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Imperfect Parents Gift Card

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"I really appreciated having a regular space to come to each week where I was guaranteed support. I loved how the questions each week made me reflect on aspects of parenting/life I might not have otherwise thought about. I truly look forward to our group days!"

How can we support you working parents?
Fun events? Educational workshops? Something that caters just for you? Weekend playgroups? I’d love to know!!

So interested to hear other people’s thoughts and ideas on this!

Anyone else employing this??
With the little ones it’s sometimes being deliberately silly to help them move through a big meltdown, or with the older ones, making silly or outlandish suggestions when I can tell they’re wanting to disengage from the convo…

Alllll the caveats about consulting your child’s doctor and pharmacist first. Obviously.

If this video doesn’t perfectly illustrate the point I’m trying to make, I don’t know what does.
Lucky we’re all about imperfect around here 😅

Genuinely love doing detailed deep dives like this on random kid things so let me know if you want more, of anything in particular!

As an antenatal teacher, mama of 3 kids and before that someone who was an ECE teacher and nanny who researched prams for fun… I have a A LOT of thoughts on what’s good and what’s not!

(Always with the caveat that everyone is different and there’s no one best thing for everyone!)

There are so many ways to comfort and settle our babies, regardless of how we feed them.

There is no “one right way” for every whānau - and that includes how we grow our families, birth our babies, feed them, or parent them.

Check out Imperfect Parents antenatal courses, postnatal support groups and playgroups to connect with a community of parents who believe that our children don’t need “perfect”.

Does anyone else have those moments when you watch a child and feel like you’re connected to the past, present, and future all at once??

I know there is so much to be afraid of right now, but if we don’t stop to wonder at the little things, then what’s the point of being here??

And yes, I do love chatting about all aspects of parenting - including the slightly profound. Stick around if that sounds like a bit of you.

*disclaimer to say I don’t believe that men invented anything (at least not on their own) 😜😘

Jumping on the kids’ pics bandwagon because there’s nothing like talking about parenting all day every day to make you reflect on your own childhood!

So grateful that all these cuties came through with all the skills, resources, empathy and facilitation skills to make Imperfect Parents what it is today.

Show them some love! ❣️

Imperfect Parents Playgroups really are for all ages!

Parents of young babies can hang out on the mats in the shade (or the couches indoors at Waterview).

And there are tons of open-ended resources and spaces for older children to explore.

Nature Playgroups rotate around different parks and beaches on Mondays & Fridays (central Auckland & Northwest Auckland groups).

Our Thursday morning Waterview Playgroup is at the wonderful Waterview Community Hub, where we serve hot drinks, and have indoor spaces and a fully fenced outdoor space for play!

Register on our website for a trial, or for a package of 5, 10 or 20 sessions that you can use at any of our playgroups throughout the term!

Share your favourite antenatal education providers in the comments, save the post for future reference, and share with any expectant parents you know!

At Imperfect Parents, our antenatal courses offer 12+ hours of interactive learning from qualified childbirth educators.

We provide evidence-based information about ALL of your options for birth and parenting, with prompts to ask questions and explore your existing values and beliefs, as well as resources to continue your learning after class.

Our courses are proudly LGBTQIA+ inclusive, providing support and education for ALL whānau.

For more information, and to register, check out our website (linked in bio).

📸 @nz_birthstories

Not me turning an unexpected hospital stay into content 🫣

All of this plus the obvious spare clothes and toiletries.

Whether packing for birth or any other reason, these things can be so helpful to have in hospital.

Hospital pillows are terrible - so bring your own to get comfortable!

Hospital air is really dry so hydration for your bod, skin and lips helps!

Sleeping in hospital can be hard with lights and noises at weird times so eye masks and ear plugs help so much.

Anything else I’ve missed?

So sorry to everyone who read the title on this video and thought that such a thing existed 🤣

But honestly this CAN help with SOME kids SOME of the time.

