Besides community hosted diaper drives and individual donations of unused diapers, HappyBottoms acquires its diapers through partnerships with the National Diaper Bank Network. We also purchase diapers at a reduced rate through various vendors. HappyBottoms saves 30 to 50% off of the prices you would spend in a retail store.

HappyBottoms collaborates with more than 70 social service agencies  and 6 area hospitals to ensure that our diapers make it onto the bottoms of babies in greatest need. Our distribution agencies work directly with families to qualify babies to receive either 75 disposable diapers or 50 training pants per month. We use an agency model to give families access to other services they may need and help ease the effects of poverty. Our Bundles of Joy program works with 7 hospital locations to provide newborns and their mothers a one-time distribution of 75 diapers, along with information about our ongoing diaper distribution.

A child eligible for diapers if they are less than four years old, their family is experiencing financial need, and they live in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area: Cass County (MO), Clay County (MO), Jackson County (MO), Johnson County (KS), Platte County (MO), or Wyandotte County (KS) or in these northwest Missouri counties: Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Ray or in these eastern Kansas counties: Doniphan.

Cloth diapers, while environmentally and economically friendly in the long term, require an initial investment of money and time that many low-income families cannot afford. Over 70% of our parents live on less than $20,000 a year, so owning a washing machine isn’t an option.

To use cloth diapers, a family must either hire a diaper service or have reliable access to laundry facilities. Soiled diapers are not allowed on public transportation which creates a barrier for parents trying to use a laundromat. As it is, roughly 75% of laundromats prohibit the washing of cloth diapers for sanitary reasons and the 25% who do, require parents to run a load of bleach afterward, another cost that HappyBottoms parents cannot afford.

Through our diaper purchasing partnerships, we are able to stretch your charity dollar further and get more diapers on more babies.  Your $20 supplies $40 worth of diapers. 

We are just as baffled as you are! Our network of diaper banks across the country hope that one day this problem will be remedied! Want to help make a change and raise awareness? Write or email your elected officials today!

Families qualify for HappyBottoms based on their child’s age, where they live, and the family’s income level. HappyBottoms serves children less than four years old who live in  the greater Kansas City metropolitan area: Cass County (MO), Clay County (MO), Jackson County (MO), Johnson County (KS), Platte County (MO), or Wyandotte County (KS) or in these northwest Missouri counties: Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Ray or in these eastern Kansas counties: Doniphan. Some distribution agencies may require more information. 

Age-appropriate potty training helps families close the diaper need cycle and eliminate diaper expense, and we think it’s important to help families navigate this challenging stage.  Our Potty Training Education Program provides readiness screening, video curriculum, and potty training kit, including potty seat, stepstool, educational booklet, board book and sticker chart.

In March 2024 HappyBottoms increased the number of diapers each baby receives from 50/month to 75/month, in response to learning that 89% of HappyBottoms families ran out of diapers before the end of the month, even with assistance (2019 Client Survey). After conducting our own pilot project (Expanded Service Project 2021-23) to assess diaper need, we learned that 91% of moms, as compared to 40% in the pre-ESP survey, reported that they didn’t have to give up other basic needs, didn’t delay in changing their child’s diaper, did not attempt to potty train before their child was ready and did not miss work or school.

HappyBottoms’ philosophy is for our diapers to be a hand-up, not a hand-out. By providing diapers, HappyBottoms is helping babies stay clean and dry, attend or stay in daycare and providing parents relief from the daily stress of choosing between purchasing diapers or other basic needs. Additionally, we leverage the hand-up to connect families to agencies that can address other needs like job skills, education, clothing, and physical or mental health care. HappyBottoms is one piece of the poverty puzzle, a piece that can make or break a family’s budget as they try to break the poverty cycle.

We leverage diaper distribution by getting families into agencies that can address other needs like clothing, food, job skills, education, financial assistance, healthcare, and child care. HappyBottoms is one piece of the poverty puzzle, a piece that can make or break a family’s budget as they try to escape the poverty cycle. We partner with hospitals in our Bundles of Joy program to reach low-income families as early as possible, giving them access to the other critical services they need.

The Bundles of Joy program is a program geared towards getting HappyBottoms diapers to newborns in need. Diapers are distributed to qualifying moms at participating hospitals. Moms receive one set of diapers at the hospital and then are able to continue receiving diapers through any enrolling HappyBottoms agency. If you are interested in this program, please talk to your hospital social worker.

Interested in partnering with us? Email partners@happybottoms.org

The best way to connect families is to have them visit our Get Diapers page https://happybottoms.org/get-diapers/

In early 2023 HappyBottoms launched “Happy Packs”; a 5 pack of diapers (in all sizes), wrapped with our Need Diapers information postcard for distribution at health and wellness fairs, community resource and back-to-school events. Happy Packs are also provided to organizations like the Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Jackson County CASA, Kansas City Kansas Library System, Independence Fire Department, to name a few, for distribution when staff members encounter families with an immediate need for diaper assistance. This helps the family not only in the moment, but also connects them to an ongoing resource. For more information about HappyBottoms outreach materials contact
info@happybottoms.org