Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Parenting Videos: Puppetry for Children



Puppets are fun and great for the imagination! Regan interviews Jeanette Drummond of Dove Puppets.

How to make your own baby food (podcast)













Here are some tips for making your own baby food from scratch!
room to Grow TV - Parenting Videos and Tips

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Dad's Role in the Delivery Room

Oscar and Des talk about their experiences & the roles they played in supporting their partners during the delivery of their babies.


Dad's Role in the Delivery Room


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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Do you want to help out on the next season of Room to Grow?

Room to Grow is a TV program about parenting and we will be broadcasting our 3rd series next year in March on Channel 31 in Melbourne. We are currently looking for sponsors to help us fund filming the 13 week TV series. Channel 31 currently averages 1.3 million viewers and this figure is set to rise with the commencement of digital broadcasting next year.

The format of the program has changed to a magazine lifestyle format and we are looking for baby product contributors and parenting professionals who would like to appear on the program.

We are also looking for mums who would like to present specialised segments. Auditions will be held early next year and segment presenters required include: eco mum; mum who likes to cook and doesn’t mind sharing her recipes; a crafty mum; savvy business mum; and a mum who is into fashion, new products and design. You must live in the Melbourne and Geelong area.

Also we are always looking for mums, dads and bubs to appear on the show as part of interviews, cutaways and vox pops.

After broadcast, the program will be made into short video segments on Room to Grow’s webpage and the TV show will also be distributed via podcast. The series will also be streamed on the Channel 31 website.

If you are interested please email me elisa@roomtogrow.tv, and I will contact you as soon as I can.

Look forward to hearing from you soon,

Elisa Allen
Room to Grow TV"

Monday, October 19, 2009

morning sickness in pregnancy



Meredith interviews Dr Penny Sheehan about morning sickness in pregnancy. They discuss morning sickness symptoms, causes and treatments.


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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Nappy rash treatment

How to treat your baby's nappy rash, learn about the causes of nappy rash and what is the best treatment.




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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Parenting Video tip: What to pack in your nappy bag



CheckList

  1. nappies
  2. change mat
  3. nappy fasteners
  4. nappy disposable bags
  5. wipes
  6. barrier cream
  7. hand sanitiser or gel
  8. spare clothes for you
  9. water bottles
  10. formula or breast milk
  11. bibs
  12. burp cloth
  13. insulated bottle holder
  14. baby food and spoon
  15. dummies
  16. cloth nappy or wash cloth
  17. spare clothes for baby
  18. blanket or wrap
  19. tissues
  20. toys
  21. food and drink
  22. suncream
Wow, now you're ready to!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Useful Child safety websites


Childsafety Australia: Child & Community Safety Advice & Information http://www.childsafetyaustralia.com.au

Kids Safe: The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia http://www.kidsafe.com.au

Homesafe: Keeping big trouble from little hands http://www.homesafekids.com.au





Sunday, September 27, 2009

Childproofing products from Homesafe



Childproofing products

Once your little one starts crawling and getting into everything, it's time to have a look at how to make your house safer! Noel Caulfield from Homesafe shares with us some important childproofing products to help make your home safer.

Meredith: What are some additional things I can do to ensure safety within the kitchen, like the stove for example?

Noel: There is a device called hob guard. This is a surround that goes around your burners and it attaches to the bench top using self-adhesive pads. So it is very easy to put on, it stops pots from being pulled over the front of the hotplates and also protects the knobs if the knobs are up at bench level.

Meredith: Can we go through the different rooms in the house…the lounge room for example, what are the danger zones there?

Noel: What you should be looking for in the lounge room is low level sharps, for example coffee tables. A lot of people have glass top coffee tables and the corners can be terribly dangerous, corner cushions can go over the corners. You need to get the right corner cushions, because many don’t stick on the corners and they're made of teething plastic so the kids actually chew the corner cushions off. We recommend a foam base cushion that’s typical of what you might put on. Other things you are looking for is fireplace surrounds; if you are using an open fire or a gas fire make sure that is protected by some sort of gating product; looped blind cords, they are potentially dangerous in all the rooms of your home. If you do have looped blind cords just get some simple hooks and put them up above 1500 so that the loop of the cord is 1500mm above floor level and that will stop them getting into any sort of grief with those.

Meredith: What other things should you be looking at in the lounge room, obviously cords and leads from stereos and televisions?

Noel: Most houses these days, because of the electronics, we tend to not have enough points and lots of power boards. The power board I recommend is a power board that has a safety device. It has a turntable positioned over the terminals and that simply opens and then snaps closed as soon as the plug is pulled out.

Meredith: What is the concern with power points?

Noel: The concern with power points is that a toddler can place an object like a hairpin in a power point. Now I should probably go back one step, and that is you really need to ensure that your switchboard is protected by safety switches. Now most modern houses are, but if they are not it costs about $250 AUS for an electrician to come and safe guard your power board. That will shut your power down pretty much immediately, but there still requires a purge of power before it shuts down so you still should cover your power points.

