Federal MP for Reid, Sally Sitou, hosted the ceremony with Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Dr Anne Aly, welcoming 80 “littlest residents” and presenting their families with a ‘Welcoming the Babies’ certificate and gift bags filled with useful resources for parents, all while enjoying morning tea.
Community organisations such as The Infants’ Home Child and Family Services, Playgroup NSW and Karitane were also on hand to present practical and valuable parenting advice, while St John Ambulance gave a first aid demonstration to help parents understand how they can help their children during emergencies.
Ms Sitou said when she was a new parent, she relied on so many community organisations for help.
“From learning baby first aid to meeting other families at playgroup, it all helped to ease my anxiety and made those early years so much more enjoyable,” she said.
“I even did a baby massage course at the Infants’ Home – it was a lovely way for me to connect with my son.”
Dr Aly said “our children are precious, and with 90 per cent of brain development occurring in the first five years, it’s vital we get the early years right”.
The ceremony was so successful Ms Sitou’s looking forward to it “becoming a regular tradition in my electorate”.
