inside this issue
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inside this issue
Parent Talk C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E October/November 2009 MISSION STATEMENT Positive birth experiences and informed parenting in a community where parents are supported and highly valued in their role. inside this issue: ic of Christmas Enjoy the mag ncies - page 8 Volunteer Vaca - page 16 Visiting Starship Immunisation - page 18 - page 3 ak - page 20 Measles Outbre 22 ove Too - page Eyes Need to M ge 24 into Action - pa Time to Spring ge 27 ottom of it - pa B e th to g n Getti page 28 Heuristic Play - C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E PO Box 24-520, Royal Oak, 1345. Telephone: 625 0065. [email protected] www.parentscentre.org.nz/auckland PARENTS CENTRE SHOPPING DAY Present the coupon below and receive 20 off % on Saturday 14th November, 2009 Sorry specials, gift vouchers, instore promotions, laybys, hireage & mountain buggy not included. 0800 BABY FACTORY www.babyfactory.co.nz Receive specials straight to your inbox - Join our online e-club! Present the coupon below to receive the discount 20%off with this coupon only on Saturday 14th November, 2009 Sorry specials, gift vouchers, instore promotions, laybys, hireage and mountain buggy not included. Name:................................................................................................... Address:............................................................................................... Phone:................................................................................................... Email:.................................................................................................... % 12.5 off Mountain Buggy ONLY on 14th November, 2009 If you would like to receive information from The Baby Factory via email, please tick this box. President’s Report It’s with great pleasure that Diana and I are writing our first report as Co-Presidents of the Central Auckland Parents Centre. We are thrilled to be part of an organisation that offers such an excellent service and support to expectant and new parents. We are also looking forward to working with our dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers and committee whom we have gotten to know over the last year. And of course being able to continue to provide you our members with the services that you need. We sincerely want to thank Debbie Booth, who has been President for last four years. Debbie has done a fantastic job leading CAPC, building a strong volunteer base, and being the main point of contact for our branch of Parents Centre. As well as her presidency role, Debbie has worked tirelessly on the committee as Treasurer and temporarily covered nearly every one of the volunteer roles at some point. Fortunately for us, Debbie is continuing on as Treasurer and Volunteer co-ordinator and I expect will remain the font of knowledge for CAPC for some time to come. Diana and I again sincerely thank you, Debbie, for all your hard work and continued support. As you will no doubt be aware it is only through generous community support and the dedication of our volunteers that we can keep our doors open and services affordable to our members. As the economy remains tight we appreciate all the support that you have given and continue to give to our Centre. Recently, we successfully completed two fundraising initiatives, selling of Jaffa Raffle tickets and our Come and join the fun! annual photo shoot. Each year we are given tickets to sell in conjunction with the Cadbury Chocolate week in Dunedin. Thank you if you bought tickets this year and congratulations if you were a winner! For the photo shoot we partnered with Fotoman who spent nearly a full day in the Onehunga Community Centre taking family photos. We were really impressed with David’s ability to get even our really little ones smiling and relaxed in front of the camera. Everyone we have spoken with have been pleased with the results so we are hoping to be able to offer the same service again. So keep a look out for this next year. At the time of writing, our Events Co-ordinator Cheryl Tinholt has been working with the committee to organise our up coming Chefs Toolbox cooking demonstration. It looks like it will be a really fun evening, so I do hope you were able to attend. These events are a great way to meet up with people you have met in previous courses, have a night out with your coffee group and to introduce other friends to Parents Centre, so we’d love to see you at our next event. This month we are kicking off our planning for next year’s centre activities including what courses we will run, how we will fund them and what other events and activities we will be involved with. We’d love to hear your comments and feedback about how we can continue to support you as Parents. That’s it from us this month, we hope you and your families are able to enjoy getting out and about enjoying Auckland’s spring weather. Diana Kane & Patrice Jones Co-Presidents Our high energy structured play programme is specifically designed for boys and girls aged 2 – 4 years. Our indoor sessions are all about your child learning through fun using a variety of ball activities and games. C E N T Further R A L A U Cdetails K L A N Dwww.soccer4tots.co.nz PA R E N T S C E N T R E or contact Lisa on 974 3644 1 AUCKLAND CENTRE NEWS Welcome Aboard Grants and Funding We are thrilled to welcome the following volunteers and committee members: Central Auckland Parents Centre would like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to the following organisations for their generous support: Holly Ferris – Website Administration Tracey Turner – Venue Co-Ordinator Thank you for offering your time and expertise to enable us to continue to provide course and services to our expectant parents, new parents and families. Are you keen to get involved and learn new skills or use your existing ones to help a great organisation? If so, please please email us at [email protected]. Are you receiving your CAPC E-news? If you aren’t receiving yours, get signed up today and stay updated with everything we have going on. Email us at [email protected] or use the signup box on our website under newsletters. Or if you are receiving our emails and don’t wish to, please click on unsubscribe at the bottom of the email. Check out our website www.parentscentre.org.nz/auckland Auckland City Council – Community Group Assistance Fund 2009. A grant of $2,500.00 enabling us to recognise the value of volunteers who donate their time to host Parent Education courses running from July 2009 to June 2010. Lotteries Commission - Funding of $1,240.00 towards Centre administration costs for 2009. The Lion Foundation - Thank you to The Lion Foundation for $2,500.00 for the purchase of “Preparing for Birth” booklets which are given as a free resource to every parent attending our child-birth education courses. The booklets are written from the different perspectives of mothers and fathers and are extremely useful resource for expectant parents. Committee Meetings Our committee meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 7.30pm. If you would like to join us please email us at [email protected] for further information. Membership Renewals CONGRATULATIONS! to Victoria Gits Victoria renewed her Central Auckland Parents Centre membership in August 2009 and won the draw prize of a Kimberley Pure Wool Cot Blanket. 2 Renew your membership subscription before 31st October 2009 and go in the draw to win a Kimberley Pure Wool Cot Blanket. Did you know? If you renew your membership for 2 years you pay only $100. If you are a community services cardholder you can renew your membership for 1 year for only $20. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E AUCKLAND CENTRE NEWS Enjoy the Magic of Christmas! Come along to a fun filled evening at The Christmas Heirloom Company Learn the tricks of the trade with demonstrations on: • How to dress your Christmas tree • Create a stunning wreath • Master a table piece 10% discount on any purchases made on the night Date: Wednesday, 4th November from 7pm Venue: Christmas Heirloom Company 204 Marua Road, Ellerslie Tickets: $15.00 each including refreshments Bookings: Contact Cheryl 620 7446 or email [email protected] If you missed out on Fotoman! Positive Negative - Free Photo Shoot Here’s a great opportunity to capture your little one (or several little ones) at this precious time in their lives. Acclaimed photographers Positive Negatives are coming to the WEA Centre (9 Henderson Valley Road, Henderson) on SATURDAY OCTOBER 3rd and SUNDAY OCTOBER 4th for FREE sittings with members, friends and supporters. You will receive passport sized photos from your session ABSOLUTELY FREE, regardless of whether you order any prints. Book your FREE 10 minute slot by leaving a message on 837-8481 (or on [email protected]). C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E Fundraising News We have had three fundraisers recently. A huge thank you to Cheryl Tinholt, our Events Coordinator for all her efforts in organising these sucessful events. Jaffa Race We sold a total of 193 tickets resulting in a profit of $320.80. One of the unsold tickets belonging to us came second in the race, winning us $750 worth of petrol vouchers. Look out for these as prizes, giveaways and volunteer recognition awards. Fotoman We raised over $350 with this hugely popular event. Everyone seems to be really happy with their photos with the only complaint being how hard it was to choose which photos to get. Colleen Costello was our lucky winner of $100 off her order. Watch out for this event next year and secure your spot early. Chefs Toolbox This fun and yummy night out was also a huge success. We managed to raise well over $1000 towards the running costs of Central Auckland Parents Centre. Everybody there got to sample either the Vegetable Biriani (recipe on page 30)or the Sticky Date Puddings, which all smelt wonderful and tasted even better. We learnt a few tricks of the trade and saw some fantastic cookware in action. There were some great spot prizes of Chefs Toolbox product given away. I can highly recommend the potato masher that I won. It made a great Father’s Day present and my husband, who is fairly hard to please, is really impressed with it. We also ran a Silent Auction on the night with some wonderful donated items up for grabs. Even with some serious bidding wars going on, there were some great bargains to be had. Thank you to everyone involved in making this a fantastic night. 