A reflection from Colette Cosky, Infantino's VP of Marketing

Everyone wants to know what to expect when they’re expecting. Heck, there’s even a best-selling book about it. So, I started to set my expectations. With help from my imagination the unborn child within had already lived a lifetime in the world outside the womb, eventually graduating into an amazing human (of course).   

On Dexter’s arrival I found out that a.) He was breech, b.) He was a boy and c.) He had Down syndrome. My pre-birth expectations were shattered, and my post-birth expectations ran wild.

When I brought Dexter in to meet my work family at Infantino I wondered, will they act differently because he has DS? I was nervous and uncertain of what to expect, but with Dexter wrapped close to me, we entered. Long story short, he was loved-on and my fears that he wouldn’t be welcomed and treated like all the other office babies born before him were quieted.

To be truthful, not every encounter I had with Dexter felt this natural and easy. I wanted to share the feeling I had with others and inspire the culture I was embraced and supported by. So, with the help of Infantino, good friends like Kelle Hampton, and parents across the country we launched the 1st Everybody Plays event celebrating play and all the things that bring us together despite how different the journey to parenting was.

This year, we challenged ourselves to go broader with this campaign. While my journey expanded my understanding of parenting a child with a disability I know it is only one journey in a world carved deep by so many others worth telling and understanding. Bringing these stories to others who may need to know they are not alone and connecting us all through the love of baby and play is content worth creating.

Learn more about the 2018 Everybody Plays celebration and photo shoot here.