California becomes first state to provide a month of free diapers to all newborns

California families welcoming newborns will soon receive hundreds of free diapers before leaving the hospital under a first-in-the-country program announced on Friday by the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom . During the program’s first year, it will be offered at about 65 to 75 hospitals that handle about a quarter of births in the state and largely serve low-income patients, Newsom’s office said. The initiative will expand to more hospitals statewide, though the governor’s office did not say how many. The state has partnered with the non-profit Baby2Baby to manufacture the diapers under the label “Golden State Start”. Newsom said the plan builds on California’s effort to make living in the notoriously expensive state a little easier for families. He highlighted policies in recent years to provide students with free meals at schools and make preschool free for all. “Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life – and that means making sure parents have the basics they need from day one,” the Democrat said in a statement. The state set aside $7.4m in last year’s budget to roll out the initiative, and this year’s budget proposal includes an additional $12.5m to implement the program for the upcoming fiscal year ending in June 2027. It will allow each family to receive 400 diapers in sizes for newborns and babies up to 14lb (6kg) when they are discharged from a hospital after birth. …