geoff: It's an often invisible
part of poverty in America --
the high cost of diapers.
Even though more than five
million babies and toddlers
across the country live in
low-income families, most
government programs don't
provide diapers or funding to
purchase them.
Correspondent Ali rogin looks at
how some some families are
coping and how some
organizations are stepping in to
help.
Ali: It's drop-off time at
jubilee jumpstart, a childcare
center for lower-income families
in downtown Washington, D.C.
Kia Ross, who works at a
different ec -- different D.C.
School, has a busy day ahead.
So does her one-year-old son,
azai.
Doing his daily reading, eating
his steps in and climbing the
corporate ladder.
But no matter what azai gets
into or on top of, he'll be
clean and healthy, thanks to a
precious, increasingly expensive
item provided here for free:
Diapers.
How much peace of mind does it
give you when you know azai has
the diapers he needs when he
comes here?
Kia: It brings a lot.
Two boxes of diapers go for like
$100.
So it does help me because it
keeps my financials stability
stable.
Ali: Jubilee jumpstart provides
50 diapers for each child per
month, and more by request.
Single mom Kia keeps most of
azai's diapers in his classroom.
Kia: I know that I can ask or
suggest to jubilee like hey,
this month might be a little bit
short.
Do you think you can lend me
some diapers in the you know,
they would be like, here is a
bunch, here you go.
Ali: Unchanged diapers can lead
to health problems for babies,
like diaper rash and urinary
tract infections.
And beyond the child's health,
studies have linked diaper need
with maternal depression.
Dee Dee parker Wright is the
executive director of jubilee
jumpstart.
Dee Dee: We consider early
childhood early parenthood.
It happens at the same time.
So when we are able to alleviate
that stress for a parent, we
enhance what's happening for a
baby with their parent.
Ali: Jubilee jumpstart is one of
75 organizations that gets their
diapers from the greater D.C.
Diaper bank.
They're on track to deliver 10
million diapers by the end of
the year.
That's five times as many as
before the pandemic.
The head of the diaper bank,
Rebecca kolowé, says they still
use their pandemic emergency
model, giving larger quantities
of diapers to regional
distribution hubs.
Rebecca: The need continues to
persist.
The pandemic just made it easier
to ask for help and became less
taboo because everybody needed
help.
Ali: The bank was founded in
2010, by a new mother who was
struggling despite having
everything her baby needed.
She asked different charities
what parents requested the most.
The answer then, as it is now:
Diapers.
It now serves more than 30
thousand -- 30,000 families a
year in DC, northern Virginia
and Maryland.
It buys some diapers wholesale,
and accepts donations.
The need remains high, partly
because most government
assistance programs don't cover
diapers, and with inflation
those costs are even higher.
In the U.S., disposable diaper
prices are up 10% since last
year.
And they're currently subject to
sales tax in 29 states.
The average infant goes through
8 to 12 diapers a day.
That's over 200 a month; several
thousand per year.
Kathryn: You can't put food
stamps towards diapers.
You can't put medicaid towards
diapers.
Ali: Kathryn Edwards is an
economist at the Rand
corporation, a global policy
institute.
Kathryn: Sadly enough, the U.S.
Has no peer in how little it
invests in children and young
families.
Ali: In a 2020 study, unicef
ranked 38 developed countries by
child wellbeing.
The United States was 36th.
Some of the contributing factors
include poor parental leave
policies, a lack of public
investment in childcare and
early learning, and scarcity of
affordable housing compared to
other advanced countries.
Kathryn: There's no substituting
away from diapers, right?
There's no, you know, trimming
fat from the budget.
We have like, okay, well, maybe
we won't get diapers this week.
Ali: So some parents, like
Brittany Nolasco, from Colorado,
are getting creative.
Just before the pandemic,
Nolasco was on maternity leave
with her baby daughter, only
receiving half her salary.
During covid, her husband lost
his job.
Brittany: We were on a one
income household and we were
unsure how to pay for diapers.
Ali: She started couponing and
using rebate apps.
And she started sharing her tips
on the social media app tiktok.
Brittany: It went from just kind
of a couple thousand views to a
couple hundred thousand views.
And I had local moms reaching
out to me who have known me but
didn't know I was a couponer
saying, this is amazing.
Thank you so much.
Moms who really were not able to
even really pay their bills or
buy generic diapers for their
little ones.
Ali: The diaper industry has two
big players -- Kimberly Clark
and Procter & gamble.
They control more than two
thirds of the U.S. Market.
As inflation increases, Nolasco
says she's seen brands raise
prices and cut coupon values and
rebates.
Neither Kimberly Clark nor
Procter & gamble responded to
repeated requests for comment.
Brittany: I think it's sad that
we live in such a world where
just having to decide whether
you can buy diapers or pay your
bills is a choice.
Ali: Kathryn Edwards says the
world wasn't always like this
for parents.
Kathryn: It is a modern
phenomenon of the past really 20
years that the squeeze on young
families has been so hard that
the need for, you know,
basically charity diapers has
not only, you know, been called
into existence but it's actually
a thriving network of charities
to get millions of diapers to
families every year.
Ali: A network that Rebecca
kolowé wishes didn't exist at
all.
Rebecca: I would love for us to
be able to work ourselves out of
a job.
Simply providing diapers isn't
going to work us out of a job.
Ali: For now, every little bit
is helping parents like Kia
Ross.
Kia: It takes a lot as a female
to bring a child into this
world.
Making sure you have diapers at
home, wipes.
Just you know, soap, supplies,
just the basic needs.
Everything goes to your child.
Ali: With a few basic needs like
diapers taken care of, Kia can
spend more time focusing on the
priceless things, like time with
azai.
For "Pbs news weekend," I'm Ali
rogin in Washington.