OCTOBER 2013
FREE!
Creating the perfeCt kid’s bedroom
Plus– Prizes to win
Fostering your Child’s development
Health tips after birth
Your Free local Parenting magazine
Contents Regulars 5 Letter from the Editor 7 Monthly Recipe - Melting moments 12 Ask a nurse - questions from readers 16 Your Story - My miracle baby 19 Make a change 28 Business Directory 30 Kid’s fun 32 Community Noticeboard
October 2013
Articles 10 The Sport of Motherhood - Health tips after birth 13 Eco Mum’s 14 Fostering your child’s development 20 Before baby arrives 23 Mother’s intuition
Special Features 8 Designing the perfect kids room (on a budget) 18 Book review - Where is the Green Sheep? 24 Business tips from a Mumprenuer
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Letter from the Editor Dear Reader, We are excited to announce that Small Steps Parenting Magazine is growing! Thanks to all our readers we are now distributing throughout the Hawkesbury, out to Penrith and Rouse Hill and are not far off spreading into the Hills District. We are so blessed to be getting some wonderful feedback from our readers. With our growth we have now taken on a panel of experts especially for you. These professionals will be available to answer questions you have and support you in your daily life as parents and families. If you have questions please post them on our facebook page or email them through and we will have our experts provide replies through our monthly magazine. This panel will also mean that you will be provided with even more articles to benefit you from these dedicated professionals. With that said I wish to introduce you to Lynne-McKensey Hall our lactation and baby expert, Ruth Bosanquet our midwife and special care nurse, Kirsten Mitchell our expert on fitness and personal training, Abby Fleming our nutritionist and health expert and Michael Voss our financial expert. You can learn more about each of these people on our brand new website which now allows you to download your monthly copies of Small Steps. Until next month...
Julie-Anne England
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Small Steps Parenting Magazine www.smallstepsparenting.com www.facebook.com/smallstepsparenting
Combos Slides Obstacle Castles Slushie Machines Phone: (02) 4571 1240 or 0402 100 681 Email: tomcatjim1@bigpond.com Birthdays/Corporate Events/Preschools/Fetes/Christmas/New Years
SUNDAY 27th OCTOBER
Sunday 27th October
Monthly Recipe
Melting Moments
Ingredients: 125g butter, softened 3/4 cup plain flour 1/3 cup custard powder 1/4 cup icing sugar mixture 60g butter, softened, extra 2/3 cup extra icing sugar mixture 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 160째C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. 2. Use an electric mixer to beat butter until pale and creamy. Add the flour, icing sugar and custard powder and stir to combine using a wooden spoon. 3. Using your hands, roll teaspoonsful of the dough mixture into balls. Place the balls 3cm apart on the lined trays. Use the palm of your hand dusted in icing sugar to gently flatten. 4. Bake in preheated oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside for 30 minutes to cool. 5. Use an electric mixer to beat the extra butter and icing sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the lemon rind and juice and beat until combined. Spread the butter mixture over the bottom side of half the biscuits and sandwich together with remaining biscuits. Would you like to see your recipe featured here? Go to our webpage or facebook and share your favourite recipe with us. 7
Designing the perfect Kid’s room (on a budget)
Bring the room back to a bare minimum if you can. Get rid of any unused toys and clothing that they have grown out of. If they need new furniture, now is a good time to get it. Before you begin, sit down and think about the purpose of the room—what is it going to be used for? This is important as you need to create an environment that works for the needs of the room. For example a baby’s room is going to have a very different purpose than a teenagers room. ~ A baby’s room will be used for sleeping, feeding (bottle or breast), changing and playing ~ A teenager’s room will be for sleeping, studying, spending time with friends etc. Once you have worked out the purpose, plan to meet each of those needs. For a baby you will probably need a cot, a change table, a rocking chair or armchair for feeding, a soft rug for the floor and storage for clothing and toys. Keep this in mind when choosing furniture and storage.
will save you from having to upgrade in a couple of years time.
