Not Being Able to Afford Enough Diapers Is Keeping Mothers Out of Work

If money is tight and diapers are the expense you dread, you are not the only mother stretching one a few hours past when you should. About four in ten families with young children in the United States cannot afford enough diapers, according to the National Diaper Bank Network's 2026 survey of around 1,000 households. On Tuesday, September 15, the network and the Urban Institute will bring that number to Congress and make the case for a fix.

The share is roughly the same as it has been the past few years, and it is up from about a third of families in 2010. The shortage falls hardest on some homes: 63 percent of Black households and 49 percent of Hispanic households reported it in the same survey.

Without Enough Diapers, You Cannot Leave Your Baby, and That Keeps Mothers From Work

Most childcare centers ask you to send a full day of diapers with your baby, and when you cannot, many will not take her. A mother who cannot arrange childcare cannot get to a job or to class. The NDBN survey found that mothers facing diaper need were far more likely to miss work than mothers who had enough.

Food Stamps and WIC Will Not Pay for Diapers

Diapers cannot be bought with SNAP, the program most people call food stamps, or with WIC. Both cover food, and neither counts diapers as an eligible item. So a family can qualify for help feeding a baby and still come up short on the one thing that lets her drop that baby at daycare and go earn.

Next Week, Researchers Will Ask Congress to Cover Diapers Through Medicaid

At the September 15 briefing, titled The Return on Diapers, the Urban Institute will debut a new analysis that will argue covering diapers through Medicaid would help families and could save public money over time. The analysis is a projection and has not been published yet, so it is a case researchers plan to make, not a proven saving. Speakers include Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Michigan Democrat, and Representative Ryan Mackenzie, a Pennsylvania Republican. The briefing is free and open to the public, held during National Diaper Need Awareness Week, September 14 to 20.

Two States Already Cover Diapers, and More Have Cut the Sales Tax

Tennessee and Delaware became the first states to cover diapers for young children through Medicaid in 2024, under federal demonstration waivers, and their results are still being evaluated. More than a dozen states have removed the sales tax on diapers to bring the price down. Federal action has moved slowly: a bill meant to address diaper need, the End Diaper Need Act, has been introduced again and again since 2019 without advancing through Congress.

Diaper Banks Give Out Free Diapers, and There Is Likely One Near You

You do not have to wait for any of this to get help. The National Diaper Bank Network runs more than 300 member diaper banks around the country that give out free diapers, and there is likely one within reach of you. Many also carry wipes and other basics, and most ask very little of you at the door.

You can find your nearest diaper bank at nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org.