west auckland parents centre issue 181

Tiny Talk

Positive birth experiences and informed par-enting in a community

Aug — Sept 2013 |181 West Auckland Parents Centre

Birth Story Debra and Carter

This issue: Sleeping! Safe practises,

practical advice and

what to look for in a

sleeping bag

Plus: New WAPC Executive

Lactation cookies recipe

Upcoming courses

Visit us online

West Auckland Parents Centre 3

From the Editor Greetings all, welcome to the latest edition of Tiny Talk. This issue we look at the topic of sleeping. I’ve gathered together a variety of articles from local and international sources which I hope you’ll find interesting.

Co-sleeping has hit the headlines again recently with some “controversial” remarks from a coroner. Co-sleeping is safe if you follow the guidelines. In the majority of the recent cases these guidelines weren’t, and factors outside of safe co-sleeping were to blame. I’ve included some simple steps on how do it properly if you want to know more.

Remember, every baby is different and what works for one baby doesn’t necessarily work for the next. Find your own rhythm and run with it.

We held our AGM in June and it was good to see a big turnout. Nicole Snook officially stepped down as acting President. Nicole you have been a fantastic leader and your passion for parenting and dedication to WAPC is obvious to all. We’re glad to see you aren’t leaving us entirely and we hope you’ll enjoy your new role and the extra time you now have with your family.

As one era ends, a new one begins. I’m extremely happy to introduce two new executive committee members. Teresa Cooper and Marion Woodley were nominated and voted in unopposed as our new President & Vice President respectively. Both Teresa and Marion have plenty of experience and are very excited to get stuck in and put their mark on WAPC. I’m sure they will do an excellent job. You can read a short bio on Teresa in this issue, and one for Marion in the next issue.

Would you like your newsletter in electronic format? Email me and let me know: [email protected]

Slán go fóill

Daniel Cover image—Cooper Galt

COPYRIGHT - As the articles, recipes, stories etc. in this newsletter have been contributed, we are unable to guarantee originality and therefore cannot be held liable. Copyright held by contributors remains with the contributing party.

Opinions and articles in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the policies of Parents Centres New Zealand Inc or West Auckland Parents Centre. Advertising in this newsletter does not imply endorsement by Parents Centres New Zealand Inc.

Special Features

Birth Story: Debra and Carter 6

Debra Green’s story of the birth of her son Carter

Tiny Talk Sleep Series - Part I 10

Normal infant sleep and the risks and benefits of the most common sleep environments

Developing Good Sleep Habits 16

Dorothy Waide shares some tips

My First 500 Sleeps 20

Stephanie Cowan from Change for our Children on safe sleeping practises

Co-sleep With Confidence 23

How to co-sleep the right way

Choosing The Right Sleep Bag 24

The Sleep Store gives us the things we need to consider

WAPC AGM Report 26

Parent Centre Week Wrap up 36

Regular Features From the Committee 4

Birthdays 7

Shopping for Baby 8

Recipe - Lactation Boosting Cookies 13

Welcome to our World 17

Volunteer Opportunities 32

Round the Coffee Cups 34

WAPC Member Discounts 38

WAPC Volunteers of the Month 40

Hire it from us! 41

WAPC: Parent Education 42

Parent Support—Directory 45

Tiny Talk Contributions & Advertising 46

Contact Us 47

4 West Auckland Parents Centre

From the Committee It has been a busy time for the Committee. June saw

us celebrating Parents’ Centre Week with car seat

checks in Henderson and New Lynn, a class on

approaches to toilet training, supporting your child’s

literacy and numeracy and a range of other events.

Thanks goes to Nicole Snook for planning and co-

ordinating the week’s celebrations and to all those

who helped and attended.

The WAPC AGM was held during July and gave us all a

chance to reflect on the past year’s events and

progress. It is a challenging time for all volunteer

based community organisations as funding is harder

to come by and many families in our community are

struggling as jobs are harder to come by and living

costs increase. However, WAPC continues to provide

high quality parent education, support and advocacy.

Thanks goes to all who continue to put time and

energy into the work of WAPC and all those families

who have been helped during the past year. It was

exciting to see Teresa Cooper appointed to the role of

President, after a period where the role was vacant.

Thank you Teresa for dedicating your time and

energy to WAPC. Other new office holders were

Marion Woodley as Vice President.

We continue to seek new volunteers who would like

to join the committee. If you are interested in

becoming involved then please contact the volunteer

co-ordinator – Jess Maher. We have positions which

require very little time or input or other roles that

provide more of a challenge, if you want to get more

involved. WAPC wants to be representative of our

community and to meet their needs so any feedback

or suggestions are gratefully received.

The next big event we are all looking forward to is the

Nearly New Sale in October. If you have children’s

toys, clothes and other items that you would be keen

to sell, you can also support WAPC by paying for a

table at the sale and come away with money to put

towards your Christmas plans. For more information

see the item on page 14.

As spring pokes its head around the corner and the

days get longer, everyone on the committee wishes

you and your family a fun and adventure filled couple

of months. We are all looking forward to more

sunshine and the daffodils to appear.

Your Committee

West Auckland Parents Centre relies upon the generous support of philanthropic organisations in the community. We take this opportunity to thank the organisations below for their support.


West Auckland Parents Centre

Benefits of membership

Your annual membership subscription helps to enable West Auckland Parents Centre to advocate for West Auckland families from pregnancy to school. In return your membership gives you :

12 month subscription (6 issues) to Kiwi Parent magazine, full of helpful articles, useful product information and great inspiration for Kiwi parents.

12 month subscription (6 issues) to our Tiny Talk magazine for local centre news, local events, upcoming parenting courses, and topical articles.

Discounted prices for West Auckland Parents Centre parenting courses.

Discounted prices on a range of quality baby products.

Discounted hireage.

Invitations to exclusive member only shopping days at selected major retails, such as The Baby Factory 20% discount day and Toy Factory pre Christmas sale.

Special member only discounts from WAPC Member Discount Scheme.

Special discounted membership rate for active committee members.

Free pregnancy, childbirth and parenting book library.

Coffee groups, support and social events.

One major purchase at The Baby Factory Member Discount Day would cover the cost of your annual membership.

One year membership $60

One year committee membership $20

You have won a Fun Factory Puzzle and a $30 voucher towards the parenting class of your choice for renewing your membership with West Auckland Parents Centre. If you have recently received a renewal invoice then don’t forget to renew your membership to be in to win!

Carolyn Neilson


Birth Story: Debra and Carter By Debra Green

After 5 years trying to conceive, diagnosed with unexplained infertility, and 2 IVF cycles our much wanted and awaited baby was about to arrive ahead of time!

2 weeks before his due date on the Saturday we had planned a day of visiting my parents and friends. They both live an hour away and I found sitting in the car quite uncomfortable that day. I never knew what was to come the next day though! I said to my husband Mark late on Saturday night when we got home that I felt like I needed to stay close to home from now on just in case and because I felt a bit uncomfortable.

Saturday night I slept well. Sunday we slept in till about 9am (our last ever sleep it turns out). Mark went out to get us some breakfast, then I sat on the couch watching TV. Around 10.30am I felt what could be some of my waters, over the next half an hour this kept happening. I rang my midwife but she said it was unlikely to be my waters as it wasn't a big gush but to put a pad on and keep an eye on it and ring her if it got worse.

I started feeling quite uncomfortable with contractions around 1pm so decided to get into the bath. I started timing then, as my contractions started coming fast. I had one at 8 minutes apart and then the next three were at 3 minutes apart! (I never thought things would progress so quickly as I had always heard labours could go on for hours/days especially with your first baby). I then had to get out of the bath as it was so painful and I couldn't sit.

By then Mark had rung my midwife and she said to come to the hospital ASAP. I then started bleeding which of course freaked me out. I didn't have my hospital bag packed yet as I wasn't due for another 2 weeks (tip: pack your bag early as you just never know when it will happen).

As I got changed Mark threw everything I had in piles on the floor into bags and got me into the car. I had to crouch over the backseat, kneeling on the floor as I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes on the

way in. Mark drove like a bat out of hell as he was so scared I was going to have the baby in the car.

We got to North Shore hospital around 3.30pm and had to take the lift to level 4 which was the maternity ward. The lift was full of people and everyone was staring at me crouched over in pain. I was put into our room and waited for my midwife to get there. I was left in the room and had no idea what to do! I was crouched over the bed in pain as the midwife on duty came in to check on me. She let me try the gas but took it off me as she said I wasn't doing it right. I told her I really needed to go “number 2s”, which she said that usually means the baby is coming.

She put the monitoring belt around my belly but I found that very uncomfortable. She decided to examine me and I was already fully dilated. My

midwife and obstetrician then arrived and it was time to push! After some pushing the baby was a bit stuck so my obstetrician stepped in and delivered him with the ventouse. That was very, very intense and painful but super fast! Carter James Green was born at 4.45pm weighing 5lbs 15oz (2.69kg) after a natural and drug free birth.

I had skin to skin time with him for 20 mins while they waited on my placenta to be delivered. Even after the injection my placenta wouldn't come so they rushed me to theatre while Mark and my midwife looked after Carter. I ended up having to have an epidural to get the placenta removed. My obstetrician performed the procedure which took about an hour as he said it was pretty stuck up the top and wasn't coming out without some force. I got a couple of stitches from that.

So all in all it was a very fast but intense labour. Wouldn't have it any other way though and Carter was just perfect!!

Debra & Carter

Debra (31) is an accountant and is married to Mark (29), an Insurance Motor Vehicle Assessor. They have 1 child: Carter (7 months).


Birthdays! August September Name Birthday Age

Cole Tomlin 7/08/2009 4

Jack Matson 7/08/2009 4

Aryton Fallas 10/08/2012 1

Kystofer Lui 12/08/2011 2

Charlie O'Callaghan 14/08/2012 1

Alia James 16/08/2012 1

Yixuan Zhang 19/08/2012 1

Torin Flynn 20/08/2012 1

Matthew Nielson 21/08/2012 1

Mateo Vuksich 22/08/2012 1

Joshua Lamb 28/08/2000 13

William White 29/08/2012 1

Name Birthday Age

Chloe Sellers 1/09/2012 1

Kiri Dixon 1/09/2012 1

Charlotte Bowmar 1/09/2012 1

Ashleigh Meek 8/09/2009 4

Max Wickham 8/09/2009 1

Cooper Lines 9/09/2012 1

Laranya Taneja 10/09/2012 1

Israel O'Neill 12/09/2012 1

Robert Steer 12/09/2012 1

Jade Sutherland 14/09/2006 7

Haylee de Bazin 16/09/2012 1

Lincoln Henley 18/09/2012 1

Maxwell Greenslade 18/09/2012 1

Reuben Edlington 19/09/2011 2

Lyla Orzel 27/09/2011 1

Poppy Mapletoft 28/09/2011 1


with West Auckland Parents Centre

Chosen by parents like you, we have some fantastic products with some great savings, and ultimately you gain again as all profits go back into our centre to serve your community. Here is just a short selection from our online shop, sure to suit any budget. Order online www.westaucklandparents.org.nz/store

Eardrops Journey CD, Sounds of City/Country/

Home $15

Little Snuggles Muslim Wrap Set

$20

People Puppies Taggie Blanket

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Strawberry Jam Merino Wrap

$45

Amber Teething Beads $36

NZ Pregnancy Book $40 (Save $15!)

Shopping for Baby and You

We’re listing our products on Trade Me for even more convenience! Search for our profile “WAPC” under Members.

http://www.westaucklandparents.org.nz/store


For more baby products discounted for WAPC members, see www.westaucklandparents.org.nz

Kimberly Collection Woollen Blanket

$66

Bellaroo Cotton Sling

$60

Flexibath

$76.95

Womama Birthing Wrap

$99


This is the first part in a three part series on sleeping. This article summarises research-based evidence about normal infant sleep, how it develops over time, and the risks and benefits of the most common night time sleep environments for babies.

Normal Infant Sleep

Does everyone ask how your baby sleeps? Does everyone else's baby seem to sleep more than yours? Do you feel like you or your baby are being judged by how 'well' he or she sleeps? Has someone told you your baby 'should' be sleeping differently to how they are? You are not alone!

