Newborns at Mount Sinai Hospital get a warm start in life thanks to a special group of women at Baycrest.

Babies' first comforts made with love by a special group of women at Baycrest

Grandmothers Stela Rotman (foreground) and Carmen Nordio are among a group of 27 women at Baycrest Terrace and the Wagman Centre who knit and crochet baby clothes for the Babies First Comforts Project at Mount Sinai Hospital.
More knitters, crocheters and quilter are needed.
If you would like to volunteer, call the Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary, 586-8290, or Gail Goldenberg at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, 785-2500, ext. 2939.

Toronto, ON - A group of 27 grandmothers and great-grandmothers who are either Baycrest Terrace residents or members of Baycrest's Joseph E & Minnie Wagman Centre crochet and knit baby clothes for newborn babies at Mount Sinai Hospital.

But these aren't just any babies. These are newborns whose parents are in financial hardship. The handmade items are part of layette gift packages that go to these families to ensure their babies are off to a good start.

Babies First Comforts is a seven-year-old project of Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary. Last year the hospital approached Baycrest's Women's Auxiliary to participate in this special initiative. With Mount Sinai poised to become the largest birthing centre for Toronto, it expects to handle upwards of 6,000 births annually. Unfortunately, some of the mothers will not have the means to provide clothes for their baby.

A visit to the Wagman Centre on a Wednesday afternoon finds five women knitting up a storm. They talk and laugh together like old friends. Their hands work the yarn effortlessly and the little clothes begin to take shape. Ida Karoly has three great-grandchildren and knows all about making booties, bonnets, sweaters and blankets for little babies. Spending a few hours a week knitting infant clothes for needy families makes her feel good, she says. The others in the group smile and nod in agreement.

"We feel honored to be part of this project with Mount Sinai," says Gail Goldenberg, who runs the Wagman Centre art program. "The women who are making these tiny clothes feel they are able to give back to the Baycrest community which has given so much to them."

In July, Goldenberg and her group of volunteers were invited to Mount Sinai Hospital for a special luncheon to honor their tremendous dedication to Babies First Comforts. They visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, an experience that was both inspiring and tearful.