It’s late at night. You’re tired from a long day. You’re going to get the baby ready for bed and you realize you’re out of diapers. UGH! The worst. Thankfully, the grocery store down the street is still open, and either mom or dad can quickly run out to grab a new pack.
For some, that’s a diaper crisis. For others, being able to run out and purchase a pack of diapers whenever they need them is far from their reality. Instead, their reality is known as the Diaper Need crisis, a major problem many families in the US face with long lasting impacts on mom, dad, and baby.
What is Diaper Need?
Diaper Need is essentially the inability to provide enough diapers to keep your little one clean and dry on a consistent basis.
Babies go through a ton of diapers in a short amount of time, and it adds up quickly. Unfortunately, according to theNational Diaper Bank Network, one in two families struggle with this issue. It’s a heartbreaking statistic that deserves a lot more attention!
The Effects of Diaper Need on Families and Babies
While Diaper Need might sound as simple as families not being able to afford diapers and that’s that, its effects are far reaching.
A study done by theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics revealed that families with enough diapers for their child can significantly reduce parenting stress which is a “critical factor influencing child health and development.” It’s so much bigger than just diapers!
Families that can’t afford diapers on a regular basis often will change their children much less frequently in an attempt to maximize usage and stretch what they have as far as possible. If you are a parent who can easily afford diapers, you might think how you’ve let a diaper or two go past the point of changing. We aren’t talking about an hour or two past changing, but rather stretching it so far a baby ends up with serious skin irritation and frequent UTIs. Poor health is another contributor towards parental stress.
Daycares and other childcare options often require parents to provide diapers, meaning parents who can’t afford to do so can’t send their kids to childcare and can’t work, further increasing their stress and digging them in a deeper hole of an inability to afford diapers.
Parental well being is important for the parents themselves, but is just as important for the little ones they are caring for too. Diaper need has a direct negative impact on stress and overall mental health of parents, which in turn puts children at a greater risk for social, economic, and behavioral problems long term.
What You Can Do to Support the Diaper Need Crisis
There are big ways to get involved! The National Diaper Bank network is a great resource that shares details on all of the various ways you can help like hosting a drive, volunteering, and creating a fundraiser, to name a few.
The easiest way to get involved and support those families in need? Support a mission based business, especially one that was specifically created with the intention to help wipe out Diaper Need.
Believe Baby makes it extremely easy to make a meaningful contribution to the cause. They have a one-for-one donation model, meaning every pack of Believe Diapers you purchase for your own baby is a pack of diapers sent to a family in need at NO extra cost to you. No time spent! You’re purchasing what you already need, and diapers and wipes are sent off to a family who can’t otherwise afford them. It’s pretty incredible.
To date, Believe Baby has donated over 3.2 million Believe Diapers and Believe Wipes. That’s over 70K U.S. families given supplies!
They say it takes a village to raise a child. As a new mom, I’ve learned how true that statement is. I’ve also learned how a village might be more than just friends and family coming over to watch the baby while you nap, or sending over a hot meal.
In this day and age of social media and smartphones, your village might show up as a kind comment on an Instagram post or a thoughtful and encouraging text message when you need it most.
WithBelieve Baby, you can be a part of someone’s village by simply grabbing your regular pack of supplies for your baby. Just like that, diapers and wipes are sent off to a parent desperately in need. You’ve become a key member of their village without having to lift a finger. How amazing is that?
By: Ivy Doyle
