We all know that hugs are good for our kids, but I recently got the chance to take a major deep dive into the science and culture of hugs with one of my personal parenting heroes, Dr. Sears. Today I’d love to share with you all that I learned.
So- why was I in a room with Dr. Sears (a man whose books had a spot of honor on my nightstand for a LONG time once I started having babies)? And why was he so focused on hugs?
As I’ve mentioned here before, I once again have the honor of being a part of this year’s Huggies Parents Council. A big part of that is participating in their annual meeting and a few weeks ago I flew to Chicago to do just that.
Last year we got to learn all about the grants Huggies No Baby Unhugged is providing to hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country to build or support their volunteer hugging programs. We even got to meet the team behind the effort, and take a tour of, the incredible facilities at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
It was such a profound experience that I was kinda dying to see what they had in store this year.
And, let me tell you, they did not disappoint.
When Huggies says they believe in the power of hugs to help babies thrive, they REALLY mean it. You guys, this is not a gimmick- I was truly so impressed by how seriously they take hugs.
They’ve done their research and they really went the extra mile to show me how hugs produce tangible neurological effects and are proven to support babies’ emotional and physiological development. How? Two ways…
First, by depicting the neurological activity of one of my fellow bloggers and showing me, in real time, how it lit up when I hugged her.
Check out this video…
Isn’t that incredible?
That we have the power to do that to our loved one’s brain’s whenever we want?! To actually light them up like a Christmas tree with positive emotions and sensations from a basic action that takes all of 20 seconds.
I am already a big proponent of the power of regular hugs for kids, and have written about it here before, but I still walked out of that session vowing to hug my family even more.
The second thing the Huggies folks did was to bring in Dr. Sears to speak to the power of hugs in a way I hadn’t really considered.
Take a minute and listen to what he has to say…
So powerful, right?
There is SO MUCH talk in the parenting world about bullying… how to bully-proof your kids, how to not raise a bully… isn’t it amazing that one of the most important foundations is something as simple as a hug?
As I said, all of this hug research has really impacted Huggies product development in the best way.
I got the chance to meet with so many members of their team from the scientists developing the next innovations in their diapers and wipes and a nurse on the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council to the people responsible for all of Huggies giving back initiatives.
Let me tell you, these people take real pride in what they do, and they are working hard to support the emotional and physiological development of babies with their products and programs.
They want their products to be every bit as beneficial to babies as hugs themselves and they are doing a lot to make that happen.
At the end of the summit, they held an impressively open and frank discussion panel in which we all had the chance to discuss our biggest needs and concerns as parents. It was such a great thing to be a part of and I hope to keep doing it year after year!
And Huggies wants to give YOU a hug this holiday season in the form of a special discount.
Visit Huggies.com to get $2 off a pack of Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers, so you can nurture and care for your little one.
Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe is inspired by a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com. #HuggiesCouncil #ad
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