The Dirty Diaper - Parents Centres New Zealand Inc

From the Editor
The Dirty Diaper
Issue 69
BAYS NORTH HARBOUR PARENTS CENTRE
Well ladies and gents, this is my last newsletter as editor!
It’s been an absolute pleasure putting this newsletter together for you for the last 3
years. During that time I’ve gone from a new Mum with a 6 month old to an old
Mum (some days anyway!) with a 4 year old and 18 month old. So much change in
such a short time. And it’s time for change again...Kindy is now looking for volun‐
teers!
Jo Hayes has volunteered for the role and is very excited and looking forward to
putting together her first issue for June/July
As my last “From the Editor” I’d like to emphasis my messages over the last year or
so. Enjoy this journey of parenthood as much as you can, some days are tough but
tomorrow is always fresh start! Relax and soak up this special time with your little
ones. I’ve been watching Nigel Latta’s “Guide to Parenting Teens” on TV1 and not
only is he hilarious, but man, do we have a job ahead of us! Gross nappies and pu‐
reed food on the floor sounds quite easy to deal with suddenly. Have a great ride!
Karen Whackett ‐ Outgoing Editor
April/May 2011
North Shore Parent Centre’s
Course Spotlight
Dad’s Only (O)
Chris Morris from Jumping Beans has
kindly offered us his time, expertise and
equipment to have a Saturday morning
class just for Dads and their crawlers/
toddlers. Chris is going to teach Dad’s
some excellent tips for playing with their
little people using the specialist
equipment he uses for his own business.
Toddlers, Tantrums and Timeouts (B)
Laura Morley teacher and mother of 3
will share strategies and tips for how to
reduce and deal with toddler tantrums.
Focusing on how to effectively use
timeout to teach toddlers boundaries.
See page 4 for details

Welcome
to the
world
Baby!
COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS
What’s On In April
Every Tuesday and Friday at the Bruce Mason Centre is
Mums n Kids Magical Story Time from 10am. $5
2nd: Beach Day Out at Cheltenham Beach & Balmain Reserve
Beach games ‐ Sandcastle and mudcastle contests, gumboot
toss, bury your friend, facepainting and preschool play area.
From 11am ‐ 2pm
3rd: APO 4 Kids at the Bruce Mason Centre. The orchestra's
fun packed pre‐schoolers' concert is from 10.30am ‐ 12noon
6th: Mummy Morning at Westfield Glenfield from 10.30am.
Goodie bags for 40 random attendees (register on the day).
There are nannies on hand to help keep your under 5
occupied while you enjoy a free coffee!
26th‐29th: Monty's Birthday Carnival ‐ Monty at the Zoo at
Westfield Shore City at 1.30pm. Bring your children to meet
Monty and his mates.
What’s On In May
4th: Mummy Morning at Westfield Glenfield from 10.30am.
Goodie bags for 40 random attendees (register on the day).
There are nannies on hand to help keep your under 5
occupied while you enjoy a free coffee!
7th: Stanley Bay School Gigantic Garage Sale and Family Fun
Day from 8am to 2pm. Don't miss the North Shore's biggest
ever garage sale combined with a not‐to‐miss Family Fun
Day.
8th: Mother’s Day High Tea at Stafford Villa from 2.30pm.
Spoil Mum this Mother's Day, step back in time, indulge your
taste buds and experience a time gone by with a glass of
French bubbles on arrival, dainty sandwiches, sweet treats,
gourmet savouries, buttermilk scones with berry jams and
crème all served on traditional tiered plates.