3 AUCKLAND CENTRE NEWS New Arrivals AN3/09 11 February - 22 April 2009 CBE: Miranda Mainwaring Course Host: Rachel MacBride-Stewart Name of Parents Maria and Patrick Gribble Name of Baby Faith Maria Date of Birth 9 May Natasha and Ramon Staheli Lucy Callista 27 April Jennifer and Rick Townsend Liam Michael 15 June Maree and Brad Glading Francesca Greer 23 May Carolyn and Philip Gibson Samuel John Vavasour 29 May Tanya Rotherham and Cameron Lord Dylan James 31 May Elisha Deed and Campbell Stewart Will David 6 May Helen and Bjorn Stephens Troy Blake 28 May Michelle and Vance Chitty Isla May 12 May Ruth and Fraser Tate Samuel Michael Hilton 13 June Debbie Hourigan and Richard Nilsson Cooper 28 April Kirsty and Dean Hegan Annabelle 7 May AN5/09 7 May - 11 June 2009 CBE: Melanie Benge Course Host: Victoria Gits Name of Parents Richard and Angie Name of Baby Leo Robert Yelash Date of Birth 16/07/2009 Andrew and Nicole Oscar Anthony Miller 23/07/2009 Simon and Erin Ariella Jane Manners 23/07/2009 Kevin and Liz Isaac Harry Barron 23/07/2009 Jimi and Chrissie Ava Patricia Kennedy-Grant 25/07/2009 Glen and Kiri Rose Mereana Pearl Larmer 28/07/2009 Russell and Irma Luca Claude Ogilvy 29/07/2009 Jimmy and Brenda Jaden Robert Meharry 31/07/2009 Mark and Alison Hunter Bruce Settle 04/08/2009 Leon and Caroline Yann Villlemer Rose 04/08/2009 Mark and Lesley Annabelle Farrell 07/08/2009 Phillip and Catherine Sophie Mary Brake 16/08/2009 Ken and Georgia Harrison Kenneth Vaughan 17/08/2009 4 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E AUCKLAND CENTRE NEWS New Arrivals AN4/09 7 April - 12 May 2009 CBE: Melanie Benge Course Host: Cheryl Tinholt Name of Parents Name of Baby Date of Birth Brenda and Sheldon Dargaville Zane Hohepa Dargaville 28 June Darrin and Elisabeth Brinsden Amelia Jean Brinsden 02 July Jo Evans and Johnny Walmsley Samuel George Walmsley 26 June Rosalind and Murray Urbahn Blake Kenneth Urbahn 04 July Brendan Jury and Suzie Snowden-Jury Bryn Jury 25 June Tristan Mulgrew and Martin Brown Alexa Holly Brown 08 July Call Me Dad! A Manual for New Fathers We recently purchased 2 copies of Call Me Dad! for lending to members. Call Me Dad!, the NZ best selling dad book is essential reading for new fathers and every guy who is about to enter fatherhood! It was specifically written by fathers for fathers and provides a unique take on parenthood from a male perspective. Call Me Dad! provides helpful advice about all aspects of being a dad, such as: • What to expect during pregnancy: Antenatal classes, medical appointments, birth plans and preparing for the big day • Working out the logistics: Deciding who’s going to look after the baby, where the baby will sleep, what essential items you need to buy and what not to buy • Surviving the birth: What you can expect and where you fit in as a dad during labour • Life after birth: How to survive the first days when you don’t have a clue what you’re doing! Suggestions for what you can do to support your partner • Establishing routines: Feeding, sleeping and hygiene tips and techniques • Different exercises you can try with baby at different ages, from baby massage to playing catch. If you are interested in borrowing this book or anything else from our library please call Jane on 625 1579 or email [email protected]. Each book may be loaned for two weeks. A gold coin is requested for the loan of each book (this supports CAPC fundraising activities). Or if you wish to purchase this book we are selling them for $34.95 + postage (retail $39.95). Contact Debbie on 624 1877 or email [email protected]. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E 5 PA R E N T E D U C AT I O N Parenting Classes and support Central Auckland Parents Centre Baby and You A morning course runs over 5 weeks for parents of babies up to four months old. Covers feeding and sleeping, infant health, postnatal exercises, postnatal depression, CPR, first aid and child development. The start dates for the remainder of our 2009 courses are as follows: 13th October and 17th November. These courses fill very quickly so contact Caroline on 845 0020 to reserve a space. Moving and Munching Targeted at parents of 4-8 month olds, over two mornings this course discusses introducing solids, baby development and baby safety with a free baby recipe book for all attendees. The course dates for the remainder of 2009 are 19 & 26 November. For more information or to book, phone Patrice on 360 7149. Tinies to Tots A three session course aimed at parents of children 9-18 months. The next course will be in 2010. The course will cover fitting first shoes, caring for first teeth and preventing tooth decay, learning/development/safety and play and encouraging desirable behaviour. For more information and bookings, phone Patrice on 360 7149. 6 In the community Birth Care Preparation for Breastfeeding • Care of you and your breasts before and after pregnancy • Getting off to a good start • How to avoid and manage common problems • Expressing and storage of breastmilk • Introducing solids and weaning • Where to get support and help • Other resources Venue: BIRTHCARE - 20 Titoki Street, Parnell, Education Room, Level 1 10.30am - 12.30pm Tuesday once a month $30.00 Parenting Trust Being the parent you want to be. Even the best parents and caregivers get angry sometimes. We believe parenting is one of the most difficult tasks anyone is ever likely to be asked to perform. Most parents do the best they can for their children, but few do so without experiencing stressful and angry times along the way. We care for children by focusing care on parents. When the parent-child relationship is strengthened, parents can provide loving and confident nurturing of children. Information on programmes available can be found at www.parenttrust.org.nz. Parents Inc The Parenting Place offers a huge range of seminars and workshops during term time, as well as a place to sit and have a coffee. Check out the timetable and book online at their website www.theparentingplace.com. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E PA R E N T E D U C AT I O N Plunket Family Centres Triple P 159 Landscape Road, Mt Eden Phone 620 8539 Email: [email protected] 30 Rose Road, Grey Lynn Phone 376 2639 Centres are staffed by Plunket nurses, community karitane, Plunket kaiawhina and volunteers. Family centres offer support and information on different parenting issues. They also run various group discussions and one-on-one consultations on the following topics: • New born tired signs video • Settling and sleep for babies • Feeding and behaviour • Breastfeeding - lactation consultants • Baby massage • Maternal health support • Development Call your local centre to make an appointment. Karitane CribtalkTM First Thursday of every month 9.00am - 3.00pm 1 Wallingford Street, Grey Lynn Telephone (09) 5757174 Free coffee and free advice. Karitane Nurses and Nannies Bureau invite you to Karitane CribtalkTM - an informal gathering for new parents. Karitane CribtalkTM will be casual and relaxed and is as much about gaining valuable advice from an experienced Karitane Nurse as it is about meeting other new families. Karitane Nurses are trained in working with newborns and have become renowned among parents needing assistance with their baby’s unique circumstances. Our Karitane Nurse has many years of experience and is happy to assist with any queries that you may have about your little ones. So come along on the first Thursday of every month with your baby, enjoy a coffee, and get one-on-one advice with a trained Karitane Nurse. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E Phone: + 64 9 579 1794 Triple P suggests simple routines and small changes that can make a big difference to your family. It helps you understand the way your family works and uses the things you already say, think, feel and do in new ways that: • Create a stable, supportive and harmonious family. • Encourage behaviour you like. • Deal positively, consistently and decisively with problem behaviour. • Build positive relationships with your children, so that conflict can be resolved. • Plan ahead to avoid or manage potentially difficult situations. • Take care of yourself as a parent. While Triple P is almost always successful in improving child behaviour problems, more than half its emphasis is on developing positive attitudes, skills and behaviour. This helps prevent problems arising and fosters family relationships that encourage children to realise their full potential. Parent Aid Central West Auckland - Avondale, Point Chevalier, Blockhouse Bay, Hillsborough, Lynfield, Waikowhai, Mt Roskill, New Windsor, Mt Albert, Owairaka. Phone 815 0330 Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Email: [email protected] Free practical help to families with pre-school children in Central West Auckland who need a helping hand due to: the birth of a baby, illness, accident, tiredness, stress. A Parent Aid fieldworker will assist your family in a friendly and supportive way by providing childcare, light housework and baby minding in your own home while you rest or attend an appointment. 7 VOLUNTEERING Volunteer Vacancies Did you enjoy your antenatal class? Was it an invaluable experience? It wouldn’t have been possible without the volunteers who help organise it. Now it is your turn to help others who are about to have their first babies. Thinking of giving back? Have you often looked at our volunteer vacancies and thought that you would like to help but are unsure of what is involved; how much time will it take?, could you fit it into your day?, what are the people like to work with?, what happens if circumstances change and you can’t continue volunteering? The following is an insight into a role that is currently vacant and in need of a willing person with good administrative skills. Antenatal Course Co-Ordinator The Antenatal Course Coordinator brings together the people and resources needed to successfully run our Childbirth Education courses. We run 14 courses per year and the position works closely with the Antenatal Convener (responsible for arranging the course dates and speakers) and the Antenatal Course Hosts (responsible for hosting each session of a course). 