Tennessee and Delaware are the first states to create a Medicaid program offering low-income parents free diapers. It’s a move Pennsylvania should copy, for the good babies, parents and all Commonwealth communities.

Diaper costs have risen dramatically in the last five years, and with most newborns using up to 10 a day, the costs quickly add up. Without enough diapers, babies may be left in the ones they have longer, risking rashes and infections. But now, parents in Tennessee’s Medicaid system will be able to pick up diapers free of charge at their local pharmacies.

Besides the inherent social responsibility to encourage and to protect babies, the economic impacts of free diapers are huge. Connecticut launched a nonprofit diaper bank in 2004, and analyzed its impacts in a 2018 report. The results were “unambiguously positive” — so positive that the researchers were “more than a little surprised.”

Most families benefiting from the Connecticut diaper program were working parents. Without a days’ worth of diapers, many daycares won’t accept babies, directly undercutting parents’ ability to earn income. Parents with access to diapers increased their earnings, and their tax contributions, when diapers were more readily accessible. The findings were even more positive for parents in school: For them, the added access to education and the ensuing increase in income were even steeper.

Pennsylvania should take a cue from Tennessee and Delaware and launch a Medicaid-backed free diaper program. It’s good for babies, and for the budget.