To save on furniture, try websites such as ebay or gumtree or buy entire settings for good prices from stores such as Fantastic Furniture or IKEA. Make sure you factor in lots of storage. Having a place for everything will help the room to stay clutter free and make it easier for your child to find things as well as pack them away. Also try to choose furniture that will grow with the child. This
Give the room a fresh coat of paint. This will immediately create a fresh canvas on which to create the perfect room. If the child is old enough, allow them to help in the decisions. When choosing paint colours, try and stick with one main colour and then use a couple of others to complement. When placing furniture, organise it around the room so that you maximise the floor space available. Kids spend a large amount of time playing on the floor so keep this in mind. Use boxes (that match your colour theme) to store toys inside cupboards or on bookshelves. Rotate toys every now and then to give the kids some new items to play with. Keep toys that are not being used up high and the current toys within reach. Consider creating a simple feature wall by using a different colour paint, some wall decals or frame some of the child’s artworks for some cheap
Win one of four wall decals for your child’s room - go to our Facebook page to win! 8
decoration. Small Steps has four sets of wall decals to give away. Go to our Facebook page and comment on the wall decal you would like to win under our photos section of giveaways.
If you have stains on the carpet or hard floors, consider buying some cheap carpet offcuts from carpet stores. You should be able to find some colours that match with your theme to give n instant facelift. Bedding does not have to be expensive. Kmart has some gorgeous children’s bedroom sets for very good prices. Choose something that your child will like and that goes with your theme. Then buy a couple of plain coloured throw pillows to add a decorative touch. When thinking window dressings don’t forget about safety. Vertical blinds and curtains often have hanging cord which can pose a strangulation hazard in children. Fix these up high if you have them or choose free hanging curtains without any cords. When purchasing window dressing keep in mind that they are often very expensive. Make
sure to shop around and to save money try to stick to plain coloured dressings so that they don’t need to be updated as the child grows.
Simple items like picture frames, book ends etc, can be given a new lease of life with a coat of paint. Use websites like Pinterest to gain inspiration on what you would like in your child’s room. There are also creative blogs that you can follow with cheap ideas to do with kids and bedrooms etc. Small Steps brand new website is starting its very own blog to keep you inspired with crafts, gift ideas, and home decoration. Check it out on www.smallstepsparenting.com Hang a corkboard to pin up your child’s artworks, birthday invitations and social calendar. Ensure there is good lighting, both from the roof and via a reading or desk lamp, especially if your child is old enough to be doing homework. Lastly, create something your child can be proud of!
The Sport of Motherhood Weighted squatting – sitting down to a couch to feed and standing back up whilst holding an ever growing baby! Unknowingly, applying a bicep curl, when picking up your baby from the cot and or replacing your child down to nap. Engaging in speed and agility in order to catch your little one from tumbling as they learn to use their legs! Not to mention finding your inner core stability and strength when needing to conduct prolonged carrying of a child on all kinds of surfaces…welcome to the Sport of Motherhood! As the prenatal woman requires special consideration in exercising for the health of both mum and bub, new mums and particularly those after subsequent pregnancies also deserve extra attention. Labour is an intense physical experience that we physically develop and gradually prepare for up to 9 months, hence it can sometimes take the same amount of time (if not more!) to fully recover! Postnatal women are increasingly keen to return to exercise very soon after birthing, anxious to lose their “baby weight” and or “get their abs back” and generally the attitude of
waiting 6-8 weeks post- partum to “return to normal” before resuming an exercise regime is inappropriate and may lead to a number of problems including incontinence or back pain. However, with the correct exercise modification, moderate progression and specificity of the individual’s needs, engaging in physical activity can not only be a means to return to being in shape but also, moving well and feeling well! What steps should I take to exercise when post natal? Firstly, take your time to recover from labour whilst adjusting to new routines, emotions, broken sleep and enjoy these early days. Do engage in walking, start off with gentle, short stride walking with the pram or baby in a pouch. Getting out in the fresh air and sunshine is good for both mum and bub. Be aware of any pelvic pain or instability that may have occurred pre or post labour, be sure to speak with your health professional if you do experience this.
