Indiana Lawmakers Unite to Tackle Diaper Need

A Basic Need Too Often Ignored

Diapers are a simple necessity, yet for millions of families they represent a serious financial strain. In Indiana, one in two families struggles to afford diapers, a cost that can reach $100 per month per child. Unlike food or healthcare, diapers are not covered by public assistance programs such as Medicaid, WIC, or SNAP—leaving families with few options and no margin for error.

Recognizing the consequences of this gap, Indiana lawmakers, including Rep. Beau Baird, are elevating diaper need as both a family issue and a workforce issue—one that impacts health, childcare access, and economic stability.

When Parents Can’t Improvise

As one Indiana Diaper Bank recipient explained, families can stretch meals or make clothes work a little longer—but diapers are nonnegotiable. Without clean diapers, babies face health risks, and parents face difficult choices that can disrupt work and childcare arrangements. More than half of parents report missing work because they didn’t have diapers to send their child to daycare.

The effects ripple outward, impacting employers, early learning opportunities, and family well-being.

The Indiana Diaper Bank’s Mission

Founded in 2017, the Indiana Diaper Bank was created to address this exact gap. Its mission is straightforward: eliminate diaper need by providing a reliable and adequate supply of diapering essentials to families across the state.

The organization distributes diapers through a network of nonprofit partners including shelters, childcare centers, foster care programs, domestic violence shelters, and children’s hospitals. By working through trusted community organizations, the Diaper Bank ensures supplies reach families already seeking support for a range of needs.

Impact That Adds Up

Since its founding, the Indiana Diaper Bank has distributed 19,786,359 diapers to 294,073 babies and delivered more than 73,000 packages of wipes. With 70 distribution partners statewide, the organization has built an efficient system that stretches donations further—purchasing four diapers for every dollar donated.

Beyond the numbers, access to clean diapers supports healthier babies, improves parental mental health, and increases stability for families trying to remain employed or enrolled in school.

Bipartisan Leadership at the Statehouse

On January 22, 2026, Indiana House lawmakers announced a bipartisan partnership with the Indiana Diaper Bank as the House’s official philanthropy effort for the legislative session. House Speaker Todd Huston and House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta jointly unveiled the Statehouse collection drive, which will run through the end of the 2026 session in February.

Speaker Huston emphasized that the cost of raising a child adds up quickly and that no baby should go without clean diapers. Leader GiaQuinta highlighted the financial and emotional stress new parents face, calling the Diaper Bank a critical safety net for Hoosier families.

Donation bins are located near the House Chamber entrance and the fourth-floor South Atrium at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. The House is accepting new and opened packages of diapers of all sizes, pull-ups, wipes, diaper cream, clean cloth diapers, and monetary donations.

A Model with National Implications

Ashley Burns, president and CEO of the Indiana Diaper Bank, summed up the broader impact: when babies have access to clean diapers, they are healthier, parents are better able to work, and families are more stable. Addressing diaper need, she noted, is a simple but powerful way to strengthen both family and economic well-being.

Indiana’s bipartisan approach offers a compelling model for states nationwide—showing how practical solutions, community partnerships, and legislative leadership can meet families where they are and deliver real results.