At Utah Refugee Connection, we work every day to fill critical gaps for families who arrive in Utah with almost nothing. One of the most urgent—and often overlooked—needs is something many of us take for granted: safe baby essentials.
Car seats, strollers, and safe sleep spaces are not luxuries. For refugee families, they are lifelines that provide safety, dignity, and joy during one of life’s most vulnerable moments, and donating these much-needed supplies is a great way to support refugees in Utah.
Filling a Dangerous Gap
Over the last several years, Utah Refugee Connection has worked intentionally to ensure refugee families not only receive car seats but also know how to use them correctly. Since the pandemic, we have helped hundreds of refugee families with car seats.
Many parents are:
- New to driving in the United States
- Unfamiliar with U.S. car seat laws and safety standards
- Unable to afford car seats and other baby essentials
We first recognized the depth of this gap during a Drive-Through Mother’s Day event during COVID, when family after family shared that they had no safe way to transport their children.
Refugee Stories: “So Beautiful”
In recent months, we’ve met multiple expectant mothers who arrived just weeks before delivery with no basics at all—no car seat, no stroller, no safe place for their baby to sleep, no diapers or clothing.
One mother from Cuba, due the following month, left her appointment with a car seat, stroller, Pack ’n Play, and a baby essentials bundle. As each item was brought out, she clapped, laughed, and repeated over and over:
“So beautiful.”
Another family from Congo shared something deeply meaningful: in their home country and in the refugee camp, families do not prepare for a baby before birth because of the fear of loss. Providing a car seat, stroller, and safe sleep space carried emotional weight far beyond practicality—it was a symbol of hope, safety, and care.
Safety, Education, and Connection
Our car seat program for refugees in Utah goes beyond distribution.
- Every family meets with a car seat–trained technician who ensures the seat is properly installed and that parents understand why everyone in the car must be restrained.
- Our maternal specialist checks that each baby has a safe place to sleep and access to a stroller when needed.
- Families are connected to essential resources, including health programs, preschools, Head Start, and Waterford Upstart, a digital preschool program that can provide devices and Wi-Fi when needed.
This holistic approach to supporting refugee families in Utah reduces real safety risks while restoring dignity and confidence for families navigating a new system.
