The growing need for diapers as families face rising costs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (InvestigateTV) — Diapers are a basic need for many families. Parents already dealing with rising costs for housing, food and transportation can find it hard to keep up with diaper costs.According to a 2026 survey by the National Diaper Bank Network, nearly half of families, or one in two, struggled to pay for diapers. A quarter of parents reported missing work or school because they could not afford the diapers required to leave their baby in childcare.Volunteers package diapersChristina and Emily D’Abreo are a mother-daughter volunteer team at the Diaper Bank of North Carolina. Last year, they spent 208 hours volunteering there. They packaged about 29,000 diapers, helping more than 1,000 babies and their families.“I know that diaper need is a big, something that’s really overlooked in our community,” Emily D’Abreo said.“It’s really hard when you see a growing family have to choose between food and between diapers,” Christina D’Abreo said. “One in two families cannot a