Lantern introduces BOND: A program for new parents

Our partners at Lantern, formerly Bright by Text, offer a free service that sends tips and resources promoting early child development via text message. Lantern is introducing a brand new program to support new parents in their journey.

BOND is a new opt-in text message program for parents with a child ages 0-1 that addresses both parent and child wellbeing and mental health.

What is the BOND program?

Caring for a baby is so many things: tiring, rewarding, challenging and heart-warming to name a few. A baby’s first year of life can feel like an emotional roller coaster for parents. 

That’s why Lantern teamed up with a group of experts to help support new parents and babies as they begin their journey together. 

BOND messages address both parent and child wellbeing and mental health through a series of text messages that encourage self-care, provide tips on parent/child bonding, connect families to mental health resources and provide ample encouragement for new parents.

How does it work?

Participants receive one message per week for six months (in addition to other Lantern messages) that focus on bonding with their baby and keeping both parents and their babies happy and healthy.

Strong, nurturing relationships from birth–referred to as early relational health–build the foundation for lifelong positive mental health development.

Who helped to create the messages?

BOND messages were developed in collaboration with:

• The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health
• InsureKidsNow.gov
• The Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
• Postpartum Support International
• Zero to Three

How do I sign up?

All parents of a child ages 0-1 can text the word BOND to 274448 for free text messages, in English, Spanish or Arabic, with tips for bonding with their baby and taking care of themselves.

Parents can also sign up on the Lantern website.

About Lantern

Lantern is a free parent and caregiver messaging program for expectant parents and families with children up to age 11. The service is designed to be relevant to today’s families, providing quality information and trusted resources to any caregiver, including hard-to-reach, low income families and informal caregivers. Visit their website to learn more.