Kinderling Conversation

Instagram is made for pretty pictures, and so it makes perfect sense that parents would find inspiration for their nurseries from different influencers online. Now CHOICE Australia are cautioning parents against following these influencers too closely. Kim Gilmour, Team Leader of the Household Department at CHOICE says that their team has picked up a number of unsafe nursery set ups from Instagram influencers. Kim tells us what to look out for when following your favourite Instagram star.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learning how to read and write is the gateway to life success. It’s difficult to underestimate the importance of getting on top of these skills, and yet they can be difficult to acquire. Given it's so challenging, it’s understandable that many kids don’t want to do their readers. Brian Caswell is the Head of Research and Program Development at MindChamps, a global early leaning organisation. He’s also an award-winning author and has taught at both primary and high schools. He gives his tips on how to foster a love of reading in your children.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Wise was a dad just trying to find care for his child when he and his wife wanted to work. He found it difficult to find a space for child as well as the money. Any parent knows how expensive childcare can be. So Tim decided to create an app. KidNest is still in its infancy, but if it takes off it could revolutionise the way we care for our children. CEO of KidNest Karen Monaghan explains how the app works, and where they’re at in the development phase.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family traditions can make a child feel safe, secure and like they belong somewhere. But what happens when a child is removed from those traditions? Foster children in Australia can come from a range of cultural backgrounds and are often placed in a culture quite different from their own. Kathy Karatasas, Director of Settlement Services International’s Multicultural Child and Family Program, says it’s really important for those children to maintain cultural connections. She explains how her organisation aims to keep these bonds strong, even in unsettled times.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you are a dietician, you might expect to be attracted to healthy foods during your pregnancy. But that wasn’t the case for Heidi Sze, a dietician and author with two children. She’s written a book Nurturing Your New Life- Words and Recipes for the New Motherwhich is full of her own experiences as a mother and nurturing ideas for how to support yourself at what can be a confusing and challenging time. Heidi explains why she thinks all new mums need to nurture not just their babies but themselves, and some great food tips to support you in the first year., See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since hit Australian bookstores over thirty years ago, Graeme Base’s name has been synonymous with beautiful picture books for kids. Now he’s released a new book Moonfishset in an underground fantasy world based on his travels in China. Graeme talks about how he creates his books and how much the industry has changed over three decades.Animalia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mothercraft nurse Chris Minogue returns to Helpline after a month off. When it's difficult to work out why your baby won't settle, feed or listen to your instructions, Chris can give you the tips to make life a little smoother.In this episode of she tackles: A ten-and-a-half-month-old who wakes through the night, whether to toilet train a two-year-old who is not speaking, a 17-month-old who won't sleep through the night, a 22-month-old not listening to instructions, how many bottles a 13-month-old should have, whether to toilet train a 22-month-old-who appears ready to start, how to extend day naps for a seven-month-old, when an eight-month-old is waking super early, a three-and-a-half-year-old who has given up her dummy but won't settle to sleep, a seven-month-old who wakes early and a two-month-old who won't sleep in her bassinet.HelplineSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antoinette Lattouf (on Twitter @antoinette_news) is a successful journalist at Network Ten, Director of Media Diversity Australia and an Ambassador for the Gidget Foundation. She is also a second-generation Australian, with parents who fled the civil war in Lebanon.Antoinette talks about the legacy of intergenerational trauma, and how it made her struggle with PND so much harder.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring has sprung and with it, people everywhere are sniffling and sneezing. But can a baby get hay fever? And what do you do if you think she has a cold? Dr Elysia Thornton-Benko is a GP with three children of her own. She talks about how you can help a baby who is congested, and whether it’s likely your child has hay fever.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pregnancy and giving birth can change a woman’s body forever. Incontinence after having a baby is very common, but it’s not necessarily something you will have forever. Dr Sneha Wadhwani is a GP with a passion for women’s health. She explains why incontinence can occur after labour, and how it can be corrected.