It is important to remember that babies operate according to their own internal biological rhythms and they are unaware of what their parents are being told. It often takes several months for a baby's day-night pattern of wake and sleep to become established. During this time many parents just need reassurance that their baby is normal, and that their baby's sleep patterns are developing as expected. In cases where we are unhappy with our infant's sleep development it may not be the baby that is problematic, but our expectations regarding sleep and babies' needs.

Normal Infant Sleep Development

Sleep is a developmental process, and our sleep needs change throughout our lifetimes. Waking during the night is normal during early infancy, and healthy babies experience several awakenings per night at the end of sleep cycles.

Newborn babies may sleep for 18 or so hours a day, but often for only 2-3 hours at a time. During the first year overall sleep duration falls to around 15 hours, and the majority of sleep becomes concentrated during night-time as circadian rhythms (biological functions tied roughly to the 24-hour day) develop.

Newborn babies have very small stomachs, and need to feed often, so they wake about every 2 hours to do so. Some babies wake more often; some go longer. As babies grow they are able to last slightly longer between feeds, however human milk is quickly digested, and babies commonly need to feed frequently throughout day and night.

By the time babies are 3 months old some (but not all) begin to start settling (sleeping through a night-time feed for a stretch of up to 5 hours). By the time

they are 5 months old half of them may have slept for an eight-hour stretch on some nights. Generally, though, babies do not sleep all night-every night until they are close to a year old. One study found that 27% of babies had not regularly slept from 10pm to 6am by the age of 1 year, although this study did not take feeding method or sleep location into account. 13% of babies had not regularly slept through for 5 hours or more by the age of 1 year. Some normal babies therefore continue to wake several times during the night after one year.

Why babies sleep as they do

Human babies have a very particular set of characteristics, some of which have evolved over many millions of years and are deeply engrained in our biology and behaviour:

We have a long period of development after birth, during which babies’ brains grow at a very fast rate, which needs a lot of energy

So, we need to feed often and on-demand

on high-calorie, low-fat milk which is digested quickly

Tiny Talk Sleep Series - Part I


We are born with some well-developed

senses -- especially sight, hearing and touch

But, we are unable to cling to a care-giver

and so rely on being carried to stay close

Some aspects of our physiology take months

to mature. These include body temperature, breathing and heart rate control

Throughout our evolutionary history, human babies would not have survived without the constant presence of a caregiver - in most cases the mother. Together with the need to feed frequently this means human babies are designed to be close to their mother, both day and night. Human babies are biologically evolved to sleep near to (and probably touching) their mother's body during the first months or years of life. In the past, we could not have survived without doing so. Today we live and sleep in very different environments than those we evolved in, and so understanding infant sleep involves drawing together information about what is normal for infant sleep based on our evolved biology, and the ways in which our history and culture have shaped what we consider to be normal today.

‘Sleeping through’

Popular beliefs about when babies should be 'sleeping through the night' are based on studies conducted in the 1950s-60s on formula-fed babies. However it is normal for babies -- especially breastfed babies -- to wake and feed at night throughout at least the first year.

Parents can feel under pressure to help their babies become independent from an early age. Popular myths suggest 'good' babies sleep through the night, sleep alone, and do not require attention in the night. As a result, parents may try to 'help' their baby 'sleep through' as early as possible. But expecting a human baby to sleep alone, and for prolonged periods, is unrealistic and can be harmful.

Research shows that formula-fed babies sleep deeper and for longer bouts earlier than breastfed babies, although the total amount of sleep is the same. Using formula or ‘sleep training’ to encourage babies to 'sleep through' before they are ready to do so makes it difficult to keep on breastfeeding. It may also encourage babies to develop mature sleep patterns before other processes such as those controlling the regulation of temperature, hormone production, and the genes that control our biological rhythms, have developed. Arousal from sleep is thought to be an

important mechanism protecting babies from potentially fatal heart-rate or breathing episodes associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Encouraging long and deep periods of sleep before babies are ready may put some babies at increased risk of SIDS.

Where Babies Sleep

Around the world, and throughout human history, babies have slept close to their mothers, during the day and during the night. Until the advent of advanced technology babies simply could not survive without their mothers.

Nowadays we are able to keep babies alive, warm, fed, and safe, without their mothers' bodies. How we incorporate babies into our 21st century world, and how we might adapt today's lifestyles to accommodate babies needs, are not things we often think about -- but perhaps we should. Where we expect, encourage, and enable babies to sleep is just one of these issues.

Parents’ room or Baby’s own room?

Having your baby sleep near you reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome -- during day-time naps as well as at night -- and makes night-time care easier.

Having your baby sleep in a cot in the same room as you until they are at least 6 months old is a key piece of advice given to new parents. There are two main reasons for this: Firstly, a number of studies across Europe, in England, the United States and New Zealand have shown that babies sleeping in their parents' room have a lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) compared to babies sleeping in a separate room.

One study, that compared 745 SIDS babies

with 2411 control babies across Europe, estimated that 36% of SIDS deaths could have been prevented if the babies had slept in a cot in the same room as the parents.

An English study, comparing 325 SIDS babies with 1300 control babies, found that 75% of the day-time SIDS deaths occurred while babies were alone in a room.

There is no evidence to show that baby alarms, or movement monitors, prevent SIDS.

Secondly, many parents find that caring for their baby is easier when they share a room: Night time feeding is easier; babies cry less when close to their parent/s;


and both parents and babies get more sleep. Research suggests babies find separation stressful, even if they appear to be asleep.

Bed-sharing with parents

Babies sometimes sleep with their parent or parents. This has pros and cons that you should be aware of.

Many parents bring their baby into their bed to sleep, but for most babies this is not where they always or usually sleep. Bed-sharing mostly happens for part of the night, or for a couple of nights a week. Sleeping with a baby in an adult bed (bed-sharing) is common. Studies have found that around 50% of all UK babies have bed-shared by the time they are 3 months old.

Bed-sharing is strongly associated with breastfeeding: 70-80% of breastfed babies sleep with their mother or parents some of the time in the early months, and many studies have found that mothers and babies who bed-share breastfeed for much longer than those who sleep apart.

Other people bed-share for bonding, especially if they have to leave their baby during the day; others do so when their baby is ill, to be able to pay close attention; sometimes people bedshare because they cannot afford a cot/crib

Official advice discourages bed-sharing when it can be dangerous. The most recent studies have shown that

most bed-sharing deaths happen when an adult sleeping with a baby has been smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs (illegal or over-the-counter medicines) that make them sleep deeply. There may also be a small increased risk for babies under 4 months even where parents don’t smoke, drink or take drugs, however the evidence for this is widely debated.

Falling asleep on a sofa, and some bed-sharing, can be very hazardous. It is important that parents think about bed-sharing and their individual circumstances even if they don’t plan to do it, as dangerous bed-sharing often happens when parents fall asleep with their babies accidentally.

Sofa-sharing

Adults sometimes fall asleep with babies on sofas. This can be very hazardous.

Sleeping with a baby on a couch, sofa or an arm-chair can be very dangerous. Babies can become wedged between a parent's body and the back of a couch or the arm of a chair and the weight of the adult's body

can prevent the baby from breathing.

The sofa is the only sleep environment in which SIDS deaths have increased in recent years, up from 6% in 1993-6 to 16% in 2003-6. This represents an increase from 24 to 42 deaths per year. This increase has happened at a time when SIDS deaths in all other environments have been falling (associated with parents placing their babies to sleep on their backs instead of their fronts). It may be due to an increase in parents choosing to feed and settle babies on the sofa rather

than in the parents' bed.

Think carefully about your baby’s safety for every sleep.

For more information on this and many other topics, please visit www.isisonline.org.uk


In the kitchen

Lactation Boosting Cookies These cookies help to improve the quality and supply of breast milk. If you have 2-3 smallish ones a day it balances out supply but if you need to boost the supply eat more. Serves: 6 dozen cookies Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 4 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons linseed (flaxseed) meal 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups oats (thick cut if possible) 1 cup or more chocolate chips 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast* (be generous) Directions: Preheat oven at 180 degrees. Mix together 2 tablespoons of linseed meal and water, set aside for 3-5 minutes. Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mix well. Stir linseed mixture and add with vanilla to the margarine mix. Beat until blended. Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and chips. Add to margarine mixture. Stir in oats & chips. Scoop onto baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.

Preparation time: 15 minutes *It must be brewers yeast, do not substitute bakers yeast

http://www.breastmates.co.nz/store/Breastfeeding-Aides.html


How do we develop good sleep habits – is it natural for a baby to know when they are tired and ready to go to sleep?

In my experience I believe that sleep is a learned behaviour and takes TACT – time, acceptance, consistency and tranquillity. Like anything in life when we want to be good at something we need to practice, practice, practice and teaching a baby to sleep is a little like that. Like anything to do with raising children we are the ones that set the examples and guide our children so consistency plays an important part.

If we look at sleep as a nutrient then like food it is important to teach our babies and children good sleeping habits.

There is no one solution that will fit every household, it is about taking the tools and guidelines and making it work for your family. Every baby is an individual and every family is different.

Like anything to do with babies and children it is a widely talked about and the options are very varied.

Babies like boundaries and like anything, the more you practice consistently, the better you get and teaching a baby good sleep habits is rather like that. Consistency is 80% - don't set yourself a higher standard, as you are more likely not to get there.

Sleep is about teaching babies to self-settle and resettling is about teaching your baby to stay asleep. Most babies are cat nappers or sleep for 1 sleep cycle. Resettling is more difficult to teach a baby.

In my experience I find that tired signs can be very confusing for some parents so I tend to work on timeframes. Nothing is set in stone, but what I am trying to establish is a regular rhythm for both awake and sleeping times.

Remember that naps are an important part of a baby’s sleep cycle and in my experience the more sleep they have the more they want.

In my experience I find that it is better to settle a baby when they have a full tummy so I encourage mothers to top up their babies 15 minutes before going for their nap. This will not cause a feed/sleep association as long as when you have finished feeding you either swaddle or put them in their sleeping bag before putting them in their cots.

Teaching a baby the difference between night and day will also help to develop good sleeping habits. Remember that light is for play and dark is for sleeping. A lot of people are led to believe that teaching a baby to sleep during the daytime is about sleeping them in a room with curtains open. The reason behind this is so the baby can learn to sleep better at night than during the daytime, however there are other factors that teach babies the difference between day and night and some of those things are the fact that the house is quieter at night and we also don't talk to them as much or at all.

In stepping back and allowing your baby the right as an individual to find their sleep is important, however letting your baby cry it out will not necessarily create good sleeping habits. If your baby does not go to sleep within 20 minutes then they need your help to find their sleep. This is not 20 minutes of crying at the top of their lungs but more commonly known as grizzling or off and on crying.

I find around 10 to 12 weeks your baby will be showing signs of a natural rhythm. This is also helped by having regular awake times and teaching them to sleep through their first sleep cycle Having a good bedtime routine in the evenings will also help your baby develop good sleeping habits.

A good bedtime routine is something like this:

Feed, bath, top up, clean teeth, swaddle/sleeping bag and into bed.

Its also nice to have something special that you do with your baby such as sing a song, read a story, special words or ritual that you do together before going to bed.

For older children it is important to think ahead and be ready or prepared for the extra requests such as I need a drink, I am hungry, I am thirsty, I need to go to the toilet, I need another story. Let them think that they are in control of their requests by dealing with them before they happen and always let them have one last request. It does save on the bedtime battle.

Remember consistency is the key factor in teaching good sleeping habits and that sleep is a learned behaviour.

For 0 to 6 weeks their awake time will be

Developing good sleep habits By Dorothy Waide


approximately 45 minutes to an hour and their nap times minimum 1 ½ hours which creates a feeding rhythm of either 2 ¼ to 2 ½.

For 6 to 12 weeks their awake time will be approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours and their nap times minimum 1-½ hours, which creates a feeding rhythm of either 2 ½ to 3hourly.

For 4 to 6 months their awake time will be

approximately 1 ½ to 3 hours and their nap times

minimum 1 ½ hours which creates a feeding rhythm of

either 3hrly to 4 ½ hourly.

