Economy

1 in 3 American Families Struggle to Buy Diapers

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 11, 2016 6:27 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 12:05 pm

The Obama administration plans to solve a little known problem, which is that almost one-third of American families struggle to buy diapers. The effort also provides illumination of the plight of low-income households that, with the most modest of budgets, cannot afford to buy much.

In a statement released by the White House, Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council, wrote:

This can lead to serious health problems for babies and parents. Young children can end up hospitalized with problems like urinary tract or staph infections. Imagine the stress of not being able to afford the basics that your baby needs – not a small matter for struggling parents and caregivers. When families can’t afford a healthy number of diapers for their babies, they’re faced with a choice between buying diapers and paying for food, rent, or utilities like heat. That’s a choice that no family should have to make. In the worst case, over time these kinds of stressors can contribute to the incidence of abuse and neglect of young children.

So, the problem is reasonably described as one result of income inequality.

The issue will not be resolved soon, because the administration does not have the tools to do so:

There is also no federal assistance for purchasing diapers, unlike other essentials like food or health insurance. Programs like WIC, SNAP, Medicaid help provide parents with nutritious foods and the supports they and their babies need to stay healthy, and the President’s budget has called for $10 million to test effective ways to get diapers to families in need and document the health improvements that result. But unless Congress acts, we don’t have a program to help struggling families buy diapers for their children.

Therefore, the weight of solving it has been thrown to the nonprofits and the private sector, such as diaper manufacturers:

By calling these companies and non-profits to the table, we are breaking down the barriers to access and harnessing the tools of the new economy so that they can benefit all families. When you have a baby, diapers are a necessity. They are not optional. Addressing the high cost of diapers for low-income families can help to take one more burden off those families as they strive to reach the middle class, and give the next generation the great start in life that all kids deserve.

Unfortunately, rallying so many companies and groups has rarely been successful, no matter what the challenge.