Raising a Healthy Baby (Stone 1)
The Objective of this Stone:
To teach parents to care for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of their baby, to invite parents into a small group with other new parents, and to call parents to share highs and lows, read God’s Word, talk about God’s Word, pray for one another’s highs and lows, and bless their babies and other loved ones every night in every home.
What Is It?
A three-session course for young parents in the church and community titled “Raising a Healthy Baby”
What’s the Purpose?
To initiate the practice of blessing babies and putting them to sleep with music featuring God’s Word to their nightly bedtime ritual; to incubate healthy families who are aware of the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of their babies; to spawn the formation of a small group network for young parents.
Who Owns It?
A Theme Team of people who love God, like babies, and are willing to set up and lead a three-week course. Table Hosts (Sacred Agents) are also called upon to continue the small groups formed during the three sessions.
How Long Does It Last?
Three 1 1/2 hour sessions.
When Does It End?
The sessions conclude in worship with a beautiful Stepping Stone Blessing Liturgy, included in your resources. (If you do this right, it doesn’t end there. Parents join together to form small groups, babysitting co-ops, and teams to take the next “batch” of parents through the next course.)
PRINTABLE FACT SHEET
Download a detailed printable PDF description of “Raising a Healthy Baby (Stone 1)”
Detailed Description:
The first and best shot you have with most parents is in the few hours after the birth of their child as they hold that precious bundle from God in their arms. This is the point at which even the harshest critics of the church are often caught up in the wonder and mystery of the miracle. It is said the hardest day in an atheist’s life is when she finds herself profoundly thankful and has no one to thank. The birth of a child provides an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to plant a hopeful seed into even the most tightly closed hearts..
In Stepping Stone 1, parents are invited to spend three weeks together learning about their baby’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. A Theme Team of parents, grandparents and other interested parties sets the sessions up, advertises them in the church and community, arranges for guest speakers, serves as Table Hosts, and teaches the information using the Stepping Stone 1 PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and other materials they might gather on their own.
Session 1: Infant Physical Development
During Session 1, parents learn about the physical and developmental needs of an infant in a “Basic Baby” course. Opening music, ice-breakers, a game show based on infant development, plus a short prayer set the mood. The Presentation is supplemented by a story, a skit, infant development facts, plus another game using terms of the week. The Stepping Stone Theme Team arranges for nursery coverage during the Presentation and Small Group times. After the Presentation, small groups gather to learn active listening skills using a practice of sharing called FAITH5 (See faithink.com/faith5 for explanations of how to share, read, talk, pray, bless). Guests are then encouraged to discuss what they learned during the session, ask questions, and bond together with other parents. Infants are returned to their parents for a short Closing where music, prayer, and a blessing wrap up the event.
Session 2: Infant Emotional Development
The emotional needs of both baby and parent are explored and discussed in this session. This event follows the same order as Session 1 with a fun Opening, a practical Presentation on emotional care for babies and their care-givers, a Small Group discussion, and a meaningful Closing. During this session, guests will learn the importance of caring for themselves before they care for their baby. If the parents are not emotionally healthy, it is unlikely their child will grow up emotionally healthy!
Session 3: Infant Spiritual Development
During this final session, the concept of blessing is explored in a short Bible study. Although a Bible verse song has been sung each of the prior sessions, this is the first time Bibles are opened and highlighted by Guests. By now, even the non-churched parent should be comfortable with the group and open to learning from the Host and Theme Team. Parents are taught to see the beauty, wonder, and value of blessing their little ones (and their spouse) each night. A few simple blessing techniques are practiced and parents are invited to commit to making the blessing a key part of their nightly bedtime ritual. If your church practices infant baptism, this can be a great session to cover the meaning of baptism with new parents.
The End as the Beginning
Through these three sessions, parents laugh together, learn practical parenting skills, share highs and lows, and bond with other new parents. They finish the course with a Blessing Liturgy at the altar during worship. Parents are reminded of the baptismal promises and invited to begin the nightly ritual of blessing their babies. In the end, the church invites new parents to form small groups along with their new friends from the course. For churches hoping to use this event to launch Cross+Gen ministries, each table may be hosted by a senior citizen who is ready and willing to invite the new friends to stay together.
Graduation Quilt
A Graduation Quilt project may also be begun at this time. Place the hand and foot prints of the child in the center panel of a baby blanket. This blanket will grow into a quilt over the next eighteen years. Ask quilters in your congregation to “adopt a family” and help them create this special quilt over their child’s growing up years.