National Diaper Need Awareness Week
Big Steps, Bright Futures: Helping Children Build Confidence for the Milestones Ahead
September 14-20, 2026
National Diaper Need Awareness Week (DNAW) highlights a critical challenge that affects millions of families across the country: diaper need. Nearly 1 in 2 U.S. families with young children struggle to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean, dry, and healthy. Because programs like SNAP and WIC do not cover diapers, many parents face difficult choices between purchasing diapers and paying for other essential expenses such as food, housing, transportation, and healthcare.
Diapers are more than a basic necessity. They play an important role in a child’s health, comfort, confidence, and developmental progress. Consistent access to diapers can directly impact a family’s ability to support their child’s potty-training journey. When families lack an adequate supply of diapers, children may experience interruptions in routine and challenges in reaching important developmental milestones. Potty training is often one of a child’s first major achievements, helping build independence, self-confidence, and readiness for the next stage of growth.
Our theme,“Big Steps, Bright Futures: Helping Children Build Confidence for the Milestones Ahead,” recognizes that every child deserves the opportunity to navigate these important milestones with dignity and support. Potty training is more than learning a new skill. It is a foundational step that helps children gain confidence, develop self-care habits, and prepare for structured learning environments. By ensuring families have access to diapers and training pants, we help create the stability children need to successfully transition through these formative years.
When children enter preschool or kindergarten with confidence in their self-care skills and a strong sense of independence, they are better positioned to focus on learning, building relationships, and succeeding in the classroom. Supporting diaper access today helps create brighter futures tomorrow by giving children the foundation they need to reach developmental milestones, achieve potty-training success, and begin their educational journey ready to thrive.
Get Involved
This National Diaper Need Awareness Week, you can help children take the big steps that lead to bright futures. Whether you donate diapers, make a financial contribution, volunteer your time, host a diaper drive, or simply help raise awareness, your support makes a meaningful difference for local families.
Every diaper donated helps reduce stress for caregivers, supports healthy child development, and empowers children as they work toward important milestones like potty training and school readiness. Join us in creating a community where every child has the confidence, dignity, and resources needed to thrive
You can participate in the following ways:
- Sign up to host a training pants drive (physical or virtual)
- Purchase diapers/training pants from our Wish List
- Make a monetary donation towards our fundraiser or setup your own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign
For more information about National Diaper Need Awareness Week contact Jerrica at jfranks@stldiaperbank.org.
Interested in sponsorship? Email Lee Nave at lnave@stldiaperbank.org for more information.
2025 Recap
St. Louis, you did it again! Thanks to our truly amazing supporters, we are excited to share that we FILLED THE WAREHOUSE with 228,465 diapers.
Every single diaper represents a step toward a healthier, happier life for a child in our community. Your donation ensures thousands of St. Louis families can keep their babies clean, dry, and healthy. THANK YOU for standing with us to wipe out diaper need!
Thank you to our 2025 sponsors
