The new charity redistributes donated nappies to organisations that support disadvantaged mums and families.

We only had about 10 nappies to donate (how is it that Millie can fit into a nappy one day, but it be way too tight the next? Is she really growing that quickly?) but every nappy counts.

The volunteer mums who started the collective late last year have already helped distribute more than 1500 nappies to those in need.

There are 19 collection points in a Melbourne and Sydney that will accept unused nappies for two weeks from today. There will be more collections in June and October.

Click here for collection points near you, or to find out more.

Millie helped to collect the nappies she’d grown out of

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But a new fundraiser started by his loving parents will raise awareness and make that start a little easier for other premature babies.

Heidelberg Heights couple Janelle Moran and Leslie Pogson, along with their daughter Alice, 1, initiated the new venture in memory of their son and brother Max, who died as a result of being born prematurely in 2011.

Posters featuring “fun and quirky” illustrations of Australian animals, from the ant to the zebra finch, are now available for purchase online.

The fundraising posters feature Australian animals and are both stylish and educational

Created by graphic designer and illustrator Jessie Brooks-Dowsett, the posters are stylish, smart and educational.

Ms Moran said all proceeds will go directly to Max’s Gift, a special research fund named in memory of their son at Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital.

“Every day in Australia 57 babies are born prematurely. Sadly our son Max was one of these children,” she said.

“For every miraculous story of survival there is one that does not have such a happy ending and this is our chance to raise awareness and funds to find out why.

“We know first hand what it feels like to walk out of a hospital with aching hearts and empty arms and if we can do something to change this for another family then we want to do it.”

Leslie, Janelle and Alice

The posters (310mm x 460mm) are $15 each (plus postage) and can be purchased online at The Smallest Things.

Click the link for further information about Max’s Gift

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These people are a special breed. They put the needs of strangers before their own and take on a job most of us can’t imagine.

Melbourne foster carer Krysia Rozanska is one of those special people.

She has a young boy in her permanent care and is in the board of the Foster Care Association of Victoria (FCAV).

But there’s not enough like her.

More than 600 carers left the state’s foster care system in the last year yet only 442 were recruited to take their place.

There are 6500 children living in out-of-home care in Victoria.

Ms Rozanska wants foster carers to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

“There are too many kids going in to care and not enough carers,” she said.

A Pozible crowdfunding campaign, which ends on Friday, November 28, aims to raise money to help better support these carers, by adding and staffing a live chat function to a more user-friendly FCAV website and to advocate – especially during the current State Election campaign – for greater recognition and funding support for Victorian carers.

The crowd funding target is $11,000 and there’s still about $5000 to go.

“We’ll all tell you, it’s not about the money,” Ms Rozanska said.

“But there needs to be better reimbursements for the day-to-day cost of caring.

“Victoria has the lowest (rate of) reimbursements in Australia.

“There needs to be better support.”

Ms Rozanska started as a foster carer after hearing of the experiences of a friend who was a foster carer.

“Then I got involved (in FCAV) because I needed help,” she said.

“I couldn’t have done all this without them.”

Fast-forward a few years and Ms Rozanska is the woman behind the association’s Pozible campaign.

“People care about this issue but think it’s been taken care of,” she said.

“We need to hear that we’re valued.

“If we get more people involved then our voice will be heard.

“We’re the advocates for these kids. They don’t have a voice.”

The Foster Care Association of Victoria is a not-for-profit organisation that helps to strengthen foster families and enhance the wellbeing of children in their care.

To read more about the campaign or make a donation, click here

View the 2014 State Election scorecard

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If I am, I’m so glad you’re reading this. It’s a wonderful charity. But it needs your help.

The not-for-profit organisation is based in St Kilda, Melbourne and run by dedicated volunteers. The group rehomes new and pre-loved baby goods, clothing and equipment to families in need.

St Kilda Mums began in 2009 when a group of mums discovered that op-shops refused to take their cots, prams and other nursery equipment. The organisation ensures all the gear it rehomes meets safety standards and is in great condition – and while quality donations pour in, demand still exceeds supply.

There is a long waiting list for prams and cots.

A donated Bugaboo ready to be rehomed. Picture: St Kilda Mums Instagram

Working with and supporting existing maternal health and social services workers, St Kilda Mums has donated to thousands of new – and very grateful – parents.

Children’s clothing packed and ready to be delivered to families in need. Picture: St Kilda Mums Instagram

With 54 families on the waiting list who have, or are expecting a new baby but with no way of affording a safe cot, St Kilda Mums has just started its 2014 Cots for Tots campaign.

The group hopes to find 400 cots, so please ask friends or family if they have a suitable cot to donate. If not, you might consider a $140 donation, which allows St Kilda Mums to buy a new cot and mattress wholesale.

For more information about the fantastic work of St Kilda Mums, click here.
To find out if St Kilda Mums can accept and rehome what you have to donate, click here.

Special mention to my talented colleagues Dana, Nicole and Fiona at Leader Community Newspapers for winning the Melbourne Press Club Quill Award (2013) for Best Suburban Report In Writing for their coverage and support of the 2013 Cots for Tots campaign.

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Last year, the not-for-profit kinder was able to raise enough funds to overhaul the outdoor space – turning into a unique play-based garden that blends with the surrounding natural environment. To help fund the next exciting stage of improvements, my friends at Vuly Play generously donated an Ultra Medium trampoline to the kinder, valued at more than $649.

The Ultra trampoline has been designed with advanced safety features – including a heavy-duty secured enclosure, tightly woven polyethylene net and a soft-landing mat. The trampoline has also been performance tested for safety in high-UV and wet weather conditions, making it perfect the great Australian outdoors.

Vuly Play Ultra trampoline. PIC: Vuly

This incredible trampoline was the prize in a silent auction and was delivered to a kindergarten family in time for Christmas, raising funds to support ongoing upgrades for this not-for-profit preschool.

The benefits of regular outdoor play

Vuly Play Ultra trampoline. PIC: Vuly

Regular outdoor play is proven to boost our kids’ mental and physical wellbeing, and can help create lifelong healthy habits. Families who incorporate regular outdoor play into their routine are less likely to develop lifestyle related diseases, such as obesity or diabetes. According to guidelines from the Department of Health:

• Infants (Birth to 1 year) should have supervised floor-based play every day, including at least 30 minutes of tummy time.
• Toddlers (1 to 5 years) and Pre-schoolers (3 to 5 years) should be physically active for at least 180 minutes every day. A variety of high-energy playtime activities (including running, jumping and twirling,) should be spread throughout the day.
• Children (5 to 12 years) should participate in moderate or vigorous activity for at least 60 minutes every day. (Including organised and non-organised sports, games and other outdoor activities.) Regular outdoor play allows the body to intake Vitamin D, which is essential to the process of calcium absorption and building healthier bones. Eighty per cent of Vitamin D is obtained from the sun, which means it’s important for little ones to have at least 15 minutes of sun-safe outdoor play each day.

Vitamin D also boosts the production of neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine and serotonin. These ‘feelgood’ hormones can decrease feelings of stress or anxiety, helping create happier and calmer young minds. Incredibly – every tissue within the body has Vitamin D receptors, including the heart, muscles and immune system – which means it’s vital for children’s development.

Outdoor play also encourages children to use their imaginations and express themselves creatively. In fact, outdoor play helps children to take risks, to develop self-awareness, and to grow an understanding of the world and their interactions with it!

*MillieMummyMelbourne gratefully accepted a Vuly Play Ultra medium trampoline to be used as the grand prize in a North Brighton Kindergarten Christmas fundraiser.

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