Governor Newsom launches first-in-the-nation program providing free diapers for all new parents

Beginning this summer, every newborn delivered in a participating California hospital will receive 400 diapers at no cost to the family. Hospitals will provide diapers to families at the time of discharge, ensuring parents leave the hospital with an immediate supply of high-quality diapers tailored to newborn needs. 

The goal of the program is to ease financial strain for families, reduce difficult trade-offs between diapers and other essentials, and support infant health by helping parents maintain an adequate supply of clean diapers.

“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, Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency. “This program helps ensure families can begin that journey with greater stability and peace of mind.”

For the first year of the program, CalRx and Baby2Baby will prioritize hospitals that serve large numbers of Medi-Cal patients so that low-income families benefit early from the program, with plans to scale across additional hospitals and birthing centers over time.

The diapers distributed are manufactured for Baby2Baby and will be co-labeled with the state’s program name, Golden State Start, to reflect California’s commitment to bringing affordable diapers to Californians. 

“Diapers are at the core of our mission at Baby2Baby as a shocking one in two families in this country struggles to afford them,” said Baby2Baby Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof. “We are incredibly grateful to Governor Newsom for his ongoing commitment to combating diaper needs in California and could not be prouder to partner on this historic initiative that will support moms and babies at their most vulnerable time.”