Celebrity Mothers Getting Involved to Prevent Ever-Growing Diaper Need Across the Country

We all know how expensive diapers can be, but for many moms, we simply buck up and deal with the cost.

Some lower-income moms aren't quite as lucky, and instead have to deal with something that is known nationwide as "diaper need." More and more infants and children have to go without diapers every single day simply because the cost is too much for parents to bear. Sadly, this problem isn't going away.

That's where the National Diaper Bank Network comes in. The nonprofit gives many a mother free diapers for families in need. The group reports to Babble that a whopping 5.2 million children under the age of three grow up in poor or low-income families. On top of that, one-third of these families experience diaper need.

It is not easy to get diapers in the United States when you're broke. Diapers are not covered under welfare or WIC benefits, and considering that roughly 75% of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck (with 27% having no savings at all), many mothers and fathers simply cannot afford buying diapers for their child. And, unfortunately, without reliable access to new diapers, plenty of babies are suffering from sanitary problems.

For perspective, Mashable reports that the cost of diapers for low-income families is a staggering $936 per child, per year. Considering that federal minimum wage is $7.25, if the mother works full time, the cost of diapers alone will take up 6% of her gross wages.

Some families even have to choose between food and diapering their child. So, in order to gain awareness, some celebrity moms are getting involved.

Earlier in June, Scandal star Kerry Washington tweeted a video that boasted "No baby should have to wear a dirty diaper because their family can't afford clean ones." In a caption, she explained:

"It's a crime that that would be true, that you would have to choose between feeding your kid or changing their diaper."

Along with her post, she tagged an additional nonprofit organization, Baby2Baby. This Los Angeles organization also collects diapers to give to lower income families like the National Diaper Bank Network, but also donates other items such as clothing, cribs, and hygiene products for children up to 12 years old.

Washington isn't the only celebrity mom using her extensive Twitter following to promote Baby2Baby and raise awareness about the fact that not all mothers are privileged enough to afford diapers. These celebrity moms can be referred to as a small army in a sense: Molly Sims, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Drew Barrymore, Kelly Rowland, and Jenna Dewan Tatum have all tweeted or posted on social media to show their support in trying to close the "diaper gap" the nation is facing. And with their help and promotion, donations have trickled in slowly but surely.

So while companies tend to use social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to increase brand awareness, this fierce group of moms is taking advantage of their celebrity for the greater good of others.

And for that, we applaud them.