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Gradually increase your walking tempo to become more vigorous, including drawing in abdominals and lifting up the pelvic floor plus arm swinging to increase your cardio fitness. As a Mum, we always put our child/ren first…so be as diligent in following up on your own post natal check as you are with your baby’s. During this check up, ask your Doctor to check your abdominal muscles for Diastasis Rectus, commonly referred to as muscle separation. During pregnancy, the abdominals stretch down the midline of the belly with the growth of the baby and post-partum they may not return, resulting in a “mummy tummy” and or a very painful lower back. If muscle separation has occurred, not only will abdominal crunching exacerbate the problem …but no amount of abdominal curls will flatten the tum until the mus-
cles have meshed back together! Seek professional advice from your health or qualified post natal exercise professional. When you are ready to commence more regular and structured exercise, be sure to find an exercise professional which is qualified in post natal programming to guide and train you. Enjoy your little miracle! Roll around the floor with them, crawl or chase after each other, run, jump, skip and relish the opportunity of experiencing childhood again! Written by Kirsten Mitchell, Small Steps Fitness Expert and instructor at Moves to motivate. Learn more about Kirsten on our website at www.smallstepsparenting.com
Did you know…? Did you know..... Laughing gets both sides of the brain working together and helps release potential and increase flexibility of thought. Play a simple game like hide-and-seek with your child. Laugh and have fun. It’s good for both of you! Did you know..... Laughter releases an instant flood of feel-good chemicals that boost the immune system and almost instantly reduce levels of stress hormones. Have fun playing with your baby, massage her; tickle her; play peek-aboo with her. Have a belly laugh with your baby when she has a belly laugh. It’s good for both of you! Did you know.... Children laugh more than 300 times a day, whereas adults laugh less than 20 times a day. Laugh when your child laughs. Let your child lead you in play. Put on your tutu and dance with your little ballerina and have fun and laugh together. It’s good for both of you! Written by Simone Yuen, children’s book author, www.rainbowballs.com.au 11
Ask a Nurse... QUESTION: My baby gets hiccups a lot - is this normal? Babies under 12 months get hiccups frequently and usually don’t seem too distressed by this although it may worry parents. Your baby may get hiccups after a feed and may even bring up a little milk. It is not often possible to prevent hiccups although there are several things you can try which may help such as holding your baby upright for 15 minutes or so after a feed, smaller feeds more frequently or if your baby is bottle feeding try burping baby 2-3 times during a feed. It is also important to make sure that the bottle is tipped up so that the teat is full of milk and the baby is not swallowing air. If a baby gets hiccups during a feed continue to feed him/her as the act of swallowing may in itself assist in stopping them. If you have any concerns about your baby’s heath or behaviour, talk to your early childhood nurse or other health care professional. This answer has been supplied by Ruth Bosanquet, a registered midwife. If you would like one of your questions answered please send us an email or contact us on our facebook page.
Tahlula’s Eclectic Bazaar
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Full set natural $50 Full set French tip $50 Full set glitter tip $55 Natural infills $35 Glitter/French infills $40 Shop A, 487 George Street, South Windsor NSW 2756 Wednesday 9am-2.30pm Tuesday & Thursday by appointment
Australian technician No cheap, nasty products
The rise of eco-parenting A generation ago, not many people worried about climate change, toxic chemicals, allergens or recycling. Today, these things are part of every day life, and inform our decision-making – especially when it comes to our families, our health and concern for the future. Nothing causes us to take greater notice of our own humanity and spending habits than when we become a parent. Suddenly we are responsible for someone else, making decisions that impact their wellbeing, being a guide and role model, and that usually means a shift in perspective and priorities. In February, a UN-sponsored research team reported that man-made chemicals in everyday products are likely to be at least the partial cause of a global surge in birth deformities, hormonal cancers and psychiatric diseases. “We live in a world in which man-made chemicals have become part of everyday life,” said the 28-page report titled “State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals,” issued as a policy guide for governments. EDCs include phthalates used in making plastics flexible. Products made from them include toys, dummies, and cosmetics like deodorants that are absorbed into the body. Another is Bisphenol A, or BPA, which is used to harden plastics and is found in food and beverage containers, including some babies’ bottles. As we become more informed of these dangers, it is no wonder that we are seeking out alternatives to safeguard the health of our families. Our growing awareness of these issues turns into consumer power, too. In 2010, EcoFocus Worldwide, a marketing research consultant, estimated that “the ecoaware moms market includes more than 50 million women, 69% of [all] moms, and has
more than $1.45 trillion in buying power.” When it comes to eco-aware dads, the same study found “91% say it is important for my children to understand the impact they have on the environment based on the choices they make.” Living sustainably is no longer an alternative lifestyle choice. Gone are the days when being eco-conscious came with a stigma of being a smug, muesli-munching hippie. For eco-conscious parents, our motivation is simple: We want healthier, more sustainable options, and we are determined to instil values in our children so they can appreciate where their food and other everyday items come from and have respect for their environment. So whether you’re a parent who has made small changes like using recycled toilet paper, or an eco warrior who has made significant changes to every part of your life, every little thing counts – and “green” is mainstream. Rather than going through life in a cycle of cynicism believing that what you do has no impact, instead we can all do our part, act in line with our values, and pass on some pretty meaningful lessons to our children. As Mahatma Gandhi eloquently put it “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” And now, more than ever, being an eco conscious parent is being that change for future generations. Donna MacMullin is the director of Itty Bitty Greenie, an online shop offering children’s products with a safe and sustainable point of difference. A portion of every sale supports children’s and environmental charities.