Dorothy Waide is a qualified Karitane nurse and is often labelled as a “baby whisperer”. You can read about her services at www.babywithin.co.nz/

Antenatal Class: Monday 18 March to 22 April

Hayley Moulson & Andy Duncan 10/5/13 Ryan Steve Duncan

Lettie Dalton and Mike Brown 16/5/13 Toby John Dalton-Brown

Melanie Pook & Jarrad Pook 25/5/13 Winslow (Winnie) Maree Pook

Sandra Laban & Marco Laban 27/5/13 Mona Laban

Ashely Aporo & Cole Tuimavave-Clarke 2/7/13 Indi Rose Tuimavave-Clarke

Welcome to Our World

Antenatal Class: Tuesday 9 April to 14 May

Sheryl & Gary Macdonald 29/5/13 Ayla May MacDonald

Vessie Pencheva & Trevor Reive 8/6/13 Oskar Penchev-Reive

Tania & Mark Hellier 15/6/13 Reid Ewan Delves Hellier

Ellys Susilowati & Tony Dong 16/6/13 Joshua Weiqiang Dong

Emma & Greg Parker 17/6/13 Arlo Chilli Parker

Justine Burrows & Simon Gillet 21/6/13 Sawyer Tate Gillett

Clare & David Snell 24/6/13 Cora Grace Snell

Vic & Andrew Scott 25/6/13 Sorcha Noelle Scott

Vanessa and Pete Pavlovich 5/7/13 Dominik John Pavlovich

Megan and Nathan Green 8/7/13 Elliot Spencer Green

Louise and Catherine Tichbon 9/7/13 Corban Willow Tichbon

Amanda and Kane Irwin 12/7/13 Oliver (Ollie) George McIvor- Irwin

Zoe Cooper and Jonathan Avery 14/7/13 Forest Ivy Avery

http://www.babywithin.co.nz/


WAPC gets a new President Hi, my name is Teresa and as of the AGM at the end

of June, I have taken on the role of President for

West Auckland Parents Centre.

My husband, Aaron and I first became members of

WAPC when I became pregnant with our daughter,

Olivia and we attended antenatal classes. When

Olivia was 9 months old, I joined the committee as

Membership Administrator. Olivia is now 2 and a

half, and we also have a 3 month old son, Jackson

and the time seemed right to step up into the

position vacated by our last President, Nicole.

I am looking forward to the new challenge and a

little daunted by following in the footsteps of

Nicole, who has done an amazing job for the last

few years. Please feel free to contact me with any

queries, ideas or thoughts about West Auckland

Parents Centre. I would welcome your feedback.


Do you want to learn basic breastfeeding skills and tips?

Available now are FREE Antenatal Breastfeeding classes taken by a Lactation Con-sultant at Waitakere Hospital. They are held fortnightly: on the first Tuesday of the month from 10am-12pm; and on the third Tuesday of the month from 7pm-9pm.

This class is designed for women in the late stages of pregnancy, especially 28 weeks and over. Partners/support people are also welcome. The class is a great opportunity for women to learn more about breastfeeding (or a refresher for sec-ond-time mums) just before the baby arrives.

Classes are held in the Childbirth Education Area—Nikau Room at Waitakere Hospital. Bookings are recommended, but not essential. Call Adith on 838-9362, or Barbara on 838-1566.

Antenatal Breastfeeding Classes

Introduction

In recent weeks, safe sleep for babies has made the headlines in all media, including national television, often with alarming headlines such as ‘Babies dying from co-sleeping is almost at an "epidemic" stage, according to a Rotorua coroner.’ A stir has also been caused by reporting a 5 fold increased risk of sudden infant death for smokefree, breastfed babies who share their parents’ beds over similar babies who do not. Then, in contrast, Statistics New Zealand reported the lowest infant mortality rates on record during 2012, with the greatest drop being in deaths of Maori babies (from 123 to 82 during 2012). This article is to help make sense of what is happening and being reported, and to support you, the reader, to apply and promote with confidence, principles for protecting babies as they sleep.

What is ‘safe sleep’ for a baby?

In terms of a baby’s sleep environment, safety means ‘on the back and able to breathe easily’. The single most essential element of sleep safety is position: lying flat, level and on the back when sleeping. This principle applies to all human infants regardless of culture or circumstance.

As well as position, the environment affects a baby’s ability to breathe easily. Breathing develops as a system that is influenced by the growing environment

during pregnancy, as well as by sleeping conditions once born. Oxygen must be able to get ‘through the tubes’ for babies to stay alive. These tubes are blood vessels during pregnancy and airways once born. Anything that slows or blocks the flow of oxygen in these tubes, threatens the life and well-being of a baby.

Why is position so critical to safety?

Babies are different from adults in fundamental ways. They have large and heavy heads, one third of which is behind the line of their spines. The head acts like a weight keeping babies safely on the back, with an extended neck and open airway, during a period of critical development. During this time babies have ‘loose’ jaw joints, short necks, large tongues, and only breathe through their noses.

Together these things can lead to potentially dangerous conditions should the large and heavy head fall forward. Pressure upwards on the chin, from sleeping on the side or tummy, being pressed against something or someone, or becoming ‘chin to chest’, can lead to a blocked airway.

Pillows, inclined surfaces, propping, side and front positioning, something under a baby’s head or anything that might make it easier for a baby to slump or change position are all potential hazards to safe positioning for young babies.

My first 500 sleeps Protecting babies through a critical stage of development

By Stephanie Cowan, Director, Change for our Children Limited


How can babies suffocate?

In pregnancy, smoking slows the supply of oxygen to babies, which weakens life-protecting reflexes such as their ‘wake-up’ response. This reflex is like a ‘systems reboot’ for babies until they develop mature controls. Once borne, there are four ways that can block the flow of oxygen through the airways: a covered face, pinched nose, ‘chin to chest’ position of the neck or pressure on or against a baby’s chest. ‘Able to breathe easily’ means a sleeping environment that avoids any of the above possibilities and enables easy breathing throughout the sleep episode.

Does safe sleep advice apply to me and my baby?

Yes it does. All babies need oxygen and all babies need care that matches what is happening developmentally. Babies are more resilient to breathing challenges if they are breastfed and smokefree, but these conditions do not protect them from positional asphyxia where breathing is obstructed.

For older babies who are able to roll and change position, the suffocation risk is from becoming tangled in loose bedding as babies explore their sleeping spaces. Firm tucking (or baby sleep bags and no covers) is important care for the older baby. Becoming tangled in bedding is far more likely for babies who sleep in rooms distant from parents.

How do we make sense of what we see and hear in the media?

Whatever you see and hear in the media, infant sleep safety must be understood within the context of falling infant death rates during 2012. Pēpi-Pod Sleep Space Programmes are established or establishing in

9 regions of New Zealand to improve sleep safety for more vulnerable babies. Sleep space recipients are encouraged to spread the safe sleep message in their networks. It is likely that more informed communities are applying safe sleep principles with more confidence and frequency.

While an elevated risk of sudden infant death has been associated with smokefree breastfed babies who also share their parents’ beds, we need to keep perspective. This risk is hugely magnified, by a factor of 12 in fact, where there is also smoking or alcohol involved. The practice of babies being brought into parents’ beds through a time when babies need to wake and feed often and seek reassurance that a parent is near, is understandable. If a baby should also sleeps there, the bed space needs to be made safe for them.

Summary

So, rather than a list of what you can and cannot do, safe sleep for babies must be achieved based on the information above. Safety principles are: ‘face-up, face clear, own space, parent near’ to creates the safe environment, and ‘breastfed and smokefree’ to builds a more resilient baby.

Safe and close: one family’s solution to the night-time care of their baby.

Stephanie Cowan is the founding director of Change for our Children and its family of companies. She has been successful in attracting exceptional people to share the work and her vision over many years


Winter sleep routines

Shorter days usually mean the kids sleep awhile

longer. Cold mornings see me reluctant to drag

myself out of bed in the mornings.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

It makes it easier if you are a morning person with

children who are early risers.

My sons sleep in till after 6am in winter which is

great. Other friends report dragging their children out

of bed to get ready for school.

Top Tips for us Night Owls

Prepare as much as you can the night before.

1. Make lunches

2. Pack bags with homework and library books

etc…

3. Empty the kids bags to check for any notices

4. Put the clothes you all want to wear the next

day on the heated towel rail

5. Put the shoes you all be wearing beside the

front door

6. Layout the breakfast dishes

7. Layout the toothbrushes

8. If you are porridge eaters make it the night

before and reheat in the morning

9. Have a morning checklist for each child on

their doors to see what they need to do each

morning. For little ones use pictures beside

the words on their checklists.

Then if things go pear shaped and you are stuck

waiting for your child to finish on the toilet like I often

find in the morning you will have everyone fed and

clothed.

Fiona Hall is a mum to two boys, runs

www.kiffin.co.nz and the author of the book

Taming Your Household due for Release August

2013

By Fiona Hall

http://www.kiffin.co.nz


I value sleep. It is right up there for me along with showers and yummy food. However I have a new baby…. Hmmm you may say those things don’t go together. Well let me tell you loud and proud that they can and for me the answer has been co-sleeping.

I swear I can hear your gasps of horror. Co-sleeping has been in the news so much lately and there has been such a negative slant put on something that, if we look in many parts of the world, is a common occurrence. In fact, it is only in the Western world that babies are commonly left to sleep alone.

Unfortunately co-sleeping is being unfairly blamed for tragic circumstances when often it wasn’t co-sleeping that was an issue, but that co-sleeping was being done unsafely and there is a difference. Safe co-sleeping can actually be beneficial for everyone in the family.

The reality is that many parents do co-sleep and as long as you are aware of the guidelines it can be a safe way for everyone to get more sleep.

If you have decided to let your bubba share the bed with you, you are in very good company. However, as adult beds are not intended for babies and very young children, it is crucial that you follow a few simple baby bed-sharing safety rules.

REDUCING CO-SLEEPING RISKS

Firm mattress and check your bed

You need to make sure that your mattress is firm and flat. You need to ensure that there are no gaps between the bed and the headboard or wall which your baby could become trapped in.

Protect against falls

It is obvious but you need to make sure that your baby cannot fall out of bed. Some choose to use a bedside cot which provides baby with a safe sleeping area while still offering the benefits of a co-sleeping. You can also use a bedrail or some people have the side of the bed against the wall.

Have you considered putting your mattress on the floor

For some parents who co-sleep, they choose to minimise risks by removing the base of their bed and place the mattress directly on to the floor. This is the

most practical solution if you have a very active baby.

Both parents need to be aware that you are co-sleeping

If you have a partner who also shares your bed, always ensure that you have discussed co-sleeping guidelines and they know baby will be sleeping with you. To be safe there should be no other children in the bed.

Keeping your bedding to a minimum

A baby who is co-sleeping will not need as many layers as babies who sleep in a cot. This is because a co-sleeping baby benefits from your body heat, which can also help to regulate breathing. Duvets and pillows can pose a smothering risk to baby, so you need to endure that they are always kept away from baby and will stay away when everyone is sleeping.

No pets allowed

No pets can sleep in the same bed as your baby. It is possible that they may accidently cause harm.

While these guidelines help you to explore safe co-sleeping there are some reasons that co-sleeping may not be right for your family:

NEVER CO-SLEEP IF YOU OR YOUR PARTNER…

smoke have been drinking alcohol have taken any drugs or medication that may make

you drowsy or less aware of your baby you are extremely tired or suffering from a sleep

disorder

It is also recommended that you avoid co-sleeping with babies who are premature, have a low birth weight or are suffering from a high temperature.

Never fall asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair – babies can easily roll off or become wedged between the cushions.

To find out more about SAFE co-sleeping see:

http://www.parentingscience.com/bed-sharing.html http://www.wikihow.com/Co-Sleep-Safely-With-Your-Baby http://safebedsharing.org/safetyguidelines.html

Co-sleep with confidence By Nicola Mapletoft

http://www.parentingscience.com/bed-sharing.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Co-Sleep-Safely-With-Your-Baby

http://www.wikihow.com/Co-Sleep-Safely-With-Your-Baby

http://safebedsharing.org/safetyguidelines.html


Size

Choose the right size for your baby now. While it may seem better value to buy something she will 'grow into', you risk buying something that is not safe now. With a sleeping bag that is too big, your baby may slide round inside it or slip down inside the neck. Generally sleeping bags & sleep sacks are available in 0-6 months, 6-18 months and 18-36 months. Most merino bags are available in newborn-2 years and 2-4 years. Toddler sized bags are generally suitable from approx 11kg, but check the individual styles.

