Specialist Speakers at the Education Centre

Specialist Speaker: Roisin Deane (BSc (Hons), PhD, PGCertMgt) – Research Scientist, Cell Care

Your baby’s stem cells are precious. Cord Blood + Tissue Banking is the collection of blood from the umbilical cord and a small section of the cord after birth and storing them for potential future medical use. Cord blood contains a mixture of cells, including blood stem cells and immune cells. Cord tissue contains mesenchymal stem cells not generally found in cord blood. Cord blood is used as an alternative for bone marrow in the treatment of certain cancers. Family banking means the blood may be used for compatible family members (it is a 100% match for the child it was collected from and a 25% match for siblings). The flexibility and diversity of cells found in cord blood and tissue are why they are considered promising in improving the treatment of many diseases, including heart disease, stroke and neurological disorders. Current research suggests cord blood may play a role in preventing type 1 diabetes and treating cerebral palsy.

Specialist Speaker: Cherylyn Skewes & Donna Snodgrass (Sun)

The first day of school is one of those special occasions treasured by parent and child, and is often marked by photos taken in the new school uniform and a few tears shed.... by you, the parent.

To make this first school day and the many days to follow a time to celebrate for the whole family, it is important that you take the time to choose a school that best fits the needs of your child and the values and lifestyle of your family. 

In this session we will consider the types of questions you could be asking yourself and prospective schools in your endeavour to find the right school for you and your child.

Specialist Speaker: Donna Mansell Registered Nurse/Midwife and Eligible Midwife, Director MotherNurture

Before baby is born, often thought is heavily weighted towards pregnancy and the birth. The birth is over in hours before a whole new exciting challenge awaits, which spans a far greater time than the birth.

Many women, even with the best of intentions flounder with breastfeeding and find it difficult. Donna discusses many vital aspects that not only get breastfeeding off to the best possible start, but will make it easy, enjoyable and enduring. Knowledge is empowering.

Specialist Speaker: Amelia Singh Managing Director, Bambooty

Amelia has changed 1000's of nappies in her time. She has worked as a Nanny, in day care and mothers help, plus her own children, across many years.

In this Session, Amelia will discuss her own experiences with various types of nappies, including some pros and cons, of using modern cloth vs disposables or old fashioned terry flats.

She will physically show and describe to you the options and benefits of a variety of nappy types.

Specialist Speaker: Liz Ben-Arieh Marketing, Communications & Community Engagement Manager, Ecostore

Many household cleaning products are known toxins, some even carcinogenic!

When we spray these products
all over our homes, are we really cleaning them?

What is a safer alternative for you and your family?

In this workshop you will learn about the effectiveness of “eco-friendly” products and how to reduce the toxicity in your home and in the environment.

Specialist Speaker: Emily Dupuche Owner, Food Babies Love

Emily Dupuche, author of Food Babies Love, shares with you her top tips for the successful introduction of solids. This includes preparing yourself and your kitchen for the onslaught, planning ahead to make it as easy as possible and maintaining some clear boundaries to avoid developing negative food associations and fussy eaters. 

She will provide some basic rules to follow and share some practical advice for maintaining a healthy approach to feeding children in our busy lives. 

Parents have a duty to their children to educate them and ensure they have a positive relationship with food and nutrition, Emily can help you to achieve this!

Specialist Speaker: Dorothy Crosby Education Manager SIDS and Kids® South Australia

 If you are expecting a baby soon, this session is one you shouldn’t miss!

Our SIDS and Kids educator will provide an interesting and informative talk which will help parents and grandparents learn important information about how to sleep your baby safely.

This includes how to both prepare a safe sleep environment for your baby and learn why it is important. Common concerns that parents have will also be addressed and questions are welcome.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Specialist Speaker: Maree McCulloch Operations & Business Development Manager, Bubble & Squeak Childcare Development Centre

A dilemma many parents face when thinking about childcare  “I want to use childcare but am unsure of what I need to do first “Where do I start, Who do I call, what are the questions I should ask, what questions will I be asked, how do I access  of Government Rebates to help with my fees.” 

This information session will walk parents through the steps of understanding their eligibility for the various Government rebates applicable to childcare. There will also be additional information on the changes to start dates for pre-school children.

The question posed is “My child is 4 years old on May 5^th, can he/she start pre-school?"

Newborn Baby Care- A discussion regarding the normal changes to expect with a newborn. This will include nappy rash, cradle cap, colic and reflux. Sleep and settling problems will also be discussed, many easy techniques will be demonstrated for each parent to use.

Specialist Speaker: Holly Fitzgerald (BHSc, BSSc) – Injury Prevention Project Officer, Kidsafe SA

More children die from injury in Australia than cancer and diseases of the nervous system combined’ (ABS 2006). Preventable injuries are higher amongst children compared with other age groups (ABS 2007). Most childhood deaths and injuries can be prevented.

Kidsafe SA is the lead agency dedicated to the prevention of unintentional childhood death and injuries in Australia.

Holly will talk about what the most common and the most serious occuring injuries are to young children in and around the home, how they happen and how they can be prevented. Over time, new child injury issues arise and Holly will talk about what some of the more current and topical issues are.