April Showers Bring Baby Showers

The Early Childhood Parent Navigator (ECPN) Program held its first-ever Baby Shower event on April 20th at Franklin Jr. High. Pregnant program participants were invited to celebrate their expected bundle of joy and were also presented with education led by Iowa State University (ISU) Polk County Extension and Outreach and the Hannah Geneser Learning Center & Safety Store. 

ISU shared important information about food safety for pregnant moms, highlighting a variety of nutritious foods and ingredients for moms and their babies. Their team also provided fruit parfaits and snacks for attendees and gifted each participant baby supplies and resources. Additionally, due to a grant from long-time partner Chrysalis, ECPN was able to provide diaper bags for all attending moms to put their new supplies in! 

Along with the diaper bags, all participants were provided with bilingual Burmese/English or Karen/English baby books from the ECPN program and stuffed animals that were donated by a community member. Lastly, infant car seats were gifted to participants who met income requirements. The Hannah Geneser Learning Center & Safety Store led a training on how to properly utilize and install the car seats in a vehicle. They also shared other safety reminders, like checking the expiration date on car seats and the different car seats for each age group. Their team also welcomed the participants to visit their store if they ever need help with installations, free of charge. 

Health insurance can assist with providing some baby supplies, but unfortunately, those who are not eligible for benefits do not have access to these resources. This event allowed pregnant participants to have a little weight off their shoulders as they left with new baby supplies and resources. 

The event concluded with a raffle of diapers and wipes that one lucky participant won! All moms left the event with gifts and were filled with joy, prepared for their due dates. ECPN hopes to continue celebrating pregnant moms similarly in the future!