Tog rating & warmth

Merino bags are not tog rated, as they are natural fibre which adjusts according to temperature.

Many sleeping bags use the European TOG rating system to indicate how warm the sleeping bag is and what season they are suitable for. The higher the TOG, the warmer the sleeping bag. The TOG indicates approximately how many blankets the sleeping bag is equivalent to. Bags with rating 1.2 or below are for spring/summer use. Bags with rating 2-2.5 are for autumn/winter.

What to wear in your sleeping bag

The table of information below is provided by grobag. Duvet or winter rated sleeping bags would use similar clothing to a 2.5 tog sleeping bag.

Which bag for which season?

Many people will try to buy one sleeping bag for their baby to use year-round. If your house is a consistent temperature year-round this would be a good option, or you plan to use quite different clothing with a mid-weight sleeping bag. However also look at what bedding you use in your house, and how much this varies through the year. If you need a winter weight duvet in the middle of the year, but only a sheet in summer your baby is likely to also need a couple of sleeping bags to get the right temperature.

The TOG information may help you decide which bag to buy, but also consider these factors:

Is your house warm or cold?

Do you plan to use heating in your baby's room in

the winter?

Do you plan to use the same bag year round or would you prefer a summer weight bag for summer and a warmer bag for winter.

Do you have a room thermometer to accurately

determine the temperature in your child's room?

The warmth of the bag will vary enormously with

what clothing you use inside the bag. You can easily add another layer of clothing to make the

Choosing the right sleeping

bag for your baby or toddler When trying to decide which sleeping bag or sleep sack for your baby, there are a number of factors to consider

Temp. (oC) 2.5 tog 1.0 tog 0.5 tog

26 Short-sleeved bodysuit

24 Short-sleeved bodysuit

22 Long-sleeved bodysuit

20 Long-sleeved bodysuit Long-sleeved bodysuit &

pyjama top

18 Long-sleeved bodysuit & pyjama top

16 Long-sleeved bodysuit & pyjama set


bag warmer, such as using an extra merino bodysuit.

Fabric and filling

The following options are available:

Merino/cotton blend. This unique fabric regulates temperature, is very effective at absorbing moisture but has the softness and durability of cotton.

Merino/cotton blend

with wool filling. The warmest option for winter sleeping bags

100% cotton. These

bags are generally summer/spring weight, as they have no polyester filling or merino for warmth. They are ideal for warmer temperatures, day sleeps, taking on holidays overseas. They are also suitable for babies with allergies and eczema. Cotton bags are either 0.5 tog or 1.0 tog, the 0.5 are equivalent to just sleeping with a sheet.

100% cotton lining/exterior with polyester filling -

these bags have soft cotton lining against baby's skin and cotton on the outside. The cotton may be either woven cotton (like sheets) or jersey knit (T-shirt fabric). The polyester filling adds warmth without weight, and is easily washed. These bags are warm and reasonably priced.

Merino & cotton - These bags use one layer or

cotton and one of merino. Standard weight bags are generally suitable for year round use (with clothing changes), while the winter weight bags are suitable for rooms with temperature below 18 degrees. The merino & cotton is easy to look after, machine washable and doesn't hold odours.

100% merino.

Travel bag or standard sleeping bag?

If you are out and about during the day, or have your baby out in the evening, it is well worth investing in a sleeping bag that can be used in the car seat or

pushchair. This means you can still put baby into her pushchair at her routine sleep time, and she will know the sleeping bags means you expect her to go to sleep. Travel Bags are designed for use with all 3 & 5 point harness systems. Consider however whether your baby may be able to get her foot through the front travel slot. If so, choose a front zip travel bags as this has a double-ended zip on the front and just a slot in the back.

Front zip or side zip & domes?

A bag with front zipper can be much easier to use - simply pop your baby in and zip down the front (zips end at the bottom). Bags with front zips don't have the hassle of babies popping the shoulder domes, generally have smaller arm holes which are a closer fit and have no risk of the domes failing after lots of use. It's still easy to change a nappy with a front zip, as they are plenty long enough and the bags open wide enough to access the nappy.

Shoulder domes and side zip enable you to open the bag out flat. This can be easier for babies under 6 months who still need frequent night nappy changes. With babies who sleep through the night the easier nappy change isn't really a factor. Some bags have domes on both shoulders, while others have 2 domes on one shoulder only.

This article was adapted with kind permission from The Sleep Store. Visit them at: http://www.thesleepstore.co.nz/

http://www.thesleepstore.co.nz/


Introduction

West Auckland Parents Centre is pleased to present the Annual Report

for the 12 months ending March 2013. The report describes our position

with respect to our goals for 2012/13.

Membership

Our membership at the end of March 2013 comprises of 188 members,

of which 16 are Committee, 1 Community Service Card members, 4

Honorary and 1 Life Member. This is down from the 2012 Annual Report

which stood at 199. 26 members renewed their membership (including

Committee) which is down from last year’s of 30 (including Committee).

11 of the 26 renewals were committee members. Our antenatal class

numbers for the period January to March 2013 are lower than the same

period 2012 which will be contributing to the lower numbers.

We acknowledge that renewal figures are not as high as is desired and

that we need to find ways to boost our renewal numbers. There have not

been many classes run in the past year for the over 12 month age group

which may have contributed to members failing to see the benefits of

membership past the antenatal/newborn stages. We need to look at

ways to promote our classes beyond these stages and also to make sure

that our magazine, Tiny Talk, caters to this older market as well. With

more promotion of our revised over 12 month courses, we hope that our

renewals will increase.

Although we have conducted a renewal draw in conjunction with the

publication of our bi-monthly newsletter, it is felt that this has not

incentivised people to renew.

We are still offering members a $30 voucher towards the course of their

choice with their renewal. There is only a minimal use of this voucher so

may need to be revisited. However the lack of this voucher being used

could be contributed to the lack of courses in the over 12 month age

group as members renewing would be more likely to be looking at that

level.

We are continuing to send the invoices out via email where possible and

have also started sending out a reminder email two weeks after the

invoice. This seems to be having a positive effect with quite a few

renewals occurring after the reminder. We will continue to do this as a

simple way to try and increase renewal numbers. We also need to

address the possibility of renewal emails going into Spam email folders

and ways to try and avoid this where possible.

During this period, we received an income of $8,648.93 (LY 7,177.61)

from Membership Fees and spent $7,388.58 (LY $6,545.71) excluding

Newsletter Production costs on Membership Expenses.

Newsletter

This year we have Candice Ho, Dianne Khan and Daniel Mapletoft to

thank for the continued production of the Tiny Talk newsletter, with the

support of our previous editor Rochelle Glover.

Candice and Dianne took on the role jointly from April/May 2012 doing

content and publishing respectively, with Rochelle stepping in to do the

publishing side following Dianne's resignation in September 2012. Our

new editor, who is no stranger to West Auckland Parents Centre, is

Daniel Mapletoft. Daniel joined the committee in this role at the end of

February 2013 and we are very grateful for him taking on this position.

Candice Ho was able to secure a grant from the ASB Community Trust to

cover our newsletter printing costs for one year, being 6 issues.

The content has stayed largely the same as last year.

The standard articles are:

From the Chair

Volunteers of the Month

Dad’s World - a Dad’s perspective on topical baby issues by Daniel

Mapletoft

Birth Story - contributed by a different member each issue

Around the coffee cups - new mums’ advice, contributed by a

different coffee group each issue

‘Top Tips’ in which the committee select a topic and members are

encouraged to provide answers, which are published in the

following issue

Recipe - a recipe relevant to the issue theme or season where

appropriate

There has been one significant content change. As part of our new

partnership with HRV, HRV now provide a one-page article for each issue

around the subject of 'healthy homes for healthy families'.

As well as our standard articles, each issue we include three or four

feature articles on relevant subjects ranging from baby’s health to

behavioural development, from travelling with young children to starting

baby on solids. Feature articles are written by local experts wherever

possible.

The format of the newsletter has retained the new layout that was

introduced by Rochelle Glover in 2011, with no significant changes being

made.

Newsletter advertising revenue from April 2012 to March 2013 was

$1,360.87 (LY $1,843.32) a decrease of 26.17% (last year decrease of

60.75%). There were no changes in advertising rates in this period.

Finally, we have enjoyed the continued generous support from Mozaik

Cafe, who sponsor the regular article ‘Around the Coffee Cups’. We

welcome Amanda 4 Flowerz as our new sponsor of Volunteer of the

Month, who initially provided a bouquet each month, and then this was

changed to a voucher from January 2013. Both Mozaik Cafe and Amanda

4 Flowerz receive half-page ads in Tiny Talk in recognition of their

contribution.

Thank you to Candice, Dianne, Rochelle and Daniel for all your hard work,

and for continuing to produce such a high quality newsletter.

E-news

2012/13 saw the sustained growth of our e-news, as at 31 March we had

931 active email contacts and continue to have an extremely low

unsubscribe rate. Our email open rates continue to be significantly higher

than the not-for-profit industry standard of 20% at around 37%. This is a

slight increase on previous year’s rates and led West Auckland Parents

Centre to being named a recipient of the 2012 Constant Contact All Star

WAPC AGM Report

For Year April 2012 to March 2013


Award given to the top 10% of customers internationally using the

Constant Contact tool set.

Social Media

Our Facebook page has grown to 504 members as at the end of March

2013, up from around 354 last year. This represents an audience

growth of 42% which is a fantastic result and testament to the fact that

the content we put up on our Facebook page is topical for our users.

Our goal in the coming year is to continue to increase the number of

our Facebook fans and to use the page to promote our courses,

services and community events, network with and support other local

and national organisations which have common goals, and provide

interested parties with topical parenting information.

In addition to Facebook, we will be looking at creating new Twitter and

Pinterest accounts to help promote our centre and we will be using

Trade Me to help push some of our products in the coming year.

Childbirth Education

We ran 9 classes in 2012 and 4 classes started in the first three months

of 2013. 216 participants attended our 2012 classes and 60 people have

attended the first 4 classes of 2013, totaling 276 for the period covered

by this report. This is a increase from the previous year of 230.

Nicola Mapletoft was scheduled to be our sole Childbirth Educator for

the period of this Annual Report. However, she became pregnant

herself at the beginning of 2012 and unfortunately ended up with many

complications along the way. We are grateful to Sarah-Jane Holton and

Cheryl Tinholt for stepping in with little notice and covering some of our

classes for us during this time. Nicola continues to be our sole

Childbirth Educator for our antenatal classes this year.

Thanks go to our Childbirth Education class hosts over the past twelve

months: Anna Edlington, Amanda Galt, Nicole Snook, Briar Meek, Sasha

Blackwell, Emma Murphy, Melody Fullerton, Siobhan Augustin.

As a service to the community we continued supporting our local

hospital, Waitakere Hospital, by providing volunteers to run the public

hospital tours. Thanks goes to Briar Meek, Michele Leong and Nicola

Mapletoft who all gave time to this role in 2012/13.

Our childbirth educator Nicola Mapletoft continues to take the private

hospital tours of Waitakere Hospital for our classes which are well

received by all and we thank her for her contribution.

To compliment the Motoring class as part of the Moving, Munching and

Motoring course, we also have Kylie McCracken from Baby on the

Move come along to Practical Parenting to chat about capsules/car

seats and correct installation.

Anna Edlington continued in the role of Course Bookings Coordinator

for the majority of 2012 handling both Antenatal and Parent Education

bookings. Toward the end of 2012 Anna resigned and it was then that

we welcomed Crystal Terangi to the role. We still continue to auto book

participants into the early parenting classes as Anna set up. We take

this opportunity to welcome Crystal to the committee and to thank her

for her time thus far in doing this vital role. Our sincere gratitude to

Anna (and her family, especially Richard Edlington) for her support of

West Auckland Parents Centre, Anna was an integral part of West

Auckland Parents Centre and bought a lot of new initiatives to this role

amongst other things. Her dedication to the centre was and continues

to be amazing.

