Oooh baby! Parents take over the park

By Rebecca Beirne

Parents, parents-to-be, and wanna-be parents took advantage of a perfect day Saturday to attend this year’s Babyfest, sponsored by the UVA Health System. Held annually in downtown’s Lee Park, Babyfest is intended to promote UVA’s maternity services.
Plying festival-goers with pertinent parent-related information, assorted medical staff from UVA, vendors of baby-type items, and members of community agencies that serve families and youth shared space under the big tent.
Josh Stewart-Silver of Boot Camp for Fathers was on hand to induct people into the fascinating and complicated world of fatherdom. A father of five, Stewart-Silver is uniquely poised to answer the most sensitive questions of not only fathers, but mothers, too. He seems particularly passionate about his work. 
With raffles of exciting baby-type items being called every few minutes, the air had a certain electricity to it, as if the prospect of having a baby wasn’t exciting enough. The last raffle was called, but our names weren’t, so we headed off in search of more excitement in downtown Charlottesville.