Community Baby Shower

To keep our new families safe, we Celebrated our new parents virtually. 

This year’s Community Baby Shower continued to support new and expectant parents experiencing economic hardship in a reimagined way. With the public health crisis at hand and the unemployment rate climbing ever higher each day, the demand for support is greater than ever. Your generous donations funded gift cards for our families so that they can purchase baby basics and early childhood necessities for their little one. 

We also provided online resources to connect parents with the maternal and early childhood education and resources they would have had access to at the shower. You can still check out all of the resources on the Facebook event page. For those without Facebook, the resources are also listed below.

Community Baby Shower Resources

Boston Basics

The Basics are five fun, simple and powerful ways to help all children from birth to 3 years old grow to be happy and smart. Science shows that 80% of brain growth happens by the age of three! Beginning from birth, young brains develop like little muscles, getting bigger and stronger the more you and your family interact with your child. Do all of The Basics every day to help your child become the amazing person you know they can be. Find out more at www.boston.thebasics.org.

Boston Children’s Hospital: Injury Prevention

Visit their Facebook page @BCHinjuryprevention for more information. If you have further questions and/or needs, reach out at 617-355-7332, email injurypreventionprogram@childrens.harvard.edu, or go to the website at www.childrenshospital.org/injury.

Boston Office of Housing Stability

Boston Office of Housing Stability works to prevent displacement. Their mission is to promote housing preservation and stabilization in the City of Boston.

Boston Public Health Commission: Early Childhood Mental Health

The Early Childhood Mental Health Department at the @HealthyBoston is committed to serving the Boston community during this difficult time. They have a few options for caregivers and community partners to connect with our team while many of us are at home working, learning and caring for our families and ourselves.  Their  monthly newsletter has become a weekly newsletter called “We’re Gonna Make It Wednesdays.” It’s full of resources, activities and information for caregivers and community partners. You can join the email list here: https://bit.ly/2KLMPRg. This Friday, May 1st,they’ll be holding our first virtual Boston Alliance for Young Children’s Social Emotional Wellness (BAYCSEW) meeting with two exciting guests who will answer your questions and concerns about our littlest community members. Please RSVP to tbradshaw@bphc.org to join them this Friday from 12pm-1pm on Zoom.

During this challenging time, they also ask you to remember the opportunities we have every day to support our baby’s development. Their Magic of Everyday Moments, focuses on how, through interactions with your baby during everyday moments, you can support your baby’s social, emotional and intellectual development: Check it out here: https://bit.ly/2SkSrG2.

If you are interested in learning more please visit their website where you will find information about current projects, tools they have developed and find connections to their Massachusetts early childhood community. www.ecmhmatters.org

Boston Public Library

The Boston Public Library has an expanding list of Facebook Live Storytimes streaming each week on the Branch pages, the Children’s Library of the Boston Public Library page, and the Boston Public Library page. These storytimes focus on different age groups, with some programs tailored towards caregivers and babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Use this calendar to find the different virtual storytimes, children’s programs, and teen programs going on at BPL this week! If you can’t make a storytime, you can find many facebook live storytimes saved on the Remote Resources for Families and Youth libguide. This libguide has information on how to borrow items from our digital collection, free online games and educational resources, DIY storytimes with youTube videos and eBooks, and the recorded storytimes and booktalks created by our Youth Services Librarians.

Brigham & Women: STEPS Young Parents Program

The Stronger Generations Initiative is a part of the Center for Community Health and Health Equity at Brigham and Womens Hospital and aims to improve maternal and child health outcomes through promoting holistic health and wellness, economic mobility and social opportunity. The initiative spans 10 distinct programs including group prenatal care, individualized coaching and stabilization services, paid leadership development programs, adolescent parenting support programs and collaborative community partnerships. Stronger Generations is also the proud organizer of the annual STEPS Young Parent Summit, an annual event that brings together over 100 adolescent families with local supportive services and organizations. If you are pregnant and delivering your baby at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and/or an expectant and parenting young adult under 25 years old, please contact us to learn more about our programs! Please contact Ariel Childs, Program Director of the Stronger Generations Initiative, at alchilds@bwh.harvard.edu or 617-582-0187.

