As it has since its inception, the annual Lyon County Community Baby Shower once again provided a plethora of important information to parents of all backgrounds and situations Thursday afternoon.
One of the key focuses of the day was on safe sleeping practices for infants, with organizers noting that approximately 3,500 infants die each year due to sleep-related illnesses, with the most prevalent being Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which accounts for roughly 90 percent of said deaths. Helping to provide information on the subject was lead organizer and local pharmacist Gail Barrett, who spoke with KVOE News midway through the event.
Barrett says when it comes to any topic of conversation on children, it is important for parents to be as informed as possible, not just for their benefit, but for those whom they may be trusting with their children as well.
Noting the variety of vendors on hand for the event each year, Barrett calls the baby shower one of the most important annual dates on the community calendar.
Barrett also noted that in addition to the variety of information and experts on hand, each year they see a variety of parents and families, some of “traditional” backgrounds and others who may be in less traditional situations, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, adopted parents, or foster parents. Regardless of the situation, Barrett says there is no limit on receiving information on how to properly care for a child, noting that parenthood does not have a cutoff date.
More than 100 parents were signed up to attend this year’s event, which, in addition to providing parents an opportunity to speak with local agencies and pick up needed information, also provided all attendees with a free Pack-N-Play courtesy of the Wade Barrett Memorial Fund.