Enrolments continue to be mainly dealt with electronically.

Income generated through Antenatal Fees was $15,586.21 (LY

$13,770.) against expenses of $17,704.71 (LY $13,639.17), which

include CBE and Host costs, venue hire, kits & Books etc, generating a

loss of $2,118.56) (LY $131.20 profit).

We have continued to charge $225 for our 'CBE Only' package (which

includes membership) and our 'CBE and Early Parenting' package

(which includes membership, CBE, 'CPR & Choking', 'Baby & You' and

'Moving, Munching & Motoring') is $265. These packages have been a

great success with 74% of couples opting for the full $265 package.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge that over (circa)

60% of our referrals come from the Lead Maternity Carers in the West

Auckland Community. Without their support we could not continue to

operate. To thank our main referrers we sent them a box of chocolates

and a thank you card from the committee.

Parent Education

In the 2012/13 financial year we ran a total of 29 Parent Education

courses catering for 469 course participants (last year 33 courses

catering for 516 participants). Katie Nicholas continues in her role of

Parent Education Coordinator.

Based on feedback received from course participants, overall we have

provided a selection of high quality courses. It is our goal to continue to

do this and to expand into other areas as we are able based on

community led feedback. We still continue to deal with most enquiries

electronically and using the Google docs system allowing the whole

team to access information about any course at any time. We also

utilise the Google Calendar function.

'Baby & You'

We ran eight 'Baby and You' courses during the period covered by this

report, with an average of 13 participants per course. These figures

match the 2011/2012 period.

There have been a lot of changes to our speakers during the past 12

month period. We had to let Wendy Perera, our previous child

development speaker go, due to high costs. Wendy provided a great

service and received excellent feedback, but her charges made the

course too expensive to run. Wendy has been replaced by Joanie

Bartels-MacDonald. Our Baby Massage teacher, Emma Taylor,

continues and consistently receives great feedback. Dorothy Waide

continues as our Sleeping and Settling speaker and continues to receive

fantastic feedback. We sincerely thank Dorothy for her commitment to

the centre by providing additional promotion of our classes and what

we do, her generous offer to speak at our classes for free and also for

her volunteer work and contributions. Anthony Gobbie from Insurance

Design and Karin Martin from the Post Natal Distress Support Network

continue as our Life Changes speakers respectively.

We wish to extend a warm thanks to all the speakers who help make

'Baby & You' into the popular course that it was over the last financial

year. We could not have done it without them.

Sarah Knight, our course host left us in the latter half of 2012 and the

hosting role was then handled by various members of the committee

including Anna Edlington, Nicola Mapletoft, Katie Nicholas and Nicole

Snook until a new host, Julie Carter came on board in February 2013.

Thanks to Sarah for managing the hosting role to such a high level and

thank you to those on committee who hosted in between. Thank you

Julie for your contributions thus far.

Income received from 'Baby and You' Fees amounted to $2,745.97 (LY

$2,488.21) against expenses $2,136.03 (LY $2,627.72), generating

a small profit of $609.94 (LY deficit $139.51).


'CPR & Choking'

‘CPR and Choking’ has run every month except for January 2013. We ran

11 ‘CPR & Choking’ courses, with 226 participants. This course remains

extremely popular, with many of our Antenatal class participants also

enrolling in ‘CPR & Choking’. The average number of participants per

class was 23. Michele Leong continues in the role of hosting, which she

has done since the start of 2012.

Owen Lambrechs, an independent contractor continue as our course

speaker. Owen is a former paramedic and is very well qualified, and

continues to receive excellent feedback from course participants.

Income received from CPR Fees amounted to $2,119.35 (LY $1,691.16)

against expenses $1,973.08 (LY $1,606.65), generating a modest profit of

$146.27 (LY $84.51).

'Moving, Munching and Motoring'

In mid 2012, following community led feedback, we decided to change

the format of our Moving & Munching classes. We incorporated a third

topic into the classes being Motoring which is quite topical in the media

at present. We ran 6 ‘Moving, Munching and Motoring’ courses during

the period covered by this report, with a total of 94 participants. This

gave us an average of 16 participants per course. This is similar to the

previous financial year.

We have also had many speaker and host changes to this course. In

December 2012 we said goodbye to Dawn Rennell and Diana Lister of

Watties due to changes in their employment. As at the date of this

report, we are yet find a permanent replacement for this speaker role,

but in the meantime cover has been provided by Dr Cath Conlon from

Massey University and Kate Lucas, a dietician. Noeline Skeet from

Grasshoppers stepped down from the speaker role of Moving in mid

2012 due to travel distances and was replaced with Joanie Bartels-

MacDonald who continues to be our speaker for this class. With the new

component of this class, Motoring, being added, we partnered up with

Kylie McCracken from Baby on the Move who remains our speaker for

this class.

In April 2012 we said good bye to Rebecca Lamb who stepped down as

temporary host of this course. Rebecca was replaced with Jillian Gibb

who remained host until August 2012 when Nicole Snook took on the

role until a replacement was found. In late 2012, Christine Militoni joined

the committee as a course host. Unfortunately due to work

commitments, she was unable to remain in the role but decided to stay

on as coordinator of the course. As at the date of this report we do not

have a replacement host.

Thanks to Rebecca, Jillian and Christine for managing the hosting role to

such a high level and thank you to those on committee who hosted in

between. Welcome to Christine to your new role and thank you for your

contribution thus far.

Income received from 'Moving, Munching & Motoring' fees amounted

to $1,631.36 (LY $1,263.89 against expenses $977.75 (LY $422.10),

generating a profit of $653.61 (LY$841.79).

Over 12 months courses

'Tinies to Tots' and 'Terrific Toddlers'

We ran only one 'Tinies to Tots' class with a combined total of 8

participants and ran two ‘Terrific Toddler’ courses with an average of 10

participants per course during this report period. Eileen Joy was the

speaker for these courses. Thanks to Sarah Knight and Kelly Jury for

hosting these classes for us. Due to lack of numbers booking into this

class we are putting our efforts into other over 12 month courses.

Income received from 'Tinies to Tots' amounted to $95.64 (LY $252.18)

against expenses of $71.39 (LY $401.34), generating a profit of $24.25 (LY

$149.16 loss). Income received from 'Terrific Toddlers' amounted to

$117.40 (LY $303.91) against expenses of $361.37 (LY $576.86),

generating a loss of $243.97 (LY $272.95).

'Parenting With Purpose' & 'Magic Moments'

We ran two 'Magic Moments' course with a total of 15 participants,

averaging 8 per course. This is down from last year, when we ran three

courses with 30 participants. Only one ‘Parenting with Purpose’ course

was run with a total of 7 participants, down 3 from an average of 10

participants last year.

Thanks to Kelly Jury and Dianne Khan for hosting these classes.

The feedback for these courses has been overwhelmingly positive but

numbers still remain low. Based on the community feedback received we

believe the main reason for this is the course length time and based on

the committee feedback it is the costs to run the classes. For this reason,

we have decided to focus our efforts elsewhere and are instead are in

discussions with our current speaker Eileen Joy around doing a new class,

based on the same principles, called Purposeful Discipline. Nicole Snook

is managing these changes and we hope to report on the outcome in the

next Annual Report.

Income received from 'Magic Moments' Fees amounted to $574.95 (LY

$610.00) against expenses 844.17 (LY $1,651.92) generating a loss of

$269.22 (LY $1,041.92). Income received from Parenting With Purpose

amounted to $191.30 (LY $400.00) against expenses of $1,039.04 (LY

$2,341.56) generating a loss of $847.74 (LY $1,941.56).

Thanks goes to all our speakers and volunteer hosts who have supported

our Parenting Education courses over the 2012/13 year. Without the

support of these people we would not be able to consistently deliver our

high standard of parenting education classes.

In total, Parent Education generated an income of $23,062.02 (LY

$20,762.75) as against $26,187.93 (LY $24,637.32) in expenses.

Generating a loss of $3,125.91 (LY $3,874.57). We continue to review

cost saving measures to reduce this loss.

Marketing & Community

With the turn of another year, we again delivered gift baskets to both

wards at Waitakere Hospital on Mother’s Day morning to all those mums

who were in hospital. A team led by Rochelle Glover gained generous

donations from the community to compile 30 separate baskets with

three larger baskets for first child born, first girl and first boy. Our many

thanks to the following companies for their generous donations to these

baskets: Hot Milk Lingerie, The Sleep Store, Safe T Sleep, Nature's Sway,

Red Seal, Bio-Oil, Huggies, Loreal, Eco Store, Auckland Kindergarten

Association, Kiwi Parent, Dorothy Waide, Baby Factory, Pascoes,

Woman's Weekly, Jumping Beans, Woman's day, ACP Media, Morgan

and Morgan Hair Salon, Ceres Organics, Baby u (scented nappy bags),

Avent, and Suminovich Olive Estate. Also thank you to Rochelle Glover,

Michele Leong and Dianne Khan for taking time out on Mother’s Day to

deliver these baskets.

As per previous years, we participated in the annual Big Latch On

campaign. This year we wanted to link in with more like minded

community groups however, so we led a venue at Kelston Community

Centre with West Fono, Thrive Teen Support Network, Plunket and La

Leche League. We had approximately 35 women and babies participate

(with many more in attendance), up 5 women from last year. It was a

lovely event where we did raffles, spoke about our organizations and it

most importantly allowed a broad cross section of the community to

converse with each other. On the back of this successful collaboration we


intend to do it again.

As we have done over the past two years, we celebrated Father’s day

with a photo competition in September 2012 with the theme of

‘Laughter with Daddy'. Our members (and non members) were

encouraged to post pictures on our Facebook page. We had a great

response and we hope to continue with another photo competition

next year. Our thanks to My Canvas, The Grange Golf Club, Mr Vintage,

Tony's Tyre Service and Positive Negatives Photography for the

generous prizes they donated to this.

As is another yearly tradition, we again attended the Toddler Day Out in

2013 organized by Violence Free Waitakere. We again provided our

commitment to the community by providing a breastfeeding area

which was sheeted off which lovely breastfeeding chairs supplied by

Crest Furniture. We also prepared another 200 goody bags for those

that visited our stand to chat to us about whom and what we are. Our

many thanks to those businesses that supported the day: Baby Factory,

Bio Oil, Huggies, L’Oreal, Sumonovich Olive Estate, Whittakers, and Eco

Store. The children’s table crayons and puzzles proved popular again

with the children and we had lots of lovely drawings following the

event. This year we promoted some new special interest classes. One

was Purposeful Discipline and the other a Toilet Training class. We were

overwhelmed with the community response to these classes with 72

signing up their interest to Purposeful Discipline and 67 to Toilet

Training. This event could not have taken place without the fabulous

organizational skills of Karen James who coordinated all of the goody

bags, stuffing of such and the turn of events for the day. We plan to run

our first Purposeful Discipline in May and our special interest Toilet

Training class in June during Parents Centre week.

A new yearly tradition for us is to participate in the Henderson Santa

Parade on 24 November. Another great morning was had by all, we

were a walking party and we had a large number of committee

members and their respective family members turn up. We all wore our

West Auckland Parents Centre t-shirts and handed out balloons and

flyers promoting our centre and our classes. The children did a great job

at drawing attention to our centre with some dressed up as Santa.

Thank you to those committee members (and their families) who

participated in the day.

As this past year was our 30th anniversary in the community we decided

to run two separate drop-in days for doctors, midwives, professionals

and other to drop by to learn more about West Auckland Parents

Centre. We ran these on 19 and 20 July 2012 at Kelston Community

Centre and did flyer drops and mail outs to midwives, doctors,

information centres, professionals etc. Whilst we did not have as high a

turn out as we would have liked, the feedback received was good and

something we may consider doing in the future.

Throughout 2012 and 2013 we also have continued to build upon our

community relationships and networks through attending community

meetings, training/information days and informal communications.

Our Marketing Expenditure decreased compared to last year, from

$5,359.67 to $2,288.27.

Committee

At the end of March 2013 we had a volunteer committee of 19 people,

which is down from 24 the previous year. It has been another difficult

year in terms of volunteer recruitment and retention. We have found

that direct contact has had the best effect, followed closely by

Facebook.

