Caps for a Cause

This past Saturday night I read the latest Parents magazine. This was a huge deal because I've not read one of those within the week that I received it in the mail since I was on maternity leave. So that in itself was exciting, but it had several sections that were timely for us, too.

This is one section that really caught my eye. I tried to go to the Parents website to just cut and paste it, but they didn't have it posted there. So any typos here are all mine:

From the February 2011 Parents magazine (p26)

Caps for a Cause

Donating money isn’t the only way to make a difference. Save the Children is asking people to knit a cap from now through February 28. The organization, a nonprofit that advocates for kids around the world, is sponsoring a charity drive to collect headwear for babies in an effort to reduce the number of newborn deaths in impoverished countries (4 million per year). If you’re interested in participating, you can get easy, free patterns at GoodGoes.org/caps or your local Michaels store.

Look at that sweet preemie. Who wouldn't want to make her a hat?

So I started a hat Saturday afternoon. Been working on it from time to time and expect to be done with it soon. I'll post a picture when I do. I'm using the smallest circle loom that I have, but I'm a little worried that it may be too big. I may end up taking it to the hospital and asking the NICU nurses if it's too big for a preemie. If they say it is, then I'll have to decide between sending it to them anyway and just giving it to the newborns at our hospital. But I'm going to try! I'll post an update and picture when I have more to tell about it.

So at work today I was looking into the program. I started thinking I could easily crank out several caps between now and the end of next month. Turns out they don't really want your hats - they want you to make one hat and then tell other people to make a hat, too. Also, this program goes away on Feb 28th, so if you have any itch to help, carpe diem and get purling.

From the Save the Children website:

The Caps for Good grassroots initiative will be running from September 2010 through February, 2011 encouraging citizens of all ages to participate by making a cap and advocating and fundraising to provide newborn care in developing countries.

At the end of the program, caps will be distributed to pregnant women and new moms and their babies in Save the Children's programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

This is a link to a PDF file that will tell you all about this campaign.

The PDF packet has info and FAQs. It has a tag you can print and attach to the hat as a note to the mother. There's also a letter they want you to print and send with the hat that's a letter to the President saying to please support children and mothers. And the address to send the hat.

So if you're waiting for an invitation to help, this is it! If you fall in love with the idea and want to make lots of hats for preemies, contact your local hospital with a NICU -- they're always looking for hats. (And blankets that can be laid over the incubator to simulate the dark womb. Call and ask what their needs are - there are always needs for people with big hearts for little babies.)

Pottypalooza update: When I picked up Baby at daycare she was only on her 2nd pair of panties!!! Isn't that fantastic? She had an accident in the car on the way home, but none after we were here. She pee'd in the potty twice for me while she was home this evening. We're still taking her to sit on the potty every 15 minutes; she's not notified us of having to pee yet. She really loved the day care people making over her - so the training continues!