California babies are getting a free diaper stash at birth

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: msn/Business Insider

12h


Some California hospitals are about to hand new parents a new state-sponsored freebie: roughly a month's worth of diapers. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced what he called a first-in-the-nation, statewide program that will give families 400 free diapers before they leave the hospital after giving birth. The program starts this summer.

The initiative, called "Golden State Start," will launch at roughly 65 to 75 California hospitals in its first year, the governor's office said. The state said those hospitals account for about a quarter of California births.

The first wave of hospitals primarily serves low-income families, though state officials plan to expand the program statewide. Newsom's office did not say how many hospitals will eventually participate.

California set aside $7.4 million in its 2025 budget to pay for the program, according to the AP. Newsom's latest budget proposal includes another $12.5 million to keep it funded through June 2027.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/california-babies-are-getting-a-free-diaper-stash-at-birth/ar-AA22Jk0Q

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Link to tweet

Gavin Newsom
@GavinNewsom
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HUGE NEWS: California just became the FIRST state in America to provide FREE DIAPERS to all new parents.

Launching this summer.

Since I became Governor, we have made preschool FREE, school meals FREE, and expanded paid family leave.

Stop talking about lowering costs for Show more
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2:41 PM · May 8, 2026

[cstanleytech]

1. I wonder what brand Trump wears?

[ahnakneemoose]

2. Why He Sports His Self-Branded (XXL) "Trumpies" (Of Course).

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Maybe someday California can officially adopt Finland Baby Box as policy.

[Jacson6]

5. What is Baby box? n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Every baby born gets one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternity_package

[Jacson6]

7. Hmm, In the USA and Asia a baby box is where the parents can drop off a baby anonymously.

[Jacson6]

4. My family used cloth diapers for our babies.

It was a lot cheaper to wash them yourself, but it was labor intensive.

[Mz Pip]

8. It's been awhile

I used cloth diapers for my kids. Disposable diapers were pretty new back then. They had some kind of perfume in them that gave my kiddo a rash. They’ve come a long way since then.

[CTyankee]

9. We did too. Disposables weren't around then.

[airplaneman]

10. Me three for our baby.

And being carbon footprint conscious I think cloth is better for the planed than the plastic/paper disposable ones.
-Airplane

[BigmanPigman]

11. Funny timing reading this.....

I actually spent 3 hours today looking at "diaper folding instructions" on-line since I was trying to make a mini-diaper for my sister's Mother's Day card. I tried cloth, a paper napkin, copy paper (that's the one that I ended up using). I chose not to have kids when I was 12 and it was not a choice...I just knew it wouldn't be a good idea for several reasons. So when I was learning how to fold a diaper, more complicated than it looks with many variations, all I could think of was how many of theses things are used, how much they cost and who the hell could afford so many throw-away diapers. Cost was a big factor in my not having kids.

Good for Newsom! Small things like this are needed more and more during this recession.