Meredith: How do you cover your power points?

Noel: For standard power points you can buy these plugs for all most nothing. The plugs plug into the power wall sockets and isolate the power point from the child.

Meredith: Is there anything else we should look at in the lounge room?

Noel: I will mention low level glass. It's not necessarily isolated to lounge rooms, but many people are not aware of the fact that if their houses are built say between the mid seventies and the mid nineties, they're likely to have low level glass that is extremely fragile. What we tend to do with those houses is we rip up carpets, polish the floor boards and create runways within the house. A toddler on a push toy can get up a fair amount of speed and if they hit the windowsill, that will propel them into the glass which can cause them some serious injury. Now what we do with glass, obviously you can replace the glass with safety rated glass that’s quite expensive, but a relatively inexpensive solution is to use a safety film which needs to be professionally installed. It will reduce the ability of the glass to smash and shard and it’s the sharding that causes all the damage.

Meredith: I know we have only just briefly touched on a few tips and thank you very much for this interview.

For more information about homesafe
http://www.homesafekids.com.au


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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Make your home safe for your baby

Noel Caulfield from Homesafe gives us some great tips on how to childproof your home





For more information about homesafe
http://www.homesafekids.com.au


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Contact Us




If you would like to contact us regarding the website or you would like to contribute to Room to Grow email us at info@roomtogrow.tv

For sponsorship inquiries please contact Grant@roomtogrow.tv
We would love to hear from you!

Also have a look at what else we do www.roomtogrow.tv

Babies first haircut






Sooner or later you will need to get your child's first haircut. The
choice is up to you as to when you decide to cut those lovely locks off,
there is no specific age. I have written a few helpful tips that I
found worked when I got my child's first haircut.

- Take your child into the hairdressers with you when you get your
haircut and do this a few times before your child gets their haircut,
you want them to get used to the noise and the salon.

- Plan the haircut, work out what part of the day your child is most
happy and relaxed, early morning or after your child has had a sleep
or eaten.

- Role play - kids love to mimic what we do, pretend to play
hairdressers with your child. Set up a pretend salon, use a water
spray bottle if you have one, wrap a towel over the shoulders,
pretend to cut your or your child's hair or your child's dolly with your
fingers.

- Choose a hair dressers that you know and if you don't, well choose
a child friendly one - hairdressers that have been trained to cut children's hair.

- When your child is getting their haircut, stand back still in view
of your child so the hairdresser can work. If this is not working,
entertain and distract your child by talking to them or give your
child one of their favorite toys. You may even have to sit in the
seat with your child on your lap.

- Our hairdressers use a toddler booster seat on the barber seat and
usually have a Wiggles or Thomas cape for the child to use. Very handy
if the hairdresser wants your child to tilt their head they can simply
draw attention to a place in the cape and the child will look.

- If you have other children, get their haircut done as well. This
will encourage the youngest one to have their haircut to keep up with
their older brother or sister.

- If you want to capture this special occasion as a memento and you
are going to use a video camera or take photos, make sure you're not in the way of the hairdresser and your child is calm and enjoying the
haircut. Bring along a friend to take the video of the before and after shot. Also keep a little hair sample for the scrapbooks.




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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Looking for mums who love to write!

looking for any mums or if you know of any mums that would be interested in writing a fortnightly article, and don't mind sharing their experiences and tips for Room to Grow's blog. I also have some products that need reviewing as well. If you are interested please email elisa@roomtogrow.tv

Cheers
Elisa

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Natural wood teething ring


Natural wood teething rings

Great for mothers that are thinking green when choosing products for their baby, choosing natural materials such as wood is a great non-toxic alternative. There are many different versions of wooden teething rings out there in the market. Most of them are hand made and made out of maple or cherry as they’re solid woods that won’t splinter. Most of the teethers are also finished with bees wax, however it is best to ask what the teething rings have been finished with before you buy.

The teethers can be introduced to your baby at 3 months +. The teethers are easy to hold by an infant and can be used as a toy as well. The care for the teether is important to know. Like your wooden chopping boards or any wood product, they are naturally anti-bacterial, however you still need to clean and oil wood. Don’t submerse the teething ring in water, it is best to clean the teether with warm mild soapy water then rinse in water and leave the teething ring to dry. To seal the teething ring, use a food oil such as olive oil. The best recommendation I have found so far is to coat the ring with beeswax and allow it to dry before you give it back to your baby to chew on.

The wooden teething ring can be found on-line or you can buy it at your local baby boutiques, especially your eco friendly baby shops.