To book call 418 3022 or email rest@staffordvilla.co.nz
Debbie & Trevor Glass Abby Jana Lee‐Gibbs & Richard Gibbs Heidi
Lisa Gaines & Matthew Wall Ava Katrina & Brendon Hosken Hunter
Philippa Hayward & Bevan Crothers Benjamin Nicole & Alan MacKinven Isla
Kirsty McAlpine & Mark Wilson Cade Carole & Scott Oliver Jack
Simone O'Meara & Aaron Warner Caitlin Samantha & Philip Yearbury Jasmine
Lisa & Greg Hope Callum Melanie & Brad Norman Jesse
Rebecca Grieve & Ricky Smith Casey Sandra & Dave Fowler Jonathan
Kristin & Peter Hadley‐Helleur Charlotte Kim Martin & Antoine Fowler Liam
Rachelle Luxford & Daniel Barrett Chloe Rachel & Kevin Enderby Max
Helen Robertson & Andrew Ross Eli Natalia Kulikova & Jeff Pringle Max
Keryn Dale Elyse Karena & Todd Brannigan Molly
Sarah & John Greenwood Emily Susan & Adrian Price Oscar
Philippa & Evan Bateup Emma Stephanie & Carl Larcombe Paige
Amanda & Matt Green Ethan Nicola & Jason Kendrick Reilly
Helen Linane Felix Andrea & Duane Read Riley
Emma & Justin Guy George Jennifer & Brent Bowden Samuel
Bronwyn & Karl O'Connell
Page 2
Georgina Aileen & Richard Collins Sean

VOLUNTEERING
If you would like to help out our Centre in any way please get
in contact, we’re a volunteer organisation and we’re all
Mums and Dads just like you! We’re a friendly bunch and by
helping out you’ll meet new people who are also on this
parenting journey and maybe keep your skills up while you’re
off work or learn new skills. And we have tea, coffee and
cookies at our meetings! .
We are currently in need of volunteers to help with the
following roles:
• Website Administrator
• Antenatal Support
Email bays.nth.harbour@ parentscentre.org.nz for more
BAYS NORTH HARBOUR PARENTS CENTRE NEWS
Committee News
We would like to welcome three new volunteers to our
committee. A big hello to Jo Hayes (Newsletter Editor), Taina
Smith (CBE Coordinator Support) and Rachelle Barrette (Tiny
Tums Convenor) . Thanks for volunteering your time.
Sarah Marsh is now focusing on our other Parent Education
courses and seminars, you can now contact her at
bnhpcparented@gmail.com.
Thank you to Jolene Stewart who has stepped down from
her role as CBE Support, we wish you all the best and thanks
for your time.
Our committee meetings are held on the second Tuesday of
each month and if you’re keen to come along and find out
some of the inner workings of our Centre you are more than
welcome. Email Caroline at bnhpcsecretary@gmail.com.
Premmie Kit
Bays North Harbour Parents
Centre has a set of premature
baby clothing to lend to families
for those unexpected early
arrivals. If you find yourself in
this situation, please contact
Kay, our CBE Coordinator, who
will send some clothing your way to tide you over.
Contact Kay to borrow: baysnorthcbe@gmail.com
Work and family: in a nutshell
Returning to work after the birth of your child can be
challenging. You might feel excited or nervous about
rejoining the work force, guilty at leaving your child, or
stressed about managing the extra workload.
Tips for returning to work
•Think about what your new routine will be like and
introduce changes before you go back to work.
•Have some ‘practice separations’ from your child before
you return to work, perhaps leaving her with her new carer
for short periods.
•Plan catch‐up times with your partner.
•Check what family‐friendly policies and provisions are
available in your workplace.
•Try not to take your work home with you at night.
•Ease the morning rush by preparing as much as possible the
night before.
•Make cooking easier by freezing extra portions or trying
quick and easy family recipes.
•Keep an eye on your stress levels.
This article is an extract only. For more information visit
raisingchildren.net.au/work__family/work_and_family.html
Sourced from the Raising Children Network's comprehensive
and quality‐assured Australian parenting website.
Page 3

Page 4
PARENT EDUCATION
Bays North Harbour Parents Centre
Toddlers, Tantrums and Timeouts
This seminar is designed for parents wanting ideas to deal
with 1‐3 year old behaviour. Laura Morley teacher and
mother of 3 will share strategies and tips for how to reduce
and deal with toddler tantrums. Focusing on how to
effectively use timeout to teach toddlers boundaries.
Next course: Wednesday 6th April 7.30pm ‐ 9.30pm
Cost: $20 for members ($25 non‐members)
To enrol email bnhpcparented@gmail.com
Baby Sign
This 2 hour workshop will introduce you to the basics of
teaching baby sign language to your hearing child.
You will be shown how gestures and signs are a natural part
of the way we communicate and that using this tool can help
reduce frustration and tantrums.
Next course: May 2011 TBC
Cost: $30 for members ($40 non‐members)
For more information email bnhpcparented@gmail.com
Tiny Tums
Formerly the Munching session of “Moving & Munching”
Dr Cathy Conlon is a Mum and lecturer in Nutrition at Massey
University. Her area of expertise is in Infant Nutrition
including Paediatric Nutrition and Nutrition of Premature
babies.
