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‘Coolest Baby Ever’ — Lenexa family’s unique first birthday party leads to unexpected social media score

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Dean Kaestner’s family really loves their dip.

His parents, Chris and Kelsey Kaestner, did not name their son after the Dean’s Dairy Dip brand, but when his first birthday came up on May 1, they couldn’t resist throwing a themed-party centered around the brand.

“We like food in this family,” Kelsey said, laughing. “So, we did a Dean’s dip theme and it was called Dean’s Dippin’ Into One.”

The Kaestners had Dean’s dip decorated cakes from McKeever’s Market. Photo courtesy Kelsey Kaestner.

Dean’s first birthday party had a whole lot of dip as well as dip-themed decorations.

Dean himself wore a onesie for the occasion that said “Dean’s Dippin’ Into One.”

Cakes from McKeever’s Market were decorated by the Kaestners’ neighbor, Megan Joyce, manager of the bakery, to look like Dean’s Dairy Dip containers.

Somebody at Dean’s Dip found baby Dean’s birthday pictures on Instagram and thought it so amusing that the company decided to dub Dean the “Coolest Baby Ever” and give the Kaestners $1,000 for the family to put toward his future.

 

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A post shared by Dean’s Dip (@deansdip)

“As a Cool & Creamy brand, Dean’s Dip celebrates cool people, cool ideas and cool deeds,” said Tim Schilf, brand manager for Dean’s Dip. “We’re pleased to honor this cool Kansan, Dean Kaestner, with a donation for his epically cool future.”

Kelsey said she and Chris think the whole thing is funny, especially because they weren’t planning to get anything out of it.

“We’re grateful that they gave him $1,000 because we just put it in his college fund account that we’re starting to save for early in his life,” Kelsey said. “We were not expecting that at all. We’re super thankful, and it’ll be fun memories for him to look back on.”

Inspired by the boy’s super-cool first birthday party, the dip brand also launched its “Coolest Birthday Ever” contest to give another young dipper an equally-cool birthday with a $2,000 prize. That giveaway contest ended earlier this week.

Dean’s birthday party was special for another reason: It marked the first large gathering the Kaestners had held since Dean was born.

The Kaestners (from left) Kelsey, Dean and Chris, are welcoming a second child into the family in January. Photo credit Risa McKinney.

Dean was born during the pandemic, so many of his loved ones and the Kaestners’ friends had to miss that celebration last year for health and safety reasons.

“He’s a pandemic baby, so that was his first party where we got to actually do with family because everyone was finally vaccinated,” Kelsey added. “He didn’t get any cool experiences his whole first year of life, and it turned out to be even more fun with the other stuff that we had with Dean’s dip.”

Dean will also celebrate his new baby brother soon. The Kaestners’ are expecting their second child in January.

About the author

Leah Wankum
Leah Wankum

Hi there! I’m Leah Wankum, and I’m the Post’s Deputy Editor. I’m thrilled to call Johnson County home, and I’m deeply committed to the Post’s philosophy that an informed community is a strong community.

I’m a native of mid-Missouri, and attended high school in Jefferson City before going on to the University of Central Missouri, where I earned a master’s degree in mass communication.

Prior to joining the Post as a reporter in 2018, I was the editor of the Richmond News in Ray County, Missouri. I’ve also written for several publications, including the Sedalia Democrat and KC Magazine.

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