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• According to the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), about 47% of U.S. families with young children reported experiencing diaper need in 2023.
   

• In their 2024 research, the Urban Institute & NDBN estimated that almost 8 million U.S. children (ages 3 and younger) live in families that struggle to afford enough diapers.
   

• 1 in 2 U.S. families with young children cannot afford enough diapers to keep their infant or child clean, dry, and healthy.
   

• Infants can require up to 12 diapers per day, toddlers about 8
   

• A healthy change of diapers can cost up to $100 per month per child
   

• Programs like SNAP and WIC help families with food, but they don’t cover diapers since they’re nutrition programs managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
   

• The only federal assistance program that can be used for diapers is TANF, but TANF has to cover many other expenses, including heat, electricity, and water bills, rent, clothing, transportation, and other basic needs. Little if any money is available to purchase enough diapers to keep a baby clean, dry, and healthy
   

• Most childcare centers, even free and subsidized facilities, require parents to provide a day’s supply of disposable diapers
   

• Children who do not have access to clean diapers are exposed to health risks such as painful rashes, infections, and other serious health issues. 
   

• Poverty-rate figures for Gogebic County, Michigan:

  • The share of all people living below the federal poverty line (2023) is 17.3%. 

  • For children under 18, the rate is 26.1%. 

  • For the working-age population (18 to 64), the 2019-23 estimate is about 15.7%.
     

• See additional Michigan Diaper Need facts here.