Diaper need

While diapers are not an allowable expense for federal assistance through programs such as the Women, Infant and Children's Program (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) falls short of helping parents in the U.S. afford diapers.[3][4][5] The first and only city-government subsidized program in the U.S. to address diaper need by distributing diapers monthly to families was developed in San Francisco in 2015.[6]

Although some states provide working parents with child care subsidy, this does not include funds for diapers, which the majority of early child care programs require parents to provide in order for a child to attend. A mother who cannot afford diapers may be forced to keep her child out of the daycare program. Not having enough diapers to supply a child care provider may also create problems for mothers attending educational or training programs.

Although the participation of many low-income single parents in the labor market has increased, their earnings and wages have remained low, and their employment is concentrated in low-wage occupations and industries.[7] A single mother of one child working full-time and earning the federal minimum wage will spend over 6% of her gross salary on diapers.[1]

Families living below or near the poverty line in the United States often pay more for diapers in absolute terms than families at higher income levels. Less cash flow forces poor parents to purchase diapers in smaller quantities, at higher prices per diaper. Additionally, limited and less flexible time and transportation may prohibit trips to stores that offer savings for consumers who buy diapers in larger quantities.[8]

In the United States, there are over 5.5 million infants and toddlers in low-income families. Nearly half of them are living in poverty. Many of these families face multiple demographic and familial risks.[13]

Urinary incontinence affects approximately 13 million persons in the United States, with as many as 25 million experiencing transient or ongoing incontinence.[14] Most of these people are older adults, many of whom may be living on limited incomes with limited buying power once medical expenses are factored in.[15] In addition, many disabled people are obliged to wear diapers for a variety of reasons, incontinence and inability to use a bathroom unaided among the most common.

Often, people dealing with incontinence problems are among those who have the fewest resources. According to the Cornell University Online Resource for U.S. Disability Statistics[16] in 2009, an estimated 26.4% percent of the population between 21 and 64 with a disability had incomes below the poverty line. These numbers only include people with disabilities who are living independently, either alone or with family – not those who are institutionalized and have greater access to care.

Though the official census data gives seniors a 2013 poverty rate of only 9.5%, the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which accounts for expenses such as the rising costs of health care, raises the American senior poverty rate to 14.6%.[17][18]