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Fostering Your Child’s Development
Children are naturally inquisitive beings. They love to learn and as their parents we can provide an environment that fosters their development. There are five areas of development - physical growth which includes fine motor (small muscles) and gross motor (large muscles), social/emotional, cognitive, language and creative learning. It is important that we create an environment where our children are able to build on all of these areas. Day care centres and preschools cater to these areas but for kids that stay at home we need to provide this opportunity for learning. You may wonder how difficult it is to create time for your child to learn in these areas. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is a lot easier than you think. Below we will briefly discuss each developmental area and give you some examples of ways that you can provide activities to promote growth in these areas. Let’s start with physical development. This 14
is a relatively easy developmental area to cover. To cover gross motor development a child needs room to run, climb and jump and let’s face it, whose child doesn’t? This can be covered simply by playing outside and taking your child to the local park. Add a ball and your child can work on their hand and foot/eye coordination. Fine motor activities include tasks that allow your child to use their fingers. Try activities such as drawing, painting, playdough, lego or small cars on racetracks. Now lets look at social/emotional growth. A child’s social/emotional development is the growth of their social abilities in interacting with other people and their emotional development refers to their control of moods and emotions and how these two go together. A child’s social development can simply be encouraged through simple play dates and time with other people. A child’s emotional development grows through imaginary play. Play when the child pretends to be a mummy
or a daddy, or when the child acts out familiar scenarios such as shopping trips and routines. Also let the child be aware of moods and feelings. Labeling them and role modeling appropriate behavior will allow the child to learn how to control themselves. Try saying “You look happy today with that big smile”. In cognitive development the child uses their brain or memory. Simple things like puzzles and memory games encourage this. Verbalizing things that you have done together in the past are good here, which brings us to language. Language is separated into two areas - verbal and receptive. A child’s verbal skills include their speech and vocabulary. Receptive language means the child’s level of understanding of the language regardless of their speech. Language can be fostered by repeating songs and rhymes and reading books together. The last area is creative. Creative skills are very easily learned at this age but can also be
very easily be damaged. It is important to allow your child to experiment with various creative mediums such as paint, pencils, crayons, playdough etc and not be told how to do something. Just because you draw a flower a certain way doesn’t make it right. Making a child do something a certain way can impede their creative development. Part of creative play can involve sensory activities for your child. Sensory play is most enjoyable for children. Try setting up a water play area, take them to the sand pit, give them playdough to squish or set up some fingerpainting. Each of these things allows the child to learn by touch and play and by providing an environment where these areas are covered you are providing your child with the optimum opportunity to learn and grow. Try to engage with them too at times and get down to their level and play with them…. And most importantly don’t forget to have fun!
We have 25 double passes to giveaway to The Baby & Toddler Show at Sydney Exhibition Centre. To win* simply go to our Facebook page and tell us why you love Small Steps Parenting Magazine.
*winners will be selected at random
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Your Story Ruth’s Story - Memories of kindness As a child growing up, I witnessed the kindness of my father towards others which left an impression that will stay with me forever. My dad was a POW in the second World War and, like many others who served their country, suffered abusive treatment and near starvation. Perhaps his experience made him more aware of the needs of those around him. One such person was a man, whom I always thought was old, but in reality was probably between 38 and 40. He had cerebral palsy and also a cleft palate which in those days was not repaired. Charlie was a delightful man with a keen sense of humour but because of his disability, his speech was difficult to understand and people tended to avoid him for this reason. I recall my dad chatting to Charlie and spending many hours in his company. Because he had no family, Charlie lived in a nursing home populated with very elderly residents, and he welcomed the opportunity to talk with a man nearer his age. One day my dad and mum took Charlie to the zoo. He had never been taken anywhere, being confined to the four walls of his room for years. It was quite a difficult process to get him and his wheelchair into our car, but Charlie had a wonderful day. He so enjoyed seeing the various animals and exhibits and I know my parents were amply rewarded when they saw his enthusiastic response to everything. He had
never eaten a pie so my dad fed him one slowly with a spoon and Charlie loved it. He told dad and mum that it had been the best day of his life. Charlie was a very intelligent person, he enjoyed reading and watching documentaries on TV whenever he had the opportunity. Dad would take him books and Charlie read them eagerly and waited in anticipation for dad to bring him more. One day, during one of his conversations with Charlie, my dad asked him what he would like to do if he had the opportunity. Charlie replied that he would like to write a