For our annual committee Christmas dinner we held it at Thip Thai

restaurant. Wherever possible, volunteer members bought along their

partners and a great night was had by all. Our gracious thank you goes

to Melody Fullerton who organised the dinner and the lovely gift bags

for each of our volunteers to take home. Our centre only exists due to

the generosity of our hard working volunteers and their respective

families, so thank you to all.

This year’s kids Christmas Party was held at Oratia Settlers Hall and was

also a combined 30th anniversary celebration where we invited

members and their families. We decided to keep it as a low key affair

this time round and opted for a ‘bring a plate’ party. All the kids had a

ball at the venue with its playground and volunteers bought toys from

home to keep them entertained as well. Thanks to Melody Fullerton for

organizing this event, Sasha Blackwell for providing her bouncy castle

and to the wider committee for their food and toys.

In 2012/13 we welcomed many new committee members being

Christine Militoni, Crystal Terangi, Karen James, Julie Carter, Lorraine

Ferrier, Megan Barwell, Rebecca Crewe Lui, Claire Cunningham, Melody

Fullerton, Daniel Mapletoft and Olive Stanley.

We farewelled Ilisa Anand, Jillian Gibb, Rose Wu, Sarah Knight, Jenny

McGrath, Ildi Wileman, Kate Alison-Tomlin, Kelly Jury, Lexi Lauchlan,

Anna Edlington, Alaina Healey, Amanda Lipsham, Amy Wagstaff, Dianne

Khan, Sasha Blackwell, Claire Cunningham, Briar Meek, Olive Stanley,

Lorraine Ferrier.

At the AGM in 2012 Catherine Matson stood for Treasurer. In January

2013 Megan Barwell joined the executive committee as Co-Treasurer

assisting Catherine with the role.

In 2012 Briar Meek re joined the committee as Secretary, unfortunately

though she was not able to remain in the position and left in late 2012.

From there Nicole Snook took on the Secretary role until Rebecca

Crewe Lui joined the committee in March 2013.

Rochelle Glover was elected as Vice President at the 2012 AGM

following her decision to step down from the newsletter role to join the

executive committee. In November 2012 Rochelle notified the

committee of her forthcoming resignation from the role, and in March

2013 she stepped away from committee to welcome her second child,

Matthew, into the world.

Rochelle bought a lot of support to the executive and wider committee

with her great organisational skills and amazing attention to detail

(especially to Nicole as President). Thank you for all your support

Rochelle and we wish you all the best for the future.

We could not do all that is recorded in this report without the

committee so a huge thanks to our current committee members;

Amanda Galt, Asta Lott, Candice Ho, Catherine Matson, Christine

Militoni, Crystal Terangi, Daniel Mapletoft, Karen James, Julie Carter,

Katie Nicholas, Lorraine Ferrier, Megan Barwell, Melody Fullerton,

Michele Leong, Nicola Mapletoft, Rebecca Crewe Lui, Rochelle Glover

and Teresa Cooper.

Congratulations on the births to:

Ildi and Bruce Wileman on the birth of Daniel, a little brother for

Amy.

Nicola and Daniel Mapletoft on the birth of Poppy, a little sister

for Zac and Ryan.

Rochelle Glover and Karl Hardisty on the birth of Matthew, a little

brother for Sophia.

Teresa and Aaron Cooper on the birth of Jackson, a little brother

for Olivia.


We still continue with the new parent dinner roster and it is fantastically

well received.

In June 2012 Parents Centre New Zealand organized facilitator training in

Wellington providing volunteers (and the wider public connected with

Parents Centre) to partake in this training with a view to becoming a

facilitator of Parents Centre New Zealand classes. We decided to send

down four representatives to this training being Dorothy Waide, Amanda

Galt, Dianne Khan and Nicole Snook. Unfortunately due to illness

Dorothy couldn’t make it in the end but the others attended and learnt

some amazing new skills that they were able to apply to West Auckland

Parents Centre classes as well as in their own life.

In September 2012 we sent two delegates to the Parents Centre New

Zealand AGM and Conference held at Te Papa Museum in Wellington

(Michele Leong and Nicole Snook). Both Michele and Nicole attended

fantastic seminars and meetings on both days around parenting matters,

Parents Centre New Zealand and heard some fabulous speakers talk

about a variety of topics. It was a great opportunity for us to again

promote our centre and to hear about what other centres are doing.

Our centre would cease to exist if it weren’t for our hard working

volunteers that dedicate their time to the cause each and every day. As a

small token of thanks we like to award a volunteer of the month award

whom receives a box of chocolates and a voucher for a bunch of flowers.

We would therefore like to thank Amanda 4 Flowers for who generously

donates the voucher for flowers each month. Also thanks to the

continued support of Avondale Medical Centre (via Daniel Healey) who

provides the centre $30 per month to be spent on the volunteers. We

have used these funds to purchase the volunteer of the month

chocolates, kids Christmas party and for our Christmas dinner.

For the full year, the committee expenses totalled $2,767.00 as against

$2,695.85 for the previous year.

Fundraising & Donations

We had several fundraising opportunities over 2012/13. We raised

$896.68 (LY $3,316.80) in total. The $896.68 raised comprised of:

Selling Entertainment Books ($775.65 gross of which $520.15 went

directly to us)

Tupperware evening (approximately $338)

Violence Free Waitakere’s annual Toddler Day Out in March 2013

($125.22 from raffle ticket sales, product sales and membership

renewal, with costs of $86.95).

In November we again held a Toy World Henderson member only 20%

off discount shopping evening. We had a great turn out and everyone

enjoyed having a glass of wine or orange juice to walk around with to

keep hydrated whilst doing their shopping. We are finding that it is a

great way to raise money and connect with the community all at the

same time. The funds are given via Toy World vouchers which enable us

to pay for our prizes for raffles at Toddler Day Out and also our

membership renewal prizes.

On 30 November we ran a first for our centre, a Tupperware Fundraiser

Evening. This was organised by Sasha Blackwell who we were lucky

enough to have as a committee member at the time. Sasha runs her own

Tupperware business and offered us this opportunity. We had a cooking

demonstration, silent auctions and raffles, giveaways and stalls. We were

supported by Mad Butcher Glen Eden, West City Warehouse, Rodney

Wayne West City, Animated Kidz, Crafty Creations and Shanee Harrison.

A wonderful night was had by all and we raised approximately $338.

Thank you to Sasha Blackwell for organizing this evening and also to her

mum, Jean Blackwell for assisting.

On Sunday 7 October 2012, Slingbabies held their first Slings N Things

expo at Kelston Community Centre. We decided to be a part of this event

and had a table at the event where we sold our products, held a raffle for

gingerbread houses and promoted our centre and what it had to offer.

Approximately 400 people visited the event and we had a lot of attention

at our stand and raised $65 in raffle tickets for the gingerbread houses.

Thanks to Anna Edlington for organizing this event and to Asta Lott, Anna

Edlington and Nicole Snook for baking gingerbread houses to be raffled

off on the day.

Thanks must also go to Parents Centre New Zealand Inc for the

partnerships they have fostered with Kimberley Clark Huggies, Baby on

the Move, New World, Naturo Pharm, Philips Avent, Bio Oil, Watties,

HRV, Tommee Tippee, College of Homeopathy, Nappies Direct and

BabyStepz. Some of these companies provide samples, demonstration

packs, prizes and support for many of our events and classes.

West Auckland Parents Centre has continued having a hireage scheme

for 2012/13. We have four TENS Machines, two Evenflo Exersaucers, one

Birthday Party Kit, a Bubble Machine and a Baby Swing for hire. Gross

income generated by product hirage was: $969.16 (LY $1,039.13). This is

largely due to the endorsement of TENs machines by Nicola Mapletoft,

our Childbirth Educator, during her classes. Individual lines and their

performance is as follows:

Bubble machine and bubbles: $130 (LY $330.41) please note this

includes gross earnings from sales of bubbles.

Exersaucer: $65.22 (LY $65.22)

TENs machine: $773.94 (LY $643.50)

Swing: $0

Our TENS machines continue to be our main hireage item. We continue

to allow committee members to hire items free of charge. Our thanks to

Briar Meek who continued to manage this role for 2012, unfortunately

she could no longer continue it though and resigned in late 2012. As at

the date of this report, we have no replacement.

Our product sales have been relatively low compared with last year, due

in part to a change in Product Co-ordinator in September and a turnover

of class hosts throughout the year. Our thanks go out to Amy Wagstaff

who streamlined the systems and improved sales over the last two years.

Unfortunately Amy left us in July 2012, but in August 2012 we were

fortunate enough to have Lorraine Ferrier join us in the role. She has

made a few changes and made it clearer for hosts but unfortunately has

not been able to dedicate a huge amount of volunteer time due to

growth in her business.

Lorraine’s focus has been to streamline the product range and hone in

on a few good sellers rather than committing to more products.

Reducing the stock on hand and increasing hosts awareness of what we

have in stock. U-baby Breastfeeding Tops, The New Zealand Pregnancy

Book, Nature Sway and Cutlery Sets have all been reduced to clear as

they are slow sellers.

Thanks to Lorraine Ferrier for her contributions to this role.

Unfortunately Lorraine has recently decided to step down from this role,

but will remain on until a suitable replacement is found.

Venues

Following suggested changes to our bookings noted in the last report, we

now aim to hold our entire antenatal and parent education classes at

Kelston Community Centre wherever possible.


We have been able to do this as there is now a dedicated person at

Auckland Council who looks after a few community centres in the

region. Our commitment to Kelston and keeping our classes in one

venue wherever possible has resulted in a large reduction of venue

costs.

Our Venue Hireage costs decreased compared to last year, from

$4,420.94 to $2,898.66.

Our long term centre goal still remains, to gain our own permanent

venue and for this purpose we are still setting aside funds into a Savings

Account and Term Deposits. In July 2012 Alaina Healey resigned from

this role and Michele Leong took over until March 2013 when Nicole

Snook stepped in to fill the role until a permanent replacement is found.

Financials

The financial year for 2012/13 was a 12 month period, starting from 1

April 2012 through to 31 March 2013.

During this time, West Auckland Parents Centre had an income of

$53,651.40 (LY $48,095.43) and an expenditure of $51,729.29 (LY

$56,518.93). The financial period ended making a net surplus of

$1,922.11 (LY deficit: $8,423.50). We have, as at 31 March 2013, a bank

balance of $7,176.94 in our Society Account, $7,262.79 in our Fast Saver

Account plus an additional $16,784.35 in our Term Deposit Accounts.

We earned $1,049.99 total interest across our Fast Saver and Term

Deposit accounts in this financial year.

After Parent Education Fees, our most significant source of income was

grants funding of $15,001.

Five applications made were sucessful in 2012/13. Special thanks go to

the following:

ASB Community Trust for two grants (one of which related to the

year ended 31 March 2012) of $6,350 (December 2012) and

$5,651 in March 2013.

Lotteries Grant $1,200, which we used to purchase stationery,

telephone, accounting fees and other committee operating

expenses.

Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS), $2,070, which

was used to pay for venue hire.

As at 31 March 2013 our value of stock on hand is at $1,751.70.For more

detailed information about our financial position, please see the Audited

Financial Report for 2012/2013.

In Conclusion

Whilst this financial year has been better than the last, it has still been

tough. We are seeing a lot more strain on grant availability and this has

affected us. However, it has made us think more about our costs and

how we can minimise these across the board and we are working

towards reducing our costs in all areas to compensate this. Thankfully

our class structure for this financial year was better thought out thus

meaning little or no cancellation of classes.

We continue to encounter competition from DHB contractors requiring

more emphasis on creating and maintaining our main referrers (e.g.

midwives and doctors). To this end, we did two mail outs to doctors,

midwives, community groups and information centres with information

on the centre and how we can help them and also did two drop-in days

to allow for all forms of communication.

In this next financial year we intend on having a continued focus on

marketing using social media (Facebook and Twitter) as we are having

continued success in these areas and will also be looking seriously at all

of our costs and assessing how these can be better managed going

forward.

It is vital that we thank each and every volunteer and their respective

families for all of the valuable time that they donate to West Auckland

Parents Centre. You are all the lifeblood of this centre, and without you

it would not operate as it does. So thank you, to you, your partner, your

children and extended family. The work that you do in the centre is so

important and goes a long way to helping the community.

