Hugging babies since 2005 ....

First Hugs is an infant nurture program unique to Fuling Kids International and the Fuling SWI.  Based on Half the Sky’s Baby Sisters program, First Hugs is designed to provide infants with extra attention and stimulation.  Specially trained First Hugs nannies work with 3-4 infants for 6 hours a day, 6 days a week.  During the First Hugs time, infants receive loving attention from their special nanny and have the chance to develop their muscles through floor time.

In most orphanages including Fuling, the normal staff to child ratio is at least 10 to one.   Infants spend most of their time in cribs, bouncy seats or walkers.  This lack of stimulation can result in delays to all areas of development.  Infants need to be held.  They need to spend time on their stomachs and sitting up to develop core muscles.  They need to be talked to by adults for language development.  They need to have a chance to reach and grasp for toys to develop fine motor skills.   This is why we started First Hugs. 

Someday we hope that the First Hugs way will be used in every room at the orphanage.  For now, we can only work with a portion of the babies, so we have asked that babies who are weak, show delayed development or have special needs be the first chosen for First Hugs.  Don’t be alarmed if you find out your baby was a First Hugger!  Chances are by the time you arrive, any delays or weaknesses will have been overcome with the increased attention she’s received in the program.

First Hugs nannies work with only 3 or 4 babies and with the same babies everyday, six days a week.  This encourages an emotional attachment between the baby and her nanny which is critical to reduce the risk of attachment issues later in life.  The nannies work with their babies three hours in the morning, return them to their regular room during mid-day for nap, and then work with them again for three hours in the afternoon.  During First Hugs time, the babies are being played with and held.  They do not spend any time in walkers, but have a chance for tummy time on mats, stand at the mirrors using our special railing, and play with stimulating infant toys donated by Fuling families.  

Gracie’s Room is the home of First Hugs.  Gracie Reilly was adopted from Fuling in April, 2002, and sadly passed away in July, 2004.  Her family and friends donated funds to FKI which were used to renovate and outfit Gracie’s Room as a home for the First Hugs program both in the existing orphanage and in the new orphanage.  We feel that there is no better way to honor Gracie than by hugging babies in her room everyday.

Fuling families raised money in the fall of 2004 for First Hugs when it was just an idea and a hope waiting to be born.  In April, 2005, staff from Chinese Children Charities traveled to Fuling to hire and train the first ten First Hugs nannies.  In the 2-1/2 years since then almost 300 babies have been “hugged” in Gracie’s Room!   It is solely due to the generosity of Fuling families that the program has been so successful.  Thank you for believing in this important work and for continuing to support it through your generous donations!

A Big Thank You ...

Special thanks to Chinese Children Charities for all their help.  FKI could not have implemented this program without them.  To learn more about the work they do, please visit them on the web.

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