DISCLOSURE: This National Diaper Bank post is sponsored by Huggies®.

As busy as raising 4-year-old twin boys gets, I still try to squeeze in time to make sure they are growing up to be men my wife and I can be proud of. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to have our Las Vegas Dads Group help fight diaper need and have my twins assist in the effort.

The boys and I, along with my brothers in the Vegas Dads Group, spent a week collecting diaper donations from neighbors, friends, and family before a few of us met up at the Las Vegas Diaper Bank. There, we spent the evening creating diaper packs that the facility gives out to its clients.

The Las Vegas Diaper Bank has been helping area families in need for less than two years, but it is already an incredible community asset. Since federal subsidies don’t cover diapers or wipes, a diaper bank is a blessing for parents struggling with diaper need.

The Las Vegas facility is one of the more than 300 member diaper banks of the National Diaper Bank Network, which Huggies became a founding sponsor of in 2011 to help combat diaper need in the United States. Through its No Baby Unhugged program, Huggies has donated more than 200 million diapers and wipes over the years to the cause, and it came through again the day we helped by providing a generous donation.

That night at the Las Vegas Diaper Bank, I spent some time talking with its executive director, Carlye Davis. I could hear the passion for the project in her voice, and it was infectious. She explained that one in three U.S. families struggle to provide diapers for their children, often struggling to keep their child dry, clean and healthy.

“The next time you pull up to a three-way intersection, keep in mind that it’s a high probability that one of the individuals at that intersection does not have diapers for their baby, or not enough money to buy them,” she said.

This is one of the many facts about our country’s dire diaper need revealed in the recent Diaper Need and Its Impact on U.S. Families study by the National Diaper Bank Network and Huggies. The study also revealed:

• 57 percent of parents miss work or school due to a lack of sufficient diapers required by their child’s care or early education program
• 73 percent of moms and dads feel they are not being good parents when their children are left too long in a dirty diaper

“Right now, the Las Vegas Diaper Bank is open only one day a week (Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), but they plan to be open more as donations continue to grow,” Davis said. Each recipient at the bank is entitled to two packs of diapers per month (only one if the diapers are size 4 or above).

I’m proud that my fellow dads joined me in teaching our children the importance of giving back. It’s something that even with busy schedules, I will always make time for. This volunteer experience really helped open our eyes to the need in our community and was a great moment of bonding with our children, as well.

You can join City Dads Group and Huggies in the fight to combat #DiaperNeed in these ways:

• Support the National Diaper Bank Network by making a monetary contribution at nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org, visiting a local diaper bank or even hosting a diaper drive.
• Donate your Huggies Rewards Points to the National Diaper Bank Network by visiting No Baby Unhugged to learn more about diaper need, and donate your Huggies Rewards points to help combat diaper need.

About our sponsor

Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe is inspired by a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com. #HuggiesCouncil #ad

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Huggies whose “No Baby Unhugged” program is offering $10,000 grants to eligible hospitals to launch a new volunteer hugging program or support an existing one. In this story, NYC Dads Group member Jason Greene recalls his daughter’s birth which resulted in an extended stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where he witnessed and received needed hugs.

My purple and limp daughter was placed upon my wife’s chest briefly before chaos ensued.

While my wife was going through post-delivery checks, I inched toward my infant daughter’s body as doctors and nurses flooded the room. I watched as they feverishly worked on her. My face cringed and heart broke while a doctor smacked her foot.

“Breathe, Miciah, breathe,” trembled from my mouth.

Slowly, her chest rose, and then she was rushed out of the room. I followed until I was told I could go no farther.

The next time I saw my new daughter was through a glass box in the NICU. To touch her, I needed to stick my hands through holes in the box attached to gloves. I had not been in the room long before a new group of nurses were starting their shift and the departing nurses needed to update them. I stepped behind a window and watched as the nurses walked from baby to baby. Sometimes the nurses nodded in agreement, and all too frequently, they tilted their heads with concerned expressions. Their faces said it all. In that room, they were the caregivers. It wasn’t just a job, it was an act of love.

