Rising diaper costs squeeze Colorado families as demand for assistance surges

A growing number of families are struggling to afford basic infant supplies as supply chain disruptions are driving up the cost of diapers.

Leaders with the local nonprofit WeeCycle, an organization dedicated to matching essential baby items with families in need, report they are caught in a tight spot as demand surges and the cost of diapers are going up.

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Diapers are currently among the most requested items by families seeking assistance, according to Lindsey Zaback, Development Director for WeeCycle. However, meeting that need has become increasingly difficult due to global market pressures.

MSU Denver Economics Professor Kishore Kulkarni said while the United States manufactures a significant portion of diapers, the U.S. also relies on imports from China, Japan, and Germany.

Manufacturing diapers requires petroleum and plastic derivativesraw materials needed for manufacturing. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is disrupting shipping routes through the critical Strait of Hormuz, making it harder to move these materials and making them more expensive. In addition, the price of crude oil is also impacting how much diapers cost.

"The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is impacting our diaper prices. They've actually gone up by about 5% because diapers have petroleum and plastic derivatives in them to make them. So, that 5% equates to about $2,500 a truckload," said Zaback. "WeeCycle is buying about one truckload a month of diapers to provide to our community, and so that's a huge added cost for our organization just there. Not to mention the fact that the demand for diapers continues to increase. Even though WeeCycle purchases diapers in bulk at discounted rates, we've seen costs rise by approximately 5%, adding roughly $2,500 to the price of every truckload."

Gas and diesel prices are also adding more pressure to delivery costs as community demand is going up.

"Back in 2020, we thought we were seeing the peak in the demand for providing these items to the community," Zaback said. "We were serving about an average of 235 kids per distribution event. Right now, we're serving an average of 493 kids per distribution event."

This is stretching limited resources; the nonprofit has been forced to cut its distribution packages in half, giving families about 50% fewer diapers per child than it used to.

"We're talking about Colorado's tiniest members that need diapers in order to access childcare," said Zaback. "They need diapers to stay clean, dry, and healthy. It's a real issue, and WIC and food stamps, all of these government subsidy programs are harder to access or being cut, and so families are just being asked to do more with less, as are nonprofits who are, you know, that back net for the community when government subsidies aren't cutting it. Nonprofits have to step in, and we are in a very challenging situation as well."

Zaback is referring to government funding cuts impacting non-profits as well.

The shortage creates a cascading impact on working parents. Licensed daycare centers require parents to supply diapers for their children. When families cannot afford them, parents may have to miss work or school.

WeeCycle officials say they expect demand to climb even higher heading into the holiday season and are hoping the community will help out with financial donations and volunteer support.