You may also like the article on plastic teething rings

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Toddler Sun tips

Sun Tips
  • young children have very sensitive skin, so make sure you use 30+ sunscreen
  • put sunscreen on their face, arms, torso and legs
  • Do not take babies out into the sun, always keep them in the shade
  • Always seek doctors advice before venturing outside with your bub
  • use disposable swimmer nappies and a sun suit that covers most of the child body
  • A wide brimmed hat or one that has fabric sides and covers the back of the neck
  • sunglasses must have a UV filter protection for your child's eyes
  • take a sunshade tent if there is no shade where you are going
  • remember only short periods of exposure to the sun
For more information about being sunsmart www.sunsmart.com.au

Friday, September 11, 2009

I found this fantastic website Babypoop

There is this great color chart of baby poo "What does it all mean?" have a look its worth it....

www.squidoo.com/babypoop

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Parenting Videos: Nappy Rash

Some advice on how to treat nappy rash


Tips: Nappy Rash

  • change your babies soiled nappy as soon as possible
  • Keep bottom clean and dry
  • poo is acidic and can burn your babies skin
  • clean bottom with water instead of wipes
  • aloe vera gel makes a great barrier
  • use nappy rash cream to prevent nappy rash
  • create a barrier using nappy cream
  • airing the affected area, keeping them out of a nappy for a while
  • apply olive oil on baby skin to create barrier
  • see a doctor if the rash is not healing up

Teething rings and teething toys

When babies begin to get teeth they will show signs of pain, discomfort, red cheeks, drooling, crying and being fussy. Teething starts around 6 months and 12 months of age and by 3 years the child should have all its teeth.


Your baby will tend to start chewing on their fingers or toys to help relieve the pressure in their gums, so that’s when it’s a good time to introduce a teething ring or toy. As the teeth cut through, a teething ring can help soothe. It's also beneficial during teething as the chewing action helps to push the tooth through. There are so many teething products out there, you have lots to choose from so to help you through it I have reviewed some teething rings.

Teething rings can be made of plastic, metal and rubber. Make sure that what you are giving your child is safe to put in their mouth and never freeze, steam, boil, or put them in the dishwasher or microwave as your teething rings could burst or crack or the plastic may degrade. The best way is to wash the teething ring in warm soapy water.


The first teething ring on my list is
IcyBite Hard/ Soft Keys from Nuby



Age: suitable for 3 months +
Features: The key's cooling gel is nontoxic, it's also BPA free (its a chemical (bisphenol-A (BPA) used in plastics), it has bright colours for visual stimulation and a good sized ring to make sure the keys are easy to hold and shake. The tops of the keys are constructed of purtex. Bumps and riders that the child can chew to massage sore gums.

Performance: I bought this for my son when he started teething and he loved it straight away. It wasn’t just a teething ring, he also used it as a toy. He could clutch it in his hand to shake it and individually move the keys around the ring, which is great for his hand eye coordination. Easy to use, each of the 3 keys has a different shape and texture and in our experience every corner of the keys and the ring has been chewed, bitten and sucked on.

Reliability: After the good workout that our son gave the keys, they are still in quite good shape with no splits in the gel pockets though there are lots of little teeth marks and scratches. He is now 2 ½ years old so they have lasted very well.

Tips: When placed in the fridge it becomes cold, the gel is designed to stay cooler for longer than normal water filled teethers.

Cost: Varies from $9:00 to $12:00 AUS available at all your usual parenting outlets.

Rating: 4/5

This is not an advertisement from Nuby, I will only review products if I think they will befit and are suitable for the parenting community. All products submitted for review are given to charity.
The wooden teething ring article continues here

Friday, September 4, 2009

This week features on Parenting Videos

        and also The benefits of cloth nappies



If you would like to contribute invaluable parenting tips or you have a new product that you would like us to review,  send me an email to info@roomtogrow.tv  I would love to hear from you.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Parenting Videos: disposable nappies or diapers

The pros and cons of disposable nappies and Diapers



Transcript Parenting Videos: Disposables nappies or diapers

Meredith: What about this one? I suppose a more traditional style the standard disposable nappy…

Kylie: standard disposable nappy.. again various different sizes you can buy, they are water proofed on the outside so its supposed to stop leakage on the outside, you don’t have to with some of the cloth nappies buy a plastic cover so you don’t get the moister coming through to the outside. They have a softer lying inside for the babies skin and the moister is supposed to go into the lining part, so it gets drawn away from the babies skin.

Meredith: Are chemicals used?

Kylie: They are manufactured with chemicals and they are not bio degradable also a bigger impact on the environment

Meredith: and what about on the babies skin given that there is bleach and chemicals used in the absorbency gels?

Kylie: certainly, you can get babies actually having more nappy rash with this kind of nappy than with some of the cloth nappies. Purely down to the fact that the chemicals, the baby is sensitive to the chemicals and also the plastics used on the inside and outside of the nappy, like allergy reactions which stimulate more nappy rash things like that…

Meredith: the pros of this disable nappy?