book. Back in those days there was no physical therapy for people in Charlie’s situation and because of the cerebral palsy, Charlie’s hands were very contracted and writing for him was not possible, so my dad bought him a typewriter. It was a laborious process, but Charlie persevered and gradually over weeks and months, the book was finally completed. Dad always encouraged him, and proof- read the manuscript. 16
He and Charlie discussed things such as grammatical structure and clarity of presentation. I am sure that the project cemented their friendship to an even greater extent and I know that dad had the utmost respect and admiration for Charlie’s effort and determination. Because I was only a child, I don’t remember what was in the content of the book or whether it ever reached publication or was even read by anyone other than my dad, but I do know that Charlie achieved great satisfaction through his effort. It is so true that all it can take is for one person to believe in the ability of another and to offer help and encouragement to see that person realise their dream and potential. My dad had his own hardships- he suffered depression and what we now know as post traumatic stress disorder, but through his
example, I learned not to judge a person by their appearance and to value the unique gifts that every person has. I really believe that parents can positively influence their children by demonstrating respect and value for others no matter what their background and circumstances. Being a parent is a huge responsibility, showing our children the right way to live will set them up for life. Small Steps Parenting Magazine would love to hear your story about pregnancy, birth, moments of triumph, family stories or inspirational stories. To have your story published please email us at info@smallstepsparenting.com
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Where is the Green Sheep? Book Review Where is the Green Sheep? By Mem Fox and Judy Horacek (Penguin Group) RRP $19.95 ISBN 978 0 670 04149 7 Reviewed by Kelly Ferguson Awarded Early Childhood’s Book of the Year by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Well known author Mem Fox along with author and illustrator Judy Horacek write a fun, colour ful and captivating book for young children. In this book you will find sheep of every colour and talent but there is a mystery to solve. Where is this green sheep? From surfing sheep to moon and star sheep, your children will love every page and grow with excitement to find what has happened to the green sheep. I always recommend reading the same bedtime book for three or four nights. On the first night, read it to your children with them just listening followed by talking about what they liked and disliked about the book. Each time you read the book, encourage your children to join in reading it as well. In this book my children always read ‘But where is the green sheep?’ This book has a predictable reading pattern and with the use of the illustrations, both my four and two year old, are now able to read this independently. Here are a few activities you can do during the week: Make up a song about all the sheep. Children will find it funny and your baby will love it because they enjoy anything that is sung to them! Count how many sheep there are in the story. Make a sheep using paper and cotton wool balls. If you are brave you could even get the paints out! Teach your children the high frequency words (common words they will learn to read and spell when they begin school). The common words in this book are ‘here’ ‘and’ ‘is’ and ‘the’. If you love this book you will love other books written by Mem Fox. Koala Lou, Time for Bed, Hattie and the Fox, Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Possum Magic, Shoes from Grandpa, Wombat Divine, Sleepy Bears and many more. Books by Judy Horacek include: These are my Feet, Yellow is My Favourite Colour, These are my Hands and more. I hope you and your family enjoy this book as much as we do, it’s definitely a favourite! 18
Change
Make a
Here at Small Steps Parenting Magazine we believe that each one of us has the power to make a difference in our world. Make a change is about that. It is about doing one thing each month to make a difference in someone else’s life and create a change in the atmosphere in our own community. October is breast cancer awareness month. Breast cancer affects so many people in our community. If someone hasn’t struggled with the disease themselves, someone close to them has. In order to raise money for breast cancer research Small Steps is running a twilight market in December. We encourage you to be there if you can. We are aiming to raise over $10,000. (See page 24 for more information) You can help by Telling your friends and family about this event and encouraging them to attend Holding a stall at our market to help directly raise funds. Holding a morning tea or a girl’s night in (see the Cancer Council’s website to register) Doing something for someone you know who has been touched by this disease maybe cook a meal, babysit the kids or offer to give them a manicure. Have your kids draw a picture for someone to tell them they care
