Safe Sleep Education, FREE Pack ‘n Play Cribette When: March 7, 2019

Header image: Chelsea Anderson (right) with her new cribette, with Chi Eta Phi Sorority members Tamala Guyton (left) and President Phyliss Bragg  (middle)

Mom-to-be-soon Chelsea Anderson, being shown how her new Pack ‘n Play portable cribette works, was asked if the side she was assembling clicked into place by Phyliss Bragg, Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority President.  It had clicked in place and the entire assembly was easier than Anderson thought it would be. 

Held at the Fort Wayne Urban League, 2135 Hanna Street, the local affiliate of the national sorority provided a safe sleep education class to Anderson, who’s eight-months along.  After filling out some paperwork and watching an educational video (and the tutorial), she took home her cribette, one of many distributed by the group for mothers who are (1) at least eight months pregnant or (2) have a child younger than one year, and (3) don’t have a place for their newborn to sleep by themselves.  The ABC’s of safe sleep education, and infant death syndrome prevention, for newborns: Babies should sleep alone, on their backs, and in a crib.

The sorority distributes, usually on the second Saturday of the month, cribettes supplied by the Indiana Department of Health. Visit their website (www.in.gov/isdh) for more locations/organizations in Fort Wayne that do the same.

Families are encouraged to attend the safe sleep sessions; when they first started, Chi Eta Phi hosted a room stacked with nine families and were ordering cribettes on a monthly basis.  Only about six sorority members are certified through the State to teach the sessions; Bragg hopes to certify all or most of her sorors in the future.

Chi Eta Phi is planning on conducting sessions at the Villages of Hanna apartment community as well.  Flyers for sessions, again, usually occurring the second Saturday of the month, can be found at the Fort Wayne Urban League and the Villages of Hanna almost two weeks before each meeting.