Are you a parent struggling to afford diapers every month to keep your baby clean and healthy?
Do you find that diapers and other baby essential items are not sufficiently covered by the public assistance programs that you are participating in (such as SNAP)?
Don’t panic. You are not alone.
In this blog post, we will guide you to where and how you can get free or low-cost diapers, as well as other baby supplies, clothes, and school supplies for your infants or toddlers. You will find these resources helpful in loosening your family budget as well as bringing you peace of mind.
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How To Get Help On Diapers? And Who Can Help?
Studies have shown that prior to the pandemic, 1 out of 3 families in the U.S. were struggling to provide diapers for their infants. Each baby needs up to 6,000 clean diapers from birth till they are 3 years old – or more until potty trained. As such, keeping your baby in Pampers, Huggies, or any other diaper brands can be a burden if you are already trying to keep things going on a tight family budget.
Luckily, in this country, many institutions and organizations recognize the issue of families struggling with diaper needs. For example, many charities run diaper banks, offer diaper assistance, or set up financial aids to address and deliver the basic needs of underprivileged families including providing free or discounted diapers to parents in need.
Diaper Bank, Charities and Government-Funded Organizations
Diaper Bank - The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN)
NDBN is a nonprofit organization committed to addressing diaper needs in the U.S. The network includes more than 225 community-based diaper banks that collect, store, and distribute free diapers for low-income families. Huggies, as its founding sponsor, donates 20 million diapers every year to help keep NDBN running and serving the community.
Check the NDBN network directory. There is at least one member partner in each state and you should be able to find one in your area.
Local Food Banks and Pantries - Feeding America
Food banks help communities in need not only with food but also personal hygiene and household items that are not currently covered by SNAP/food stamps. In fact, food banks and pantries receive diapers and other baby supplies, such as baby wipes, from donations, which they would then give to families living in poverty.
With regular donations from Sam’s Club and Procter and Gamble, Feeding America receives 5.7 million diapers and wipes every year among its 100 Feeding America food banks network in the United States. Apart from diapers, they also provide baby wipes, baby food, other baby supplies, and period products. For families in need, it is always good to know that they have fewer things to worry about.
Explore your local food bank by checking out their network directory here. From here you can see what kind of assistance is available that can meet your family’s needs.
Charities and Churches
Through generous donations from the community, many religious groups such as churches run food banks, diaper banks, and distribution centers to serve disabled families, unemployed families, single parents, and other financially struggling families.
Need Help Paying Bills maintains a list of Free Diaper Banks Near You. It lists out the charities, churches, or government-subsidized organizations that distribute free diapers and baby wipes. Contact the ones near your location and ask for details of their diaper bank program.
County Health and Human Agency
Some of the county health and human agencies run diaper banks by partnering with local charities to give out free diapers to eligible households on a monthly basis. For example, the San Francisco Diaper Bank partners with Help A Mother Out to provide a free monthly supply of diapers to Medi-Cal, CalsWORK, or CalFresh households with children under the age of three. Each eligible child can receive up to two cases of new diapers each month.
Explore your local community for a similar diaper assistance program near you.
Resources for Military Families
Local volunteers often collect essential items for military families. Baby diapers, formula, and other baby essential items can easily be found at military supporting organizations. Below are examples of some enthusiastic charities with free diaper programs for military families with newborns. Some are particularly supporting military moms or moms-to-be:
Sustainable Option - Reusable Diapers
If you are looking for an even more sustainable way to lower your cost of baby diapers, you should consider switching to reusable diapers – cloth diapers. Not only are cloth diapers more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly compared to disposable ones, but they are also said to reduce skin irritation and allergy in some studies.
If you have decided whether to switch at this stage, there are free resources out there to help answer the many questions you may have on the benefits of using cloth diapers. The Cloth Option, Inc. is one expert on this topic that you can go to.
The Cloth Option, Inc.
The Cloth Option, Inc. supports families that are struggling to pay for disposable diapers and provides help with the start-up costs to switch to cloth diapers. Qualified families who completed their Cloth Diaper Assistance Program Application will receive a starting stash of clean and high-quality cloth diapers. Parents will need to return the stash when their baby requires a size up.
Application requirements and processes are very simple. Go to Cloth Option, Inc., and apply online!
Diaper Manufacturers
Diaper brands provide free diaper samples and discounts when you sign up for their rewards programs. They may provide disposables or cloth trial services for newborns as well as other baby supplies in partnership with non-profits near you. Normally they provide samples to anyone who signs up but in some cases, they would give out entire boxes of diapers.
Here is a list of popular diaper brands with reward programs that you can connect with:
- Huggies
- Luvs
- Pampers
There are other brands that offer free samples provided that you pay for shipping costs. You can follow diaper brands on Instagram, Facebook, or other social media platforms. Contact them by direct messaging to request a free diaper sample. A brand may offer special samples and savings if you download and engage with a company’s app.
How About Getting A Free Baby Box?
Many retailers would give out a free baby box or free baby bag filled with goodies when you create a baby registry. This courtesy bundle can include essential baby items like Diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, clothes, toys, and product coupons.
These are some of the retailers that offer new families a free baby box or goody bag without an additional purchase or shipping cost:
- Amazon
- BuyBuy Baby
- Target
- Walmart
Take the Survey For Free Diapers
The good thing about completing tasks and surveys online for freebies is that you can do that in your spare time. Signing up with survey companies such as Survey Junkie and Swagbucks is easy and free. They usually offer point-earning programs and you can redeem products such as diapers and baby items using the points earned from each completed task and survey.
Local Communities Online
Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, and NextDoor are great places online to obtain free diapers. A simple search for “diapers” yields a lot of families that are giving away free diapers that you can simply pick up near your home. Don’t be afraid to ask if free diapers are available as you might not see them posted. Just because no one says it doesn’t mean there isn’t a pack or two in someone’s closet that is waiting to be re-homed.
More Saving Tips
And if you are worrying that your limited data plan does not support frequent web surfing and resource downloading, we have another tip for you. How about claiming your FREE unlimited internet services for your cell phone or for your home through the Federal Government’s Affordable Connectivity Program?
You may be eligible for free monthly unlimited internet services. Over 40% of US households qualify for this program through EASY Wireless. When you qualify for this program, you can get FREE Talk, Text, and Data every month. It only takes a few minutes to register and check if you qualify for this service.
To see if you qualify, just enter your email and zip code below and click “Enroll Now”.