Someone much smarter than me probably wrote a whole book about this that I probably read sometime in my last 20 years of working with young children. 😅

But seriously, I do feel like there are many great “tricks” (ie an understanding of psychology and child development) that I could share - let me know if you want more, or if this one has made any difference in your home!

Genuinely stumped about how to handle money stuff with my kids so appreciate any wisdom shared here - and I’m sure many others would too.
Comment what your family does below!

Get you some Antenatal education that emphasises informed decision making, and includes information about ALL of your options for labour, birth and beyond.

Imperfect Parents Antenatal courses are founded on a belief that there is no “one right way” to build a family, birth a baby, or be a parent.

We all come with different histories, values and beliefs - and that’s ok!

Our courses are LGBTQIA+ inclusive, and focus on exploring ALL your options for labour, birth, feeding and more.

6 week courses that encourage you to build relationships that might just become your parenting village.

Register on our website now - courses do fill up!

📷 @nz_birthstories

Anyone else with me on this one?? Can we just call it responsive parenting so we can all acknowledge that we’re human and can’t be soft and gentle ALL the time??

Will we see you there??

The Big Gay Out (or as my kids call it, the Rainbow Festival) is such a fun day out for the whole whānau.

Whether you are a 🌈 queer whānau, or you just want to show your kids that all identities should be celebrated.

Music, Kai, markets, and celebrations of ALL identities.

@dagmar.nz and I will be under the trees on the beach side of the park, providing a nature play chill-out zone for any whānau who want to come join!

Ngā mihi to @burnettaotearoa for providing us with a shady spot for whānau to chill!

Our playgroups have started for the term, and you can join them anytime!!

🥳Trial session special offer $5

We’ve streamlined the process so you can buy a playgroup “pass” and use your credits to attend any of our FOUR playgroups throughout the term!

All playgroups are suitable for all ages 0-5, and inclusive of all parents/caregivers, regardless of whānau structure.

All playgroups 10am-12pm.

Nature Playgroups
Central Auckland Mon & Fri with @dagmar.nz
Northwest Friday with Carla @safensnugnz

Waterview Playgroup Thursday Morning with @dagmar.nz
- indoor & fully fenced outdoor play spaces

Ask any questions here, and register on our website to join! We can’t wait!

This @edwardsandcobaby Lucci travel pram was #gifted by @babyonthemovegreylynn but it’s been such a handy addition to our busy family!

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments - I’ve always been obsessed with prams and I love this one!

It’s so light but still really sturdy.

The compact fold means it can sit in our boot - but our kiddo can still climb past it into their third-row car seat!

It lies almost completely flat so it’s great for naps on the go (or on the back deck in our case). And the ventilation means I’m not worried about our little one overheating.

Baby on the Move have an amazing array of baby/kid/parent gear, plus trained car seat technicians on staff. Plus they’re NZ-owned and operated! Support local!

#ad #giftedproduct

Does this resonate for you too??
Share with a parent who’s going through a transition at the moment and hopefully it helps!

Imperfect Parents group for Dads & non-birthing/non-primary parents.

Fortnightly Wednesday evenings
From Wed 4th Feb
Sandringham
6.30-8.30pm

A space for conversation, support, and solidarity.

Open to all non-birthing parents with young children.

Head to our website for more details and to register!

Leaving our babies with “strangers” can feel almost unbearably hard, no matter how old they are. Walking away while they are reaching out and crying for you tugs on your heart like almost nothing else.

I’ve been on both sides of the transition - as a teacher peeling a child off their parent’s leg, and as a mum trying to smile and wave and hold my face together before I turn around and start sobbing.

Because even when this transition is something we wanted, something we counted down to - and especially so when it was forced on us sooner than we would have liked - there is still something that feels incredibly unnatural about walking away like that.

And often parents take that guilt upon themselves, feeling guilty for “choosing” this over something else. But for so so so many people, they are in situations where it doesn’t feel like the choice was theirs to make.

With rising living costs, lack of practical support in the form of a “village”, and the lack of social safety nets, so many parents are forced to leave their babies in the care of others much sooner than they would have liked.

