Community baby shower in Grand Rapids supports new parents
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A community baby shower in Grand Rapids celebrated and supported nearly 200 families on Saturday.
“This is our first time being here,” said Shawenta Peet, whose daughter is pregnant. “I’m just so excited because they’re giving out Pack ‘n Plays, diapers, wipes. You can shop. They made food. I mean, this really feels like a baby shower.”
The Great Start Collaborative hosted its second annual community-wide shower at the Paul I Phillips Boys & Girls Club on Madison Avenue SE.
“I like it,” a young mom named Alexis said. “I like that everyone’s getting together because it takes a village to raise children.”
More than two dozen agencies offered resources ranging from information about safe sleep and doulas to yoga, lead prevention and post-partum depression.
A grant through the Urban League of Western Michigan funded the distribution of free Pack ‘n Plays and book bundles. The Pack ‘n Plays promote safe sleep practices.
“We know that Black babies are dying at three times the rate of white infants,” said Marissa Brown, a nurse who works in the infant safe sleep program at the Kent County Health Department. “So we try to reach out to populations that are more at risk for unsafe sleep. We provide resources and education for families. We recommend that every baby sleep alone on their back in a crib, a bassinet or a Pack ‘n Play with no other blankets or pillows in the bed with them.”
Kent County: Fewer infants are dying due to unsafe sleep
The Great Start Collaborative reports that 1 in 4 Kent County babies is born into poverty, a disparity that disproportionately impacts families of color.
GSC intends to host the community shower annually.
“It went great,” Shanequa Mosley, a family liaison with Great Start Collaborative, said. “I saw smiles. I heard laughs. I saw thumbs up.”
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