 has created unprecedented demand for diapers and increased visibility of the urgency of diaper need.

The average infant wears up to 12 diapers a day – that is 360 diapers in a month and roughly 4,320 diapers in a year for just one child. At an average of 22 cents per diaper, this monthly expense can range from $50 to $120. Diapers are one of the most crucial parts to dressing a young child from head to toe but many families lack the resources to afford the high cost of diapers, making diaper need a daily reality for too many families across the United States.  

The National Diaper Bank Network defines diaper need as “the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep an infant or child clean, dry, and healthy.” Before the pandemic, 1 in 3 families with young children faced diaper need across the United States. Since March 2020, Cradles to Crayons has seen diaper need increase more than 300%. Cradles to Crayons distributed nearly 11.3 million diapers during the past year and a half! Organizations like ours are critical for this support as there are currently no state or federal government benefits specific to providing funds for diapers.