Cathy will cover introducing solids and appropriate nutrition
for your infant until they reach the toddler stage. She will also
answer any questions you may have in an open discussion
format.
For parents of babies 4 months+
Next course: Wednesday 6th April 1pm ‐ 2.30pm
Wednesday 15th June 1pm ‐ 2.30pm
Cost: $15 for members ($20 non‐members)
To enrol email bnhpcmoveandmunch@gmail.com
Tinies to Tots
Wendy Perera is a mum and trained early childhood teacher.
Her comprehensive one hour seminar will cover fine and
gross motor skills, language and literacy, and social and
emotional development. It promises to be full of practical
tips and fun ideas.
If you would like to know more about ‐ Walking, Ball Skills,
Reading, Language acquisition, Meal Times, Bath Time,
Temper Tantrums, Attachment Theory, and Age appropriate
toys then you won't want to miss this course.
Next course: Thursday 7th July 7.30pm ‐ 8.30pm
Cost: $15 for members ($20 non‐members)
To enrol email bnhpcparented@gmail.com
North Shore Parents Centre Classes
Onewa & Waitemata Parents Centres
Dad’s Only (O)
Lots of Mum’s get to take their little ones to gym or Jumping
Beans but very few Dads get that opportunity as lots of them
are working.
Chris Morris from Jumping Beans has kindly offered us his
time, expertise and equipment to have a Saturday morning
class just for Dads and their crawlers/toddlers. Chris is going
to teach Dad’s some excellent tips for playing with their little
people using the specialist equipment he uses for his own
business.
Due to the practical nature of the course, spaces are limited.
Next course: Saturday 21st May 10.30am ‐ 12.30pm
Cost: $20 for members ($30 non‐members)
To enrol email opcparented@gmail.com
First Aid and CPR (O)
For all parents and other care givers, this course covers CPR
on both toddler and adult dummies, and other basic first aid
likely to be required in families with Toddlers.
Next course: Tuesday 12th April 7pm ‐ 9pm
Cost: $15 for members ($30 for non‐members)
To enrol email opcparented@gmail.com
Sleep and Toilet Training (O)
Discussions and advice on sleep problems such as changing
from a cot to a bed, waking at night, coming out of the
bedroom.
Also when and how to toilet train your child, including signs of
readiness.
Bring your questions and issues for open discussion and
receive tips from our speaker, Marie‐Louise, and other
parents
Next course: Tuesdays 26th April 7pm ‐ 9pm
Cost: $15 for members ($30 non‐members)
To enrol email opcparented@gmail.com
Speech and Language Development (O)
For parents of 6‐18 month olds, this course covers the
development of language skills, strategies to facilitate
language acquisition and how feeding fits in with speaking.
Next course: Tuesday 24th May 7pm ‐ 9pm
Cost: $15 for members ($30 non‐members)
To enrol email opcparented@gmail.com

Barnados Parent Helpline (9-5 Mon-
Fri)
Bottle Feeding Support ($1.99/min
0800 472 7368
Mon-Thurs 12-3pm) 0900 59955
Healthline 0800 611 116
Immunisation Advisory
La Leche League (Breastfeeding
0800 IMMUNE
Support) 846 0752
Man Alive (Support for Dads) 835 0509
Plunket Car Seat Hire 486 3614
Plunket Family Centre 489 9778
PlunketLine (24hrs) 0800 933 922
Womens & Childrens Refuge (24hrs) 410 6736
PARENT SUPPORT
Hi Mums and Dads,
My name is Sarah and I am
currently studying to become
a Childbirth Educator. I am
also a mum to Isabelle 2 ½
and expecting a little boy in
April 2011. I have been a
volunteer with the Bays
North Harbour Parent centre
for the past 2 years and it has
been through the people I
have met and things I have
learnt about pregnancy and
birth during this time that I
have been encouraged to pursue this study.
An important part of our course is to support 2 women
through the last weeks of their pregnancy, the birth of
their baby, and for 6 weeks post‐birth. My participation
in the birth could be purely observational, or I could
offer myself as additional support to yourself or your
partner in whatever capacity you feel comfortable.
Post‐birth support is a particular passion of mine and
given that I am expecting a baby myself shortly I think it
would be a wonderful opportunity to form a friendship
with another new mum.