1. All course dates have been set for the year and all speakers have been prebooked by another volunteer. Your job is to: a) Confirm the speaker before each course (mainly as a courtesy) b) Enlist a volunteer host for each course. The Volunteer Coordinator advertises for hosts and refers them to you so they can be assigned to a course needing a host. 2. Before each course starts you need to prepare the host resources a) Compile a host resource pack b) Handover the pack and venue keys in the week prior to the course c) Meet the host at the venue on the first night of a course to show them what to do if they have not hosted before OR arrange for another committee members to do this if you are not available d) Do a quick check of supplies and resources held on site at the venue to ensure the course has everything it needs 3. During the course you are the contact point for the host incase they have any issues 8 4. Enlist volunteer speakers from previous courses to come and speak to the class about their birth experience 5. At the end of the course a) make sure all items that need to be returned to CAPC come back from the host for use at the next course b) distribute returns to other volunteers where required The time commitment is approximately 4 hours per course and 2 hours for a monthly committee meeting. Why do you need to attend committee meetings? We can only run our courses as a team of volunteers working together. We hold 10 meetings each year on the 2nd Monday of each month from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. While we appreciate that it may not be possible for volunteers to attend all meetings, your attendance is encouraged as we cannot run the Centre without a committee and the valuable skills, ideas and input that each individual brings to their role. What is expected of me as a volunteer? We expect you to; • take ownership of all aspects of your role • ask for help if you need it • commit to the role for 12 months if possible • when you leave the role ensure that all aspects of the job are up to date so a full handover can be given to the next volunteer C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E VOLUNTEERING What is in it for me as a volunteer? • have some fun and learn new skills in a baby/ child friendly environment • meet new people in your local community • support from the committee • if you are currently out of the workforce - maintain and enhance your organisational skills - keeping your admin e.g. computer skills up to date - maintaining and enhancing your people skills - potential referees when returning to the workforce. • get the most from your Parents Centre membership - social events - discounts on products and services - free course attendance - discounted membership fee What do I do now? Give the Volunteer Coordinator a call and have a chat about the role. Come along to our next committee meeting as it is good to know a bit about the people and the organisation you are about to commit your time to. Any of these roles may be job shared between two people. WANT TO HELP! THEN CALL OR EMAIL US TODAY! Patrice Jones - Co-President Phone 360 7149, Email [email protected] PARENT EDUCATION COURSE CONVENER We need some one to oversee the running of our Parent Education courses (Baby & You, Moving & Munching and Tinies to Tots) The tasks involved include: • setting the course dates annually • orgainising the speaker contracts annually • reviewing the course evaluations • maintaining the supply of course handouts The time commitment is approx 3 hours per course. You need to be available to attend monthly committee meetings. MOVING AND MUNCHING HOST We are looking for a Host for our MOVING & MUNCHING course for 2009/10. We run Moving & Munching courses 6 times per year on Thursday mornings from 9.45am to 12.15pm Duties include: • Set up and pack down of venue • Organising morning tea • Preparing course handouts You are welcome to bring your baby with you Training is provided and a small remuneration is payable. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Help us further develop the paid advertising space in our newsletter. We are looking for someone to manage and further develop the paid advertising space in our bi-monthly newsletter and maintain our membership discount scheme. You need to look after our existing advertisers, respond to enquiries from people looking to advertise with CAPC and potentially source new advertisers. Time commitment approx 4-5 hours per month and you need to be available to attend monthly committee meetings CENTRE SECRETARY We are looking for an organised person to manage our incoming correspondence, emails and phone calls. The tasks involved include: • Clearing the Centre email address and phone messaging system on a daily basis during the weekdays and forwarding any messages to the appropriate committee members • Clearing the PO Box at Royal Oak Post Shop twice a week and distributing the mail to the relevant committee members. • Collating the Centre course statistics We only receive a small number of phone calls and emails each day. The time commitment is approx 8 hours per month. You need to be available to attend monthly committee meetings. 9 VOLUNTEERING Volunteer Profile Jeri Lomas My name is Jeri Lomas and I share the role of marketing coordinator for Central Auckland Parents Centre. I am also mother to a lovely wee chap, Blake, who just turned 8 months old and who is a great little traveller based on some recent overseas trips to the USA (New Orleans) and Fiji. I decided to join Central Auckland Parents Centre Committee after reading a request for volunteers in the newsletter. I really enjoy my coffee group, including the support we provide each other and fun that we have – in fact, we are in the mist of planning our first girls’ weekend away together (without babies!). And none of this would have been possible if we hadn’t met at our Parents Centre antenatal course. I’ve also found volunteering is a great opportunity to keep my work skills up to date. I am on parental leave as a marketing manager and it’s great to speak “the lingo” occasionally and help out Central Auckland Parents Centre at the same time. CAPC are always in need of volunteers so if you are able to help in any way, we’d love to hear from you. Can you put people at ease? Did you enjoy your antenatal course? Have you found the friendship and support of your coffee group invaluable? We need people to help run antenatal classes and offer new parents the opportunity to be part of a great coffee group! Central Auckland Parents Centre needs Hosts for Childbirth Education courses running on the following dates: Thursday 7 Jan -11 Feb Tuesday 19 Jan - 16 Feb Thursday 18 Feb - 25 Mar Wednesday 10 March -14 April 7.00pm to 9.45pm - 6 evenings Duties include: • Setup and pack down venue • Coordinate product sales to class • Organise supper • Set up Coffee Group at end of course Training is provided and a small remuneration is payable If you can help or for more information please contact Lucy on 623 3699 or [email protected] 10 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E MEMBER DISCOUNT SCHEME The following retailers offer discounts to Central Auckland Parents Centre members. To get the discount, please remember to take your membership card to the store. Hive of Activity Inside Pumpkin Patch, 377 Manukau Rd, Epsom Discount: 10% off non sale stock (does not include Little Tikes) Total Learning - Wendy Perera Phone 443 4668, Email: [email protected] Website: www.totallearning.ws Discount: 10% off non-sale, non-urgent sales from our catalogue (conditions apply, postage additional) Egg Maternity - Newmarket 2 Balm Street, Newmarket Discount: 10% discount off all non sale stock at our Newmarket store 3 Wise Monkeys Website: www.3wisemonkeys.co.nz Discount: 10% when quoting PSDIDAKL Snug as a Bug Website: www.snugasabug.co.nz Discount: 10% discount on all our products (except already discounted) Baby Factory Discount: 12.5% off shopping day. See coupon in CAPC bi-monthly newsletter Baby on the Move Phone: 0800 222 966 Website: www.babyonthemove.co.nz Discount: 10% off 6 month capsule hire(Sales goods, specials not included) Neat Kids www.neatkids.co.nz Discount: 15% off products. Enter the word aklpc in voucher box, and add your parent centre membership card number in the comments section. Pepsicles Phone: 0508 737742 Website: www.pepsicles.co.nz Discount: Free postage on our nappy hire kits or when buying these nappies through us. Quote “Auckland Parents Centre discount” in subject line when emailing. Fatso.co.nz Website: www.fatso.co.nz Discount: Free 3 week trial visit www.fatso.co.nz and enter the promo code ‘parentscentre’ Library Cafe 5 Princes Street,Onehunga Website: wwww.librarycafe.co.nz Discount: 10% discount weekdays on spends over $15 Singing Rainbows Website: www.lewiseady.co.nz Phone: 524 4119 Discount: 10% off full term enrolment fees YMCA—Jordan Centre, Onehunga Phone: 636 8825 Email: [email protected] Discount: 10% on any Y-Kids term programme For further information about any of these retailers please check our website www.parentscentre.org.nz/auckland In each issue of Parent Talk we profile a business from our Members Discount Scheme. If you would like to add your business to our scheme please email us at [email protected] 12 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E MEMBER DISCOUNT SCHEME Pepsicles Postnatal Home Help After mum has had a baby she needs a well-deserved rest! The first few weeks after birth are vital in ensuring a strong mother-baby bond as well as getting breastfeeding off to a good start. It’s a great help if mum doesn’t have to worry about the household chores. Pepsicles provides care for new mums in their own home. Pepsicles carers can take care of day-to-day cleaning chores, preparation of meals or they can assist with looking after baby or older siblings. Mum could even catch up on some well-needed sleep knowing there is someone else there to keep an eye on baby. Most Pepsicles carers are mums themselves, so they understand what mum needs help with. All it takes is 2-3 hours of home help a day to ensure mum can have a break. Charges are very reasonable at $22 an hour. Gift vouchers start from $220 for 10 hours of care. For more information on our services see: www.pepsicles.co.nz. MEMBER DISCOUNT SCHEME NEW DISCOUNT SCHEME MEMBER For more details see www.parentscentre.org.nz/auckland/ Wendy Perera [email protected] CONSUMER NEW ZEALAND PRODUCT RECALLS Maui Toys Water Bouncer The problem: If the toy is exposed to direct sunlight, it could potentially singe carpets or furnishings. Details: Maui Water Bouncer/Dazzler Water Ball. Sold through Kmart, The Warehouse, Farmers, Toy World and independent retail stores between January 2009 to July 2009. What to do: Ensure the ball is not left unattended in direct sunlight. Return the toy to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information call 09 917 4010. 