In 2016, over 100,000 babies will be born across NYC, bringing joy, excitement and optimism to their parents, families and local communities. The City of New York wants to celebrate these brand new New Yorkers, and provide their families with key information and resources on how to make their first years healthy and happy.As part of the City’s expanded commitment to early childhood development, NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Richard Buery will host a series of NYC Baby Showers for expecting and new parents and caregivers during the first half of 2016. Eligible families can RSVP here.* There will be food, entertainment, and educational activities for parents, caregivers and children to enjoy. More importantly, the City will also provide attendees with information and resources on how their babies can experience all the best that NYC has to offer.The Baby Showers are organized by the NYC Children’s Cabinet, which consists of 24 City agencies and Mayoral offices and is chaired by Deputy Mayor Richard Buery. The Cabinet agencies work together to advance the Mayor’s commitment to increasing child safety and well-being in high-need communities.The showers are part of the Cabinet’s Talk to Your Baby campaign, which promotes language acquisition, parent-child attachment and healthy brain development by encouraging parents to talk, read and sing to their babies from birth. Developed with support from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the campaign’s partners include Scholastic, Inc., The Clinton Foundation and Sesame Street.To reinforce the campaign’s themes, the showers will:establish links to essential serves for children ages 0-3 provided by City and community groups;share information on how to increase maternal and child health outcomes; andprovide families with practical items such as diapers, clothing, and baby supplies.There will be a total of 10 different Baby Showers organized across all five boroughs and reaching different populations, including Spanish-speaking caregivers, young fathers and LGBT parents. The events will be open to the public and will reach a total of 2,000 participants. The kick-off Baby Shower will be held at the New York Public Library’s 42nd Street Main Branch on February 6, 2016.Other showers will be announced on a rolling basis. Check this page for updates on registration information in the months ahead.*Parents and caregivers are eligible to attend if they are currently expecting a child OR have a baby under age 1.
Source: Children’s Cabinet – Initiatives – Baby Showers