As a busy mom, it’s easy to forget things. I forget my phone at home more often than I’d like to admit. I forget to get the main ingredient for dinner at the grocery store. True story… most recently chicken and chicken broth for chicken noodle soup, (you think I’d learn to USE THE LIST I made). I’m a pretty organized person most of the time, but kids, especially young toddlers, provide so many distractions! As kids get older they need less stuff on-the-go. You would think this makes it more simple to get ready to go anywhere, but the truth is, I’m always caught without something. Recently we went to an Amusement park for an evening of adventure and fun! I took the girls early to enjoy some festivities before Daddy met up with us. I switched diaper bags in the car, and in doing so, forgot the diapers! Major #momfail moment!
My oldest is potty trained, but depending on the restroom she can be terrified of the toilets. We call the automatic flushers robot toilets, and she is not a fan. They are loud and flush at what feels like the most inconvenient moments. I have mastered the art of “covering their eyes” but some days that just isn’t enough. I’ve always had a loooooooooong list of irrational fears and I work really hard at not passing them along to the girls. My own fears, like the fear of fish, have been a lifelong struggle and I know how it feels for people to not take them seriously. It might be hilarious to them, but it’s real to me! The last thing I need is to traumatize my 3 1/2-year-old on a potty break. When her panic onsets I pull out one of little sissy’s Huggies Snug and Dry diapers and hold it up for her to make pee-pee and we put our panties right back on.
I know you thought I was more worried about not having a spare diaper for baby girl, PLOT TWIST! Luckily, I was never truly worried. I’m humbled enough by mom-brain that I am not above asking to bum a diaper off another mama. The park we were at also has stations that provide all baby needs. There was a brief second of panic that set in when I realized what I did, but it faded quickly to a sense of failure and shame. Then I got over it! We didn’t end up needing a diaper that night, but the small time frame I felt like a terrible mother is a feeling felt by many moms every day.
When the recent Hurricanes, Fires, and Earthquakes hit all around us I wanted to do something. As I sat safe and warm snuggling my babies my heart broke for those mamas I knew lost everything. I turned to social media to see what I could do and found that First Response Relief agencies didn’t provide diapers for families affected by these tragedies. I donated to the local diaper banks and shared their info with my mom tribe. We all donated what we could and continue to support this cause. While the areas hit with natural disasters still need our support there are mothers all over the nation that struggle with this feeling of incompetence on a regular basis…
According to a recent survey by Huggies and the National Diaper Bank Network, Seventy-three percent of all families feel they’re not being good parents when their children are left too long in dirty diapers, while one-in-three households in need experience feeling stressed or overwhelmed by diapering always or often.
• 1 in 3 U.S. families struggle to provide enough diapers to keep their baby or toddler clean, dry, and healthy
• Sixty-five percent of families are unaware that diaper banks offer diaper assistance in their respective community, even though the
number of diaper banks has grown to more than 300 from 40 in recent years.
• Of families in diaper need, three-in-four also identify as experiencing economic hardship. In this study, economic hardship was
defined as the inability to pay reasonable and necessary living expenses including rent or mortgage, utilities, food, transportation,
healthcare, and basic needs products such as soap, shampoo, diapers, and feminine hygiene.
• Of families in diaper need, three-in-five parents (57%) miss work or school due to a lack of sufficient diapers required by childcare,
daycare or early education programs to care for a baby or toddler. As a result, parents experiencing diaper need missed an
average of four days of work or school in the past month.
These statistics broke my heart! I am so proud to be partnering with my favorite diapers, Huggies, along with Kroger stores to promote their No Baby Unhugged program. For the first time, Huggies and Kroger have teamed up to help these families by donating up to 1 million diapers to the National Diaper Bank Network, a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to helping meet the basic needs of all babies and their families.
From November 8 through December 5, when Kroger shoppers BUY Huggies® Diapers, 1 Big Pack or 2 Jumbo
Packs, they GET a FREE pack of wipes and help Huggies® will also donate a day’s worth of diapers (up to 1M) to the National Diaper Bank Network.
Next time you are at your local Kroger location pick up some Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers and know you gave the gift of dryness and comfort to a baby in need! If you aren’t buying diapers for babies yet, or any more, please consider donating to the National Diaper Bank and help out these underprivileged families.