Sweet Dreams

Did you know …

Newborn babies are at risk for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) due to unsafe sleeping environments such as a stroller or a couch.  New moms should not be forced to choose between paying rent or buying a crib for her baby. Your gift can provide a safe crib and the training about how to help prevent SIDS.

Sweet Dreams for babies in the community

Over the last five years, community members like you have provided many families with crib sets for their little ones.

By giving to the Sweet Dreams program (formerly Sleep Tight) donors support the purchase of a crib, mattress and a sleep sac so babies are safe every time they are put down for a nap or the night. With the help of a CCAS intake worker and health specialist, new parents can learn how to keep their baby safe using the best sleeping practices such as ‘back to sleep’ where infants are always put down on their back, never their tummy. Community support means new moms can keep their loved one safe.

Your support also ensures that a CCAS intake worker and health promotion staff visit these new parents. New parents can learn how to keep their baby safe using the best sleeping practices such as ‘back to sleep’ where infants are always put down on their back, never their tummy.

Community support means new moms can keep their loved one safe.

Your gift will keep infants safe and help new parents

  • A $25 donation will pay for a sleep sac.
  • A $100 donation will pay for a mattress.
  • A $275 donation will pay for a crib.
  • A $400 donation will pay for a crib, mattress and a sleep sac.

Whatever gift you choose to give will immediately go to work keeping babies safe in the GTA.

Life hasn’t been easy for Joyce* and her children. As a single mother with no support from extended family, she struggled to meet the needs of her busy toddler and eight-month-old baby.

Feeling alone and overwhelmed, Joyce knew she needed help. In spite of her misgivings, she picked up the phone and called the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CCAS).

“You always think that if you call Children’s Aid they’re going to take away your kids, but I had nowhere else to turn. I knew I was a good mother and just needed some guidance,” remembers Joyce. “When I called CCAS, they were at my door an hour later.”

Joyce met with an intake worker and a health specialist who discovered that her baby was sleeping in her bed because she couldn’t afford to buy a crib. “I’ve never had a crib before, ever. I just let my babies sleep in the bed with me, I thought that was okay,” says Joyce.

The workers explained that the safest place for Joyce’s baby to sleep was close to her bed, alone in a crib with a firm mattress without pillows, crib bumper pads, blankets, duvets or quilts. They referred her to CCAS’s Hope for Children Fund, which offers a program that provides new cribs to struggling families. The program is funded through donations to the annual Sleep Tight campaign.

In a matter of weeks, a new crib was delivered to Joyce’s apartment. It took a while for her and the baby to adjust to the crib, but they are now both sleeping soundly through the night. “I had to plan out a whole routine, but it was worth the effort to know that my baby is safe,” says Joyce.

Joyce is grateful for the new crib she received from the Hope for Children Fund and for the support of her CCAS workers. “Life would be different if I hadn’t called CCAS. I was feeling really low; I needed resources and I needed support,” says Joyce. “It’s nice to have someone come in and check on you, and if I need to, I can ask questions. They really care.”

To make a donation to the Sleep Tight campaign, visit www.hopeforchildren.ca or call 416-395-1634.

* Name has been changed to protect privacy.

For new mom, Ann, the gift of a crib from the Hope for Children Fund made all the difference in the life of her and her son. A single mom with limited means, her son spent his first three months sleeping in a bassinet while she tried to sort out the issues she faced. After awhile, the mounting stresses of being a single mom and dealing with postpartum issues started to wear on her. She turned to 211 directory service to find help and was referred to places she could turn for support – including the Catholic Children’s Aid Society.

Initially, she was concerned to see CCAS at her door, but when she started to understand the process and see her worker as an ally, things began to change. Her worker did a safety assessment of Ann’s apartment and when she learned that Ann was co-sleeping with her child due to a lack of options, she referred her to the Hope for Children Fund crib program. With the crib, Ann’s worker helped to educate her on the safest ways for the baby to sleep, as well as giving her printed information to reference.

The crib has been a huge relief and Ann is very grateful. She now knows that her son has a safe place to sleep and she is even able to take a quick shower now, knowing he is safe. She cannot express enough her appreciation of her worker and the Hope for Children crib program.

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