Newborns outgrow their first diapers in weeks. Experts say so. California records show it, and several organizations that competed with Baby2Baby to run the state's free diaper program made the same point.One nonprofit pointed to a federal diaper pilot in California that found 83% of family requests were for Size 4 and up. Another warned that providing too many diapers of a single size "can lead to waste as babies may outgrow infant diaper sizes before they are used."Agency officials raised similar concerns with Baby2Baby, one of whose co-CEOs serves on the board of First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom's California Partners Project. Baby2Baby ultimately won the multimillion-dollar contract to manufacture and distribute California-branded free diapers.Officials questioned Baby2Baby about its plan to send every new baby home from the hospital with 300 to 400 diapers in only the two smallest sizes. They noted that that many diapers at once "might be overwhelming" and that parents "may want alternative sizes... so not to waste product."The Newsom administration went with Baby2Baby's plan anyway. The recently released contract locks in 400 California-branded diapers for every baby, limited to Newborn and Size 1, handed over once at hospital discharge with "no right to return or exchange diapers."For 66 days, the state delayed releasing that contract and the related records, citing what the governor called a "competitive bid process." It wasn't.Those records arrived on July 17, six hours after CBS California Investigates published an investigation revealing that the administration bypassed the normally required competitive-bidding process using an exemption written into the state budget.
Newsom's taxpayer-funded California diaper program could "lead to waste," state records warned
Records reveal repeated warnings that Baby2Baby's plan to send every baby home with 400 diapers in limited sizes could lead to waste. The other finalist offered more diapers, more sizes and a direct-to-consumer option.







