FACTS

  • Nearly half of the children in the United States under the age of three live in poor or low-income families.*

  • Since 1996, nearly $1 billion in state and federal funding, has been spent on abstinence-only programs — which fail to provide assistance should a teen actually become pregnant.*

  • In 2011, nearly half (45%, or 2.8 million) of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the United States were unintended. Specifically, 27% of all pregnancies were “wanted later” and 18% of pregnancies were “unwanted.”*

 

U.S. children by family income*

 

Diapers

  • There are no federal or state related programs that cover the cost of diapers.

  • Diapers cannot be purchased with food stamps or WIC.

  • The average baby goes through 6-10 diapers a day — at the cost of $70-80 dollars per month.

Formula

Depending on the age of the baby and the brand of formula, the monthly costs can vary between $70-240 dollars per month.

 
Baby formula locked up at a grocery store to prevent theft and blackmarket sales.

Baby formula locked up at a grocery store to prevent theft and blackmarket sales.

 

Other Supplies

St. Nicholas Charities may also help contribute baby food, wipes, shampoo, baby blankets, car seats, and 2T-4T underwear and socks.

These are typical items that are commonly ignored by low-income families.

1. United States Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (2016). Table S1701: Poverty Status In the Past 12 Months. Washington, DC: United States Census Bureau.

2. Finer LB and Zolna MR, Declines in unintended pregnancy in the United States, 2008–2011, New England Journal of Medicine, 2016, 374(9):843–852, doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1506575.

3. Stanger-Hall KF, Hall DW (2011) Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S. PLoS ONE 6(10): e24658.