This is my last report as President of West Auckland Parents Centre. I

have been on the executive committee now for three years and it is time

for me to hang up my reins to allow our current wonderful committee to

continue the parenting crusade. Daily, I am in awe of what this centre

can achieve on meagre funds and time and I thank all those past and

present committee members for nurturing my passion for parenting. I

have gained so many new friends from being with this supportive bunch

and I really am grateful for all that you have given me. All the best to you

all and I am sure I will still be lingering around in some way or another

for a while yet.

As at the date of this report, there is no one in a position to stand as

President.

To those I have failed to mention, please forgive the oversight and thank

you for your support in 2012/13

Nicole Snook

President



Childbirth Education Convener

Do you have plenty of attention to detail? Can you help?

Each of our Antenatal classes require some administrative work behind the scenes and we need someone who loves being super organised. All you would need to do is gather some paperwork together, put together a kit for our class host and deliver it to them. After the course you need to archive the paperwork and tie up any loose ends. We run approximately 15 antenatal classes each year and each class requires about 2 hours worth of work.

Volunteer Opportunities At West Auckland Parents Centre

To apply for any of our volunteer positions or to find out more contact us on

837 8481, or [email protected]

over from our current coordinator. We estimate that the role takes an hour or two a week but if you are super organised you could compound that into a days work for the whole year.

Course Host—12 months & over Help parents to move past the baby stage...We need someone to host our Tinies to Toddler course, held in the evening periodically through the year. You would be responsible for looking after parents at the course and liaising with the course speaker. You would need to commit to the course times, and a couple of hours admin for each course, as well as a monthly committee meeting.

Member Coordinator Are you super organised and love administration? We are looking for a someone to fill our Membership Co-ordinator role. This will include updating our membership database, forwarding invoices and sending out membership cards.

Kit Coordinator Do you have a flair for organising? Do you want a volunteer role that can be done in the comfort of your own home possibly in front of the TV at night? Then we have the role for you. We require someone to be our new Kit Coordinator. At some of our classes we hand out goodie bags or information packs and we need an organised efficient soul to take this


Venue Coordinator Do you love to organize and have an eye for detail? Then this is the role for you. We are looking for someone to organize all of our venue bookings. We do not have our own premise and therefore hire our rooms from the Council and other organizations. You will be liaising with our course bookings officers, other committee members as necessary and the Council to ensure that everything is booked, keys are with the right people and that everything is in order to make a smooth running class.

Grants Coordinator Are you deadline driven with an eye for detail? Are you good with writing proposals and keen to help West Auckland Parents Centre get money for our deserving cause? We need someone who can work to deadlines, cross all the 't's,

dot the 'i's and make sure that we get what we ask for! This is a great role for someone who likes to tackle projects as you really need to hit one application at a time. Each application takes about 4-5 hours of your time and we apply for about 4-6 a year.

Hireage Coordinator This role is to store and lend out items for hireage. This includes some paper work for the item being hired, emailing a reminder when period is coming to an end, organising the return of the item and checking over for damage.


When and how often does your coffee group meet?

Initially we met every few weeks whenever someone planned a catch up at their local coffee shop. That was when some of us were still pregnant and then while our babies were spending lots of time sleeping so coffee shops were easy. Then, while the weather was nice and sunny, we met on a weekly basis for a walk and chat followed by a coffee. Now that the weather is wetter and colder and some of our group are back at work and our babies are more mobile we are meeting at each other’s homes every few weeks. We do try to meet every week or at least every fortnight.

What stage are your babies at? What is the boy girl ratio?

Our oldest baby will be 1 on August 2nd and our youngest will be 1 on October 23rd so there is an age differential of almost 3 months. We have 7 girls in our group and 5 boys. Unfortunately 2 of the boys have already moved out of Auckland and another is moving next week so we will be down to only 2 boys.

What other activities has your coffee group tried?

As already mentioned we meet for walks at various locations such as Hobsonville point, Corban’s estate and The Auckland city loop near the Cascades and in coffee shops all around Auckland. We have also met at the West Lynn butterfly gardens for a picnic and at the Parent Centre in Greenlane for a coffee and to see what they offer for parents and children. We were having a weekly exercise session in a park with a lot of the exercises incorporated our babies. At one stage about half of us were attending the same Wriggle and Rhyme session but we have now moved to sessions at our own local libraries or to Mainly Music sessions. We have had a Tupperware party and are currently talking about what we can do to celebrate our babies first birthdays and more importantly the fact that we have got through the first year.

Being a parent has taught you....

Exactly how much I can love one person. There are a lot of people in my life that I love but the love I have for my little girl is difficult to explain. I have learnt that you can never give someone enough kisses and hugs. I am a person who is mostly on the go but I have definitely learnt to spend more time sitting on

the floor watching my daughter play and interacting with her. I can never have this time back again so I am learning to make the most of it.

Best baby product you’ve tried?

I was given a set of rings at my baby shower which at the time I thought would be a

complete waste but my daughter absolutely loves them and they are light so easy to transport. Good wraps have been very useful for settling my daughter. I express milk twice a day so my breast pump has definitely been very helpful. A good nappy bag is important to help carry all the extra things I need. But the thing I have had the most use out of has been my Mountain Buggy. I walk for at least an hour every day and having a good set of wheels as been invaluable. Thankfully my daughter doesn’t mind going for walks.

What have been the greatest challenges so far?

Learning to filter out negative comments about things what I am doing without getting upset. My husband and I have got our daughter to 8 months so we must be doing something right!

Since having my baby, almost immediately after she was born, I have worried a lot about her future and mine and all our families and close friends. I find it very hard watching anything on TV about children in need or violent situations.

What’s the best thing about being in this coffee group?

Definitely the support I receive from other first time

Round The Coffee Cups Chat from inside one of our coffee groups

Sponsored by

By Siobhan Augustin

Tell us about your coffee group and we’ll send you a $50 voucher for your coffee group to use at Mozaik New Lynn.

Cooper, Oshean, Cooper, Max and Mason


mums. We are able to share what our children are going through and what we may need to expect. Everyone is very generous with their advice and by no means judgemental, critical or unkind. We have similar interests so we get on very well.

Any tips for new parents?

The first few weeks of your baby’s life are not the time to worry about anything other than your child. Spend some time getting to know your new baby and relaxing as much as possible.

Learn to filter advice. People may mean well but trust your instincts, every baby is different and you as parents have the right to make decisions for your

child. Every family has different needs and the decisions that you make going forward need to be what suits your family not what will make other people happy.

Take lots of photos, not just of your baby on his/her own but with other people so they have memories of those people as they grow. Write things down as they happen as there are so many new things happening in your baby’s life that you will want a record of later.

Love each other, children are like

sponges and take everything in.

Surely it must be good for them

to see their parents happy and in

love.

Siobhan Augustin is a new mum, married to Chris. Their daughter Oshean was born on 6th October 2012. When Siobhan is not being a mum, she is a secondary school teacher specialising in Accounting and Economics.

Lyla, Charlotte, Daisy, Max, Cooper and Oshean


Parents Centre Week was from 16 - 22 June this year

and West Auckland Parents Centre provided a busy

week for our members and community alike.

We started the week off by providing free car seat

checks at New World New Lynn. Despite the

miserable weather we had a lot uptake on the checks

which kept Kylie and Jo from Baby on the Move busy

for the day. We were also lucky enough to have Matt

and Kevin there with us in the rain from BabyStepz

barbequing up some delicious sausages.

On Monday night we had Dorothy Waide talk

on Sleeping, Settling and Starting

Solids. Everyone was enthralled by Dorothy's

talk, shown by the photo above which was

taken 15 minutes after the class started! A

massive thank you to Dorothy for running this

class for us.

On Tuesday night we had a Toilet Training

session run by Laura Morley where she

provided some fantastic tips for all those

mums and dads about to start the journey to a nappy

free household.

Thursday night saw the centre run its first Numeracy

and Literacy class with Polly Newton. All those in

attendance raved about Polly's talk and this is a class

that we hope to run again in the warmer months so

please drop us a line on

[email protected] if you are

interested in going on the waiting list.

Finally, on Saturday we held another car seat check

day, but this time at the Warehouse

Stationary in conjunction with The

Warehouse. This time we had Andy from

Baby On the Move attend to conduct the car

seat checks. We had the BBQ again and also

sold some more sausages. Fortunately the

weather was slightly better on this day.

Parents Centre week was a great success for

us and we fundraised an approximate total

of $314.06 which will go someway in being

able to send delegates down to Wellington

for the volunteer symposium in September.

This week could not have taken place without our

volunteers or corporate sponsors. Thank you to New

World New Lynn, Baby On the Move, BabyStepz,

Dorothy Waide, Laura Morley, Polly Newton, The

Warehouse and Warehouse Stationary New Lynn for

your support in carrying out this week.

Thank you to Daniel Mapletoft, Karen James and

Amanda Galt for standing in the freezing cold helping

dish out sausages and provide assistance on the car

seat check days. To Julie Carter and Teresa Cooper

for hosting our classes during the week and to Crystal

Terangi for her help in taking the bookings for these

classes.

Parents Centre Week wrap up By Nicole Snook

mailto:[email protected]


Professional Counselling for New Parents

Sometimes in our lives, we reach the limit of what we know and can provide for ourselves – at those times, talking to someone outside your circle of friends and family can be enormously valuable.

As a new parent, you may be –

Struggling to live the life you imagined for yourself

Wanting help negotiating the changes in your relationship – this is often a time of high stress

between partners

Asking ‘Who am I now?’ – questions of meaning and purpose are common

Needing to explore long patterns from your own life that you have noticed affecting the way you

parent

I offer short-term and long-term counselling in a respectful, caring and confidential atmosphere. I practice from rooms in Te Atatu Peninsula and Parnell – free plentiful parking in both locations. Pre-crawling babies are welcome in sessions.

Johanna Perfect

Diploma of Psychosynthesis Counselling, MPAnzA

Contact me on 022 6588 799 to schedule an initial appointment.


SCAMPS BOUTIQUE - Scamps Boutique, eco products for mum, baby and child. Members who visit us online at www.scamps.co.nz will receive 10% off orders by using the code WAPC. 5% of all orders using the WAPC code will go to the West Auckland Parents Centre.

SPORTS4TOTS - Our fun, structured pro-grammes provide preschoolers with a ground-ing for an active future in sport. Give us a call on 974-3644, let us know that you are a WAPC member and you will receive a 10% discount.

www.sports4tots.co.nz

GRASSHOPPER KNEES Learning Leaps is a pro-gramme with books, toys and fun and easy tips, games and activities to grow kids’ intelligence over all areas so they get the balance they need to fully reach their potential and do well in school. WAPC members who shop online at www.grasshopperknees.co.nz and enter the code parent1 will receive a 10% discount.

TOYWORLD HENDERSON AND WESTGATE

Toyworld is New Zealand’s largest retail chain of specialist toy stores with the biggest range of toys, games, puzzles, and indoor & outdoor activities available in New Zealand. Henderson

Megastore and Westgate store offer WAPC members 10% off all full priced products (some condi-tions apply).

HARVEY NORMAN HENDERSON Electrical Department - Come visit us at Harvey Norman Henderson and upon showing your WAPC member card to one of our friend-ly sales team you will receive a 10% discount in our electrical department on not already dis-

counted products (some conditions and exclu-sions may apply).

FIT FIT FIT provide group exercise programmes for new mums and mums-to-be using the most up to date research available. WAPC Members will receive a 10% discount on Fit Bumps and Fit Mums classes. Call us on 360-0620 or check us out online at www.fitfitfit.co.nz

KID ACTIVE HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES - With over 100 courses to choose from, Kidactive offers a huge range of fun hands on experienc-es for children aged 4 and older. Give us a call on 974 5135, let us know that you are a WAPC member and you will receive a 10% discount. www.kidactive.co.nz

WAPC Member Discounts

Discounts & Benefits


August - Teresa Cooper

By popular vote Teresa took out August’s Volunteer of the Month. Teresa has been looking after your memberships for nearly two years now and has been doing a fantastic job. She is willing to get stuck into anything that needs doing and her enthusiasm is awesome. Her recent step up to President is testament to her dedication to West Auckland Parents Centre and the work we do. Thanks Teresa!