If you would be open to having a student observe your
birth or would like extra support and friendship during
this time I would love to hear from you. Please feel free
to contact me on 475 9572 to discuss it further.
The Post Natal Distress Support Network Trust has now
made their Post Natal Support Group available
on the North Shore, Glenfield.
Post Natal Distress Support Network Trust
offers free support services for
postnatal depression. They offer a
support group, telephone support, and
drop–in support.
The Post Natal Support Group is a gentle, safe
environment for you to be with other women who have
similar experiences and feelings. It is a time for you to
share what’s going on for you, if you wish. There is no
expectation that you have to share, you can just come
and listen if that feels right. You can attend as often as
you feel you need to and you can be from anywhere in
Auckland.
You do not need a referral from your doctor or any
other practitioner or specialist. All of our services are
free.
For information about the time and day of the North
Shore Support Group please contact their offices on 836
6967. The Post Natal Distress Support Network Trust
offices are at 2 Claude Brooks Dve, Henderson. Their
website is www.postnataldistress.org.nz
Page 5

Breastfeeding Tips from Huggies.co.nz
◊ Try to offer your baby your breast as soon
as you can after giving birth, even in the
delivery room if this is possible
◊ Limit the amount of visitors you have right
after you give birth so there are ample
opportunities for you to bond with and
nurse your baby
◊ Breastfeed for as long as necessary. Some
newborns may need up to 45 minutes to
complete a feed
◊ Try not to restrict the amount of time or
frequency of breastfeeding
◊ Don’t try to breastfeed a crying baby. Calm
your baby down first and then start to
breastfeed
◊ If your nipples are sore or cracked try a
soothing ointment or balm. Make sure it’s
non‐toxic and specifically for breastfeeding
mums. Some mums find their own breast
milk soothes sore nipples
◊ When your baby is finished nursing or you
need to reposition, put your little finger
into the corner of your baby’s mouth to
release the sucking, this will save your
nipples!
Page 6
◊ Long before you start breastfeeding you
should quit smoking as it can make the
milk taste bad for your baby
◊ Try to avoid underwire bra’s whilst
breastfeeding as these can cause infection
◊ Breastfeeding is important to your baby’s
health. If you are having difficulties with
breastfeeding, there are many
breastfeeding support groups and nurses
out there who can work with you to solve
your breastfeeding problems so you can
enjoy this wonderful part of being a
mother.
◊ If your baby turns his head away from your
nipple, gently stroke his face (on the side
closest to you). This will cause your baby to
face towards your nipple. To get your baby
to open his mouth, gently rock him
towards and then away from your nipple.
When your baby’s mouth is open wide,
gently move him towards your breast (chin
first). You need to make sure that your
baby’s bottom lip and tongue make
contact with your breast first. Once he
latches on, hold him firmly against your
breast.
DON’T TRY TO
BREASTFEED A
CRYING BABY.
CALM YOUR
BABY DOWN
FIRST

Funky stuff for cool kids
10% off purchases from
3wisemonkeys.co.nz
Quote the code when ordering
Home help for new parents &
newborn nappy hire kits. Free
postage on nappy hire kits. For
more details see pepsicles.co.nz.
Please quote “in the subject when emailing them
10% off Naturopharm homeopathic products at
Pharmacy @ Apollo (Apollo Health Centre) with
membership card.
MEMBER DISCOUNT SCHEME
NEW! The YMCA North Shore is offering North Shore Parents Centre members a 10%
discount on their y‐kids term programmes: Preschool (2‐5 year olds) & Afterschool (5‐12
year olds) Gymnastics, and Dance classes.
For more information call YMCA North Shore on 480 7099 or visit their website
www.ymcaauckland.org.nz/find‐your‐ymca/ymca‐northshore and click on their “Term
Programmes” link.
YMCA North Shore can be found on Akorange Dve, Northcote and recently reopened
after extensive renovations.
Present your Parents Centre membership card at
Devonport Lingerie and receive 10% discount on
Maternity Products. Shop 3 The Arcade, 13
Victoria Road, Devonport
Solids Starter Kit' 15% off
purchases at
www.mumiandbubi.co.nz.
Please enter the following voucher code in the
shopping cart:
Your first choice in baby gear.
20% discount with coupon on special
member shopping days
Would you like to add your business to our scheme? Please email us at baysnorthharbour@gmail.com
Baby play and learning: in a nutshell
Playing with babies helps them develop a
sense of themselves and their place in the
world. Playtime starts from birth, when
everything is new.
