Author: Tiffany Mathisen

It's National Diaper Need Awareness Week! Diaper Need is a lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep a baby clean, dry and healthy. Diaper need affects 1 in 3 families nationally and 23% of families in King County. Within this 23%, families from BIPOC backgrounds are disproportionately impacted by diaper need. Our social safety net does not ensure equal access to basic needs items. Nationally, low-income families pay up to 14% of their entire income on disposable diapers. WIC & food stamps do NOT cover diapers. And while the financial burdens of the pandemic continue, diapers are also becoming increasingly more difficult to afford with prices increasing 12% in under 2 years from the end of 2019 to June of 2021. Read the recent blog post from summer intern, Siona, to learn more.…

We did it! We collected over 400,000 diapers this summer! Thank you for being a part of our 20th year of Stuff the Bus. Our community came together to collect 405,597 diapers! We could not have done this without those who hosted diaper drives, collected basics for babies, donated hygiene items and used our Amazon Wishlist to get those most needed items to WestSide Baby. YOU helped us beat our 350,000 Stuff the Bus diaper goal! Stuff the Bus Impact In 2019, WestSide Baby distributed 1.5 million diapers to King County families in need. Covid-19 has made Diaper Need more complex this year and to combat the need, we have distributed over 1.1 million diapers so far this year. We are proud of this number and we are only able…

New parents warned against homemade baby formula in coronavirus crisis Some families have been unable to stock up on — or find — baby products. Health officials are concerned by alternative recipes for formula circulating online. Author: Ted LandPublished: 10:07 PM PDT April 8, 2020Updated: 11:11 AM PDT April 13, 2020 In addition to concerns about finding toilet paper, some new parents are worried about getting enough formula and diapers. A Seattle non-profit said there's a recent surge in demand for baby products, while doctors have a warning for families seeking a do-it-yourself alternative to feed newborns. West Side Baby, an organization that provides diapers, formula, cribs, and strollers to families, has been inundated with cries for help during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In some cases, families under financial stress cannot afford products. In…

The current COVID - 19 public health crisis has resulted in a ripple effect throughout our community. The scarcity of basic needs items, like diapers and baby wipes affects the families we serve who already struggle with getting essentials for their little ones. Our modified distribution plan allows us to continue to navigate as an essential service to keep our community safe. We are just getting started and have distributed 21,968 diapers, in addition to wipes, car seats, formula and hygiene items. WestSide Baby efforts to keep our community safe includes: Keeping distribution by appointment onlyLimiting items in orders for distributionEmergency distribution efforts, outreach with Seattle Public Schools and continued partnerships with food banks and other agenciesTaking additional sanitation measures to protect the health & safety of staff, partners and the families we serve While we…