14 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E Birthcare Maternity Hospital is situated on Titoki Street in Parnell, with tranquil views looking out over the Domain, and the Museum. It is a primary care maternity hospital available for both birthing and postnatal care. Birthcare is a secure facility offering free undercover parking and easy access. Use of Birthcare is free to all birthing and postnatal women, but there is an option of upgrading to a private room should you choose. The private upgrade provides a single room with ensuite, television, fridge and special menu and the freedom for partners to stay over should they choose. However the same high quality midwifery service is available to all women using the facility. The Birthing rooms have large pools for those wishing to use warm water immersion for pain relief and relaxation. There are many midwives who currently provide birthing services here for those wishing to have their baby in a smaller, more intimate unit. We are close to Auckland Hospital for transfer over should this be necessary. We have our own team of midwives, who provide continuity of care for those women choosing to birth at Birth care. They are passionate about supporting and promoting natural birth at Birthcare. There is also a great team of professionals who provide postnatal services. These include physiotherapists, visiting paediatricians, and lactation consultants. The core midwifery and nursing staff are highly skilled in all aspects of postnatal care. They give special attention to parentcraft, and education to assist in that transition to parenthood. They liaise closely with the LMC’s who are providing care for the women here and enjoy working in a close relationship with them. We have a lactation clinic which is held twice a week and is free for up to 4 weeks postnatally with a written referral from the woman’s LMC otherwise there is a $60 charge. There are regular tours of Birthcare for prospective parents. For further information call 09-3740800, or visit www.birthcare.co.nz Visiting Starship Hospital - A Parents View I can pretty much guarantee that some time in the next 15 years you and yours will take a trip to Starship Hospital. On my last visit with five-yearold Max, it occurred to me that over the intervening years we have learnt a few survival tricks that would be worth passing on. On my son’s CV so far: • Three day quarantined stay due to bronchial pneumonia at 13 months • Five stitches above eye for fall against sandpit at kindy, age 3 years • Three visits for high temperatures (40-41.5 degrees centigrade) and assorted other symptoms, aged two to five years • One x-ray for a swallowed zip, aged five years. I am still waiting for the inevitable visit for broken bones, having a boy who loves to climb . . . but I’m sure that will come. The first, most vital, thing is take food and drink. If you end up at Starship it is hardly ever during the day; its usually a late night trip, and basically there isn’t anything open then. So take water for yourselves at the very least. If you are breast feeding you will get fed, but I only saw the food trolley once you transferred to the ward. (As I was no longer breast feeding when Max was 13 months, I ate the food brought for him he wasn’t interested.) I’ve never seen a food trolley in the Emergency Department . . . and you can spend hours and hours in there, particularly if they are just monitoring your child’s illness. I once had a cup of hot chocolate, so not sure whether the tea trolley only appears at certain times of day, but I have only seen it once! (See ‘Top tips for Starship’ on page xx for more details about food.) Take money for the car park and, most importantly, remember where you parked. On the stitches visit I tore up to the hospital, parked, and ran to the Emergency Department with babe in arms. Hubby came from work separately, and about two hours later asked me where I had parked the car. It took him an hour to find it, as I hadn’t registered where I’d parked in the mad dash. Embarrassing. Ask for the play specialist. These people are brilliant. Oddly enough, you can end up sitting there with a fairly active kiddy. There are push cars for them to drive in, but the play specialists have toys, books and colouring pens etc. They do have another important role: helping the kids feel relaxed about procedures. 16 I was pretty traumatised the first time my son (13 months) had an IV fitted - holding him and trying to tell him it was all fine, whilst he screamed the joint in pain, Not good, particularly when it fell out three hours later and we had to have it refitted. So, come the stitches visit, he was NOT very comfortable about the whole needle thing and told the nurse so! Down came the play specialist, and she sat with teddy and went through everything on teddy. End result: he watched them put in the IV with no issues. If you end up being admitted, grab and family help you can get. It is not only emotionally draining, but you don’t really sleep. Depending on what your child’s illness is, the nursing staff come in to take readings, change IV fluids, put in medicines etc.; You are worried and wake up to very murmur, and the beds can be creaky. Get family and friends to come in and sit with your child, so you can get out and have a breather - you will need it. Usually you are referred to Starship by your GP or the A&E staff from White Cross. You will be sent with a sheet explaining the concern and this information is also faxed straight to the Emergency Department, so when you turn up they already have the details. The seats are colour coded and usually you go to the receptionist - who checks your details and gives you a plastic, coloured card - and then you sit in front of the triage desk. The nurse then sees you and checks all the vitals - temperature, oxygen levels in the blood, your bubs weight etc - and goes through what has let you to them. From there you will either be taken through to the main bed area or you will remain in the waiting room. This tends to be based on how serious the illness is and, occasionally, how busy they are. A nurse looks after patients in the waiting room in the Children’s Emergency Department. I’d like to point out that the staff are all brilliant, caring and generally rushed off their feet. From the receptionist onwards they are fantastic. I don’t believe there is a better place anywhere in New Zealand for a sick littlie. But if you get sent on the ‘Starship trip’, look after yourselves and your littlie! By Hassanah Rudd C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E Top Tips for Starship What to bring: • Pack a bag for you and your child when coming to the Emergency Department in case you have to stay overnight. • Avoid bringing cash, valuables and unnecessary clothing, and don’t leave personal belongings lying around. • If you need to bring siblings of your sick child with you, bring food, drinks, and books and toys to entertain them. Staying overnight: • One parent/caregiver may stay with the child overnight in standard wards. Depending on space, sa sofa bed, chair or mattress will be provided, with bedding. Alternative accommodation is provided if your child is in Intensive Care or the High Dependency Unit. • There are shower and toilet facilities and a parent lounge with kitchen in all wards. • Tea and coffee making facilities are available for parents/caregivers only. • All wards aim to respect a parent’s right to sleep; however, interventions need to be done during the night so be prepared for interruptions. • Nursing staff aim to support your child’s home routine where possible. Speak to your child’s nurse if this is important to you. Food: • Breakfast is provided for one parent/caregiver if staying overnight with a child. Unless you are breastfeeding or expressing for a patient under 6 months of age, other meals are not provided - so bring your own food. • Staff will happily organise toast and a hot drink for you if you ask. Speak to the nurse if you will be there over a meal time. • There is a snack machine available offering a mix of healthy and less healthy options, as well as a range of food outlets, which are open during the day. Breastfeeding facilities: • Breastfeeding/ expressing rooms are available in the Outpatient department and in Ward 24B (as well as in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit if your child is in there). • Bring your own equipment if you need to express; the hospital has equipment available, but only a limited supply. Parking: • The multi-storey Car Park A is for public use. Come in via the Park Road entrance and follow the signs. • Be prepared to pay for parking. Take your ticket with you, and pay at the booth or automatic pay station on Level 4 before returning to your car. • There is a drop off area outside the Emergency Department if you need to leave your car in a hurry. Once your child has been seen, tell nurses you need to move your car and they will look after your child. Other: • Doors to the hospital are locked from 8pm until 6am. Outside these hours, enter or exit through the Level 2 entrance, using the intercom provided. • There are various locations you can go for some time out while your child is staying at Starship. Speak to your nurse about the options available. • During the winter, Starship operates at full capacity and staff work hard and do their best to fit you in. If possible and practical, go to your GP or White Cross Accident and Medical first. For more information, please refer to Starship Hospital’s website at www.starship.org.nz. