Newsom launches first program in U.S. to provide free diapers to new parents

OAN Staff Lillian Mann
4:54 PM – Friday, May 8, 2026

California parents welcoming newborns will soon receive hundreds of free diapers under a first-in-the-nation initiative led by Governor Gavin Newsom aimed at easing the cost of living in one of the nation’s most expensive states.

According to a statement released by Newsom (D-Calif.) on Friday, the program’s first year will see 65 to 75 hospitals providing free diapers to new parents upon discharge, accounting for about 25% of the state’s annual births.

Newsom said that the plan is intended to ease the drastic costs of living California, as part of his CalRx program, a partnership with legislature to make the state more affordable. The initiative also highlights efforts made to guarantee students of free meals and even elimination tuition costs for preschool.  

“Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life – and that means making sure parents have the basics they need from day one,” Newsom said in the statement.

 

The statement detailed a new partnership with leading national nonprofit organization, Baby2Baby, which provides clothes, diapers and other basic needs for children, according to the organization’s website.

Beginning this summer, every newborn delivered in a participating California hospital will receive a little more than a month’s worth of diapers — roughly 400 — ranging in sizing from newborn to babies up to 14 pounds to take home after they’re released from the hospital.

The partnership will be the first program in the nation to provide free diapers to all new babies born in California, and will continue to expand further to more hospitals statewide, Newsom’s statement continued. However he did not specify how many hospitals would be included in the program.

The state had reserved $7.4 million in last year’s budget to launch the program, with an additional $12.5 million for the upcoming fiscal year ending in June 2027.

The Baby2Baby nonprofit constructed a manufacturing set up in which diapers are produced for 80% less than the retail price, co-CEO Kelly Sawyer Patricof said. The organization has distributed diapers to more than one million children across the United States.

Notably, California’s Medicaid healthcare system currently does not include diaper costs for families with newborns. However, they are covered for children ages five and up if they are needed due to a medical condition.

“The first days at home with a newborn should be focused on the love, connection, and joy of an expanded family, not stress about affording diapers,” said Kim Johnson, the state’s health secretary. “This program helps ensure families can begin that journey with greater stability and peace of mind.”

Diapers are known to be a substantial and ongoing cost, with families spending about $100 per month, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Furthermore, the center says high diaper costs often force parents to leave diapers on their children longer than recommended, increasing the risk of diaper rash and urinary tract infections.

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