Far too many babies in our community do not have a safe place to sleep.   Welcome Home Baby has discovered an urgent community need:  cribs.  More than 5% of the families visited by Welcome Home Baby don’t have a crib or pack and play.  In many cases, that means the baby sleeps in a dresser drawer.

You can help make sure that babies in Kent County have a safe place to sleep. The Great Start Parent Coalition is helping to raise money to buy portable cribs (pack and plays) for Welcome Home Baby families who need them.  A donation of $42 will provide a safe place to sleep for a baby in our community.  Here’s how you can help.

1. Make a donation through PayPal:

2.  Send a check:

Make a donation via mail. Please send your check payable to First Steps with Safe Sleep in the memo line to:

First Steps

ATTTN: Welcome Home Baby

118 Commerce Ave SW # 300

Grand Rapids, MI 49503

3.  Donate a used crib or pack and play :

These organizations will take gently used cribs and pack and plays.  Please note that they must meet current safety standards.

Alpha Women’s Center
1725 S. Division
Grand Rapids
(616) 459-9955

Help Pregnancy Crisis Aid
705 Bridge St. NW
Grand Rapids
(616) 459-9139

Pregnancy Resource Center
2438 28^th St. SW
Wyoming
(616) 261-0014

It is critically important that babies have a safe place to sleep.  Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year of age, claiming more than 2,200 lives each year nationwide.

There are more than 4,500 cases of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) every year. Experts feel that as many as 80-90 percent of these deaths are the result of unsafe sleep practices such as bed sharing, use of soft bedding or babies sleeping on their stomach.  (Source:  www.firstcandle.org)