Showering Expectant Parents with Support: Riverside’s Community Baby Shower to be Held January 31

As expectant mothers prepare for their baby to arrive, they’re likely to feel a mix of emotions … joy, excitement, and perhaps a little anxiety. Fortunately, Riverside’s Early Head Start (EHS) program supports future parents through in-home visits and by hosting festive yet educational annual community baby showers to introduce parents to EHS services.

Early Head Start is excited to announce the next shower will be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at Riverside Early Head Start, 474 Broadway, Somerville, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. The free event will be a unique opportunity for parents to receive important resources, gather valuable information, and celebrate this transformative time in their lives.

What is the Early Head Start Program?

Riverside Early Head Start is a federally funded and comprehensive home visiting program that partners with eligible parents to promote children’s healthy development. EHS assists families before and after a child is born and helps caregivers learn important parenting skills.

Services provided by Riverside Early Head Start include:

 

• Weekly home visits focused on child development and wellness
• Parent-child playgroups and socialization activities
• Health, safety, and nutrition education
• Pre-natal information and support
• Parent workshops and training
• Community events, including annual baby showers.

 

The Power of the Shower

Early Head Start’s annual community baby showers are open to all pregnant women (or parents with an infant up to three months old) residing in Cambridge, Somerville, or Medford. These free showers, which have been held for over a decade, introduce future parents to the Early Head Start support system, which helps parents understand newborn behaviors and prepare them for unexpected challenges they might encounter. While the Riverside showers have evolved throughout the years, the atmosphere is always welcoming and inclusive, with flowers and fun decorations. January’s shower will be held in the Riverside Early Head Start location, a Reggio Emilia-inspired group play space, where staff speak five languages collectively so everyone feels welcome!

Representatives from WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) are expected to stop by to provide attendees with information regarding their food supplement program for prenatal women, postpartum women, and children up to five years old. Along with the WIC team, EHS employees will discuss the importance of proper nutrition, breastfeeding, the different stages of pregnancy, and how Riverside’s Early Head Start program can help them and their children thrive. Everyone attending the baby shower will leave with a pregnancy-friendly nutritional goodie bag and other surprises.

Crafting Important Relationships

Expectant mothers will also leave the shower with their very own custom-decorated baby onesie. This craft activity is always a highlight, as participants use stamps and fabric pens to make something truly special and unique for their child. Moms also take this crafting time to get to know each other better and form long-term connections with other parents and community service agencies.

Throughout EHS’ annual community baby showers, expectant mothers enjoy good food, learn, and grow together in a supportive environment filled with positivity and laughter. There’s no better way to give your child an early head start.

Early Head Start services are free to Somerville, Cambridge, and Medford residents who meet federal low-income guidelines. To RSVP for the free baby shower or for more information, call 617-629-6652.

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