•Babies learn by cause and effect – they
learn that when they shakes a rattle it
makes a noise.
•Introduce new toys one at a time, to help
your baby develop learning and attention
skills.
•Your job is to create a safe and stimulating
environment where baby can explore and
learn.
Baby games
•Make lots of noise together.
•Make reading together a special time.
•Try simple games such as pat‐a‐cake,
peekaboo and ‘This little piggy’. Tickle your
baby’s tummy or blow raspberries.
•Build up a collection of simple but safe
odds and ends for your baby to play with.
This article is an extract only. For more
information visit raisingchildren.net.au/
play__learning/babies_play_learning.html
Page 7

don't be fooled by
labels with 'light' or
'lite' ‐ it doesn't
mean that they are
lower in fat
Page 8
Food Labels ‐ What Do They Mean?
There are no simple things to look for when
you're choosing snacks for the lunch box.
But, by understanding these rules food
labels can actually become a source of
useful information.
By law all food manufactures have to
include a food information table on the
product. This provides the full nutritional
breakdown ‐ for example the amount of
kilojoules/calories, fat, sugar and protein
etc and it also provides a full ingredient list
(i.e. what actually goes into the product
during manufacturing). This information,
although a tad overwhelming when you
don't know what you are looking at, can
actually help you find out if a food is
healthy or not.
Here are some simple rules for reading
food labels:
• Calories and Kilojoules are both measures
of the amount of energy in a product.
They basically mean the same thing but
are just different units of measure just like
grams or milligrams. There are 4.2 kJ to 1
calorie (so if you are looking at the calorie
amount times it by 4.2 to get it into
kilojoules).
• Always look at the 100g or the 100ml
column on the back of the product. All
food items must have this column
somewhere on the label and it makes it
much easier to compare the nutritional
values between two products. This is
probably the most important of all tips!
• Choose the product with the least amount
of saturated fat, sodium and sugar per
100g or 100ml, it helps to look at all three.
• Sodium and salt are the same thing!
Sodium is just the technical word for
salt...so don't let it confuse you.
• Ideally, look for foods that have 120mg
per 100g or less of salt (sodium). Choose
foods and drinks with less than 15g per
100g or less of sugar. The reality is that in
our society today kids get much more
than the ideal intake of both sugar and
salt.
• Some food labels don't split out sugars so
don't be fooled...just because it doesn't
give a sugar amount doesn't meant that it
doesn't contain sugar. The sugar content
is sometimes expressed as part of the
total carbohydrate level. A simple rule to
work out the amount of sugar is to look at
the carbohydrate total and subtract any
fibre or probiotic values. The rest is
sugar!
• 1 teaspoon of sugar = 4g. This is a nice
way to visual the amount of sugar in a
product.
• To be called low fat a food must contain
3g or less of fat per 100g or less than 1.5g
per 100ml for a liquid.
• A warning...don't just focus on fat ‐ pay
close attention to the sugar content too
as some low fat/lite foods are very high in
sugar to achieve a good taste.
• To be considered fat‐free, food must have
0.15g of fat or less per 100g or 100ml.
Remember fat is not ALL bad, kids need a
certain amount of fat in their diet for
normal growth and development. The
key like everything else is moderation!
Try to opt for the healthy fats where you
can, this will help to reduce the amount
of saturated fat in their diet.
• Remember to look on the label for
important nutrients like fibre, calcium,
protein, iron and vitamins. Sometimes it
is worth having a slightly higher fat or
kilojoule snack if it means it is providing
your child with these other important
things. A good example here is yoghurt
which is packed with calcium, protein and
other bone building nutrients.
• When you look at a food label look at the
recommended serving size. Some
products give information for a single
serve but the full bottle actually equates
to 2 serves. This can be misleading as you
end up getting double the amount of fat,
salt, sugar and kilojoules. Energy or
cordial prepackaged drinks are a common
culprit.
• Don't be fooled by labels with 'light' or
'lite' ‐ it doesn't mean that they are lower
in fat or kilojoules. Sometimes this can
just be referring to the flavour ‐ i.e. Olive
oil.
• 'No added sugar' does not mean that a
food or drink is sugar free. In New
Zealand this means that there is no added
sucrose (a particular type of sugar), but it
may still contain other types of sugar.