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E 17 Immunisation WHY In the past, diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough killed many children. Today, we use vaccines to immunise children against these and other diseases. Immunisation (or vaccination) has wiped out some of the killer diseases of childhood in New Zealand. Tetanus is not common any longer (although it still occurs in children who haven’t been immunised) and New Zealand is free of polio and diphtheria. While these diseases still exist in other countries, however, they are only a plane ride away. WHAT The diseases we recommend vaccinating children against in New Zealand are: • diphtheria • hepatitis B • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) • measles • mumps • pneumococcal disease • polio • rubella • tetanus • whooping cough (also known as pertussis) • cervical cancer These diseases have been chosen for immunising against because they are among the most dangerous to our children and because we have effective vaccines available against them. WHEN The national immunisation schedule is the series of vaccines that are offered free to babies, children and adolescents (and adults). The schedule lists the immunisations and the age at which they’re given. It is important that your child has their full course to ensure continuing strong protection. Immunisations need to be given on time as delaying them leaves children unnecessarily vulnerable to infection. Some children may have special requirements; for example, babies with specific risk factors may be offered hepatitis B immunisation early or the 18 BCG vaccine to protect against tuberculosis. Discuss your own child’s needs with your doctor. The immunisation schedule is available from the Ministry of Health website www.moh.govt.nz/immunisation or from the Immunisation Advisory Centre www.immune.org.nz. HOW Before and during immunisations parents can help decrease anxiety about immunisations in a number of ways: • Be there for your baby during immunisations - If you are confident, your baby will be too • start immunising from an early age • remain calm and relaxed, even when your child becomes upset • breast feeding reduces the baby’s pain • book your appointment early in the day before everyone is tired • plan a calm day • bring along a stuffed toy or blanket for your child to hold during the immunisation, or use them yourself as a tool for distraction • hold your child firmly during the procedure, talking calmly and gently stroking the child’s arm or back • after being pricked by the needle, your child may cry for a brief time. It is his or her way of coping. Your job is to comfort, hold, and talk supportively • you will need to remain in the clinic for 20 minutes after the immunisation. Rather than leave immediately, stay in the practice until your child has calmed down. This will help your child to remember the clinic as a nice place and will help to make the next visit easier • for babies, book your appointment to allow you to feed your child immediately after they have had their immunisation After immunisation: Around one in ten children can expect a reaction to an immunisation. The vast majority of these are mild, such as redness on the arm or a grizzly child for a day or two. A reaction is an expected sign that the immune response is building and the vaccine is C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E working. Occasionally, more concerning reactions occur like prolonged crying. Although worrying at the time, research shows there are no long-term problems following such reactions. Very rarely, a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) can happen. This is treatable and occurs very shortly after the injection. This is why you must wait at the clinic for 20 minutes after vaccination. If you are concerned, contact your practice nurse or doctor straightaway. For information about the safety of vaccines, check the websites listed below. INFORMED CHOICE Immunisation is not compulsory in New Zealand but it is a wise parenting choice. There is a lot of information on immunisation and this can be confusing. It is important to check out the source of the material before accepting the conclusions offered. Question critically: • is it based on sound evidence? • is it up-to-date information taking the latest research into consideration? • does it relate to New Zealand? A table, on the IMAC website compares the effects of diseases with the side effects of vaccines. FURTHER INFORMATION Immunisation Advisory Centre For questions on immunisation, vaccination-preventable diseases or a specific vaccine, you can contact the Immunisation Advisory Centre. Call free on 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466863), weekdays 9am-4.30 pm Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.immune.org.nz/ Medsafe - Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) In some cases, more information on a particular vaccine is available on the Medsafe website. Go to consumer Medicine Information (CMI). Website: http://www.medsafe.govt.nz Ministry of Health Immunisation pages The immunisation section of the Ministry of Health website includes The Immunisation Handbook 2006 and the 2008 National Immunisation Schedule Health Provider Booklet. These provide detailed information for health professionals on vaccine preventable diseases, the vaccines available to prevent these diseases and the immunisation schedule. They may be of interest to those parents who want more comprehensive information. Website: http://www.moh.govt.nz/immunisation. html IMMUNISATION IS FREE FROM YOUR HEALTH PROVIDER C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E 19 Measles Outbreak Currently there is an outbreak of measles in New Zealand with 33 reported cases (as of 25th august) in the Auckland region. Measles is highly infectious but is easily preventable with high levels of immunisation. Only 72% of 18 month old children in Auckland have had a first MMR vaccine normally due at 15 months. No immunisation is perfect but 90-95% of people will be successfully protected by immunisation. Symptoms of measles start 10-12 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, sore red eyes and white spots inside the mouth. The florid measles rash does not appear until 3-5 days after the start of symptoms. Unfortunately this means that by the time most people recognise it as measles they have been infectious for days and likely exposed many others. About 1 in 10 will develop more serious illness including ear infection, pneumonia and 1 in 1000 will get encephalitis. 1 in 1000 will die. Other than immunisation there is no treatment for measles but antibiotics can sometimes be used for secondary bacterial infections that can occur. Who is at risk? The un-immunised and the not yet immunised are most obviously at risk. During the outbreak it is currently recommended that MMR be given early at 12 months rather than 15 months. If your child is between 6-12 months old and has confirmed exposure to measles, it is possible to give MMR vaccine within 72 hours (discuss it with your doctor). Pregnant women are also at risk and while pregnant can’t have the vaccine. Two jabs are more likely to be effective than one so if your child had the 15 month jab more than 4 weeks ago and has confirmed exposure to measles within last 72 hours then it is possible to get the 4 year booster given early (discuss with your doctor/helpline). What can I do? Get immunised!! If you are unimmunised, if your children have not yet had it done and are over 12 months old, if your children are due for a four year old booster then go today. Ask your friends if they are immunised. How many coffee group meetings have you been to where one of the children did not have a runny nose and a cough? If your friends have chosen not to immunise then they are potentially putting you and your children at risk. Ask your day care/kindergarten what their policy is around excluding unimmunised children during the current outbreak. In some cases if you have confirmed exposure and are unsure of your immunity then contact the help line to discuss the options. On a personal note I help care for some of the 100150 children a year in NZ that are diagnosed with cancer. As the chemotherapy can be up to 3 long years we encourage them to have some quality of life while they are being treated and sometimes they are at school. They can’t be immunised because of chemotherapy which also wipes out the effect of previous vaccinations. If they get measles there is a high chance they will die. The only protection they have is having those around them immunised (so called “Herd Immunity”). If you choose not to immunise your child because you figure they are healthy and will be ok then remember that sometimes your decision will affect those who do not have a choice. Dr Mark Winstanley Paediatric Oncologist Starship Children’s Hospital H E A LT H L I N E Phone 0800 611 116 for free 24-hour health advice Healthline is a free telephone health information service for all the family. The service is staffed by registered nurses who will assess your health needs, and give information and advice to help you decide on the best level of care. 20 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E babymove AND YOU’LL GET BUY THE RED BRIO ZENTO 158 Jervois Road, Herne Bay P: 09 361 5050 or 0800 222 966 E: [email protected] SPECIALS LOTS OF INSTORE CHECK US OUT COME AND buy a dash™ buggy from the graffiti range & receive a doubles kit™ free! inline™ dash™ graffiti inline™ vibe™ graffiti $20 Off ® AND A FREE TOY buy a vibe™ buggy from the graffiti range & receive a doubles kit™ free! AUCKLAND CENTRAL OPENING 1ST JULY specialists in the rental and sales of baby products on the www.babyonthemove.co.nz ACTIVE MOVEMENT Eyes need to move too! Q. My baby is only a few weeks old, is it too early to start doing activities with her? A. It is never too early to start playing with your baby; movement is your child’s first language, your baby was moving in the womb and wants to keep moving and exploring to learn about the world. While in your arms or placed on tummy you can do simple activities that will assist with development. So start today! Q. My toddler is already very active, why do I need to do planned