Higher diaper prices are impacting Illinois families. How is the state responding?

Rising diaper prices have impacted families statewide and nationally, causing them to cut into their savings and skip bill payments to make do.

According to a 2023 survey published by the National Diaper Bank Network, approximately one in twocaregivers experience diaper insecurity — defined by parents that cannot provide routine access to clean diapers for their children.

More: Honor or shame?: New legislation sparks Native American mascot debate again in Illinois

The option of buying in bulk doesn’t exist for many families, Brightpoint policy manager Eric Mayo said, causing them to buying smaller quantities at a higher price per unit.

“For a family that’s not experienced in diaper insecurity, if you ask them how many diapers they have, they answer… it’s like ‘Oh, I have a box’ or ‘I got a half box there,” he said in a phone interview. “If you have family facing diaper insecurity, they can tell you exactly how many they have left. And they can ballpark you know the day or even the hour when they expect those diapers to run out.”

Now legislation advancing in the Illinois House of Representatives looks to alleviate the growing issue.

House Bill 545, sponsored by Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, would require the Department of Human Services to establish add-on rates for childcare providers participating in the state’s Child Care Assistance Program to purchase supplemental diapers for children in need.

Per the bill, the add-on rates should allow for a family participating in the program full-time to purchase 50 diapers per month for each child under 3 and 25 diapers for part-time participants. Those that run out of diapers would also not be turned down from participating in the program.

Mayo said the program’s cost ranges from $4 million to $6 million, which acts like an “additional check” for families trying to ensure their children have diapers. It comes as Gov. JB Pritzker is also calling for lawmakers to approve a $1 million pilot program to be approved by lawmakers in the upcoming budget for the department to distribute free diapers throughout the state.

The program is a “good start,” said Mayo, and with families unable to purchase diapers through SNAP or WIC benefits the burden increasingly falls on the state and social service providers.

“I think the proposal, HB 545, from Representative Mason really complements what the governor is trying to do,” he said. “It’s really about how they’re trying to solve for pain points, where the lack of a diaper sort of leads to other consequences within our system.”

Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.