Can you imagine having to empty out your baby’s disposable diaper, hang it to dry and put it back on your baby? This is what mothers are doing every day because they can't afford diapers.  

The lives of these mothers and their families could be meaningfully changed if we eliminated sales tax on diapers in our home state of California by passing AB 66.

Diapers are expensive.  Babies go through 6-8 diapers a day, and they cost $70-$80 per month per child.  Removing the sales tax from diapers could save families $100 per year, the equivalent of one month of diapers.

1 in 3 families in this country are struggling to afford diapers.  As moms and Co-Presidents of Baby2Baby, this statistic has driven us to dedicate our careers to providing basic essentials to children in need.  Baby2Baby’s mission is to provide basic essentials to children living in poverty, and diapers are always the #1 requested item from the families we serve.  Over the last 7 years, we have distributed 29 million of them to hundreds of thousands of kids across the country.

The most shocking part is that childcare centers often require a full day’s supply of diapers for children to attend and enroll, creating a barrier for parents to re-enter the workforce.

8 states have already removed sales tax from diapers: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.  We would love to see the sales tax removed in every state of the country, and California making this move could help build momentum for this to happen everywhere.

Most importantly, eliminating this tax from diapers can help break a vicious cycle of poverty.  When the families we serve have dry diapers for their babies, they can keep their lights on, pay their rent, get back to work, and get back on their feet.   

But we can’t do it on our own. We need your support to address this inequity--California can do better.

Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Baby2Baby Co-Presidents