The love the nurses gave came in many forms. I saw countless hugs being given by nurses to their tiny patients, hugs that carried powerful warmth, love and strength. A recent study by Huggies called, “The Power of Human Touch for Babies,” found that skin to skin hugs can help keep a baby’s heart beating at a normal rate, improve sleep, and support healthy weight gain. My eyes tell me all this is true.

The NICU nurses knew when a different type of love was needed, too. One time I was holding my daughter’s finger while wearing gloves the first day when my daughter needed a diaper change. My daughter looked so fragile with wires and tubes attached to her body. I got a nurse’s attention and informed her my daughter needed assistance. I expected the nurse to walk over and change the diaper. The nurse grabbed a Huggies diaper and tossed it to me and said, “Get to it, daddy.”

This might sound rude to some people, but it wasn’t. It was what I needed to experience. Normalcy. Changing diapers is about as normal as you can get regarding babies. I already had a 2-year-old, so I was well versed in diaper changing. And I have always said changing a baby’s diaper creates one of the strongest bonds between parent and child. If the nurse had not given me the opportunity during that moment, my bonding with my daughter would have been delayed. So while I held the diaper in worried hands, they still went forward and did the job.

A few days later, I fell asleep with my head resting on top of the glass box while my daughter held my finger through the gloves. A beeping machine startled me and the same nurse smacked a few buttons quieting the machine. Once the room was silent, she placed her hand upon my back and said sweetly, “It’s OK, daddy, go back to sleep.” And I did.

NICU nurses have one of the toughest jobs in the world. They take newborn babies struggling for life and with care and love, get them started on the best track possible. Along with struggling babies are struggling parents. We are sleep deprived, confused and helpless. The nurses end up caring for us as well.

You can help give more hugs to babies who need them most when you become a Huggies member. Sign up at Huggies.com/NoBabyUnhugged and Huggies will donate $5 to No Baby Unhugged grants.

About our sponsor

Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe is inspired by a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com. #HuggiesCouncil #ad

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Huggies®.

Several members of our Boston Dads Group recently joined forces with with Huggies and its No Baby Unhugged program to help create care packages of children’s winter clothing, diapers and wipes to aid families struggling to meet the basic needs of their children.

Keeping a young child clean, dry and healthy — especially in the cold of a New England winter — is a challenge for any parent. A recent Diaper Need and Its Impact on U.S. Families study by the National Diaper Bank Network and its founding sponsor, Huggies, found that one in three U.S. families (36%) are in diaper need or struggle to provide enough diapers and wipes – often because they had to face the difficult choice between buying food or necessary baby care products. The study also revealed that 73 percent of moms and dads feel they are not being good parents when their children are left too long in a dirty diaper.

That’s why our Boston Dads spent a morning at Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory creating dozens of “KidPacks” for children who are living in homeless or low-income situations. Winter KidPacks included weather appropriate clothing for a week so a child can travel to school, play outside with friends, and go to medical appointments, even in the coldest weather. The care packages for the youngest kids included Huggies diapers and wipes that were either donated by individuals or by Huggies distributing through organizations like the National Diaper Bank Network.

Huggies became a founding sponsor of the nonprofit National Diaper Bank Network in 2011 to help combat diaper need in the United States. In six years, it has grown from 40 to more than 300 diaper banks across the country. Huggies has donated more than 200 million diapers and wipes to its cause during that time through its No Baby Unhugged program.

