Diaper Insecurity Harms Maternal Mental Health in the Postpartum Period

Released May 7, 2025

The portion of U.S. families experiencing diaper insecurity is unchanged from 2023.

• • In 2024, 46% of U.S. families with young children under age 4 wearing diapers reported diaper insecurity. In the first diaper insecurity investigation in 2010 and in several subsequent studies in 2013 and 2017, approximately 33% or 1/3 of families reported diaper insecurity.

When mothers cannot afford to meet their children’s basic needs, their mental health is negatively impacted.

• • 79% of mothers with diaper insecurity feel stressed or anxious when they are unable to afford enough diapers for their children.
  • 61% of mothers with diaper insecurity feel that their self-esteem is directly tied to their ability to provide financially for their children.

Diaper need is lonely.

• • 41% of mothers with diaper insecurity reported that they feel alone because they cannot afford enough diapers for their children.
  • 56% of mothers with diaper insecurity feel that other parents judge them because they struggle to afford diapers for their children.
  • 57% of mothers with diaper insecurity feel that other parents don’t understand the struggles they have with affording diapers for their children.

Mothers with and without diaper insecurity agreed that parents who struggle to afford diapers for their children are hesitant to discuss it with others or ask for help.

Mothers with diaper insecurity are worried about the future. 

• • 75% of mothers with diaper insecurity feel helpless when they cannot afford enough diapers for their children.
  • 71% of mothers with diaper insecurity, compared to 31% of mothers who do not struggle to afford diapers, worry about what the future holds for their family six months from now.
  • 81% of mothers with diaper insecurity feel that more families in the US are struggling to afford diapers than people realize.
  • 56% of all mothers surveyed felt stressed or anxious when they could not afford the basic household necessities needed by their families.

Mothers with and without diaper insecurity struggle when they cannot afford basic household necessities for their family. 

• • 56% of all mothers surveyed felt stressed or anxious when they could not afford the basic household necessities needed by their families.
  • More mothers with diaper insecurity reported that they feel stressed or anxious when they have challenges affording basic necessities than mothers without diaper insecurity.
  • 77% of mothers with diaper insecurity reported feelings of stress or anxiousness when they cannot afford basic necessities for the people in their household.

We asked mothers about their social support systems. Mothers with diaper need were less likely to report that they feel support from the people around them.

Diaper banks can help. 

The majority of mothers, 68% of mothers without diaper insecurity and 74% of mothers with diaper insecurity, said that receiving 50 free diapers per month per child from a local diaper bank would be helpful for their families. Mothers with and without diaper need believe providing help with diapers is a way to support families.

About this study:

National Diaper Bank Network partnered with YouGov, an internationally recognized market research group, to survey a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. YouGov deployed a sampling frame representative of the adults living in the country based on data from multiple sources including: the United States Census’ American Community Survey, public voter file records, the Current Population Survey, the National Election Pool exit poll, and the Cooperative Election Study. The final sample of poll respondents included N=1,000 adults matched to the sampling frame on gender, age, race, income relative to family size, and education. Sampling occurred in March – April, 2024.

Survey participants were caregivers with shared or primary responsibility for changing the diapers of a child in their home under age 4.

To cite this research:

National Diaper Bank Network. (2025). The NDBN Diaper Check 2024: Diaper Insecurity among U.S. Children and Families. nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/the-ndbn-diaper-check-2024/