Department of Transitional Assistance

The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) assists and empowers low-income individuals and families to meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and achieve long term economic self-sufficiency. DTA serves one in nine residents of the Commonwealth with direct economic assistance (cash benefits) and food assistance (SNAP benefits), as well as workforce training opportunities. For more information about our programs, please go to: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-transitional-assistance

The goal of SNAP-Ed is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make healthy food and lifestyle choices and increase their physical activity. It teaches people to shop and cook healthy meals, learn how to stretch their food dollars and works with partners to make the healthy choice the easy choice. For recipes, tips on staying healthy, food resources and ways to stay physically active please visit: https://www.mahealthyfoodsinasnap.org

Family Nurturing Center

Connect with Welcome Baby! How it works: go to Family Nurturing Center’s website familynurturing.org and make a self-referral. A Welcome Baby Visitor will call to do an online “visit” – and deliver a gift bag in the future! For expectant parents or new parents with a baby under 6 months. New dads can connect with our Welcome Baby Daddy, LaWaun Curry!  Your visitor can tell you about online Parent-Baby groups, Parent-Child Playgroups, Story Times, and child development screenings – in neighborhoods across the city through the Boston Family Engagement Network.  They also shared this video on Infant Massage.

Harbor Health Services

Harbor Health is here for YOU!  They offer medical, dental, behavioral health, and support services at their community health centers in Dorchester.  They have two convenient locations: Geiger Gibson Community Health Center at 250 Mt. Vernon Street near the UMASS Boston campus and Daniel Driscoll – Neponset Health Center at 398 Neponset Avenue.  They have pediatrics and women’s health at Daniel Driscoll and welcome new patients. In response to COVID-19, you can meet with a provider during a telehealth appointment on the phone or video.  Pediatrics is doing new baby visits and can explain the steps they are taking to keep all our patients safe when they visit the office.  They can also help you apply for health insurance and their WIC team is doing appointments over the phone, too!

To learn more:
Pediatrics – https://www.hhsi.us/programs-and-services/pediatrics/
WIC – https://www.hhsi.us/programs-and-services/women-infants-children-wic/
Daniel Driscoll – Neponset Health Center – https://www.hhsi.us/locations/daniel-driscoll-neponset-health-center/
Geiger Gibson Community Health Center – https://www.hhsi.us/locations/geiger-gibson-community-health-center/

Healthy Baby Essentials

Healthy Baby Essentials is a local company dedicated to getting new and expectant mothers the Right breast pump, at the Right time, for the Right price ($0). They offer a variety of breast pumps to meet your needs, work with your Insurance company to verify your options, and ship to your home for free! Simply complete the referral form, take a picture and submit it to Referrals@breastpumps.com, call 1-888-495-7491 or log into Breastpumps.com and submit an inquiry. They will contact your OB doctor on your behalf for a prescription and get you a pump around 30 weeks if approved.

Roslindale Family Engagement Network

Do you live in Roslindale, Hyde Park or West Roxbury? Looking to connect with other families in your neighborhood and support your child’s development? Check out the Roslindale Family Engagement Network.

Samaritans

Supporting children and family members at risk for suicide can be difficult for a number of reasons. @Samaritansinc provides a number of resources to help through difficult times, including a 24-hour helpline that anyone can call or text for any reason. Samaritans’ also provides invaluable suicide prevention education, because knowing what to say to family members who are struggling can be incredibly difficult. Find out more by visiting www.samaritanshope.org, or by emailing Kendra McDonald, Manager for Community Education and Outreach at kmcdonald@samaritanshope.org.

Sitters Without Borders

Sitters Without Borders provides FREE in-home evening babysitting to low-income parents while they take a class. They’ll match you with the same sitter for a semester or longer.

Smart From the Start

Smart from the Start Inc offers free services for families with children from birth to 5 years old. They also offer a free 8 week Prenatal Course with a Baby Shower at the end and give out welcome Baby Baskets after a mother gives birth or a family joins their program with an infant birth to 3 months. Follow them on Facebook @SmartfromtheStartInc or Instagram @smartfromthestart. 

Vital Village (Boston Breastfeeding Coalition)

Are you pregnant and curious about breastfeeding? Struggling with breast pain or your newborn’s poor latch? Feeling the need for support and connection after delivery and beyond?  Happily bottle-feeding your growing baby and interested in meeting other parents? The Boston Breastfeeding Coalition has been providing breastfeeding, postpartum and parenting support around Boston for over 5 years.  The group offers professional lactation counseling, fun playgroups for your young child, general community resources and support for anyone struggling with the ups and downs of parenting. During Covid – 19 they’re offering VIRTUAL Baby Cafe’s and Breastfeeding Groups.  Learn more and register at  https://bit.ly/bf-groups.

