“Babies are the most precious gift bestowed to humans. As you look into the face of every child, you see the miraculous gift of life... so precious and so powerful.”

Our Organization

Baby Basics, Inc. is a non-profit, 100 percent volunteer organization that provides and distributes diapers to babies of the working/near poor in Collier and Lee Counties. At Baby Basics we believe that early intervention with infants is one of the best ways of preventing a later failure to thrive. By providing babies with hygienic and when needed, nutritional essentials, we hope to maximize their potential development. One hundred percent of revenue generated by donations is applied to purchase diapers. Administrative costs are underwritten by donations earmarked as such. Baby Basics currently distributes diapers to 239 children at six sites on a bi-monthly and monthly basis.

Our Philosophy

We seek to provide an atmosphere of kindness and create a sense of community for families who are working hard yet straddling the edge of poverty. Diaper distributions are supplemented with an educational component specific to the needs of our participants. Diapers are a costly, basic hygienic necessity. By providing clean diapers we hope to prevent diaper rash, lessen the risk of child abuse and reduce some of the financial stress for parents. Since 2004, Baby Basics has made a significant impact in the community by improving the quality of life for these at-risk children one baby at a time.

Our Mission

We ensure that hygienic essentials, such as diapers, are available to our families from birth to age three. We also provide their families, who are struggling to make ends meet but have incomes too high to qualify for federal and state subsidies, with a supportive safety net from welfare and the opportunity to succeed. We will do this in a caring environment, with a listening ear, and as needed, referrals for help, and the opportunity to connect with other programs and services in Southwest Florida.

Our Goals

Research shows that one of the four major factors of child abuse is a sense of isolation. Baby Basics strives to provide a connection to a caring community with support, a listening ear and a safe place to share daily struggles and successes thus diluting the sense of isolation for these struggling families. While we provide diapers, the Woman, Infant and Children Program distributes formula. We know that children who are kept in diapers too long may be vulnerable to diaper rash. Diaper rash leads to very uncomfortable babies, and often crying babies. We have documentation that shows that inconsolable babies are at risk for child abuse.

“When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.”                  
-Harold Kushner