movement with him? A. Yes a toddler may seem very active, exploring and getting into everything! But does he participate in upside down or turning activities that may assist with vestibular (balance) development? Does he sit and watch television meaning that his eyes and visulisation system is not being active? Planning movement with your toddler is more than being physically active. It is ensuring that everyday your child participates in many different activities that assists with whole body and brain development. As an Active Movement Advisor I get asked the two questions above a lot which has provided me with today’s topic – eyes need to move too! Often we think about physical activity as using our big muscle groups and fine motor skills, we don’t always think about our eyes needing to be fit. Everyday we use our eyes and for learning to read, write or to cross the road this is especially important. A child needs to have the ability to move their eyes smoothly from one side of the body to the other while keeping the head still to do these things. This is becoming a harder task to complete and one of the biggest reasons for this is – technology! When we sit and watch television or stare at a computer screen our eyes are becoming fixed looking straight ahead. We can develop ocular 22 lock which means ‘to lose the ability of being able to move eyes freely from one side of the body to the other’ – this condition is becoming common in many children as we choose to use television or computers as learning and entertaining tools. Children learn best through experience and exploring an activity first hand. A child with symptoms of ocular lock will lose concentration, feel tired easily and may experience dizziness and nausea when in a situation where eyes are required to move. How does this relate to babies and toddlers? There is a window in the brain from birth to approximately two years old for binocular vision development. This means developing the ability to use both eyes together and also being able to understand what is seen. While this window is wide open it is very easy for our eyes to develop as every time our eyes move our nerves multiply and the eye muscles become stronger. If a baby/ toddler does not get the chance to move the eyes in different directions the nerves may not connect and muscles may remain weak leading to eye C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E ACTIVE MOVEMENT problems later in life. So right from birth please provide your child with eye development activities as this will help your child with the ability to see clearly and understand what is seen. Try some activities below: 5 Perform nursery rhymes such as ‘twinkle twinkle little star’ in front of baby’s eyes. Active Movement for the Eyes – Toddlers Active Movement for the Eyes – Babies 1 Provide your toddler with a straw, blow bubbles and try to tap the bubbles with the straw; 1 Lay your baby on tummy - gently and slowly roll a ball across the line of baby’s sight; 2 When reading a story point to different pictures on the page; 2 Take a rattle and gently shake for your baby to watch and follow; 3 Put on a finger puppet and gently move this in different directions asking your toddler to watch the puppet; 3 Blow bubbles for your baby to watch; 4 Lay your baby on his back – hold a scarf above baby’s eyes and gently guide baby’s hands and feet to pat the scarf. This is developing handeye and foot-eye coordination; 4 Take a feather and blow it across the room or off your hand, watch the feather as it falls. 5 Read your toddler a story without pictures to let your imagination guide you. For more information on Active Movement in Auckland City contact Alissa on (09) 623 7925 or visit www.sportauckland.co.nz for details Wriggle and Rhyme Free Wriggle & Rhyme, Active Movement for Early Learning sessions are about to begin at your local library starting Term 4 (12th October 2009)! Active Movement is a SPARC (Sport and Recreation NZ) initiative which aims to provide positive movement experiences to stimulate development of both the brain and the body. Each session will be based on the Active Movement set of 14 activity guides using a range of music and movement. Libraries are working with their Council and Regional Sports Trust to provide Wriggle & Rhyme sessions across the greater Auckland region with the focus mainly for babies from birth to two years. Movement is a child’s first language, so it is im- portant to provide babies with whole body movements’ right from birth. Parents and caregivers are invited to take part in these free weekly sessions at their local library, where they can also learn skills to put into practice at home. While the activities are generally for babies, older pre-schoolers are also welcome to attend Wriggle & Rhyme sessions, and will benefit too. 50 community libraries are taking part in the Wriggle & Rhyme programme across the greater Auckland region. For more information on Wriggle & Rhyme, Active Movement for Early Learning visit your local library. Pram Walk Tuesday November 3rd 2009 Auckland Viaduct, Central City A lovely walk along the viaduct harbour followed by an instructed Aquatic Play session provided free of charge by Y-Swimming at Tepid Baths. Meet for walk: In Market Square, go into the Viaduct at end of Market Place. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E 23 Time To Spring Into Action! Pregnancy and Postnatal exercise information for you! It is easy to agree with the fact that a woman’s body goes through more changes throughout pregnancy than a man’s would during his whole existence. Given this, make sure that during your pregnancy and postnatal period, you give your body the time it needs to adjust to the changes that will be or have taken place. Be patient and listen to your body. If it has been some time since you’ve exercised, it is a good idea to start slowly. Begin with as little as 5 minutes of exercise a day and add 5 minutes each week until you can stay active for 30 minutes a day. In 2002, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) published their latest pregnancy recommendations which stated that a healthy pregnant woman with a non-complicated pregnancy, not only could exercise, but should exercise. They recommended resuming exercise after baby when you are medically and physically safe. Lead maternity carer (LMC) clearance is always advised when you start and exercise programme whilst pregnant or postnatal. Some of the unique bodily changes and discomforts during these times once detracted women from exercise. In fact, exercise is proven to alleviate these ongoing discomforts and furthermore, lead to significant benefits during labour and whilst postnatal. Research has shown stress relief, increased energy levels, better sleeping patterns and overall coping are just a few of the benefits exercise can facilitate. For those of you who are pregnant, studies have concluded that regular exercise can shorten labour by approximately one third, and decrease (by a considerable 75 percent!) the incidence of maternal exhaustion and the need for surgical intervention during the delivery. Postnatally, exercise will hep with weight loss, a speedier return to pre- pregnancy and combatting postnatal depression. Exercise releases the mood-elevating and ‘feelgood’ endorphins and suppresses the release of adrenal stress hormones. It is important your exercise programme is built on a foundation of corrective and functional movements. Include exercises that strengthen in the specific multi-directional and dynamic movements required by mums in their daily routine. Remember, you are lifting, walking, carrying, twisting (and often multi-tasking!) with a growing and moving load (your baby). By maintaining fitness and feeling great, overall well-being improves. The benefits of regular exercise are compelling, to the point where all women who maintain an uncomplicated pregnancy or postnatal period are recommended to exercise most days, if not every day of the week. TIP: Walking is a good exercise for anyone. Brisk walking gives a total body workout and is easy on the joints and muscles. If you were not active before getting pregnant, walking is a great way to start an exercise program. TIP: Aerobics is a good way to keep your heart and lungs strong. There are even aerobics classes and posntnatal bootcamps designed just for pregnant/ postnatal women see www.fitfitfit.co.nz. Lowimpact and water aerobics also are good exercise. Make sure your instructor is qualified to instruct pregnant and postnatal participants. TIP: Anything that puts a strain on your joints or ligaments - such as high-impact aerobics, difficult yoga positions or jogging on the road - should be done more gently. By Karina Balle, BHSc (physiotherapy) MNZSP, C.H.E.K HLC I, REPs registered Personal Trainer & Group exercise instructor, Wellness Coach, Pilates certified. For more information on corrective exercise & wellness please don’t hesitate in contacting the team at FITBumps, FITMums and FITBodies. See our website and timetables at www.fitfitfit.co.nz. Email us with any questions [email protected]. 24 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E BABIES Playing with Newborns Many new parents wonder, “What does the baby want to play?” The answer is, most of the time, your baby wants to play games with YOU! Fun Foot Baby Games – Newborn babies have a stepping reflex that is fun to play with. Hold your baby under the arms (grasping around the chest firmly - not cranking on delicate shoulder joints) and “stand” him in an upright position on the floor. When the baby’s foot touches the ground he’ll lift it up, lowering the other foot as though walking. This baby reflex fades after about two months so enjoy the baby game while it lasts. Hand Baby Games – Newborns have a strong grasp reflex and love to play hand games. Lay your baby on her back (floor or lap), and let her grasp your fingers. Lift her arms gently, describing your motions in sing-song voice, “Up, Down. In, Out”. She loves your higher-pitched voice. She’ll begin to associate the word with the motion as you play variations of this game over the next several months. Voice Game Fun – Your baby recognises your voice and prefers your voice over strangers. This makes for fun baby games. Call your baby from his right, or left and watch him turn his head to look at you. Talk to your baby about your daily life, describing your actions, “Now Mummy is washing dirty socks. One sock.....two sock....” It’s not important what you say – just that you spend time talking to them. Movement Baby Games – This is a great game to play with your baby to help them get used to being on their back and stomach. Start baby on her back and chant through this rhythm as you do the motions: “Rub a baby belly – pat, pat, pat. Rub a baby belly – just like that!” Then roll the baby over gently onto her belly. “Rrrooooooll over baby!” “ Rub a baby back – pat, pat, pat....” etc. Once your baby learns what is coming next she will anticipate the exaggerated “Rrrooooooll Over!”. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E Baby Sound Games – Babies are masters at making “impolite” noises. And what fun it is to play along! Your baby is a great excuse to blow bubbles, make raspberries, kissy-noises and lip buzzes. He will delight in trying to mimic you as you both explore the variety of noises and expressions you can make together. Floor Time Baby Games – Belly time is an important precursor to crawling, helps develop back muscles used in sitting and walking as well as helping to prevent flat spots from too much time spent on the back. Lie down on the floor in front of your baby and encourage her to look at you. “Peek a Boo” becomes a fun exercise game as she lifts her head to look at you. (Note: Always put your baby to sleep on her back – play this game during awake times.) Singing Baby Games – You baby enjoys hearing you sing personalising familiar songs is easy. For example – “Rain, Rain Go Away” became “Evan, I love you. I really, really love you. Every day – night and day. Evan, Mumma loves you.” Even as a nearly three years old toddler, this song never fails to bring a smile to his face because the repetition of this singing game has made it so familiar to him. See more about infants and music. 25 BABIES Getting to the bottom of it! It’s amazing how long both new and experienced parents can talk about what goes on and comes out of babies’ bottoms! Looking for some tips? Read on… Cleaning the area Heard the saying “as soft as a baby’s bottom”? Just like everywhere else on your baby’s body, their bottom skin is delicate, soft and needs gentle cleaning. Change your baby often; don’t leave them sitting in a wet or dirty nappy. Even though nappies absorb the wetness, their skin is still in contact with the soiling, and it can still lead to nappy rash over time. Once you’ve got the dirty nappy tucked out the way, use water and soft cloths (like chux) to wipe the area. Just water is fine; you don’t need to use any soap. Pre-moistened wipes are very convenient, but go easy on baby’s skin and stick to using them when you’re out. Wipe front to back to avoid transmitting anything from bottom to genitals. If you have a little boy, their foreskin will not retract until they reach age 2 to 4 so just wipe and clean around their genital area as you would any other part of their body. Last but not least, dry the area really well with a clean cloth, including the creases where thighs meet. Keeping baby’s bottom healthy One of the best things you can do to keep baby’s bottom healthy is give them plenty of ‘nappy off’ time. Bacteria loves to grow in warm wet areas, so air circulating and even a bit of sunlight can do wonders (although watch out for sunburnt buttocks!). Lay baby on a cloth nappy and let them kick their legs. If you have a problem with your lit- tle boy sending up a fountain, try popping him onto his tummy, or just spreading a larger cloth over the floor. People are divided as to whether you should put creams on baby bottom. I would advise that if you want to use something on a day to day basis, stick with a moisturising product, like Tui Bee Balme or Angel Baby Bottom Balme. Then you can use barrier creams for a rash that persists even with vigilant cleaning, drying, and moisturising. Exploring nappy options If you are thinking about reusable nappies, have a look at www.thenappynetwork.org.nz which offers good tips on what to look for. When buying disposables, look for the specials in your area. You might like to prebuy nappies when they’re on special during your pregnancy. Most supermarkets will exchange unopened packs for the next size up, even without a receipt. The internet is also a great source of bargains on nappies. Cara Baddington, www.gentlydoesit.co.nz Cara Baddington is mum to Elise and Harry. She is a childbirth educator, breastfeeding counsellor, and runs Gently Does It (www.gentlydoesit. co.nz) a website packed with information and gentle safe products for mums and babies, including books like ‘Sleeping Like a Baby’ by Pinky McKay. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E 27 ACTIVITIES Heuristic Play - The Treasure Basket Heuristic play was a term coined by a child psychologist Elinor Goldschmeid in the early 1980’s. Heuristic play describes the activity of babies and children as they play with and explore the properties of ‘objects’. These ‘objects’ are things from the real world. For babies and toddlers heuristic play is very different, In this article we will focus on heuristic play with babies which revolves around the treasure basket. The early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996) promotes holistic development, and states that an environment should be provided where children can develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical and material worlds. We live in a world where plastic toys dominate the shelves of toy shops, but plastic is dull and disappointing for babies, and while each rattle may look different each one smells, tastes and feels the same - it is unstimulating to a babies senses. Using heuristic play with babies stimulates all the senses, creating a rich learning experience. Heuristic play with babies revolves around the use of the Treasure Basket - the Treasure Basket can be used with babies from the time that they can sit unaided to around 16-18 months, during this phase the primary question a baby would ask if they could talk would be ‘What is the object like?’. The Treasure Basket is a ridged low sided round basket filled with ‘objects’ from the ‘real world’ these ‘objects’ are made from any material but plastic, and come from a variety of sources in nature and the around the house. It is through handling and exploring these objects that a baby develops contact with the outside world, and begins to make their own choices and decisions. The predominant way that babies under the age of one discover and learn about their world is through sensory motor development, during this stage a baby’s primal instinct is to explore objects by handling and mouthing them in order to find out about their physical characteristics. By using a treasure basket with children at this age you are providing them with rich mental stimulation, which not only activates the growth of the brain but also provides richly satisfying experiences for the baby. For a Treasure Basket to be an effective tool 28 in the play and development of babies, the most important factor is an attentive and calm caregiver, who creates a relaxed atmosphere and is available to the child during their play and exploration. The adults role in the use of the treasure basket is to sit near by and be attentive, responsive and unobtrusive - the baby needs to be able to make their own choices about which objects they are going to pick up and how they are going to explore them without interference. To an outsider looking in on baby exploring a treasure basket, it may appear that the adult is doing ‘nothing’, but a baby will have a much richer and more stimulating experience, developing confidence and concentration when they can explore at their own pace, with out being ‘shown’ things and ‘how’ to use them by an adult, as there is no right or wrong way for a baby to explore or use the materials. Another important factor in the effectiveness of the Treasure Basket as a learning tool, is when, where, how often and how long each ‘play session’ lasts. The treasure basket should never be left out 24/7 for your baby to play with, as they will soon bore of the objects and become uninterested in them. It is important that the time of day you allocate to a session exploring the treasure basket is when your child is feed, well rested and calm, the environment in which the play session will be must also be calm, turn off the tv, remove any distractions and make sure there is minimum disruption. Ideally each play session should last between 30 minutes to an hour, C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E ACTIVITIES and a baby should have opportunity to explore the treasure basket every day, but only if all of the conditions are favorable. The treasure basket comprises of a ridged side round basket and 60-80 different objects. The treasure basket is not a static plaything, over time objects can be added, taken out and replaced, every time you go some where new, you can collect objects to go into the treasure basket (e.g shells from a trip to the beach or pine cones from a visit to the gardens) so that the basket grows, reinforces learning experiences and becomes a catalogue of memories. Every treasure basket will be a unique collection of objects. To make the treasure basket, set aside a couple of days, where your main purpose is to build the foundations of a treasure basket for your child. Aim to establish a collection of 20-30 objects, which comprise a variety of textures and materials. Once you have built up this ‘base’ of objects to go in your treasure basket, you can add more to it over time, which will keep your baby interested with a new object to explore every now and then, and will take the pressure off you to find all 60-80 objects at once. Below you will find a list of ideas of objects to collect for your treasure basket: •Paper / cardboard objects: Egg boxes, notebook, sturdy cardboard tubes, greaseproof paper. •Wooden objects: Door wedge, small turned bowl, dolly pegs, egg cup, wooden egg, spoons, curtain rings, coaster, bracelet, block, napkin rings, dowel, empty salt and pepper cellars. •Leather, textile, rubber, or fur objects: Small knitted toy, bean bag, piece of flannel, velvet powder puff, bags of herbs, bag