Nicole Richie Thinks Diapers Should be Free

"Choosing between food and diapers is a decision many people have to make every day," says Nicole Richie. I'm speaking to the star, House of Harlow designer, and mother of two at a Baby2Baby Playdate in LA. Richie is hosting the event — she's been a Baby2Baby ambassador for the past seven years — to celebrate Huggies' donation of 3 million diapers to families in need.

"I live five miles away from 90% of these families," Richie says. "I’m seeing exactly where it’s going and I want my kids to be involved in this as well. It’s their hometown, it’s their community. It gives so many moms an opportunity to put food on the table and not have to worry about something that really at this point should just be given to them."

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Richie was among celeb pals, including Jordana Brewster and Baby2Baby co-presidents Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof, who came to hang with 30 babies and their parents — each of whom directly benefit from the charity's efforts to provide necessities to families who would otherwise have to go without.

Richie thinks transparency is the best policy when it comes to talking about these sorts of issues with daughter Harlow, 10, and son Sparrow, 9. "I was raised knowing that it’s your responsibility to give back wherever you can. I was taught that from the time I was 4 years old when my dad (singer Lionel Richie) did "We are the World" and we were putting food on planes to Africa. For my kids, that’s just what you’re doing. You’re helping out your neighbors, you’re helping out your community. And it’s actually very easy for them to comprehend."

Open dialogue with the kids reaches beyond charity, though. Richie, who brought her son and daughter to the L.A. Women's March this year, comments that, "It was really important for me to have my daughter there to experience this time. We’re hoping that from this march and from other efforts that we’re really going to push the needle forward. I think it’s really cool that my kids will be able to say that they were a physical part of that."

And when it comes to talking politics, Richie likes to break it down. "My kids are young, so I talk to them about ways that they can help," she explains. "For example: donating items to Baby2Baby and giving to other kids in need. That’s something that they can understand. I’m sure the next stage of questions will be 'Why?,' and then we’ll get to that. But for now, it’s all about building a real understanding of the way the world works. It’s pretty natural." We couldn't agree more.