For lactation support and questions 7-days a week please contact the Breastfeeding Support WARMLINE at 857-301-8259 or email breastfeedingboston@gmail.com. This line is operated by volunteer lactation peer counselors, CLCs and IBCLCs.

The Home for Little Wanderers

Serving Eastern Massachusetts families and professionals for over 200 years, they provide a comprehensive continuum of services to help our most at-risk children and young adults succeed in their lives. When times are toughest, you can always go to them.

South Boston Neighborhood House

The Mission of the @southbostonneighborhoodhouse (The Ollie) is “to support family and neighborhood life in South Boston.” This means they have something for everyone! As a settlement house, they look to meet the needs of the community and offer programs for everyone in South Boston: infants, children, teens, families, and seniors. They provide services to residents of all ages and backgrounds in ways that strengthen the community. Services include Early Education and Care Preschool, School Age, Education and Career Development Programs, Senior Programs and Family Engagement.

Family Engagement is designed to help support our most isolated families. The focus of Family Engagement is school readiness and parent support, empowering parents to be their child’s first teacher and strengthening the family unit.  Program components include Literacy events, Read & Rise program, Moms and Music, Countdown to Kindergarten, Young Parents Nurturing program, the Parenting Education and Support Program, Parent Café series, Welcome Baby visits, infant massage classes, breastfeeding classes, ASQs, Parent/Child Playgroups and other community wide events and activities.

MSPCC (Healthy Families)

MSPCC Boston is a voluntary and free home-based family coaching program that supports young, first-time parents and helps them create stable, nurturing environments for their children. The program matches parents with trained professionals who visit families’ homes to provide support during pregnancy and the child’s first three years of life. Home visitors teach parents about proper baby care, promote nurturing and effective parenting skills, and ensure parents have a solid understanding of healthy child development. They also counsel parents on achieving personal goals related to schooling, work, and housing. Healthy Families Massachusetts is a statewide home visiting program available for first-time parents age 20 and under, supported by the @trust4kids. Funding through the Massachusetts Home Visiting Initiative provides important service enhancements and supports their proven home-visiting programming. 

Dorchester Family Engagement Network

What is Dorchester Family Engagement Network (DEFN)? They’re Dorchester parents, caregivers, community partners, early child- hood educators and family support staff who are invested in ensuring that from birth, all young children have ac- cess to experiences that support ar- eas of their development and prepare them to enter school and succeed. All services are free of charge to families. The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care’s Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Grant funds our work. BGCDorchester is the Neighborhood Agent for Dorchester. Your family does not have to be enrolled with the agency and there are no income restrictions to access these free community resources.

Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment

For more information, call (617) 541 –  2670 or email ofe@Boston.gov.

Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester

Established in 1974 as the Colonel Daniel Marr Boys Club, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester is dedicated to making a positive impact on the youth and their families in our community. Inside our three clubhouses we are a place for Dorchester’s young people to learn, explore talents, play and make friends. Check out Boys and Girls’ Clubs of Dorchester virtual programming: 

Facebook & Youtube:
Programming Videos – Weekdays @ 10am, 11:30am, 2pm
Live Streaming Activities – Weekdays @ 4pm
WEEKLY Theme/Photo Share Video
Facebook/Instagram Stories
1) Fun Facts
2) Birthday Shout-outs
3) Riddles
4) Black History Facts

Facebook:  Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester – Home
Youtube:  Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester – YouTube

About Community Baby Shower

Parenthood can be overwhelming for anyone. Whether it’s nutrition, developmental milestones, or safe sleep, new parents have a lot to learn. What’s worse, much of the information can appear contradictory. That’s where our community—supportive friends, family, and caring neighbors— comes in.

The Community Baby Shower connects new and expectant parents experiencing economic hardship with maternal and early childhood education and resources. Hosted by Women United, this annual celebration will help more than 300 families this year get a stronger start.

Check out photos from last year’s Community Baby Shower here.

get involved

Your donations will help provide Visa gift cards for new and expectant parents experiencing economic hardship so that they are able to purchase the early childhood supplies and baby basics they require for their little one.

The Community Baby Shower is an outstanding opportunity for your company to support families in need and the youngest members of our community. By sponsoring this event, you are showing your commitment to United Way’s work while enjoying a unique opportunity for visibility.

For more information about this event, contact Kiara Lum at klum@supportunitedway.org or 617-624-8005.

Join the movement! Like us on our Facebook page and follow @UnitedWayMaBay on Twitter and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to post and tag #UWCommunityBabyShower #LiveUnited and @UnitedWayMaBay!