Amid an uncertain month of benefit freezes and shifting eligibility rules, families struggling to afford basic necessities are confronting another urgent need affecting Connecticut’s youngest residents:
In the U.S., close to half of families with children 3 and under struggle to purchase diapers. In Connecticut, it would take 38,136,000 diapers each year to fill the diaper gap, according to a study published by the Urban Institute in September. And in the past few months, this “diaper disparity” has only gotten worse.
“The phones are ringing,” Janet Stolfi Alfano, the CEO of The Diaper Bank of Connecticut said.
According to the Urban Institute, the average monthly cost of diapers for one child is $100. The median American family could only afford to spend $65 per month.
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Alfano, who has worked at the bank since 2007, said the current need in Connecticut is “great.”
“We can’t keep up with the emails and phone calls lately,” Alfano told the CT Mirror in late October. “Over the past few months, it feels as bad as COVID at least.”
November was no different. As families struggled without SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, Alfano said there was a bit of an uptick in need from October.
The Diaper Bank of Connecticut alone distributed 24,139,948 infant and toddler diapers from 2021 through June 30, 2025. But this still wasn’t enough, and Alfano worries the need will just continue to grow as benefits and social services are cut for residents across the nation.
According to the study, the Capitol Region Council of Government is the most vulnerable to the diaper disparity. This region includes Hartford.
Black and Hispanic residents in Connecticut are also disproportionately more likely to experience this need than white residents.
The effects of this disparity go beyond families, the study found. While not having enough diapers can increase a child’s risk for diaper rash or urinary tract infections, it can also force a parent to miss work or school. The National Diaper Bank found that, nationwide, one in four parents missed work or school because they could not afford to purchase diapers.
And personally, parents or caregivers who cannot afford diapers are twice as likely to report feeling depressed, and one in four reported skipping meals to afford diapers.
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Along with the withholding of SNAP funds earlier this month, Alfano said that issues like the recent formula recall can also put a large burden on families.
“Folks who are already close to the breaking point are there,” Alfano said. “Everyone is trying to piece it together.”
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Sasha Allen is a data reporting fellow with The Connecticut Mirror.