“At Cradles to Crayons, nearly half of the orders we fulfill are for a child 3 years old and younger, which means that the demand we see for diapers is overwhelming,” said Lynn Margherio, Cradles to Crayons’ founder and CEO. “Despite skipping meals or taking on additional jobs to be able to afford diapers, our families are still stretching the diapers they have as far as they will go — which means reusing soiled diapers, or leaving babies in them for too long. Diapers are an absolutely critical component of the essentials we provide. We see caregivers missing crucial hours at work because day care centers won’t take a child without the required amount of diapers for the day. Without diapers, a baby’s health can be compromised, and our mission is to distribute the basics so all children can grow up happy and healthy.”

All our Boston Dads Group volunteers at the Giving Factory that day were at-home fathers with young children, so the issue felt close to home as we packed clothing for older toddlers. We took care to only include high-quality items as we selected jackets, sweaters, shirts, pants, pajamas and other essentials every kid needs. We learned from our orientation that “Quality = Dignity” is a belief that drives the nonprofit’s mission.

“It was great to have an opportunity to volunteer,” said Boston Dads Group member Alex Santiago. “I’m glad we were able to help dozens of children get the clothes and goods they needed.”

Help fill the National Diaper Bank

You can join City Dads Group and Huggies in the fight to combat #DiaperNeed and help children get the things they need to just be kids:

• Support the National Diaper Bank Network by making a monetary contribution at org, visiting a local diaper bank or even hosting a diaper drive.
• Visit Huggies.com to learn more about diaper need, and donate your Huggies Rewards points to help combat diaper need.
• Visit the Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory website to learn how you and your family can get involved to help kids in need in the Greater Boston area. The nonprofit also has centers in Chicago and Philadelphia.

About our sponsor

Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe is inspired by a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com. #HuggiesCouncil #ad

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Huggies.^®

Could you leave a baby unhugged?

Donna can’t. That’s why the mother of five volunteers in the Huggies No Baby Unhugged-supported neonatal intensive care unit at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, spending 12 hours a month visiting the born-before-term babies to make sure they get the love, care and hugs they need.

Once a week, Donna (who asked that we only use her first name) takes an unpaid shift in the NICU, often staying longer than the 3-hour commitment requires, to hold and cuddle these special infants who are receiving the extra health care they need to survive. The program follows the crux of a recent Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres study that found human touch helps babies sleep better, helps prevent against infant illness, and encourages weight gain and growth.

“It’s a gift. I love to love, and to see how this benefits the babies and their families makes me so very happy,” says Donna, whose passion shines through her voice, breaking with emotion. “It’s personally enriching.”

Huggies is awarding $10,000 grants throughout this year to launch new volunteer hugging programs or expand support for existing programs at up to 25 hospitals nationwide. In addition, the company has donated more than 200 million clean diapers to young families in need and helped to establish the National Diaper Bank Network, helping to grow it from just 20 diaper banks nation-wide at its start to 320 today.

Donna and her colleagues at Lurie Children’s Hospital went through intensive training to become volunteer huggers. They learned not just their responsibilities, but about how hospitals work, the medical jargon they’d hear, and even technical knowledge about the various machines and equipment in the wards.

These volunteers also ease the burden on overworked doctors, nurses and medical staff. Their presence in the wards also helps ease the minds of the families of the children in the NICU. Few people can quit a job to stay in the hospital with a sick child, after all, and knowing that someone is there to at least hug their baby and let them know they’re not alone is a source of great comfort to moms, dads and other family members.

I know on a personal level how important it is to show hospital patients how much they’re cared for. Long story short, I once ended up in the hospital for two months. That was not an easy time. But what got me through it were daily visits from friends and family, letting me know that I was cared for.

Care. Care is what everything is all about. You’re in a hospital to receive care. We do things in life, we have families, children, friends, because we care about them. It is the most basic of human needs. And we enter this life needing someone else to care for us.

So people like Donna provide an enormous service to a great number of people, without charge and with only love. To say that her attitude blew me away is the understatement of the year. In the words of my friend and colleague Lance Somerfeld, when he wrote about the No Baby Unhugged program in 2016, “I know I’m a fortunate parent.”