Do you know someone who has been affected by cancer? This doesn’t necessarily mean they have been diagnosed with it themselves, they may have a husband with it, or a parent, or even a child. We would like to help. Small Steps is going to bless someone in the community with a makeover to show them that they are special. This makeover will include a massage, hair style, make-up, nails and a photo shoot. If you know someone who needs this, please send us an email at info@smallstepsparenting.com Emails can be submitted throughout October and November. We would love to hear how you have helped someone in your community or hear how someone has made a difference to you. Please write to us and share your story. 19
Before Baby Arrives... When it comes to breastfeeding your baby, it’s all about debunking the myths. Old wives’ tales like conditioning your nipples, timing feeds, formula top-ups, putting up with pain, and thinking your baby is using you as a dummy. None of it’s true and I’ve got the science to prove it. It might surprise you to know a couple of very simple, fundamental truths about breastfeeding. The first is that painless positioning and comfortable attachment will go a long way towards solving most breastfeeding issues. The second is that, as a human being (especially as a newborn), your baby needs to feed, feed, feed! In over thirty years experience in nursing, midwifery, nurse education and lactation management I’ve seen my fair share of newborns and mothers, women who breastfeed in pain and mothers who give up breastfeeding because they think it’s their only alternative. I had breastfeeding issues with my own children. It hap pens! As an IBCLC, I can tell you that there are breastfeed ing options for almost every mother/baby situation. I see women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, diabetes and hypoplastic breasts; women with multiples, adoptive and surrogate babies; women who want to tandem feed or express breast milk for their babies instead of having them at the breast and women who have breastfed their babies well past toddlerhood! Women and their babies should be able to breastfeed for as long as they desire. Here are some of my secrets... Find out all you need to know BEFORE you have your baby. Preparing for the delivery of your baby often over shadows your thoughts about breastfeeding and planning for the early weeks at home after the birth. The information in the first of my series of eight booklets, Before Baby Arrives provides ideas and suggestions many parents of new borns I see wish they had known before they had their baby. Family support for you with your baby is very helpful especially in the early weeks at home. Partners are keen to help but maybe unsure what that help can be while you breast feed your baby. Book seven Partners provides information about the baby with suggestions and ideas for them to help as you both adapt to your role as parents. 20
Members of your family particularly parents and in-laws maybe keen to help especially with ‘helpful advice’. Science has discovered much about the breast, milk production and how our baby’s brains work. As a result I know approaches to breastfeeding and settling babies will be no doubt very different to how your mother or mother-in-law breastfed or ‘wasn’t able to feed’. This can be ‘tricky’ as their well meaning advice will be different to the breastfeeding advice you will receive from the midwives or IBCLC in hospital. Having worked with families in the home for many years I am well aware of the tensions this may cause. Book eight in my series Grandparent and Carers was written for anyone caring for you and your baby so they understand and support your parenting style, breastfeeding and settling techniques. They will be
amazed with some of the changes thanks to science! Give them one each as a present before you have the baby so everyone is ‘on the same page’ Let these booklets or any others in the series be your go-to guides for what to do for as well as for everything else in-between. Good Luck and get help early with any breastfeeding or settling issues so they don’t become real problems. Written by Lynne-McKensey Hall RN,RM, MN (Ed) IBCLC . Lynne is Small Steps Parenting Magazine’s lactation and baby expert and author of the Breastfeeding and Baby Matters book series. To learn more about Lynne please visit our website at www.smallstepsparenting.com
Ph: 0419 245 966 or email lynne@betterbeginnings.com.au
Kick the old wives’ tales to the kerb with Lynne-McKensey Hall’s sensible, practical and science-based
Breastfeeding and Early Parenting Guides. Purchase each booklet in the Breastfeeding and Baby Matters series separately or as a set.
Before Baby arrives Baby’s arrival Breastfeeding Issues and the Unexpected Expressing Returning to Work Partners Grandparents and Carers Multiple, Pre-term, Adoptive and Surrogate Babies and Relactating
Lynne-McKensey Hall Order at www.betterbeginnings.com.au 21
Business tips from a Mumprenuer Ever wondered what it would be like to run your own business? Maybe you dream about being your own boss. Here we talk with Lisa, the talented owner of business Tutti Frutti Lolly Buffets about why she does what she does and the pros and cons of being a mumprenuer. What made you decide to start your own business? I wanted to spend my time doing something I enjoyed & not just working to get paid. Why did you choose Lolly Buffets? As we all know, life is not all rainbows & lollipops!! So I decided to start my own business that was my own little slice of heaven with lots of lollipops & rainbow colours. Our business name says it all ‘Tutti Frutti Lolly Buffets’ Did being a mum influence your business choice? Yes definitely, I am also a home based business so I find that helps me to juggle the business, home, mum, taxi role. I knew from the beginning that as my business grew so would my two girls and I’m hoping that they will also love being part of my wonderful business and join me one day (At the moment they just want to live in the ‘LOLLY ROOM’ and eat all the profits!!)
and pieces to keep on top of everything and to spend more time with my family too.
