Wanted: Half a million nappies to combat growing nappy stress
Media Release - For immediate release
Clean Bums for Little Ones 2025
The Nappy Collective is on a mission to collect 500,000 nappies over the next month to
relieve rising “nappy stress” in Australian families.
Launching its Clean Bums for Little Ones appeal, the charity is urging the community to
donate new or leftover disposable nappies at more than 950 collection points around Australia
from April 28 to May 23.
The campaign to collect 500,000 donated nappies will allow The Nappy Collective to help
15,000 families in need.
It will also put the charity on track to collect 1 million donated nappies so far this year, an
important milestone given the unprecedented level of demand for its services.
“We’re seeing a rise in nappy requests from families who are asking for help for the first time,”
says The Nappy Collective chief executive officer Sarah Witty.
“They are dealing with rising bills for food, household services and rent, and their budgets just
don’t stretch that far. For some parents, it comes down to a choice between food for
themselves or nappies for their babies and toddlers.”
The Nappy Collective, Australia’s only not-for-profit solely focused on collecting and
redistributing nappies for families in crisis, estimates nappies cost an average $70 a week or
$3640 in the first year of a child’s life.
It is estimated one in 10 families are in “nappy stress”, meaning they struggle to afford the
nappies their children need. This equates to about 280,000 children who are at risk of being
left in unclean nappies for too long, causing distress, discomfort and infections.
Families in need of nappies are often escaping domestic violence, facing homelessness,
experiencing financial hardship or seeking refuge.
“Every donated nappy will help a family in real need. So please get along to a collection point
and donate whatever you can,” Sarah Witty says.
Collection points can be found at hundreds of early learning centres, maternal health centres,
small businesses, shopping centres and major retailers including Baby Bunting and Ripe
Maternity.
For more information about the Clean Bums for Little Ones campaign, including collection
point details, visit our campaign page:
www.thenappycollective.com/clean-bums-campaign-2025
Fast facts:
-The Nappy Collective collects donations of new and leftover nappies for families in crisis.
Since 2013, they have collected and distributed over 8 million nappies to vulnerable
families.
The current nappy need is the largest ever seen in The Nappy Collective’s 11-year history.
Family support services have seen an unprecedented surge in demand for
nappies and families who have never asked for assistance before are seeking
support.
It is estimated that 500,000 nappies would help 15,000 vulnerable families access
nappies.
Media enquiries:
Kamahl Cogdon | Arize
0412 371 746
OR
hello@thenappycollective.org.au
What is Nappy Stress
Nappy stress describes the experience of families who do not have enough nappies to change
their children as often as needed. Some 280,000 children aged under 5 across Australia are
estimated to suffer nappy stress each year. This can cause skin and urinary infections, difficulty
accessing childcare, and poor mental health for parents who experience financial and emotional
distress as a result of being forced to keep a child in unclean nappies.
With costs of living soaring and more families experiencing social disadvantage than ever before,
there is an urgent need to provide nappies for families with low incomes, at risk of homelessness,
escaping domestic violence, seeking asylum, or in other disadvantaged circumstances.
About The Nappy Collective
The Nappy Collective is Australia’s only not-for-profit solely focused on collecting and
redistributing nappies for families in crisis. Powered almost entirely by volunteers, The Nappy
Collective coordinates the collection, sorting, and distribution of nappies to some of the
approximately 280,000 children who experience various forms of physical and emotional distress
from not having their nappies changed often enough.