Sugar is sugar...our bodies can't
differentiate between the different types
of sugar so it is best to focus on the total
amount of sugar consumed where
possible.
Article Source: www.yumyumkids.co.nz

Silent Night? Sample from the book Call Me Dad
Now that you are two plus baby, you’ll
develop a different understanding and
appreciation of the meaning of sleep which
will continue over the next few years. We
recommend wearing your ‘sleep is for the
weak’ T‐shirt and smiling when you’re tired.
By the way, sleep issues tend to come back
several times when your baby hits certain
developmental milestones. For most
babies, most problems are reasonably
short‐lived, and there will come a time
(even though you won’t believe it when
you’re pacing up and down at three in the
morning) that your child will sleep
peacefully all night long.
But, to begin with . . .
THE FIRST NIGHT
Amazingly, there is a good chance that your
first night with the baby will be great,
mainly because the baby will be so
knackered from the birth that she sleeps for
many hours on end, allowing everyone else
to get some much needed rest. If this is not
the case for you, don’t worry about it: you
might as well get used to restless nights.
. . . AND BEYOND
Typically the second or third nights after
the birth can be very challenging as the
baby now demands full attention and will
definitely let you know when he’s hungry
or unhappy about something. As you’ll
discover, babies are equipped with a
perfect mechanism for letting you know
exactly what they need:
What the baby wants to tell you:
I’m still dealing with the after‐effects
of birth – my head hurts.
I’m hungry.
I’m tired but can’t settle.
I’ve got colic.
My nappy is full.
I don’t like all these people and
noises.
I’m not comfortable in my current
position.
I’m too hot/too cold.
Nothing is wrong.
How the baby tells you:
Cries a lot.
Cries a lot.
Cries.
Cries a lot.
Cries.
Cries a lot.
Cries.
Cries.
Cries anyway.
Call Me Dad! provides helpful advice about all aspects of being a dad, such as:
What to expect during pregnancy, Working out the logistics, Surviving the birth, Life
after birth, Establishing routines, Different exercises you can try with your baby.
Go to www.diyfather.com for more information
Page 9

Benefits of Family Meals
New Zealand research undertaken on over 3000 ethnically diverse teenagers attending
school indicates that families who eat meals together have more nutritious foods available
at home and are more likely to support their children eating well. Frequency of family meals
was associated with other positive health behaviours such as limitations on television use,
having fruit available in the home, consuming five fruits and vegetables a day, eating
breakfast and bringing lunch from home.
Less than half of the teenagers surveyed had eaten a family meal on the previous five school
nights, indicating most families do not eat together every night of the school week.
Body mass index (BMI) did not differ significantly by family meal frequency, possibly
because the research also showed that households where meals are frequently eaten as a
family were just as likely to contain less healthy snack foods (which teenagers ate regularly),
compared with those households where family meals are infrequent.
There are clearly a number of positive nutritional aspects associated with frequently eaten
meals together as a family, but there are issues that make this difficult for many families.
When food preparation and consumption as a family is not possible it is even more
important that parents provide healthy foods/ingredients in the home environment, so that
meals and snacks with a reasonable nutritional value can be prepared as required.
Article Source: Watties Nutrition news
Note from the editor: Family meals aren’t all about teenagers. Both my kids started eating
better when we started sitting down as often as possible and having dinner together, and
they’re just 18 months and 4 years old! Sure, they usually have dinner about 4.30 ‐ 5.00,
before Dad gets home from work, but I’ll often have dinner with them. Then they’ll have
fruit or yoghurt as dessert, which they eat while Dad has dinner. Once or twice a week I’ll
give them an extra large afternoon tea and we all sit down to dinner together when Dad
gets home. The kids love it and I love the reduction in dinner time arguments!
Finger food dinners have been wonderful with my toddler, Sam and I will sit down to our
“proper” dinner while Tom feeds himself from a variety of finger foods. A lot less mess than
giving him a spoon I can tell you!
Page 10

BABIES AND
TODDLERS NEED
STRONG
RELATIONSHIPS
WITH THEIR
PRIMARY CARERS,
TO BE HELD AND
CUDDLED AND
SPEND RELAXED,
QUALITY TIME.
According to Kathy Walker, Australian
research has identified a decline in verbal
skills amongst pre‐schoolers. We know
babies require constant interaction with
adults to foster thinking and language
development. The pace of modern life
means parents are spending less time with
their young families.