How long did it take for you to feel like your business was making headway? It took 10 months (after a lot of advertising, bridal expos & networking with other businesses too) but then it really started to take off. After you are more known, your customers talk to their friends & family and refer you onto them as well and on it goes from there. Having a good website and staying What are the pros and cons of working for active on Facebook has also helped my busiyourself? ness grow as well. I received my first big I love working for myself & making the de- break at 14 months when I was approached cisions, bringing my ideas to life. by the Wedding Co-ordinator at ‘Luna Park It is great working hard to create fantastic Weddings’ to be their Preferred Lolly Buffet buffets, then seeing the results & watching it Supplier. This ongoing partnership will grow. The hardest part to running my busibenefit my business and is just wonderful. ness is all the extra time I put into emails, putting ribbons & personalised stickers onto What is the hardest thing about running your lolly bags/boxes & heaps more…. that I do own business? behind the scenes. I put a lot of extra hours I love setting up Lolly Buffets for my cusin when my family is sleeping, doing bits tomers it is so much fun & very rewarding, 22
Another great FREE government site is Business.gov.au It has a wonderful HOW-TO-GUIDE to start up a new business and much more. The ATO offers a lot of FREE advice, packs & small business information to help you get started. Start thinking about a business name & check with ASIC to make sure it is not already a registered business name. Asic.gov.au or 1300 300 630 (Everything through ASIC is now done on the Internet- Once you know your name is available you will need to complete an application to register your business name) Do you have any tips for any mums out there Next is to Contact the ATO (Australian who are thinking of starting their own busiTaxation Office) to apply for your ABN nesses? which is a very simple process. Yes!! A very wise professional woman told Ato.gov.au or 132 866 me to live my life in this order; The rest is up to you. Plan, Plan, Plan. FAMILY, HEALTH, SELF, WORK!!! I try Work smart & have fun too. It is not goto stick to this myself most days. The other ing to happen overnight, but if you build necessity is to save as much as you can to it, it will grow. kick start your business, I did this for 5 Sweet Regards months before I put myself out there as I Lisa Hitchens needed a lot of materials, a website etc. to Tutti Frutti Lolly Buffets begin. You do not need to be well off to start (see her ad on page 26) a business you just need to be head strong & organised with your finances. Do not be scared, change is what makes us grow, be excited as this is a ‘NEW BEGINNING’ for you & your family. so it really hasn’t been too hard at all. But to start off with getting all my stock together to be able to set up a variety of different lolly buffets was very expensive & time consuming as I had to source a lot of suppliers & to be honest I still am (I am continually improving my range and adding new lines & products). I have found that if I write every idea/bill/appointment/enquiry down I am fine. The key to running any business I believe is to be ORGANISED!! I prioritise everything & some things take longer than others but I eventually get there & don’t forget to do anything as it’s all written down.
LISA’S TOP 5 TIPS Do a Business Plan (This will be the foundation for your business for many years to come) Penrith BEC in Henry st, Penrith has a NEIS programme as well as a 6 week ‘Small Business Management’ course that is run several times a year for low income earners that is fantastic or you can do a 12 month Cert IV course at TAFE. CONTACT: Michael Todd on (02) 47215011 www.penrithsmallbiz.com.au 23
Artwork designed and donated by Stacey Pegrem
McQuade Park Twilight Market
Sat 7th December 2pm-7pm Raising money for Breast Cancer Research Petting Zoo Jumping Castle
Stalls Food
Band Plenty of fun for all!
Plus join us for the World’s biggest community colouring in!! Cnr Hawkesbury Valley Way & George Street, Windsor
Mother’s intuition They call it “mother’s intuition” - that sense inside of a woman that there is something more than the eye can see. It is awakened in any woman with children in her care and once it is there it is there for life. So why do we have this so called “sixth sense”? I believe it is our gift that comes with motherhood. But do we all have this instinct, and what do we do about it? Do we ignore that feeling deep down telling us that our child “just isn’t themselves” or do we risk being called a fussy parent? Many mother’s report times when their mother’s instinct kicked in and they were able to save their child from harm. Many mum’s also tell of times when they knew something was wrong with their unborn baby, even when doctor’s reports said otherwise. I felt my own mothering instinct kick in when I was 37 weeks pregnant. I felt worried about my baby all day although I wasn’t sure why. After speaking with my mum I decided to go to the hospital and get checked out. My baby hadn’t moved much that day. Even after having a CTG to check my baby’s heartbeat didn’t ease the feeling that something was wrong. A doctor soon confirmed that my baby was in distress. An emergency caesarean soon showed us why - the placenta had died. The doctor told me that if we had been even 10 minutes later getting the baby out, she would have died. After hearing from our readers, many similar stories have emerged. Some people don’t believe in “mother’s instinct”, other’s don’t really give it much thought.