Other parents are not as fortunate. And if we are to truly be good people, if we are to truly care about the children of this nation, then we should help them receive all the care they need.

Help Leave No Baby Unhugged

Would you like to learn more about how you can get involved? Or, if you have Huggies Rewards points, would you like to donate them to the No Baby Unhugged Program? Then go to this link.

About our sponsor

Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe is designed to emulate a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com #HuggiesCouncil #ad

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Huggies^®.

In City Dads Group’s latest community outreach venture, our Chicago chapter this month joined forces with Huggies and its “No Baby Unhugged” program to help create care packages of childhood necessities like clothing and school supplies.

Members of our Chicago Dads Group went to work one afternoon at the Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory, sorting and packaging enough items to help 105 children, big and small. The biggest order of the day, of course, was diapers – courtesy of Huggies, which donated 250,000 Huggies diapers for babies in need whose parents rely on Cradles to Crayons.

Huggies has been committed to end diaper need in the United States since its groundbreaking 2010 study found one in three U.S. families with children under age 4 lack a sufficient supply of diapers and wipes to keep their infant or toddler dry, clean and healthy.

Through its No Baby Unhugged program, Huggies has donated more than 200 million diapers and wipes to its cause in the past six years. It also helped establish the National Diaper Bank Network in 2011, which has grown from 20 outlets to 320.

At the Giving Factory, where all local donations to Cradles to Crayons end up for sorting and packing, our dads were given a tour of the Belmont Gardens facility and an orientation about the nonprofit’s mission of providing high-quality items to children in belief that “Quality = Dignity.” Each of the KidPacks our dads created was custom designed to meet the needs of a specific child who had an order placed on his or her behalf. Filled with the essentials that every kid needs – like shoes, winter coats, toys and often Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers — these KidPaks go a long way to helping children in need have the opportunity to just be kids.

“It was great to have an opportunity to help out at the Giving Factory,” said Chicago Dads Group member David Cole after the volunteering effort this month. “It felt good knowing that 105 kids were able to get the clothes and goods they needed.”

True community means giving back to those in need and contributing to the betterment of society, so City Dads Group chapters try to be active participants in local and national campaigns for parenting-related good causes. You can also help with ending diaper need or assisting children by:

• Visiting Huggies.com to learn more about diaper need, and donate your Huggies Rewards points to help combat diaper need.
• Visiting the Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory website to learn how you and your family can get involved to help kids in need around Chicagoland. The nonprofit also has centers in Boston and Philadelphia.

About our sponsor

Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe is designed to emulate a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com #HuggiesCouncil #ad

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Huggies^® diapers and wipes.

Eight p.m. – clock out time. This used to mean coming home for dinner, catching up on television shows or a movie. But these days, it’s a little different. Once I leave work, I have to get pumped up for my daily game of “Catch Me If You Can.”

Now that our growing 11-month old son is mobile, the days of sitting him in his car seat or bouncer are long gone. We’ve child-proofed our home: edge cushions for furniture, electrical outlet covers, we keep more doors closed, and use baby gates for stairs to insure his safety in his mini travels. There is no stopping his being active regardless of the boundaries, though.

Just like we adults have attire specific for exercise activities, we put our little guy in Huggies Little Movers Diapers so he’s always ready to go on his energetic way: crawling, kicking, rolling, standing and – very soon – walking. We’ve found the contoured shape allows him to move comfortably and the double grip strips keep his diaper securely on no matter the activity.

That activity starts almost as soon as I arrive home. When I walk into the room, whether he’s in his play yard or in the arms of my wife, he gets excited and tries to jump into my arms. He and I both have been waiting for this time all day.

His favorite game is for us to try to catch him. In his mind, he is crawling so fast he has to look back to make sure he hasn’t left us in the dirt. It’s a wonderful activity for the whole family, especially if you like seeing a 46-year-old man crawling on the floor. Since Huggies Little Movers Diapers have an absorbent DryTouch Liner and 12-hour Leak Lock System, I know our furnishings, my clothes and my hands and knees are protected us from any leaks during our games.

