CHB pregnancy and parenting column: Growing Great Families in Central Hawke’s Bay

Make sure your home has smoke alarms installed on every level, especially near sleeping areas.

By Hannah Tully, Co-ordinator Pregnancy and Parenting Central Hawke’s Bay Ruahine Whakawhanau Tamariki

OPINION

We have had two car-seat clinics this year and both were a great success. These will be run monthly on the second Tuesday of each month, in the carpark at the Health Centre.

We have a few exciting things in the pipeline so make sure you keep an eye out on the Facebook page for events coming up. Our antenatal classes and coffee groups have been well attended, and our next coffee group starts on week one of term 2 (Thursday, May 2).

The Bright Futures Play Group is fortnightly on a Wednesday and everyone is welcome. There is a great space for all ages. Little Flipper swimming lessons have started again. These classes run on a Thursday at 10.30am during term time. They are free to Parents Centre Members, otherwise they are $5.50. These are suitable for babies and toddlers aged between 6 months and 3 years.

Winter Safety Tips at Home

Make sure your home has smoke alarms installed on every level, especially near sleeping areas. Test the alarms frequently.

Keep your baby’s cot/bassinet free of stuffed animals and extra blankets.

Create and practise a fire escape plan with two ways out of your house in case of a blaze. Make it a fun activity for the whole family.

If you have a fireplace make sure you have a safety guard installed so young babies cannot burn themselves. Take extra care with synthetic fabrics because they are extremely flammable.

We know you want your little ones to be warm, but please don’t buckle your child into a car seat while wearing a bulky coat. The coat can compress in a crash and create a loose car seat harness, putting your child at greater risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Make sure heaters are placed away from beds and anything that could catch fire.

Keep matches and lighters away from children.

Get your chimney cleaned or checked before lighting it. When emptying ashes from the fireplace make sure a metal bucket is used and water is poured over them.

Check electric blankets before using them.

Clean out the lint filter in the clothes dryer before every use, to avoid lint build-up and risk of fire.

First aid top tips

As children are at the greatest risk of accidental poisoning due to their curious nature, it is a great idea to save the number of the National Poisons Centre on your phone.

This is a 24-hour freephone number for advice if your little one has ingested something they shouldn’t have: 0800 764 766.

If your child has a gastro infection, put glow sticks in the bottom of the bucket for easy aiming in the night.

Do you wash your little one’s hands as much as you wash your own? Hand washing is key to preventing the spread of illnesses such as colds, flus and the dreaded gastroenteritis.

Our little ones are constantly touching and putting things in their mouths. Helping them wash their hands with warm soapy water (which is a super fun game to them) before and after meals, after daycare and after outings may help to reduce the spread of those pesky bugs.

Pregnancy and Parenting Central Hawke’s Bay Ruahine Whakawhanau Tamariki and Parenting Central Hawke’s Bay, Ruahine Whakawhanau Tamariki is a collaborative group of services and organisations to provide support to pregnant women, parents/caregivers and whānau of young children in Central Hawke’s Bay, all based out of the Co-ordinator Pregnancy and Parenting Central Hawke’s Bay Ruahine Whakawhanau Tamariki and Parenting Hub at the Health Centre in Cook St, Waipukurau.

The group includes Pregnancy Help; Central Hawke’s Bay Parents Centre; midwives Kym Lee, Kiley Clark and Kerry Smith one day a week by appointment; Tuai Kopu - Tuai Kopu navigating Maternal and Early Years programme for whānau, by empowering wahine hapū to make informed decisions about her and baby’s health and wellbeing. TuaiKopu@hbdhb.govt.nz ; Mabin Family Lounge, a space available for parents to come and change or feed their babies.