Doulas, Diapers & Early Infancy

Up until recently, I had never even heard of a diaper bank. A few months ago, a close friend of mine started volunteering for an organization based in Durham, NC, that provides diapers--mostly through other agencies--to low-income families. I immediately thought of another friend who is a single mom of five kids (twins are a recent addition) and her laments that all her money went to diapers. These two ladies made me realize that the concept of a diaper bank is a fantastic idea. Just for reference, we have one small child (without GI issues) and we spend about $80 per month on diapers. Imagine what a chunk of income that is for a single parent or a low income family--or even a family with good cash flow but multiples! If you're interested in learning more about the Durham-based diaper bank, follow this >link<.

I couldn't do a post on diapers and neglect to mention Clean Start Diaper Service, also based in the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC). They deliver cleanly laundered cloth diapers weekly and pick up the dirty ones. They're not a charitable organization--like diaper banks--but they do employ adults with developmental disabilities and cloth diapers might reduce environmental impact, so that's a win-win.

Just FYI, many diaper banks accept donations. So if your little ones have outgrown diapers and you have a few boxes sitting around, a diaper bank might be just the place that needs them.

Thumbnail image: Kate Noonan