These playtime activities with my son are a major part of our family’s lifestyle. We don’t want anything getting in the way of “Catch Me If You Can” or any other exploration activities he embarks upon, whether I’m chasing behind him or not.

About the author

Darren W. Carter, an organizer for our Cleveland Dads Group, owns Carter’s BBQ with his wife, Theresa.

About our sponsor

Huggies^® believes deeply in the Power of Hugs. The simple, loving act is proven to support babies’ emotional and physiological well-being. Huggies^® diapers and wipes are inspired by a parent’s hug, – to nurture baby with care, cradle baby in comfort and surround baby in protection. Huggies^® Little Movers Diapers have a Moving Baby System, so baby can explore more with a comfy fit that lasts. Learn more at Huggies.com. #HuggiesCouncil

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Huggies^® diapers and wipes as part of our partnership in their “No Baby Unhugged” campaign.

Welcoming a daughter into the world 18 months ago was a game-changing experience that helped me discover a different side of myself as a father — more empathetic, tender and affectionate. I don’t love her more than my son, just differently. As an at-home dad, I’m present and spend quality time with my daughter each day from showering her with loads of hugs and kisses, preparing meals, changing diapers, reading books and carving out ample time to play.

I know I’m a fortunate parent.

I’m fortunate to be in a situation where our family can afford our Huggies diapers and wipes, and all of the other necessary stuff that goes along with raising a child.

I’m fortunate to be present when my daughter takes a tumble and needs me to kiss her boo-boos, desperately needs a hug after she has a meltdown, and to give a sweet hug and kiss for naps and bedtime.

I’m fortunate.

However, many parents don’t have the same luxury of time and money.

‘No Baby Unhugged’ helps families, infants in need

I recently took part in a Chicago meeting of the Huggies Parents Council – a diverse group of parents from around the nation that care deeply about our families – to learn more about the brand’s unique and groundbreaking “No Baby Unhugged” program.

No Baby Unhugged is Huggies vision to ensure all babies get the hugs they need by:

• helping parents understand and embrace the power of hugs through the brand’s diapers and wipes,
• bringing its unique Hugging Programs to Hospitals, and
• product donations to the National Diaper Bank Network.

During my visit in Chicago, I toured the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to see Huggies No Baby Unhugged work in action. I was immersed into an emotional journey that provides a beautiful light to the 380,000 pre-term infants born in the United States each year. These underweight babies are admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit then hooked to a myriad of wires, monitors and machines. In most NICUs, these infants usually lie naked on their little beds because normal diapers are too large to fit them. These babies start on a path where they aren’t able to wear those cute onesies or clothing like most babies.

Diapers, hugs for preemies

This is why Huggies, in partnership with NICU nurses, designed special diapers and wipes to help pre-term infants get the hugs they need. These amazing diapers are all inspected and packed by hand! One of the highlights during my Huggies Parents Council trip was replicating the tireless work that the Huggies team goes through during their detailed inspection process of their micro preemie diapers so these babies have a cuddly diaper that hugs them from day one.

Most parents are able to bring their baby home soon after they’re born. However, for those parents whose baby needs to stay in the NICU for an extended period, they are not always able to be present due to work or other commitments. Huggies is working with hospitals like Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to offer Hugging Programs where volunteers provide the physical contact that is so important for these babies to develop a sense of love, warmth and security in their new world.

During our heart-wrenching tour, we observed numerous, adorable babies in the NICU hooked up to monitors and machines. I found comfort in knowing Huggies has selected Lurie Children’s for grant funding to start a volunteer training program that recruits nurturing souls to cuddle and provide lengthy hugs when their parents aren’t present. We interviewed one of these volunteer huggers and I was mesmerized by her passion, dedication and love. In fact, I couldn’t wait to rush home after the Parents Council trip to give my children an extra tight embrace and tell them how much I love them.