of lavender, leather key ring, coloured ribbons, leather purse. •Rubber objects: Ball, bath plug with chain, soap holder, door stop, coaster. •Metal objects: Honey drizzler, an egg cup, curtain ring, egg poacher, measuring spoons, tea strainer, whisk, powder compact, bells, lemon squeezer, small bowl, •Natural objects: A lemon or orange, coconut shell, grass rope, sheepskin, pumice stone, loofah, shells, pine/fir cones, driftwood, avocado stone, large pebbles. •Brushes: Scrubbing brush, pastry brush, baby’s hair brush, nail brush, makeup brush, paint brush, shaving brush, wooden toothbrush. •Other objects: small vanilla essence or food colouring bottle, hair rollers, small mirror, scent bags, bone shoe horn, ceramic bowl A note on safety - it is never a good idea to let small children and babies to chew on keys, as these frequently have lead and other heavy metals in them which can be ingested if mouthed - also ensure that you do not have any objects in the treasure basket made of pewter as this is also high in lead. If you intend on putting objects made from leather into your treasure basket, make sure they are genuine leather, and not imitation leather (which is made of PVC, and is very toxic for babies to be mouthing). In regards to choking, use a film canister to test object to make sure that they are not a choking hazard (anything that fits into the canister is small enough for a child to swallow or choke on). Give everything a good wash and rinse before offering it to your baby to play with in the treasure basket, and check the treasure basket regularly for broken objects. Teach your baby to swim in Greenlane Lessons from 3 months to 3 years. . Warm Hydrotherapy pool at 34 C. Lessons: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. swim school [email protected] tel. 09 974 4081 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E 29 IN THE KITCHEN The Chef’s Toolbox is a party-plan based company offering a fantastic opportunity if you’re looking for a fun, flexible career. As an independent consultant you can earn the income you want, choose your own hours, work from home, receive free business training and cookware, and build your career at your own pace. Central Auckland Parents Centre also receives $200 cash for every person who signs on as an independent consultant. If you would like to host a party or find out more information about becoming a consultant call Jane Massey, Independent Consultant, The Chefs Toolbox Phone 522 2047 or 021 666 258 Email [email protected] Vegetable Biriani Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 25 minutes The Ingredients 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 200g kumara (orange sweet potato), peeled & diced 50g roasted cashew nuts (or peanuts) 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped 500ml stock, hot 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 100g green beans, cut into 2cm lengths 40g sultanas 200g Basmati rice The Fun • In the sauté pan, cook onion in oil until soft but not brown. • Add garlic and curry powder, cook stirring for 1 minute. • Add kumara and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. • Add rice and hot stock, stir well. Bring back to the boil, cover and reduce heat to medium/low and cook for 10 minutes. • Add beans and sultanas, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. • Add nuts and parsley. Remove from heat, stand covered for 5 minutes. Chef’s Tips Fast and healthy mid-week meal/Cooked chicken can be added with the beans. Product Labels: Two good starting points to look at on a product label include the ingredients list (which is listed from the ingredient in the greatest quantity to the least, so you know if sugar is in the top few it is likely to be a big part of the product; and the nutrition panel. For example, the ‘Total Carbohydrates’ includes all sugars (naturally occurring and added) and all carbs, the ‘Sugars’ figure is just the simple sugars (again naturally occurring and added). So the bigger the gap between these two (in the 100 g column) the lesser the simple sugars represent in this product. So if you have two cereals with 55g of carbohydrate but one has 15g of sugars and the other 35g, you know the second one is going to have a lot more simple sugars and be less sustaining. 30 C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E IN THE KITCHEN Bonnie Peters - Natural Yummies I have three children with food allergies and intolerances. I have found it to be an enormous struggle to find recipes for food that they can have. As I could not just buy packet food for them from the supermarket it was imperative that I found recipes that I could use. Over the past 13 years I have spent countless hours adapting and creating new recipes and the end result has been my two cookbooks which I have written in the hope that they will help other families not to have to go through what we have. All the recipes have been devised using inexpensive and accessible ingredients and all are very simple and quick to make. Although focused on food allergies such as gluten, dairy, sugar etc they are equally as good for parents who want their children to eat healthier. www.naturalyummies.co.nz Carob and Yoghurt Waffles Ingredients 3 cups sifted flour of your choice 1 cup milk, rice milk or soya milk 1 Tbsp carob powder 1 egg or egg alternative 1 cup yoghurt Method: Mix all ingredients together and beat with an electric or hand beater. Pour tsp fulls into waffle maker and cook until golden. Easy Rolled Oat Waffles Ingredients 3 bananas 3 cups water 4½ cups rolled oats Method: Blend the bananas in a food processor until smooth then add the rolled oats until it is a fine mix. Add the water, mixing it together well. Cook in a waffle maker. This is a good recipe to freeze so you can make up a lot at a time. Is your oldest child aged 3 years or younger? If the answer is “yes”, would you be interested in participating in a study that is exploring how families with young children are managing health and well-being? My name is Maria Carbines. I am a registered nurse and a PhD student at AUT University. If you are interested in finding out more about this study and how you may be able to take part, please feel free to contact me on [email protected] or 027 331 4812. PA R E N T S U P P O R T Support Services Allergy New Zealand Phone 623 3912 www.allergy.org.nz Barnardos Parent Help Line (Mon – Fri 9.00am – 5.00pm) 0800 4 PARENT / 0800 472 7368 www.barnardos.org.nz Healthline (24 hours per day) 0800 611 116 www.moh.govt.nz/healthline La Leche League (Breastfeeding) 846 0752 www.lalecheleague.org.nz Miscarriage Support Auckland 378 4060 www.miscarriagesupport.org.nz National Poisons Centre 0800 POISON / 0800 764 744 www.poisons.co.nz Parent to Parent Special Needs Children Support 0508 236 236 www.parent2parent.org.nz Plunket Car Seat Rental 623 8357 www.plunket.org.nz Plunket Line (24 hours per day) 0800 933 922 www.plunket.org.nz SKIP Phone 04 916 3300 www.familyservices.govt.nz/skip Starship Hospital 307 8900 www.starship.org.nz Trauma and Birth Stress Support Group 575 7404 www.tabs.org.nz Women’s Refuge 303 3939 www.womensrefuge.org.nz Work and Income (WINZ) Phone 0800 559 009 www.workandincome.govt.nz Working for Families Phone 0800 257 477 www.workingforfamilies.govt.nz 32 Miscarriage Support Auckland Miscarriage Support Auckland Inc. is still a very small independent group of women volunteers of various ages and we have all experienced the loss of our own babies and would like to provide emotional support and information for women and their families during and after miscarriage and subsequent pregnancies. While recognising that everybody’s experience is unique, we understand the pain and isolation that often follows miscarriage and the need for emotional support. Our website is a reflection of our knowledge and experience and will hopefully be useful in helping you come to terms with your grief. National Poisions Centre The National Poisons Centre is a 24/7 Poisons Information Service available to all New Zealanders. Provided by the Ministry of Health and ACC, the NPC maintains an accurate and up-to-date database of almost all poisonous substances in NZ and Australia, and provides professional and timely advice during poisoning incidents. Parent to Parent Parent to Parent is a support and information network for parents of children with special needs. Support is provided voluntarily by Trained Support Parents who have a child with the same or similar needs. Our services are free to families Only those who have been there themselves can fully understand Caring for a family member who has a special need is an experience that few parents anticipate or plan for, and one that brings strong emotional responses and challenges in day to day living. For thousands of New Zealand families, the struggle to meet these challenges is a reality. Often families have to face them without adequate information or support, leaving them feeling isolated and overwhelmed. Through a network of regional groups and trained volunteer Support Parents, Parent to Parent provides information and emotional support to families who have a child with a disability, special need or health impairment. C E N T R A L A U C K L A N D PA R E N T S C E N T R E NATURAL MATTRESSES: bassinet, cot and single mattresses and ORGANIC BEDDING for babies and children A healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional mattresses for you and your family! OUR MATTRESSES AND BEDDING WILL NOT POISON YOUR CHILD! WE HAVE: NO TOXIC CHEMICALS NO ELECTROMAGNETIC STRESS NO SYNTHETIC FIBRES CHOOSE FOR YOUR CHILD TO SLEEP ON THE MATTRESS WHICH IS MADE IN NEW ZEALAND AND OFFERS: 100% NATURAL MATERIALS ORGANIC COTTON HEMP COVER BREATHABLE MATTRESS SUPPORTIVE & COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY DESIGNED FOR NZ CLIMATE DURABLE - 2 years guarantee SPECIAL OFFER! BUY ANY FIRMNESS NATURAL COT MATTRESS and RECIVE FREE ORGANIC FIRST BABY PILLOW with ORGANIC COTTON PILLOWCASE and FREE DELIVERY TO YOUR HOME. :-) Buy NZ made for quality! VISIT OUR WEBSITE or OUR WORKSHOP/SHOWROOM! INNATURE / Little Kiwi Unit B,19 Cartwright Rd, Glen Eden, Auckland (09) 8180510, www.innature.co.nz Contact Us Central Auckland Parents Centre PO Box 24-520, Royal Oak, 1345. 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