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6 Ways You Can Get Free Diapers Easily

6 Ways You Can Get Free Diapers Easily

Can I get free diapers near me? We’re asked this question at least once a week here at Low Income Relief. After all, nearly 1 in 3 low income American families struggle to afford diapers for their young children.

Fortunately, we’ve found help. In addition to diaper banks and rewarded shopping apps, there are many ways that you can get free diapers near you.

Try a diaper bank!

When I’m searching for free diapers near me, the first thing I always do is search for a local diaper bank. These organizations operate a lot like food banks, but instead of food they distribute diapers. Find a diaper bank near you!

Ask for free diaper samples.

Many companies offer free samples to hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other organizations in order to persuade new parents to purchase their products exclusively. You may be able to get free diapers through these sample programs, if you know where to look.

Ask the Hospital

The first place that most parents receive free diaper samples is at the hospital. Many hospitals provide free baby boxes or gift bags to parents when their newborn is delivered. If you weren’t provided one, be sure to ask if the are any free products available!

New baby kits from hospitals often include:

  • Free diapers
  • Free wipes
  • Free formula
  • Free bottles
  • and more.

Ask your doctor.

Similarly, many pediatricians may have diaper samples on hand. They may also know about additional resources in your community that can help you, since they specialize in helping children.

It is always wise to reach out to your child’s doctor if you need help finding resources.

Contact the diaper brands directly.

You can subscribe to promotional materials from the major diaper brands in order to receive coupons and sometimes samples. However, samples can be more difficult to get.

Some users have reported success contacting the diaper companies and asking for samples so that they can compare brands. However, this will only help you receive a few so it will not provide a reliable stream of free diapers.

Create a registry to get free diapers.

New parents may also be able to get a free baby box when they create a gift registry through participating retailers.

Amazon

Amazon ships a free Welcome Box to new and expecting parents. The Welcome Box includes full, travel and sample-size surprises, which may include diapers and other essentials.

In order to be eligible for the free Welcome Box, at least one parent must meet the following criteria:

  • You must have an active Amazon Prime account. If you’re low income, claim your discount!
  • You must create a Baby Registry.
  • You must add 60% of the items on your Checklist to your registry. The Checklist is a prompt that guides you through the Baby Registry creation process.
  • You must have over 10% of purchases from your registry. Purchases can be made by you or others.

Target

Target also offers a free welcome kit to eligible new parents. The welcome kit includes coupons, samples, and more. It’s easy to get! Just stop by Guest Services on your next Target visit to pick one up. Supplies may be limited, so you can always call ahead to confirm that the welcome kit is available near you.

Just watch out for the fine print! Target claims the welcome kit is worth $100 but the fine print clarifies that the value is determined by the value of coupons and trial samples. What you receive may vary.

Walmart

Walmart also offers a Baby Registry Welcome Box when you create a baby registry on their website. The box is sponsored by companies that donate products, and Huggies is on the list of sponsors. The box may include actual diapers or diaper coupons, it’s not clear which.

Walmart also offers a postpartum care box that may be sent to you when you enter your third trimester as well. Registrants are only eligible for one box, though.

Claim yours by registering on the Walmart baby registry website.

Get a diaper allowance.

Of course, all states operate a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that provides direct cash assistance to low income families. If you meet the requirements, you could receive a monthly cash grant to help you pay for diapers, housing, and other essential costs of living.

Some states offer additional subsidies to families who need to purchase diapers as well. California and Washington are two states that have already started issuing those extra subsidies.

In California, families who receive CalWORKs benefits receive an extra $30 per month for each child under 3 years of age to help offset the cost of diapers.

In Washington, families who are eligible for TANF can receive an extra subsidy to help with diaper costs for children under the age of 3 years old.

Start a diaper fundraiser.

When you register for a baby registry on Amazon, you can use that registry to fundraise for diapers. People who shop your registry can then choose to buy the specific items on your list or donate to your diaper fund, which can be used to purchase diapers through the Amazon platform.

Alternatively, you could try a fundraiser on another platform like Facebook or GoFundMe. Some platforms, like ModestNeeds, will not assist with diapers but may assist with a different expense (like rent) so that you can pay for diapers yourself.

Use rewarded shopping apps to get free diapers.

If you are low income and receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, you can turn those benefits into cash with rewarded shopping apps. Just submit your receipts and you can get cash back on your eligible purchases! It’s a great way to spend all of your EBT benefits and get cash back for other essentials like diapers.

Ask your community.

If all else fails, you may be able to request assistance from your community through your local Buy Nothing group, Freecycle service, or parent group.

Be careful about spamming those groups with requests, though, because many admins will ban people who make repeated requests. You’d be much better off connecting with a local diaper bank than repeatedly asking your local groups on social media.

FAQs about Free Diapers

Obviously, we specialize in helping low income Americans connect with benefits, resources and programs in their local communities. We’ve received a lot of questions about how to get free diapers near me, so here are the most common answers.

How many diapers do I need?

On average, parents will need about 70 diapers per week per child. That’s an average, based on the need to provide 8-12 diaper changes per day for 7 days. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, most children will use about 3,000 diapers during the first year.

Can I buy diapers tax-free?

There are ways to buy diapers tax-free. According to NDBN, only 29 states charge tax on diapers. In those states that do charge tax, you may be able to strategically buy diapers tax-free on tax-free weekends and tax-free holidays.

Does WIC provide free diapers?

No, WIC is a nutrition program that assists with food. WIC does not provide free diapers. However, many WIC offices are located inside the Department of Public Health, which may be able to assist with diapers.

Can I get free diapers from Medicaid?

The only way to get free diapers from Medicaid is if the person who needs them has been diagnosed with a medical condition that causes incontinence and a doctor deems diapers to be medically necessary. Medicaid does not cover regular baby diapers for healthy children.

Does Huggies offer free diapers?

Yes and no. Huggies is the founding sponsor of the National Diaper Bank Network and they donate more than 20 million diapers to those banks every year. However, they do not offer free diapers direct to consumers.

What about cloth diapers?

Cloth diapers are an increasingly popular solution but they aren’t a cure-all. Many child care providers will not allow children to use cloth diapers, so low income families still have to obtain a number of disposable diapers in order to receive free or subsidized child care. If you choose to use cloth diapers at home, though, it could help those disposable ones last longer.

Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.