And even when we are going to a job we love, even when we’re confident in the carers looking after our children, even when we know that our children will be absolutely fine, there’s something about it that can feel heartbreaking. And that’s all best case scenario. The hugest hugs to those people who don’t even tick those boxes.

Feeling like the world is closing in on you?? Get outside and around other people!

At Imperfect Parents, we believe that parenting is political and one of the easiest political actions we can take as parents is connection. Connection with nature, with other people, and with ourselves.

Come join one of our Nature Playgroups (rotating locations in central & northwest auckland) or our Waterview playgroup (oodles of outdoor and indoor space) and experience that connection for yourself.

Our playgroups kick off for term 1 next week!

🥳Trial session special offer $5

We’ve streamlined the process so you can buy a playgroup “pass” and use your credits to attend any of our FOUR playgroups throughout the term!

All playgroups are suitable for all ages 0-5, and inclusive of all parents/caregivers, regardless of whānau structure.

All playgroups 10am-12pm.

Nature Playgroups
Central Auckland Mon & Fri
Northwest Friday

Waterview Playgroup Thursday Morning
- indoor & fully fenced outdoor play spaces

Ask any questions here, and register on our website to join! We can’t wait!

Our playgroups kick off for term 1 next week!

🥳Trial session special offer $5

We’ve streamlined the process so you can buy a playgroup “pass” and use your credits to attend any of our FOUR playgroups throughout the term!

All playgroups are suitable for all ages 0-5, and inclusive of all parents/caregivers, regardless of whānau structure.

All playgroups 10am-12pm.

Nature Playgroups
Central Auckland Mon & Fri
Northwest Friday

Waterview Playgroup Thursday Morning
- indoor & fully fenced outdoor play spaces

Ask any questions here, and register on our website to join! We can’t wait!

Whenever I have weaned one of my children I have thought, “why tf aren’t we talking about weaning more?!??

Bf initiation is complex, so most of the efforts of education and support are (rightfully so) focused on that area… but deciding when/how/why to wean (if you are lucky enough to even have a choice) is also a bit of a headf*ck, no??

Because ALSO this is my third and last baby and I know I’m going to be DEVASTATED when this stage is over 😅

Have you been here before? It almost feels too good to be true! But also too good to keep quiet.

It’s open 7 days a week, and has so many different spaces for children and adults alike to explore and relax. The ultimate space away from home!

@ourhouse_nz
Our House, Hinemoa St, Birkenhead.

ICYMI all our parent-baby groups include snacks, many of which include homemade bread. No biggie.

Only a couple of spaces left for term 1 - you prob don’t want to miss out because the groups themselves are apparently transformative for parents’ wellbeing postpartum 🤷🏻‍♀️

For our sourdough focaccia recipe, check out @dagmar.nz page. And for our fave yeasty one, @cloudykitchen no-knead focaccia is the GOAT.

To join a postpartum parents group - or one of our similarly awesome playgroups (for all ages), head to our website and register for term 1.

Imperfect Parents groups for term 1

All based in Auckland.

Spaces in parent-baby groups are nearly all gone! Just a couple spaces left in groups in Westmere, Sandringham, Hobsonville Pt and Waterview.

All ages playgroups - buy a pass and come to any of them!

Nature playgroups rotate around different parks & beaches each week.

Waterview playgroup has indoor and outdoor spaces, comfy couches, hot drinks, toilets etc etc.

Share with your friends and register now!

Imperfect dinner cooking while imperfectly parenting my 3 kids… stay tuned for some parenting tidbits. And whether my children actually ate it!
(It’s a vegetarian pasta bake for those who are interested in the recipe part. Let me know if you want the actual written recipe)

I heard we were reminiscing about 2016 and loved seeing everyone else’s - so had to go back and do mine! What do you think?

#proudmom (overlooking the part where he rejected my suggestion to keep all the breakfast cereals in one place 😝)

Surely I can’t be the only person betrayed by gifts from people you thought were your friends?!!