Kylie: its very easy to use, that’s why a lot of people use them, throw it away, you can buy them in most shops, its very easy to use….

Meredith: There is another type of disposal nappy lets go with that one…

Kylie: this one is eco friendly disposable nappy, its not used chemicals in the products for making it the same as the major brand. Its biodegradable

Meredith: fully biodegradable?

Kylie: Not fully biodegradable there are certain parts of this nappy that don’t biodegrade. There are other nappies that you can buy from recycled products that are fully biodegradable.

Meredith: What recycled products are used in these nappies?

Kylie: different kinds of pulps, paper and things like that, they are not bleached, they have no chemicals used in them at all, where as this one just to make it white has been bleached.

Meredith: so the pros of that would be, in terms of the environment, the nappy would be less of an impact on the environment and a little friendlier.

Kylie: certainly friendlier that this kind of disposable nappy, but not the friendliest version of the eco friendly disposable nappy

Meredith: What would be the friendliest of the disposal nappies

Kylie: the one that has no chemicals in it and it would biodegrade a lot easier….

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Parenting Tips: breastfeeding positions




Breastfeeding positions:
  • Cross cradle hold
  • Cradle hold
  • Football hold
  • side-lying hold

Homemade Wholemeal teething rusks

Instead of buying prepackaged teething rusks here is an alternative!

My lovely friend Jane passed on this idea, thanks.

What you need: is 5 slices wholemeal bread (stale is best)
What you need to do is: firstly remove crusts
cut bread into fingers
put bread fingers on a baking tray and into the oven at 125°c for 1 hour or until rusks are hard and dry
Allow to cool and store rusks in a air tight container....

If you have any other ideas for rusks or other children's recipes please send me a email and I will post it on the blog and credited or linked to you.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Parenting Videos: Cloth Nappies

The benefits of cloth nappies



Thursday, August 27, 2009

Expected milestones for the first month of the babies development

This video looks at the expected milestones for the first month of the babies development, the video covers: babies movement, hearing, smell, touch and vision.


Sunday, August 23, 2009

Easy Yoga Exercise

A great way to strengthen your body after you have had your baby. The exercise covered are Salute to the moon, the cat, the dog, squatting, butterfly and some twisting and stretching exercises.






Monday, August 3, 2009

Room to Grow: How to swaddle your baby

How to wrap your baby

Room to Grow: First few weeks home with a newborn

This episode we look at the first few week home with a newborn



Room to Grow: stay-at-home dad

stay-at-home dad Grant talks about his experiences as a full-time parental caregiver



Breastfeeding information: Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?

Interview with Karen from the Australian Breastfeeding Association about breastfeeding basics.

Parenting tips: Tummy Time

When is it time for your baby to do tummy time?

How to give your baby a massage

How to give your baby a massage to help them relax and go to sleep, also massage is great for colicky or teething. Massage is a great way for you and your baby to bond.





post baby body

Safe and heathy ways to loose your post baby body weight

choosing the right child restraints and car seats for your baby

Meredith talks to the RACV about child restraints

How to settle your crying baby with Katie Shafar

Meredith Chipperton talks to Katie Shafar from Positive Parenting services about settling tips for your baby.






Sunday, August 2, 2009

Introducing Your Pet and New Baby


Special guest Sally an education officer from the RSPCA talks with Meredith about introducing your pet and new baby.

Friday, July 31, 2009

What to pack in your hospital bag

Amanda gives us some great tips on what to pack in your hospital bag


Transcript

Finally its time for what is properly one of the most frighting time and exciting periods of your life labor!

Here are a few things that can make this experience easier, such as support of a partner, family and friends. But it is also really important to know what to pack for your stay at the hospital, and prepare these bags early, so that they are ready to go when you are.

There are two bags you will need to pack for your hospital stay. One for the labor and another for after the birth. Here are some things you might like to pack in your labour bag:

- copies of your birth plan
- pamphlet book, information that maybe useful during your stay.
- tooth brush tooth paste
- wash clothes
- lip balm and moister
- water bottles
- pillows from home
- music, mp3 player
- camera, charger and batteries
- camcorder
- light and comfortable clothes and for your partner, also swimming gear if you want to be
massage in water
- massage oil
- sock and slippers
- snacks
- list of people and number you need to contact , once you have had the baby.
- baby book
- anything else that may be a comfort to you

Post Labor bag

- nursing bras and pads
- toiletries
- maternity pads
- camera charger
- another change of clothes
- night gown
- going home outfit

for the baby
- nappies
- baby clothes
- baby car seat, capsule already installed in the car

Of course, once you have imagined yourself in this situation you may think of other things as well, but the main thing is to pack as much as you can, as early as possible. Because you will never know how much of a hurry you will be in on the day.

Good Luck!




Wednesday, March 4, 2009