Rising costs strain young families

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - It’s more expensive than ever to raise a child and many families are feeling the pinch.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average consumer prices for items like baby formula, canned baby food, and diapers or other personal sanitary products all increased in the past two years.

The price of baby formula spiked by 30 percent since December 2020, in large part due to the nationwide shortage and supply and demand issues. Canned baby food increased by nearly 22 percent in the last two years with diapers and sanitary paper products reporting an increase of 11 percent.

For parents Jeremy and Jessica Martin, rising prices has an impact on their family’s monthly budget.

“Everything seems to be going up,” said Martin, a working mother of four. “When you throw on diapers, baby toys, car seats, and all of that, it’s crazy.”

She says the biggest expense in their household is feeding her growing family which includes 8-year-old Zachary, 6-year-old Lucia, 3-year-old Elijiah, and 4-month old Owynn.

“Our grocery bills went from $150 - $200 a week to $300 - $400 to feed them all,” said Martin. “That has been the biggest hit for us is the food.”

She swaps clothing or trades spare diapers with other parents to save money.

“As a mom, your first job is trying to supply the needs of your kids,” said Martin. “Being able to provide them with the basics is just a daily thing.”

Martin says she knows other families are less fortunate.

“When you couldn’t do that, the heartbreak you probably feel is overwhelming,” she added.

At the Village Diaper Bank, founder and CEO Megan Sollenberger helps families make ends meet.

“It’s not just the cost of diapers that’s really putting people in a tough spot,” said Sollenberger. “Groceries are causing a lot of really tough decisions between diapers and food.”

Her goal is to provide $40 worth of savings per child per month by giving away free diapers.

“When you think about it, that’s a tank of gas or a trip to the store to tide you over until payday,” said Sollenberger. “We really think that makes a huge, meaningful impact for people that are already living very paycheck to paycheck.”

The Village Diaper Bank is also seeing inflation affecting the price of diapers. Last year, the non-profit shelled out an additional $18,000 to cover the increased cost of diapers.

“Every major brand has seen a huge increase in price and even though we work with wholesales, they still pass those costs on to us as well,” explained Sollenberger. “Everybody’s paying more, so so are we.”

UW-Madison Professor J. Michael Collins studies consumer decision-making. He says the hardest thing about inflation for families is feeling like you have no control.

“Inflation does touch everybody,” said Collins. “I think the difference for a family, especially a young family with maybe new kids or first time parents, is that there are costs that you just can’t avoid.”

Collins says often times a family navigating financial hardship will have to make strenuous decisions when it comes to cutbacks.

“It’s very stressful,” said Collins. “I think one of the parts we need to understand is that when families face this kind of stress, it’s emotionally hard and it’s psychologically hard.”

Martin supports the mission of the Village Diaper Bank because she believes parents should lift one another up.

“Being able to help a mom provide for what they need and to be able to do it with the little humans is the best,” said Martin. “I couldn’t imagine being in their circumstances so not being able to have a place for families to reach out and be able to get assistance when they need it is awesome.”

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