Nappie Project tries to relieve financial stress of baby costs

Loveland resident and former child protection worker Jan Touslee is helping Larimer County families reach self-sufficiency one diaper change at a time. During her professional years as a child protection worker, Touslee thought about how hunger, rent and debt loads affected her clients. She never thought about the expense of diapers — a realization she finds “honestly embarrassing.” The sheer price of the thousands of diapers a child goes through each year is enough to push many parents — especially those struggling to reach self-sufficiency — over the financial edge. “Some parents literally scrape out diapers and reuse them,” Touslee said. “Then (their children) get infections and rashes and they cry, but there’s no clean diaper to reach for. ... I’m just appalled that I didn’t recognize and realize this.”

Diapers can be a huge drain on any parent’s budget, even if buying in bulk. They’re an even bigger burden on families that can only afford to buy small quantities at a time. A box of 140 Pampers Cruisers diapers costs approximately $37.94 depending on the size, according to Walmart’s website. That’s about 27 cents per diaper. A package of 28 costs $8.97, or about 32 cents each.

The National Diaper Bank Network estimates an infant requires up to 12 diapers a day — or up to 4,380 in a year. Buying in bulk costs a family $1,187. Buying enough of the smaller packages to meet that estimate costs about $1,400. “It’s just amazing to me the huge burden it places on families,” Touslee said. “It keeps them from being able to move forward and move up.” Touslee became aware of diaper need after she started volunteering at Food Bank for Larimer County’s Loveland Food Share location, where she and her husband would help distribute diapers that were occasionally donated. When diapers were available, Touslee said clients were allowed to take a handful each time they shopped. She thought the nonprofit could do better, so she started bundling them in packages of 12. Then she and her husband started buying diapers to boost the Food Bank’s supply. By fall 2015, they had distributed 11,000 diapers through the Food Bank.

She and her husband bought so many diapers that eventually she had to have a face-to-face with the delivery driver. “I said, ‘You’re probably wondering why these two white-haired people are buying diapers,’ “ she laughed. “I couldn’t stop.” In December, Touslee and Loveland pediatrician Rachel Konda-Sundheim officially launched The Nappie Project, a nonprofit diaper bank that has distributed more than 24,000 diapers and 22,000 wipes since January.

That brings Touslee to the elephant in the landfill. Touslee is a recycling queen, so much so that her kids call her Eco Mom. She knows there are those who don’t like the idea of the nonprofit generating more diapers that end up in an overflowing pile of trash at the Larimer County Landfill. But most child care providers don’t allow cloth diapers and some laundromats don’t allow patrons to wash cloth diapers in their machines, Touslee said. She knows disposable diapers are a necessary evil on the path to a better life.

“If this helps people move towards self-sufficiency, I can deal with a few diapers in the landfill,” she said. “It’s an easy choice to make.” The Nappie Project partners with Larimer County agencies, including Food Bank for Larimer County, The Matthews House Community Life Center and others to distribute the diapers. The Loveland Food Share remains the nonprofit’s biggest distribution site at 1,000 diapers a week. Touslee said she can’t distribute at the Fort Collins location because there isn’t enough room to do so. She’s seeking other partners to expand The Nappie Project’s reach in Fort Collins, including the Community Life Center at The Genesis Project.

Most partners offer distribution once a month, though Food Bank clients in Loveland can get a pack of diapers per child up to twice a week — Tuesdays and Fridays. Loveland partners include Food Bank for Larimer County, the Salvation Army, Life Choices, Birthline and Ferguson High School.The Nappie Prooject also distributes through LION Ministries in Berthoud and Foster and Adoptive Parents of Larimer County.

How to help

The Nappie Project accepts cash donations and diaper donations, including open bags of unused diapers. Though all sizes are needed, sizes 3 through 5 are most in demand. Visit www.thenappieproject.com to learn more about how you can help families facing diaper needs in Larimer County.