Dads have stories big and small. Most are not spectacular, and a lot of them are really messy and complicated. But dads have meaningful stories to tell.

So this past Wednesday two dozen dads came to the Bronx Zoo to share the idea of #DadStories.

#DadStories are mostly about small things, simple things, but important things all the same.

That’s why the NYC Dads Group believes in #DadStories beyond a marketing campaign. “It’s the small moments that are important for parents. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” said Lance Somerfeld, the NYC Dads Group co-founder.

The #DadStories concept was hatched by Baby Bjorn, and they co-sponsored the launch event at the Bronx Zoo along with the GOOD+ Foundation. Dads are storytellers, too, and it was time to highlight their parenting stories.

Overall, it was a spectacular event at the world-renowned Bronx Zoo, for an awesome cause, and surrounded by some amazing company.

So, when the NYC Dads Group was invited to the #DadStories event, they were thrilled to show up for it.

Of course, having interactive attractions at the event didn’t hurt either. Baby Bjorn set up their #DadStories photobooth that resulted in adorable, amusing, and unpredictable shenanigans.

After all, everyone loves photo booths.

Seriously. Evvverrryone loves photo booths!

The NYC Dads Group started off mostly as a way for fathers to meet up, make friends with other fathers, and even network, so ample time at the Bronx Zoo was made for that.

But now it was time for the best part, navigating through the Bronx Zoo. The Dads strapped on their new Baby Bjorn Carrier One Spring Collection that are sleek and comfy, and made their way through some captivating animal exhibits.

Can we just say how kids and animals in the same picture is just gold? Because, it’s just visual gold.  Each photo captures memorable #DadStories.

GOLD!

And then, giraffes got involved! That guaranteed that while maybe the majority of #DadStories are small, with the help of the Bronx Zoo, these stories would be pretty big indeed!

All in all, a very awesome day for the NYC Dads Group. Big thanks to Baby Bjorn for creating this winter adventure at the Bronx Zoo, and we look forward to sharing our #DadStories in the days ahead.

See you there at one of our future Meetup events!

Disclosure: NYC Dads Group has an ongoing partnership with Baby Bjorn and were compensated for hosting this baby-wearing experience.  

City Dads Group outposts around the country did their best to “Embrace the World” in celebration of International Babywearing Week 2015 with hikes, museum visits and trips to the zoo — all made possible with the help of baby product giant BabyBjorn.

Our efforts even caught the eye of the national media with a feature article on NBC-TV’s Today show Parents website.

International Babywearing Week (Oct 4 – 10, 2015) promotes and advocates the many benefits of using a close-fitting baby carrier to bond with your infant and help him or her thrive through increased human contact and touch.

BabyBjorn, City Dads Group’s official event sponsor, provided all our participating fathers with a new baby carrier for the day’s activities.

Here’s a look at some of the cool things our dads did with their children:

*Disclosure: City Dads Group has been compensated for this sponsored event. City Dads Group only works with brands that create products or services that we believe in and use ourselves. The opinions expressed in this blog entry are authentic and our own.

City Dads Group will team up with baby product giant BabyBjorn to “Embrace the World” together during the 2015 International Babywearing Week celebration.

International Babywearing Week (Oct 4 – 10, 2015) promotes and advocates the many benefits of using a close-fitting baby carrier to bond with your infant and help him or her thrive through increased human contact and touch.

Several City Dads Group outposts are celebrating this positive health experience, along with the importance of dads being active caretakers of their children, by organizing members to take leisurely group walks at iconic and well-known locations next week. Our flagship community, NYC Dads Group, will be kicking things off this Sunday, Oct 4 together with the Baby Buggy Fatherhood Initiative for a stroll through the Bronx Zoo. A few of the other events include:

• ABQ Dads Group: Walking around at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
• Cleveland Dads Group: Exploring the Children’s Museum of Cleveland
• Columbus Dads Group: Walking around HighBanks Metro Park
• Dallas Dads Group: Strolling through Klyde Warren Park
• Denver Dads Group: Cruising the Cherry Creek Trail by the Platte River
• NYC Dads Group: Strolling the Bronx Zoo
• LA Dads Group: Visiting the Travel Town Train Museum
• Philly Dads Group: Having fun at Smith Memorial Playground
• Chicago Dads Group: Cruising the Lincoln Park Zoo
• Vegas Dads Group: Taking a walk along historic Fremont Street
• San Francisco Dads Group: Enjoying the Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field East Beach
• Madison Dads Group: Storytime and a walk to the Capitol Building
• St. Louis Dads Group: Gawking at the animals at St. Louis Zoo

BabyBjorn, City Dads Group’s official event sponsor, will provide all our participating fathers with a new baby carrier for the day’s activities.

