By: Gary Szenderski
I’m excited to be able to contribute to the ongoing Parasol story. Parasol has recently been named by the experts at Babylist as the most “Comfortable, Eco-Friendly Diapers'” that you can buy. Having said that, here’s my perspective on why baby’s comfort is so important for a grandpa like me.
I’m the oldest of seven and I have five brothers, three of which have been grandparents for many years and a fourth is about to have a grandbaby this November. Way before my first grandson was born 3 years ago, I would listen to my brothers talk about the joy of being a grandpa. I would smile and look at their cute baby pictures and videos of the kids, and later I’d hear the stories of how fast their grandkids were growing and how great they are doing at whatever sports or activity they were involved in. They all were “gushing” with joy every time the subject of their grandbabies came up. Quite frankly I didn’t get what all the excitement was about. I do now.
As I said, my first grandbaby was born three years ago, and the excitement began for me from the get-go. My son and daughter-in-law had written a poem (I’m a sucker for poetry) where they revealed the fact that a baby was on the way. Once I heard the news, I was so excited. I found myself beginning to transform into a grandparent in waiting – a tough job incidentally because there is nothing you can really do to help things along, yet the connection started to grow. This was repeated for my second grandson.
When my first grandson was born, I was totally unprepared for the rush of feelings I was experiencing. I mean how can one little soul capture one’s heart so completely and generate so much joy? I don’t know the answer exactly, but I’m sure glad they do. This euphoria was repeated to me 9 months ago when my second grandson was born. There is one more grandchild coming in November and I’m already excited. I catch myself feeling the joy and love bubbling up every time I mention my grandboys.
From a practical and parental perspective, I’ve enjoyed watching my youngest son raise his two sons and I’ve witnessed just how important it is for babies to be nurtured. I have had to learn some things too about what makes babies happy, smiling, and content. Fortunately, I’ve had some experience with this – my younger siblings and my own two boys – so that the parenting gene kicks right in. What I’ve grown to understand is that we’re all x-babies and babies like adults experience one of two basic sensations: the feeling of comfort and the feeling of discomfort. As a fairly new grandfather I can easily tell you that it’s best when the baby is feeling comfortable.
We’ve all heard grandparents say, me included, that one of the benefits of being a grandparent is that we get to hand the baby back to the parents when the baby is not cooperating. That’s all nice and everything, but that’s not the experience we’re shooting for. We prefer to interact with a non-crying, non-fidgeting and totally “chill” child – that’s where the smiles begin. And that’s where we get to experience what bliss is all about, babies bubble with bliss. This only happens when the child is experiencing a sensation of comfort. You simply can’t play with a baby that isn’t comfortable. To that end, I’ve been paying attention to how my son and his wife take their babies’ comfort seriously – From the type of food they prepare, to the sounds in the room, to the softness of the clothing and of course the diapers they use.
They use Parasol and they will tell you it’s because Parasol diapers really are the most comfortable and their babies are simply happier, dryer and more protected when they’re wearing them. Anything that can make your baby more comfortable is a good thing. In fact, I can now hold a baby indefinitely as long as he is calm and content in his Parasol diaper. Will I change the diaper? Heck no. That’s one of the perks of being a grandpa.