There’s an urgent need for parents to
spend time and talk with their babies.
Low oral language skills make it challenging
for children to read and write in primary
school. It can cause frustration if they’re
not able to communicate their needs.
Frustration can lead to low self‐esteem and
also misbehaviour.
How can you encourage thinking and
language skills in your baby?
• Chat to them about what you’re doing, as
it helps develop a sense of language and
communication
• Use finger puppets or cuddly toys as a
way of playing with and modelling language
• Objects to stack like plastic containers are
Baby Talk
great for mental stimulation
• Use your native language. It will actually
help them learn English. And being bilingual
is great for thinking skills
• Smile at your baby. It fires up thousands
of neurons in developing brains
• Sing and recite rhymes during routines
like bath time
• Make direct eye contact. Babies are
prewired to be fascinated by faces
• Spend time outdoors feeling the wind,
sun and rain to provide your baby with
stimulating sensory experiences
Kathy Walker has been working with
children, parents and teachers for over 30
years. “What’s the Hurry”, her book for
parents, was an Australian bestseller.
You will find further insights and practical
advice from Kathy at
www.fisherpriceexperts.com.au
Providing time to play, to rest, to love, to
interact and have fun as a family needs to
be the priority within the home,
particularly in the first few years of life.
Page 11

Our Mission: Positive birth experiences and informed
parenting in a community where parents are supported and
highly valued in their role.
BAYS NORTH HARBOUR PARENTS CENTRE
Bays North Harbour
Parents Centre
PO Box 300 135
Albany 0752
Phone: 414 5394 (Voicemail)
E-mail: bays.nth.harbour@
parentscentre.org.nz
Website: parentscentre.org/
bays-north
Committee Contacts
The Nappy Bag is our email newsletter. If you haven’t been receiving your copy
please send an email to bnhpc.enews@gmail.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject and
we’ll add you to the database.
About Bays North Harbour Parents Centre
Parents Centres New Zealand Inc. is a
nationwide voluntary organisation set
up by parents for parents, in 1952.
The affiliated Centres throughout New
Zealand educate in birth and parenting,
support parents in their role, and advo‐
cate to improve community attitudes
and facilities. Centres are united in the
national body Parents Centres NZ Inc.
(PCNZ).
President: Paulette Smyth
bnhpcpresident@gmail.com
Secretary: Caroline Stevenson
bnhpcsecretary@gmail.com
Treasurer: Chengim Tay
bnhpctreasurer@gmail.com
Membership Officer: Deborah Ingold
bnhpcmembership@gmail.com
Recruitment: Caroline Stevenson
baysnorthvolunteer@gmail.com
Information
Advertising: Lisa Skinner
bnhpcadvertising@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor: Jo Hayes
baysnorthharbour@gmail.com
E‐Newsletter Editor: Alexandre Parish
bnhpc.enews@gmail.com
Website Editor: Vacant
bnhpcwebsite@gmail.com
Bays North Harbour Parents Centre cov‐
ers the area north of Campbells Bay,
north of Sunset Road, including
Unsworth Heights and Greenhithe up to
the Hibiscus Coast.
The Newsletter is delivered bi‐monthly
to 250 member families. Opinions and
articles in this newsletter do not neces‐
sarily reflect Parents Centre NZ policy.
Advertising in this newsletter does not
imply endorsement by Parents Centres
NZ.
Childbirth Education Contacts
Childbirth Education Coordinator: Kay Heels
baysnorthcbe@gmail.com
Bookings: Nikki Percival
baysnorthantenatal@gmail.com
(414 5394 (Voicemail—Leave a message)
Postnatal Course Contacts
Baby and You Coordinator: Orly Bar
baysnorthbabyandyou@gmail.com
(414 5394 (Voicemail—Leave a message)
Parent Education Coordinator: Sarah Marsh
bnhpcparented@gmail.com
(414 5394 (Voicemail—Leave a message)
Tiny Tums Coordinator: Rachelle Barrette
bnhpcmoveandmunch@gmail.com
(414 5394 (Voicemail—Leave a message)
Funding and Fundraising
Grants Coordinator: Amy Christie
amychristie@gmail.com
Trading: Vacant
bnhpctrading@gmail.com
Have you moved
house recently?
To ensure you keep
receiving your
newsletters please
email your new
details to
bnhpcmembership
@gmail.com