How you can help

Huggies will continue to invest in more hugging programs in U.S. hospitals, and you can help them. For every person who becomes a Huggies Member, Huggies will donate $5 to support volunteer hugging program grants for hospitals. If you’re interested, go to Huggies.com and click on “Sign in or join Huggies” to get started.

About our sponsor

Huggies® believes deeply in the Power of Hugs. The simple, loving act is proven to support babies’ emotional and physiological well-being. Huggies® diapers and wipes are inspired by a parent’s hug, – to nurture baby with care, cradle baby in comfort and surround baby in protection. Learn more at Huggies.com. #HuggiesCouncil

DISCLOSURE: This post by L.A. Dads Group co-organizer Eli Lipmen marking National Diaper Need Awareness Week is sponsored by Huggies®, founder of the National Diaper Bank Network. Huggies has donated more than 200 million diapers and wipes to help babies in need over the past six years, most through the NDBN’s 320 banks throughout the United States. Read on to learn how you can help through this year’s #NoBabyUnhugged campaign.

There is nothing better than a hug from your child after you return from a long trip.

I recently returned from traveling way past my kids’ bedtime. The next day, my toddler woke up extra early and soon as he finished nursing (priorities, folks), he wrapped his arms around me in the biggest bear hug ever. It was truly the best love any dad could ask for.

This reminded me how fortunate I am to have a loving family. It also reminded me how many parents in California aren’t as fortunate. Many of them leave too early in the morning or arrive back home too late at night because they are working a second or even third job to put food on the table or diapers on their baby.

Diaper need real for many in California

In California, as in the United States, nearly a quarter of all families with a child under age 3 are living on an income that’s below the federal poverty line. I know about these issues firsthand from when I worked at a food bank. I met a young woman there once who was about my age with a child about as old as my daughter. She was in school working on her associate’s degree while her husband worked at a low-wage job. She came in for essentials for her child like yogurt, eggs, cheese and bread because her monthly benefits had run out.

The need to buy diapers and wipes causes a similar dilemma for parents like her. Diapers were one of our most sought after commodities because they are not covered under most government assistance programs. As a result, one in three parents in the United States struggle to provide clean diapers for their babies. In my experience I found that when the choice is between diapers and food or utilities, parents with limited incomes often take such shortcuts. I met parents like her who only changed a diaper if it was soiled; if it was liquid, they would keep it on.

That is why I am so inspired to see the many volunteers and donations from companies like Huggies to help ensure that every baby is clean, dry and healthy. The National Diaper Bank Network that Huggies helped to create is a critical resource for raising awareness about this diaper need issue. For example, did you know that in California alone, there are 13 NDBN-member diaper banks that distribute over 5 million diapers annually?

Donate diapers for happy, healthy babies

That equates to a lot of happy babies because as I have learned, a toddler with a wet or dirty diaper is not a happy kid. My son, for example, won’t eat or play when his is dirty and the longer he wears it, the more likely he is to get a rash.

And happy babies mean happier parents. Allowing parents to be home for a few extra hours because they don’t have to work a second job just to keep their baby in clean diapers also makes for a happier parent and child.

This week is Diaper Need Awareness Week and you can make a few babies happy. Every time you tweet using #NoBabyUnhugged, Huggies will donate diapers to Baby2Baby, part of the National Diaper Bank Network.

You can also host a diaper drive with your friends or playgroup or donate diapers to your local diaper bank and tweet about it. Your help means fewer babies go unhugged because their parents cannot afford the diapers and wipes they need. And as I found out after I returned from my trip — there is nothing better than a hug from your kid.

About our sponsor

Huggies® believes deeply in the Power of Hugs. The simple, loving act is proven to support babies’ emotional and physiological well-being. Huggies® diapers and wipes are inspired by a parent’s hug, – to nurture baby with care, cradle baby in comfort and surround baby in protection. Learn more at Huggies.com. #HuggiesCouncil

DISCLOSURE: This post about bringing home baby is sponsored by Huggies^® and written by NYC Dads Group member Oliver Ellner.

