With two toddlers, Terricka Christian is very familiar with diapers.

According to estimates by non-profit organizations, it can reach US$900 a year. Humboldt Park resident Christian and her husband are among the many parents in Chicago who find diapers unchanged and expensive.

"It's very stressful for the family," Christian said.

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one-third of households report not having enough diapers. Babies need up to 12 diapers a day; according to data from the National Diaper Bank Network, young children use 8 and the network also reports that the number of diapers distributed by their diaper banks has increased by 86% since the pandemic began.

Diapers account for a large part of the family's budget, and other assistance programs that can help families (such as food stamps) do not cover diapers.

Under a measure signed into law in August, the situation in Illinois may change next year.

Starting in 2022, it will require the Department of Human Services to apply for an exemption to allow recipients of the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infant and Children's Special Supplementary Nutrition Program (WIC) to use these benefits for diapers and menstrual hygiene products.

In Illinois, according to the National Diaper Bank network, 27% of WIC recipients are infants, and 13% of SNAP recipients are under 5 years of age.

In February, Senator Tammy Duckworth (Tammy Duckworth) introduced a bipartisan bill, the Ending Diaper Needs Act, which will provide the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with funding for Provide at least 200 medically necessary diapers per month.

"With so many families working hard to put food on the table and have a roof over their heads, the last thing parents should worry about is being able to buy diapers that are vital to the health and well-being of their children," Duckworth explained The bill said.

In September, a non-profit organization in Illinois formed an advocacy coalition that pointed out that poor children are at the greatest risk of needing diapers; for these families, the cost of diapers is approximately 14% of their monthly income. Unmet need for diapers is also considered to be the biggest mental health stressor for new parents.

The challenges posed by expensive diapers are not just economic. Childcare centers usually require parents to provide diapers, so without these, families cannot participate in daycare services. If they feel a need for rations, parents may reduce the frequency of changing the baby's diapers, which may cause problems such as diaper rash.

When Christian's daughters, now 1 and 2 years old, were babies, they had to change at least six diapers a day. She remembered thinking, "Oh, my goodness."

"It's very expensive," Christian said.

At the same time, many local non-profit organizations are accepting donations.

The members of the Illinois National Diaper Bank Network include: Bundled Blessings, the diaper storage room that is part of the First United Methodist Church in Evanston, the Covered Bottoms in Quincy, Cradles to Crayons, which accepts a range of children’s products, and the Northern Diaper Bank The Loving Bottoms Diaper Bank and Keeping Families Covered in Galesburg, Illinois have a mobile diaper storage room.

Share Our Spare has multiple ways to donate different items and is accepting diapers through their Amazon Wish List. In Evergreen Park and Oak Lawn, there are also diaper collection points for diaper storage in Little Ends or SWADDLE Southwest. New Moms is a Chicago group that provides services such as Doula and prenatal education for young mothers, and accepts diaper donations for these families.

People can also send diapers at A House in Austin at 533 N. Pine Ave. or buy them from the Amazon Wish List here.​​ Co-executive director Rebekah Martin said that they especially need pull-ups.