Author: Morgan Van Dam. An excerpted version of this article appeared in the June 2021 issue of the BRCA Bridges Newsletter. 
Hello. My name is Morgan Van Dam and I live in Bridgeland. I originally wrote and illustrated Pandemic Baby as a fun memento for my son but quickly realized that my sister and many friends are going through the same motions of being a new parent in a pandemic. Like me, they are looking for a moment of levity in an otherwise difficult time.
Pandemic babies (those born in 2019, 2020, and 2021) don’t get to experience a lot of things they should – the hugs and holds of grandparents, the stimulation of group music and swimming classes, the welcomed germs from an indoor play gym. With that, the parents lose out on the childcare, community and comfort that comes with having a ‘tribe’ that can be seen in person. Who holds your baby while you go take a break? No one, we’re in a pandemic.
I decided to do a 100-copy print run from a local printer and felt confident my friends would appreciate the story. What I didn’t expect was for 100 copies to sell out within hours of launching Pandemic Baby on my Instagram account. Pandemic Baby is now a Best Seller on Etsy and has sold just under 500 copies since launching in mid-March.
Pricing the book at $13 ensured I could make my money back from printing and donate the rest to a local Calgary charity, the Children’s Cottage Society.
I will be selling Pandemic Baby through the summer to help raise money for the Children’s Cottage Society’s Caring Together Campaign, a fundraising effort to build a 35,000 square foot Child and Family Centre located in Calgary, adding programs and services to the city as well as a 20 bed 24/7 Crisis Nursery for parents who need nonjudgmental and immediate care for their little ones.
As the popularity of my first book soars, I am working on a second book called Pandemic Baby’s First Trip. This book is a nod to the babies who don’t live near their relatives and may find themselves travelling and meeting family members in person for the first time. Pandemic Baby can be purchased on the Etsy website – search “PandemicBabyBook” and additional donations to the Children’s Cottage Society can be made at their website – childrenscottage.ab.ca.
For more information, please contact Morgan Van Dam at 403-971-2588 or morgan_vandam@outlook.com