In recent years, our babywearing dads have walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, marveled at priceless art at the MET Museum, and climbed the “Rocky” steps together in Philadelphia among other things.

• Want to join us? Click the links above to join the BabyBjorn events in those cities. The ultimate goal of our babywearing events is getting dads together for an invigorating walk with some other cool, active and nurturing dads. Regardless of what baby carrier you may own, we hope more of you will grab your baby and carrier, and plan to join us in your city for these wonderful events scheduled for next week.

*Disclosure: City Dads Group has been compensated by BabyBjorn for this sponsored event. City Dads Group only works with brands that create products or services that we believe in and use ourselves. The opinions expressed in this blog entry are authentic and our own.

City Dads Group members strapped their babies to their chests and visited the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, toured a professional football stadium in San Francisco, and climbed the famous “Rocky” steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art among the many activities our fathers participated in as part of last week’s celebration of International Babywearing Week.

All 13 City Dads Groups across the United States did something with babies on board their new baby carriers, courtesy of Britax — a longtime supporter of our organization. Our dads and their kids visited places as family-friendly as the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, as unexpected as Fremont Street in the historic Las Vegas downtown, and as potentially exhausting as hiking through Mariposa Basin Park in Albuquerque – all to promote the many advantages and benefits of wearing your baby.

Our teams’ efforts received praise around the world with articles and photo spreads in sources usual (The Good Men Project, Indy Star) and unusual (China Daily’s website).

Here’s some highlights from last week:

The Hollywood sign can be spotted behind these members of our L.A. Dads Group standing just outside the Griffith Observatory.

Yo! Adrian! Our Philly Dads Group climbed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art just like a certain fictional boxer did.

The World of Coca-Cola received a tour from baby-wearing members of our babywearing Atlanta Dads Group.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was toured by our babywearing Columbus Dads Group.

Our babywearing NYC Dads Group stands tall with their babies along the city’s High Line park, a converted elevated subway track.

*Disclosure: City Dads Group received free Brtiax baby carriers as well as compensation for this babywearing week sponsored event.  We only work with brands that create products or services that we believe in and use ourselves.  The opinions expressed in this blog entry are authentic and our own.

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game wasn’t in New York this year (it was at Citi Field in 2013), but the next best thing was to rally the troops and watch the game together with a huge group of dads!

BabyBjorn welcomed us for a fun-filled All-Star Dads Night Out with all the baseball essentials: hot dogs, fresh pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, cold beverages, baseball trivia and, of course, some comfy chairs to watch the big game. (Maybe even an adult-size version of their Bouncer Balance Soft?)

The gathering happened at the swanky midtown-Manhattan Royalton Hotel, so we were in more luxurious digs than the sports bars we usually frequent for a dads-night-out. The dads came out in droves dressed in their favorite ball team’s shirts and caps. Fans of our local N.Y. Mets were giddy with excitement as second baseman, Daniel Murphy (dubbed Mr. Paternity Leave), was participating in his first All-Star Game. Yankee fans were eager to watch and respect “the Captain” Derek Jeter, playing in his final All-Star Game before he retires at the end of the season. Of course, New York fans ruled the roost, but other active fathers were rockin’ their gear representing the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, L.A. Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals to name a few.

At the end of the evening, we asked the 35 dads in attendance how much actual baseball they watched?

“Almost none,” said Anthony C. who was attending his first NYC Dads Group meetup. He added, “the evening was beyond all of my expectations. I met a lot of great guys in an atmosphere … that was second to none. I come away from this event feeling that there are not just fathers out there that adore their children but there are men that are DADS first … truly a great night.”

There you have it.  Mission accomplished.  The main event was much bigger than just watching a famous sporting event.  It was about carving out some “me” time (many of these new dads don’t get out much) to enjoy the company and camaraderie of other caring dads. There’s a reason why having a consistent “dads night out” is such an integral component of a dads group.

Special thanks to BabyBjorn for sponsoring the wonderful evening experience and for sending all of the dads home with a new Bouncer Balance Soft for their little ones.

Disclosure Note: **Sponsored event** NYC Dads Group was compensated for hosting this sponsored event.  We only work with brands and service providers that we believe in and use ourselves.  Opinions expressed here are our own and have not been influenced by the sponsor.