Idaho Diaper Bank Inc

Diapers are as essential to the health and well-being of children as food, shelter and love. Through discounted bulk purchsing of diapers, and the encouragement of community diaper drives, the IDB gives diapers, free of charge, to selected non-profit partner agencies like churches, crisis centers, food pantries, and early childhood education centers, ulitimately helping the children and families most in need.

Many people in our community know firsthand, the quantity (and cost) it takes to keep a baby in diapers. Unfortunately, with more than 53% of Idaho’s children ages three and under living in poverty and low-income families (and nearly 39% of all Idaho births financed by Medicaid), there are approximately 35,000 babies statewide whose parents struggle to afford enough diapers to keep their babies clean, dry and healthy.

Their need is tremendous—a healthy child wears an average of 50 diapers a week. That’s approximately 2,600 diapers a year for each child—and many families have more than one baby in diapers.

Diapers are expensive—they can cost $100 or more a month—and they can’t be bought with SNAP (food stamps) or WIC (Women, Infant and Children). As a result, parents try to make due without diapers, or by stretching their supply by leaving babies in dirty diapers longer, or by reusing diapers.

The impacts of providing diapers to our community include:-

Healthier Communities - Dirty diapers can make us sick and spread hepatitis A, viral meningitis, and severe bacterial diarrheas. Not having diapers adversely affects a mother’s feelings of self-worth and can negatively impact the mother-child bond. A Yale study from 2013 found that mothers without an adequate diaper supply are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, which can in turn have long term effects on their children. 

Happier Babies-Frequent diaper changes prevent painful diaper rash, loss of appetite, staph, urinary infections, or renal failure. Access to clean DIAPERS is an essential BASIC NEED.

Financial Independence and Early Care & Education - A supply of clean diapers are required to attend most early childcare programs; without them, children miss out on educational opportunities and parents can’t attend work. Without diapers parents can't send their children to early childhood education programs, which, according to one study, makes them 2.5 percent more likely to go on to higher education.

Stronger Families: Diapers can play a significant role in the strengthening families approach- an approach promoting factors known to protect children from abuse and neglect

Diapers are a basic necessity like food and shelter. And the ability to diaper a child should not be dependent on a families financial resources.