WAPC - Volunteer of the Month

Each Volunteer of the month receives a $25 bouquet from Amanda 4 Flowerz


For bookings and hire information please email: [email protected]

Hire it from us!

The gentle rocking motion of this swing calms and

soothes a baby and gives your possibly aching

arms a rest. Baby’s are safe and secure as the

gentle motion rocks them, sometimes even right

off to sleep. Suitable from birth to 10kgs (approx 8

months). This easy to operate multi speed swing

has a music selection, timer, 5 point safety

harness and a 3 position seat recline.

Monthly Hire $25

Bond $25

TENS Machine

Helps to lessen contraction pain by stimulating certain nerves and muscles.

Hire cost: $55, plus $55 bond

Collect 2 weeks before EDD and return as soon as possible once baby has arrived.

Kid’s Birthday Party Kit Perfect for kids’ parties from the time they can sit

unaided until around 5 years.

Kit includes:

2 small trestle tables which can be set at child

or adult height. A third is available for an extra $10.

8 small white solid plastic chairs AND

1 bubble machine!

Hire cost:

$30 plus $15 for 2 litres of bubble mix, and a $60 bond. Bookings are essential.

Edinburgh Baby Swing


To book a course or for further information email [email protected]

Parent Education

Baby

& You

CPR &

Choking

This is a 4-part daytime course covering essentials for parents in the ‘4th trimester’ (newborn to 4 months). Sessions include sleeping & settling, life changes, baby massage, and child development. It’s designed to help you understand and cope with your role as a new parent, or to refresh your skills if you’re doing it for another time around.

Each week we have a different expert speaker to pass on knowledge and ideas, and take your questions.

The course runs for four weeks and each session is 2 hours from 10am– 12pm,

at Kelston Community Centre, Committee Room.

Our next courses commence: 5th August & 2nd September

Members: $40, support person free

Non members: $50, support person $15

Know what to do in an emergency! This Saturday morning course is designed to give you hands on experience in CPR and choking skills. An essential class for all parents and caregivers of children under five, led by a qualified, experienced paramedic.

The course runs from 10am—12pm on a Saturday morning at Kelston Community Centre, Main Hall.

Our next courses commence: 17th August & 14th September

Members: $20, support person $10


Tinies to

Toddlers

Tinies to Tots meets Terrific Toddlers

A new and exciting course is coming to WAPC!

The course will cover essentials for children approximately 9 months—3 years, including rules & boundaries,. sleeping, safety, nutrition, appropriate footwear, teeth, independent toileting

Watch this space!

Gain new skills and confidence by attending one of our great parenting courses.

Parenting Courses


Purposeful

Discipline

In this course we cover the differences between punishment and discipline and what effective discipline looks like in a home where unconditional love is the cornerstone for all parenting decisions. This course will equip you with a parenting philosophy and techniques which will work from the toddler years to the the teenage years. We will cover questions around challenging behaviour, whether 'Time Out' is actually what we think it is, and how to change our concepts of what children need in the way of discipline. What will be covered: Developmental milestones, what is normal, with an evolutionary perspective Basic brain science Loving and positive discipline Spaces are limited to 20 so will be first in first served. The course runs from 7pm — 9pm at Kelston Community Centre Our next course is: Thursday 22nd & 29th August Members: $20 Non-members: $25

Parent Education

Moving, Munching

&

Motoring

This is a two-part daytime course for parents of 4-7 month old babies.

The first session covers starting solids, crawling to walking, developmental toys, and safety. Participants receive a free copy of the fabulous recipe book Baby Food and Beyond by Alison and Simon Holst.

The second session covers Top 10 car seat mistakes and what you can do to avoid making them in your car, how to choose a car seat to best suit your family and ensure it is correctly fitted in all situations. You will also see some of the latest research into keeping kids safe in cars, including why it is best to keep your child rear facing as long as their car seat will allow.

Sessions are 2 hours on two consecutive Fridays, 10am—12am at Kelston Community Centre, Activity Room 1.

Our next course commences: 16th August 2013

Members: $40, support person free


NOTE: If you wish to book into JUST the motoring session, this costs $20 for members, $25 for non-members, and $40 for non-members bringing a partner.


Your Fast Shop EASY SHOPPING—EASY FUNDRAISING

Step 1: Go to www.yourfastshop.co.nz

Select: West Auckland Parents Centre

Start: Browsing your favourite stores.

That’s it! No parking, no petrol costs, no aching

feet!

Great deals at great stores, including Ap-ple, Ezibuy fashion, Mighty Ape Toys, and FREE DVD rental at Fatso.

Save $70 on printer ink and other items at Snatch A Deal

Your shopping is dealt with directly by your chosen online store.

www.yourfastshop.co.nz

Do you have a hidden talent you would like to share?

Become a volunteer with

West Auckland Parents Centre! Check out our current opportunities on

page 24.


Committee Meeting Interested in volunteering? You can attend a

committee meeting to see if it’s for you.

Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at the HRV office board room, 41 Portage

Road, New Lynn.

Please email [email protected] if you would like to attend.

West Auckland

La Leche League West Auckland La Leche League

welcomes mothers and pregnant women to their monthly meetings for

encouragement, support and discussion on a wide range of breastfeeding, mothering and

parenting issues.

No booking required

Kelston Community Centre, Activity Room 2

Cnr Awaroa & Great North Rd, Kelston

2nd Tuesday of every month, 9.45am

Coffee morning 4th Tuesday of every month, please call for details

For further information or breastfeeding help, please contact an accredited Leader:

Adith 838 362, Kristi 824 7019,

Rebecca 412 8369, or Kiri 832 9082 LLL Answer Phone Service for Help Numbers

09 846 0752

Slingbabies Find out how to wear your baby.

First Friday of every month, 10am to 12pm

Sturges West Community House,

58 Summerland Dr, Henderson

ww.slingbabies.co.nz

Did you give birth at Waitakere

Hospital ?

Waitakere Maternity Unit values feedback about the service they offer to the women and families in our community.

Sue Fitzgerald, Community Manager, and Helen Ngatai, Facility Manager, would be very open to any invitations to visit groups of women who have birthed at Waitakere Hospital and who would like to give feedback on their experiences.

Email Sue [email protected] or Helen [email protected]

or leave a message on ph 837 6609


Support

Services Healthline (24 hours)

0800 611 166 www.healthline.co.nz

La Leche League (Breastfeeding) Adith 834 1234 or Kristi 824 7019

Rebecca 412 8369

Kiri 832 9082 www.lalecheleague.org.nz

National Poisons Centre 0800 POISON (0800 764 744) www.poison.co.nz

Miscarriage Support Auckland 378 4060 www.miscarriagesupport.org.nz

Parent to Parent Special Needs Children Support 0508 236 236 www.parent2parent.org.nz

Plunket 838 0981

Plunket Car Seat (Waitemata) 837 1871 6E Enterprise Drive, Henderson

Plunket Family Centre 836 5730 Woodford Avenue, Henderson

Womens Refuge 8361987 www.womensrefuge.org.nz

Trauma & Birth Stress Support Group 575 7404 www.tabs.org.nz

Post Natal Distress 846 6967 www.postnataldistress.org.nz

Work & Income (WINZ) 0800 559 009 www.workandincome.govt.nz

Working for Families 0800 257 477 www.workingforfamilies.govt.nz

Waitakere Hospital Breastfeeding Classes Adith 838 9362 or Barbara 838 1566

Parent Aid 836 4122

Playcentres 8278649

Citizens Advice Bureau Glen Eden 818 8634 Henderson 836 4118 Massey 833 5775 New Lynn 827 4731

Asthma New Zealand 630 2293 www.asthma-nz.org.nz

Immunisation Advisory Centre 377 7966 www.immune.org.nz

Allergy New Zealand 0800 34 0800 www.allergy.org.nz

Childcare Advisory www.childcareadvisor.co.nz

Dial-a-Mum West Auckland Parents Centre have a wonderful team of people who are a good source of information for many common and not so common pregnancy and parenting. This is a free and confidential service. Our support people have information on organisations that can help if we are unable to.

Breastfeeding— Nicole Snook 837 2501 or 021 737 515

Bottle Feeding—Nicola Mapletoft 832 5353

Post Natal Distress—Eileen Joy 818 8845

Miscarriage—Nicola Mapletoft 823 5353

Caesarean—Nicole Snook 837 2501 or 021 737 515

Homebirth—Eileen Joy 818 8845

Premature Birth—Amanda Galt

820 4395

Same Sex Parenting—Kristal O’Neill

832 8456

If you have any other queries or need advice or help with any other issue please leave your details on our answerphone 837 8481, for one of our committee members to contact you.

Parent Support


Advertising & Newsletter Contributions West Auckland Parents Centre is an entirely voluntary organisation run by parents, for parents. Our advertis-ers help us to produce this newsletter to over 200 families with children up to five years old in West Auck-land, as well as midwives, and other organisations that support young families.

Ad type Single issue Pre-pay 3 issues Prepay 6 issues

Full page $75 $70 ($210) $65 ($390)

Half page $45 $40 ($120) $35 ($210)

Quarter page $35 $30 ($90) $25 ($150)

Inside cover $80 $75 ($225) $70 ($420)

Back of magazine $85 $80 ($240) $75 ($450)

Prices quoted are per issue and include GST.

Brochure Insert: We can include your flyer or bro-chure in our newsletter and Kiwi Parent Magazine mail-out for a cost of $100. Material must be for-warded to the Distribution Centre by the deadline.

E-News: Our e-News goes out to over 500 members each month. We can include your advertisement in our e-News for $35 per issue.

Newsletter Contributions: We would love to hear from you with any contributions or requests for arti-cles. Send your material or requests by email to: [email protected]. Should you wish to contribute to our October/November 2013 issue, the deadline for copy is 30th August 2013.

For more information please contact our Newsletter or Newsletter Advertising volunteers, see opposite page for details.

Postnatal Distress Support Group Meeting

Every Monday 10am-12noon.

Please call PND Support Network for more information and support or to see if this

group is right for you. For more info

call 836 6967 or go to www.postnataldistress.org.nz

Cloth Nappy Workshops

Baby Show:

Friday 23rd August, 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Saturday 24th August, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

For more info, costs and bookings visit:

http://www.thenappylady.co.nz/workshops-auckland.asp



West Auckland Parents Centre Ph. 837 8481 (answerphone) P O Box 83-192, Edmonton, Auckland 0652

www.westaucklandparents.org.nz

Committee Contacts

President Teresa Cooper [email protected]

Vice President Marion Woodley [email protected]

Secretary Rebecca Crewe-Lui [email protected]

Co-Treasurers Catherine Matson

Megan Barnwell [email protected]

Membership Coordinator Can you help? [email protected]

Parent Education Coordinator Katie Nicholas [email protected]

Parent Education Bookings Amanda Galt [email protected]

Products Coordinator Christine Militoni [email protected]

Librarian Marion Woodley [email protected]

Lending( Hireage) Coordinator Can you help? [email protected]

Membership Discount Coordinator Can you help? [email protected]

Website Coordinator Can you help? [email protected]

Baby Factory Liaison Can you help? [email protected]

Advocacy & Lobbying Nicole Snook [email protected]

Grants & Fundraising Coordinator Can you help? [email protected]

Marketing Coordinator Karen James [email protected]

Events Coordinator Lydia Dunn [email protected]

Kits/Brochures Coordinator Can you help? [email protected]

Marketing Database Statistics Collector Amanda Galt [email protected]

Venue Coordinator Can you help? [email protected]

Volunteer Admin Coordinator Jess Maher [email protected]

Childbirth Education Convenor Can you help? [email protected]

Childbirth Education Bookings Amanda Galt [email protected]

Baby & You Course Host Julie Carter [email protected]

CPR/Choking Course Host Julie Carter [email protected]

Moving & Munching Course Host Jess Maher [email protected]

12 Months & Over Course Host Can you help? [email protected]

Newsletter Editor Daniel Mapletoft [email protected]

E-News Editor Daniel Mapletoft [email protected]

Newsletter Advertising Karen James [email protected]

Social Media Co-ordinator Karen James [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/christine.militoni

west auckland parents centre issue 181

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