Growing Up StrongSouth Booris East NSW This book is dedicated to all Elders, past and present, for their valuable knowledge, wisdom and loving care passed on to our booris Growing Up Strong SouthBooris East NSW Acknowledgements This book has been adapted from the Far This book was funded through the North Coast Aboriginal parenting book, Aboriginal Child, Youth & Family Strategy, Doordarnbee Muggy Jarjums. a NSW Government initiative supporting Aboriginal families and children. Special thanks to the families who gave their time to be photographed for this book. More copies available from: Child and Family Health Centres Thank you to the Reference Group Greater Southern Area Health Service Members: Lynne Koerbin, Alison Simpson, Eurobodalla Family Support Service Dianne Gerrard, Mary Lowa and PlayAbility Marion Knight. Leap Frog Thanks to Bega Valley Families NSW For more information: Network and Eurobodalla Families NSW NSW Department of Human Services Network. Communities and Early Years Division Special thanks to PlayAbility and Leap Frog (02) 6229 7275 (Queanbeyan) Intensive Supported Playgroups. (02) 4222 8440 (Illawarra) (02) 9716 2831 (Sydney) Our appreciation to the Dhurga Djamanj Language Program, Broulee Public School and Language teachers Kerry Boyenga and Project Managers: Lynne Koerbin Waine Donovan for their assistance with Marion Knight the documentation and structure of Dhurga Corinne Fagueret language used in this book. Photography: Mervyn Bishop Design: Nell Smith Our appreciation to Contact Inc. for their Illustrations: Denise Freeman parenting resources which have been Richard Campbell invaluable in the development of this book. Jodie Stewart For more information about Contact Inc call (02) 9251 4431. Published by Eurobodalla Families NSW Network © September 2009 ISBN: 9780-646-51603-5 lntroduction This book is a resource for Aboriginal parents and family workers in South East NSW. Between the ages of 0 and 5 our booris’ brains and bodies are developing and growing fast. The first stage of life is the most important time for parents to spend time with their buray and make sure they get a good start in life. ‘Buray’ means baby/child in the Dhurga language and is pronounced boori. For the purposes of this book we will use the word boori for baby and child as this spelling is more commonly understood and accepted by the coastal Aboriginal communities. Our booris need us to love them and to make them feel safe and secure. This book talks about how we can help booris to grow up strong by spending time with them—cuddling, playing, singing, reading, listening, telling stories and talking. This book includes: • Information about what booris do at different ages • Ideas about things we can do with our booris • Games and activities • Contacts to help with parenting Booris are important to the whole community. We need to make sure that our booris grow up healthy strong and proud Kooris. Being a parent can be hard at times. Don’t be shamed to ask for help. There is a list of contacts at the back of the book. Where possible we’ve used Dhurga language. Dhurga is one of the four dialects used by the Djuwin (Yuin) people. Djuwin country extends from the Shoalhaven River to the Victorian Border. The decision was made to use Dhurga language based on the fact that the highest population of Aboriginal people living in South East NSW reside within the Eurobodalla and Bega Valley Local Government Areas. This book was developed as part of the Aboriginal Child, Youth and Family Strategy (ACYFS) which is a NSW Government Initiative. Eurobodalla and Bega Valley LGAs have been the focus for ACYFS projects in South East NSW. GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS 1 2 GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS Newborn boori 0-3 months In the first few weeks of life boori will spend a lot of time sleeping and feeding. All booris like to be held close, cuddled and rocked. Booris like to look at faces and listen to voices. They are curious about what they see and hear. Newborn booris like to feel secure. Boori will get to know you very quickly and rely on you for food and love. Being close to mum is very important for a new boori. Newborn booris do not cry to ‘get attention’ or ‘get at’ their parents. They cry because they are hungry, wet, need a cuddle or need to sleep. You can’t spoil boori by giving it too much attention. Boori will be upset by loud noises, sudden movement and angry voices. No matter how tired, angry or frustrated you feel—NEVER shake a boori. If you feel upset tell someone else and get some help. GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS 3 Between 0 and 3 months boori will start to: • smile • watch faces • listen to your voice • lift up their head when lying on belly • kick their legs by 2 months • laugh by 3 months. 4 GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS What you can do: Give boori lots of attention. Cuddle your boori. Talk, sing and hum to your boori. Play music to boori. When boori makes a sound, smile and talk back and say their name. Carry boori in a sling close to your body. A quiet time before sleep helps boori settle. To protect boori from harm, sleep boori on their back. Booris like to be touched gently. Play with boori, gently pat and stroke them and move their arms and legs up, down and around. Booris need time on their belly to make their arms and neck strong. Place boori on their belly and hold a toy in front of their face. Lift it up slowly so boori needs to raise their head to see the toy. Tie a rattle to the end of the bassinet to encourage boori to move their legs and kick. Developing a routine will help—try to do some things like bathing, sleeping and feeding boori at the same time every day. GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS 5 6 GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS Your boori 3-9 months Boori is growing and you are learning about each other every day. Boori loves to be with you and is learning that you are the person who provides care and love. Boori will start to move around more. Playing and moving will help boori grow stronger. Boori loves to smile and feels safe and happy when the people around are happy. Never leave boori alone on a bed where they could fall off. From 6 months boori will start to eat mashed food. Boori needs healthy food to grow strong. Get advice from a Family Worker or Health Centre. GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS 7 Between 3 and 9 months boori will start to: • smile a lot • make gurgling noises • reach out to grab things • hold and shake a rattle • make sounds and ‘talk’ • roll over from front to back • push up and then sit up • play with toes • be interested in animals • talk in ‘baby language’ and say short words like “mama”, “dada”, “no” • pull up to a standing position. 8 GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS What you can do: Talk to boori all the time and tell them about what you are doing. Repeat simple sounds like “maa” and “daa”. Make faces and blow raspberries on boori’s belly. Sing and play music. Give boori lots of cuddles and hold boori close. Give boori time on the floor without a nappy so boori can kick and move about. Put boori on the tummy to make the back strong and help boori to start crawling. Booris love to hold things—give boori a rattle, a toy or a plastic or wooden spoon to play with. Make sure it’s smooth and too large to swallow. Booris are happy and settled when life is predictable—try to have a routine for feeding and sleeping. Boori will need regular sleeps throughout the day. GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS 9 Games for you and boori 3-6 months Peek-a-boo Cover your face with your hands or a scarf and then show your face and say “peek-a-boo”. Booris are happy to do this over and over again. Mirror game Let boori look in the mirror. Talk about what you can see—boori, nose, eyes, ears. Lost & found Let boori play with a cup or toy and then cover it with a cloth. Boori will look for the missing object. You may need to help boori find it. All booris are different and develop at their own pace. The thing your boori needs most is your love, care and cuddles. 10 GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS Games for you and boori 6-9 months Hide and seek You can hide under a table or behind a door and call out to boori—can they find you? Imitation games Booris love to imitate you—laugh, cough, clap your hands and move your arms and watch boori try to do the same. Round and round the garden Trace a path on the boori’s palm as you sing: Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear, One step, …two steps … (walk your fingers up boori’s arm) Tickle under there. (and tickle boori’s armpit) GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS 11 12 GROWING UP STRONG BOORIS Older booris 9-18 months Boori will be curious about everything—sounds, music, books, household objects. Boori will start to explore—first by crawling and then by walking. Once boori starts crawling everything on the floor will end up in the mouth. Make sure there are no small objects around that boori can swallow. Keep things clean. Being safe is a big issue when booris start to move around.