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There comes a time in a child’s life when having a pet becomes the most-desired thing. Dogs in particular can be highly prized. But if you’ve decided to get your family a dog, how do you go about choosing the right one?Kieran Watson is from the RSPCA NSW. He explains how families can go online to adoptapet.com.au and choose a pet from there. He includes tips on how to work out if a particular pet is the right one for your family.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a child gets something into their head (like the fact that they want a lolly) they can be really persistent. Their ability to pester a parent into submission would be admired by any hard-bitten negotiator. Derek McCormack, Principal Specialist at raisingchildren.net.au, says that there are some strategies that parents can employ to prevent the initial onslaught. Derek talks us through some strategies we can put in place, and how to respond if they don’t work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many things you are told to do, and avoid, when you’re pregnant. Some of these things may come to you in an official pamphlet from a health organisation. Others might be explained by a very well-meaning neighbour. Sometimes it’s difficult to sort the facts from the fiction. Dr David Addenbrooke is an obstetrician and co-author of 9 months, The Essential Australian Guide to Pregnancy He explains listeria and whether or not a hot curry will really bring on labour..See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Natalie Ransom knew something wasn’t right with her usually bubbly and active three-year-old. Different doctors told her it was nothing, but she kept listening to her instinct. In the end, they discovered that he had Leukaemia. Natalie explains what it’s like to have a child with a debilitating illness that impacts his schooling and the other activities a little boy would do. Kane is an ambassador for the Children's Cancer Institute's CEO Dare to Cure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our final episode with psychologist Kirsty Levin from The Parents Village. Life changes after you have kids, and those changes can have impacts on the relationships around you. Kirsty helps parents and carers navigate the challenges that can arise once you start your own family.Helpline RelationshipsIn this episode she talks about: Finding a way through the tense few months of parenting, when your kids want to play with the neighbours, but their home is rowdy and unsupervised, raising sons to be helpful when their dad isn't very helpful at all, how to support a best friend in an unhappy marriage, how to connect with other mums when you're feeling lonely and how to find intimacy when you don't share a bed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Costello is a man who has dedicated his life to others. His firm belief in social justice, and his insistence that his faith in God dictates a humane approach to others has guided him through his life. Through his many years as the CEO of World Vision, to fighting against the gambling industry, he’s seen some of the worst the world can offer, yet he still holds out hope that others will find meaning in their lives as he has. A father and now a grandfather, Tim talks about the influence his parents had on him, how he parented his own children, and the hopes and fears he has for his grandchildren. Tim’s memoir is called A Lot With a Little.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The bestselling book by John Gray in the early 90s was a revelation in explaining that men and women think very differently. And while today, most people don’t adhere to strict divisions between the genders, it’s fair to say that the brain development of boys and girls is distinctly different. Parenting educator Maggie Dent is a champion of boys with four sons of her own. She gives her top tips on how we can all communicate better with our sons.Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus websiteMaggie Dent will be presenting at the Babyology event Raising Brave Kids. Visit our to get your tickets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a lot of information about what to expect physically after you have a baby, but what about your mental health? Having a child can trigger a huge mental shift for mothers, in their sense of self and their understanding of the world. Sally Shepherd is a clinical psychologist who has written Beyond the Bump a guide to the emotional turmoil that can arise once you become a mother. Sally talks about her own experiences after having a baby, and how to handle the identity shift of motherhood.,See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most children start school in Australia between the ages of five and six. Kate Noble, an Education Policy Fellow at the Mitchell Institute, says that the two years prior to starting school are incredibly important. It’s in those two years that a preschool education can have the most significant impact, and it’s not through learning things like letters and numbers. Kate talks about the crucial skills that early learning educators teach our children before they head to 'big school'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shaun Miller was an extraordinary young man who came to prominence after he posted a video to YouTube that he called His father Cameron Miller found meaning after his son’s death by starting , and by raising awareness of CHD. In this interview, he talks about the number of children affected by CHD, and all the things he learnt from life with Shaun.My Final Goodbye. The Shaun Miller FoundationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.