Having a baby is both an exciting and a scary journey. However, it's really pretty easy not to be stressed and to smile proudly when you see that precious, newborn face. In fact, a ton of midwestern states are considered to be the perfect place to start a family.

Whether you're looking for health care accessibility or baby-friendliness, these states stand out from the rest.

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Our friends at WalletHub regularly conduct useful surveys, and its latest one is pretty helpful if you are planning to start a family. The 2022’s Best & Worst States to Have a Baby examines data from across the country including analyzing a state's family-friendlessness, hospital conventional-delivery charges, annual average infant-care costs, and top pediatricians. It may be surprising to some individuals, but midwestern states actually top the list as some of the best states to have a baby!

So which midwestern states are at the top of the 2022’s Best & Worst States to Have a Baby? Our state neighbors: Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota!

  1. Massachusetts
  2. Vermont
  3. Minnesota 
  4. New Hampshire
  5. Rhode Island
  6. Connecticut
  7. North Dakota
  8. Washington
  9.  Iowa
  10. Utah

Based on the results from WalletHub, Minnesota is one of the states with the most pediatricians and family medicine physicians per capita. North Dakota has the lowest hospital conventional-delivery charges.

Georgia, Nevada, Mississippi, and Oklahoma are among some of the worst states to have a baby.

For those who are curious about where South Dakota lands on this list, there's some good news. South Dakota falls “smack dab” in the middle of this list. The state ranks as the 25th best state to have a baby. South Dakota boasts one of the top states with the lowest average annual infant-care costs.

For more on this survey from WalletHub, click here for the full results. Life is good if you're born in the Midwest!

Inside Minnesota's Largest Candy Store

I had been to Minnesota's Largest Candy Store once before, but they did some pretty cool things since the last time I was there. They added a bunch of superheroes, Star Wars stuff, and a candy band.

According to their Facebook page, Jim's Apple Farm is actually how the now huge candy store got its start. It is located in Jordan, MN and you can't miss it. It is a huge yellow building.

Even though candy is mentioned in the name, they have a little bit of everything. They have fresh baked pies and cookies and fudge. We walked in and it smelled amazing!

They also have the largest selection of sodas! Then there is chocolate and taffy and gummies and chips and puzzles and games. So much stuff!

They even have a Zoltar machine like in the movie, Big. I had to check that out. He told me the only helping hand is at the end of my arm. Gee, thanks Zoltar.

There were even crickets and worms! Not gummy worms, but actual worms.
They also have candy from all over the world!

The store is seasonal, however. November is their last month of operation for the season.

Lost Island Theme Park Waterloo Iowa

A brand new $100 Million Theme Park is about ready to open in Waterloo, Iowa. It's scheduled to open this summer, 2022, and here is how things are going.

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