Recently there was the sad account of a young boy in Western Sydney who was taken repeatedly to the doctor by his mother. The doctor kept telling her that her son was fine against her insistence that he wasn’t his usual self and appeared to be in pain. Tragically the boy was soon diagnosed with appendicitis but they were unable to operate on time and he died. I know as mother’s (and father’s) we can often overreact when it comes to our children. I know that we were created with an amazing ability to protect and care for our young. And I know that I would rather be branded a “fussy” mother by getting my child checked over a few too many times than risk the chance that there is really something wrong. After all, these little gifts are the most precious we will ever be given… shouldn’t we take that extra care?
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Business Directory Card classes and kids craft classes
STAMPIN UP… With MJ Contact Maryanne for more information stampinwithmj@gmail.com Or phone 0478 193 254
Playtime Plasters Birthday & X-Mas packs available Quality plaster activity packs Paints & brushes included
Windsor Mall Craft Market
qualityplastercasts@hotmail.com 0433 018922
Kids wear Gift ideas Cute accessories Baby Shower
www.angelbabes.com.au
Perfect for Weddings Baby Showers Parties Contact Lisa 0416 030 584 tuttifruttibuffets@gmail.com
Advertise your business here for as little as $45 a month
Kids Fun!
Learn to draw‌. a lion!
Start by drawing the top of the head, the ears and the mane
Add the rest of the face, Start the nose, add teeth the lower jaw and a line and draw in the front legs for the legs
Draw in the back legs, the eyes and the line across the nose
Add the tail and the hair Finally, draw some at the end of it whisker dots on the face, the inner ears and claws
We would love to see your drawings. Post them on our Facebook page for us to see! 30
Community Free Parenting Groups phone: 4560 5714 for details Walk & Talk: a pram walking group for Hawkesbury’s Parents & Grandparents Meet & Greet: an information and support group for first time parents with babies 0-12 weeks Sleep & Settling: sessions for babies 0-6 months Approaching Toddlerhood: including sleep, nutrition, behaviour, development, play, learning
Early Childhood Health Services for the Hawkesbury Community Free early childhood services are available throughout the district for families living in the Hawkesbury LGA & Londonderry.
(02) 4560 5714 www.hdhs.com.au
Our playgroup is open to all mums, dads and carers. Join us during the school term from 10am-12pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Lots of variety for parents and kids with some fun day trips now and then. Call us on 0414 377 266
Scribbles Playgroup is held at the Church Vineyard in the Sunbeams Room. Cnr Windsor and Brenan Dams Road, Vineyard. Check out our webpage: www.scribblesplaygroup.com
Noticeboard
Feeding, Immunisation and Early Childhood Development Clinics phone: 4560 5714 for details
(02) 4560 5714 www.hdhs.com.au
Rhyme Time @ Central Library Windsor Every Monday 10am (except during school holidays) Rhymes, songs and craft for 18 months to 3 years. Session runs for about 45 minutes, siblings welcome. FREE - No bookings required
2 Day St Windsor (02) 4560 5714 www.hdhs.com.au
Preschool Storytime Windsor every Tuesday @ 11am Richmond every Thursday @ 11am (except School Holidays) Themed stories, rhymes and craft for 3 to 5 years. Session runs for about 60 minutes, siblings welcome. FREE - No bookings required Central Library Windsor Richmond Branch Library
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All articles in Small Steps are for editorial purposes and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. Small Steps does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content, or advertisements contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded, or accessed through this magazine or the corresponding website or facebook page, nor the quality of any products, information or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an advertisement or any other information. In no event shall Small Steps be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages of any kind whatsoever with respect to the service, the materials, and the products. You are encouraged to exercise discretion while browsing the Internet. No part of this publication or the corresponding website is to be copied or reproduced without permission.
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Don’t miss next month...
Plus… Thanksgiving crafts and recipes 39
Handmade and quality children’s products
Fabric dolls Quality gift items
Plush toys Baby and toddler clothing
www.angelbabes.com.au www.facebook.com/myangelbabes