Bringing home a newborn is no easy feat, and for many parents, juggling baby-related expenses can be overwhelming. In between physical recovery, new responsibilities, and sleepless nights, there are receipts for clothes and toys, instruction manuals for car seats and strollers – and diapers. So. Many. Diapers.
Disposable diapers alone can run as much as $100 a month, while cloth diapers require frequent access to private laundry facilities or specialty cleaning services. Parents who need to return to work often cannot enroll their children in daycare unless they can provide each day’s worth of diapers, and federal food assistance programs like SNAP and WIC do not cover them – all of which further strains low-income families and contributes to the reported 1 in 3 moms across the nation who face a diaper shortage.
To keep babies throughout the community clean, dry, and healthy, and to ensure new parents receive the support they deserve, PAH’s Solutions for Women and Women’s Health Outreach have teamed up with the Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank to collect packs of diapers for families in need. The diapers will be distributed to homeless shelters, food pantries, family service agencies, and faith-based organizations.
“Our goal is to help meet a need in the community that is often forgotten,” said Debi Page Ferrarello, MSN, MS, RN, IBCLC, NE-BC, director of Patient Education and Lactation. “Diapers are very expensive, but also absolutely necessary. Clean diapers help protect babies' skin, and they’re a tangible form of love. We’re committed to helping parents meet one of their child’s most basic needs.”
Want to make a contribution? Just drop off a package (or two! or three!) of disposable diapers now through April 13th, at 700 Spruce Street, Suite B3, and be sure to spread the word. Both new and opened packages are accepted! For more information about the drive, please call 215.829.5046.