We thought we had our act together. The doctors estimated our baby Isaac’s arrival date to be April 15 — a special day given that I’m an accountant. We planned for an earlier arrival in April, though, since the ultrasounds showed our little boy was going to be a big baby.

So we made the move to a larger apartment with a nursery (a “junior four” in New York-ease) on March 8, giving us plenty of time to settle in before baby arrived. My wife set up a registry with all the basics then she was overjoyed when she fell for her office’s surprise baby shower. Like a good husband, I ordered all the essentials from Amazon, carefully following the consumer ratings. The crib, the bassinet, the changing table and the stroller would arrive and be assembled in time. We had boxes and boxes of Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers and Huggies Natural Care Wipes ready to go to help keep our boy’s delicate skin clean and healthy. My wife, obsessed with all things animal, had animal artwork and a row of stuffed animals just waiting to welcome Isaac Mel to his new, cozy corner.

Well, you know what they say about “the best laid plans,” right?

My wife started showing signs of labor in mid-March. It all happened so fast — within three days of those signs, her water broke.

I didn’t really think it was possible since it felt like yesterday that we learned we were expecting. Our baby decided he’d had enough and was ready to enter the real world. The day was a big blur, but seeing my wife’s face in the delivery room as baby Isaac arrived made it all worth it. Holding him in my arms for the first time filled me with a joy I never knew I could feel.

Bringing home baby

That first week home was even more of a blur. You can read everything in parenting books, and solicit advice from the best of friends and family, but it’s really firsthand experience that makes parenting sink in.

Family and friends flurried in non-stop to support us and get some Isaac-time. Sleep was in short supply as we tried to make our little guy comfortable and content while I attacked the ongoing list of things to do and buy to keep up with his needs. Baby Isaac Mel was a beautiful gift, and according to everyone, a really well-behaved baby … but, we still had a LOT of learning to do. What did those cries mean? It was an educated guessing game, with the top two answers always coming in at “he’s wet and needs a diaper change” (the wetness indicator on Huggies Little Snugglers Diaper helped answer that question) or “he’s hungry.” I was on paternity leave the first week, so we split the feedings and diaper changes. I tried to give my wife a break whenever I could. I took over the late night feedings so she could get some rest.

Four months after bringing home baby Isaac, we feel like we’re in a groove.

Isaac is blossoming into a beautiful, happy little boy. I look forward to those daily calls at work to hear him babble and giggle, and I come home at night to watch him demonstrate his latest moves for me: rolling and early attempts at crawling. The weekends are special because we find places to take Isaac and introduce him to new things. He just went to his first baseball game and we’re planning a trip to the zoo. I relish in our bedtime routine as I get to read him stories about dinosaurs and noisy duckies as he drifts off to sleep.

Diaper changes are a happy, bonding time for Isaac. My wife sings as she points out the Winnie-the-Pooh characters on his Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers while he smiles, stares into her eyes and giggles to the lyrics. We always have Huggies Natural Care Wipes on hand — not only during diaper changes, but on his playtime activity mat (which takes up the whole floor) to clean up any of those things that come with being a baby because you know what they say – “spit up happens.”

Life is good. Isaac has made us very happy and every day with him is filled with smiles!

About our sponsor

Huggies^® believes deeply in the Power of Hugs. The simple, loving act is proven to support babies’ emotional and physiological well-being. Huggies^® diapers and wipes are inspired by a parent’s hug – to nurture baby with care, cradle baby in comfort and surround baby in protection. Make sure you embrace baby’s bottom with Huggies^® Little Snugglers Diapers to deliver our best skin care to help keep baby’s skin clean and healthy. Learn more at Huggies.com.  #HuggiesCouncil