California is Providing Newborns With Their First Month of Diapers
A new baby is a joy and a blessing. There is nothing in this world that compares to the feeling of holding your newborn in your arms.
However, raising babies is actually quite expensive. From diapers to formula, car seats to strollers, the basic necessities of caring for a child can be quite a financial burden for families who are struggling. This is why, The LAist reports, the State of California will provide newborns born in participating hospitals with free diapers for the first month of their lives.
Up to 12 Diapers a Day
People who have never cared for a baby may be surprised to learn that babies go through a lot of diapers per day. On average, one infant can require up to 12 diapers a day and diapers for the first year of a baby’s life can cost nearly $1,000. It is for this reason that Governor Gavin Newsom of California initiated this program, aiming to reduce the financial burden of raising a family.
He said in a statement, “Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life – and that means making sure parents have the basics they need from day one.”
View this post on Instagram
According to The Guardian, during the first year of the program, free diapers will be distributed at 65 to 75 hospitals that primarily serve low-income communities and handle about a quarter of all the births in the state.
Upon leaving the hospital, each family will receive 400 diapers for newborns, which is, more or less, a month’s worth of diapers.
The diapers will be distributed in partnership with Baby2Baby, an LA-based non-profit that has discovered a way to manufacture diapers for 80 percent of the retail cost. The diapers will be produced under the label Golden State Start.
New and Improved
California is not the first state in the US to offer a free-diaper program for families — both Tennessee and Delaware have similar programs. However, California is the first state to offer this sort of program for all families and not just those enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program.
“California is once again setting the standard of what it means to show up for mothers and babies,” co-CEO of Baby2Baby Norah Weinstein told The Guardian.
Becoming a parent is amazing, wondrous, terrifying, and anxiety inducing and although it does not seem like much, a pack of 400 diapers can go a long way in soothing the worries of a new, or even not so new, parent. Beyond the financial support, providing a basic necessity to families is a way of showing them that the state cares about all its residents – down to the smallest ones.