This definitely doesn’t mean that I let my daughter get away with everything… but it does mean that there are certain things I don’t let slide.

I am by no means a strict mum, and (as mentioned in my previous post) my goal is to raise soft, warm, emotionally mature children, no matter their gender.

But. I also want to make sure that all of my children - and most absolutely definitely, my sons - understand that when someone tells you “no” or “stop” you listen.

You don’t keep going, you don’t laugh about it, you listen even if the other person was enjoying it initially.

Bodily autonomy is important - and that includes mine. So when my children are inevitably intruding on my personal space to the point where it’s uncomfortable for me, I make sure they’re aware of it.

I also hope that by modelling this boundary-setting behaviour with my children, they are learning how to do it for themselves.

Surely I’m not the only one??

Would genuinely love your thoughts on this - we want our playgroups to be the best (for parents especially!) in Auckland.

What’s your fave unconventional proud parenting moment???

The responsibility of raising the citizens of the world hits hard sometimes.

Parents in Auckland - we have you covered for antenatal education, postnatal support groups and playgroups.

All our offerings are inclusive of ALL parents, all whānau structures, and just all of it!

We consistently get feedback from parents that our offerings are the best things they’ve done for themselves as they transition to parenthood, whether for the first or fourth time!

🌈LGBTQIA+ inclusive
Antenatal education
Postnatal support
Nature playgroups
AND a new Waterview location with indoor/outdoor space.
All ages welcome at playgroups, including babies!

Register on our website and share with your parent/expectant friends!

Do all parents feel like this IF they are lucky enough to both get multiple weeks of time off together??

What are some other great socialising errands???

A little reminder for me and for you.

For some in-depth chats on baby sleep, the pressures, the history of sleep training and more listen to the latest in our series of bonus Parenting is Political episodes of @whydoyouparentlikethatpodcast where we chat with the wonderful Dr Heather Johnston @cradlednz

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

⛱️Nature Playgroup Summer Sessions!

☀️Mon 12th Jan @ Milford Beach
🌞Mon 19th Jan @ French Bay
🕶️Tue 27th Jan @ Cheltenham

10am-12pm - but you can come and go whenever suits you best!

🚸All ages welcome - babies to school age.

🌳We’ll have mats in the shade and playthings for babies, as well as all the ingredients for big kids’ adventures. Facilitated by the wonderful @dagmar.nz

🏖️The goal is free play for the children = chats and community for the parents!

🪁These summer sessions are a taster of the nature playgroups and fully fenced playgroup that we run during term time (details on our website).

✍️Register on our website so we can keep you up to date on location and any change in a plans.

Parenting is political - and navigating baby sleep advice is a big part of it!

We’re releasing another bonus episode of @whydoyouparentlikethatpodcast in our Parenting is Political series, presented by Sophie from @imperfectparents.nz

Dr Heather Johnston of @cradlednz is one of the most qualified people in Aotearoa to help us deconstruct some of the messages that have dominated the world of baby sleep for the last century - and more!

Search Why Do You Parent Like That on your podcast feed. This episode released tomorrow, 6th Jan, and there are so many more brilliant ones if you’re new to the pod!

Let us know what you think!

So curious to know what this looks like for others! With three kids ages 1-8 it feels like we hardly get any kid-free chill time right now!
Anyone else???

Would you want this???
I feel like if we could share this message far and wide there might actually be some parents out there who come away from the holiday season just a tiny bit refreshed?? How novel!

So grateful to @cucumbercool_ for creating sun-smart togs that my kids are actually excited to wear!
Looking forward to less time applying sunscreen this summer 💪🏽

We ended up getting slightly larger sizes for all of our kids so they have a bit of room to grow. And the matching hats are great too!

#gifted but I was totally going to buy some anyway!

Tell me this isn’t the dream???
I cannot overstate how chill and nice our groups are for meeting other parents, talking about parenting AND about other life things too, and generally just passing a morning in the most lovely way.
What’s stopping you from coming along??

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