Last summer, Linqia Storytellers partnered with Gerber Good Start to activate an influencer marketing campaign around real parents finding joy in everyday life with their newborns and infants. This program promoted Gerber’s ongoing #FormulaForHappiness campaign and encouraged parents to share their own formulas for happiness during the early days of parenthood. Linqia Storytellers also included tips on how to soothe, bond with, or entertain an infant.

We’ve gathered five memorable quotes and photographs from real Linqia Storyteller content created for the Gerber Good Start program. These stories highlight the creativity and heart of Linqia storytelling:

Bella the Blog 

Gerber-Moments---Bella-the-Blog
“I need to remember that right now (always?), this is my primary job. The cleaning can wait. The emails can pile up. The meals can be ordered. But no one else is going to be his mom, and no one else is ever going to love him as much as I do. I also bet no one else is ever going to find as much joy in his little smile or his contagious giggle. No one will quite crave holding him while he dozes like I do and no one will glean the same satisfaction from soothing his cries.

While I’m at it, no one else will change more of his dirty diapers, or spend more midnight hours feeding him. No other woman will lose as much hair or sleep over him (I hope). No one will ever spend as much time dressed in his spit up or soaked in his drool.

This hump was a great reminder to slow down and appreciate all of it because while I love a well-checked to-do list and a beautifully clean home, my real formula for happiness is his smile, his fingers wrapped around mine, or his sleepy head resting on my shoulder”

 

Just Add Cloth

Gerber-Moments---Just-Add-Cloth
“It is SO easy to get wrapped up in the parenting trend ‘du jour.’ Dr. Sears, Ferberizing, elimination communication, attachment parenting, etc. are all well and good, but the important thing is to have a happy and healthy family. Often times, a mix of strategies is the key to success.

You might have a vision of serene babywearing in a beautiful woven wrap, only to have an infant who hates being worn. Or the baby swing/stroller/rocker /bouncer you dropped a load of cash on never gets used because bambino insists on being held 24/7. Not to mention, what was the perfect system for your first child, might not be for your subsequent children. Mine have certainly all been different. The best system is whatever works for your family, so be flexible.”

The February Fox

The-February-Fox
“Since everyone’s babies are vastly different, I’ll give you an idea of Fox’s little personality (it’s a big one): he’s busy, silly, busy, needy, busy, energetic, busy, independent, and did I say busy yet?

Recently Fox started laughing at us when we would say “no.” He thinks it’s hilarious and, although we tried not to, we couldn’t help ourselves from laughing back. It started to encourage bad behavior and that needed to stop fast. I read shortly after that cutting out the word no and exchanging it with real reasons why not is helpful for behavior adjustments and I soon had to put it to good use when Fox started tugging on the fur of our cats. Instead of saying no I explained that it hurts the kitties, said “ouch,” and made a sad face. Then I showed him the right way to pet the cats gently and added in some serious fanfare when he followed suit. Problem solved!”

 

Mrs. Wright Writes

Gerber-Moments---Mrs.-Wright
“It’s amazing how you can learn so much about one little person in such a short amount of time. During pregnancy, you spend the entire time imagining what this little person inside of you will be like. Then, once they arrive, you must get to know the. Their likes. Their dislikes. Each and every one of their weird little quirks. Their #formulaforhappiness. I’ve experienced this phenomenon three times now.

For my oldest, Cyanne, her #formulaforhappiness was playing. It seemed we bonded the most through play. She’d spend hours upon hours giggling and having a ball. My middle child, Caelyn, is our house comedian. She loves to make people laugh. At the age of 2, she already has quite the sense of humour! She’ll crack a joke here and there and once she sees that you’re laughing, there isn’t any stopping the silliness! My youngest, Calleah, is a cuddler. She lives up to the typical stereotype of the youngest child, and is attached to me at the hip. She loves to be held, and will just look into your face smiling the entire time.

Each of the girls have a different #formulaforhappiness, and together, they make up mine.”

 

Third Stop on the Right

Gerber-Moments---Third-Stop-on-the-Right
“You’ve heard the phrase “It’s not what you do but how you do it.” I disagree.

Bringing a new baby home is a huge game-changer. Heck, it’s a huge life changer. Just days before, the only person you had to be responsible for was yourself and suddenly you have this tiny creature that is totally dependent on you.

Maybe you breastfeed. Maybe you use formula. Maybe you work. Maybe you stay home. Maybe you wear your baby. Maybe you don’t.

You see, the key here is not how you do these things, but that you do them. Your baby doesn’t care if you put him in a sling or in a bouncy seat as long as he is cared for. He doesn’t care if you feed him breastmilk or formula as long as his belly is full. All he needs is love and that is your true #formulaforhappiness.”

Honest, meaningful stories like these are what bring a brand’s message to life and capture hearts and minds. The Linqia believes all successful influencer programs are built on a foundation of authentic storytelling and defined by a vigilant commitment to delivering trustworthy, tangible business results.

See more Linqia programs and Storytellers in our Spotlights section, and learn more about what Linqia can accomplish for your company here.