California awarded the nonprofit Baby2Baby a $6.2 million contract to distribute diapers to newborns under the Golden State Start program, which provides roughly 400 diapers to parents upon hospital discharge. The contract covers approximately 25% of births in the state, amounting to 10 million diapers in the first year of the program.

Critics have questioned both the cost and selection process behind the contract. Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton claimed in a social media video that the state is spending $20 million to send 100,000 babies 400 diapers each, calculating the cost at 50 cents per diaper. Commentator Isabel Brown echoed the 50-cent figure in a social media post and questioned whether the selection process was rigorous, citing the relationship between Baby2Baby leadership and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

The Newsom administration stated the actual cost is 15.5 cents per diaper, but that figure excludes additional state agency costs of about 3 cents per diaper. According to the California Department of Finance Budget Proposal, the full breakdown includes manufacturing at 9.5 cents, warehouse and distribution at 4 cents, direct program costs at 2 cents, state operations at 1.75 cents, and phase 2 planning at 1.25 cents—totaling 18.5 cents per diaper in the first year. The “50 cents per diaper” claim stems from dividing a proposed two-year budget of roughly $20 million by only the first year’s 40 million diapers.

State lawmakers approved $7.4 million for 40 million diapers in the program’s first year. Governor Gavin Newsom stated that Baby2Baby won the contract through a competitive bidding process. However, the administration has not released the contract or competitive bid records to a news organization, citing an ongoing review under the California Public Records Act, and extended the deadline for release to early June.

Experts caution that stockpiling newborn-sized diapers can lead to waste, as babies grow at different rates and may quickly outgrow them. State officials have not explained how they will ensure the bulk-distributed diapers do not go unused. Baby2Baby representatives say the organization will not profit from the state contract, though the unreleased contract prevents independent verification.