Snuggly Baby Wraps

Calling all sewers!!!

As most of you know one of the main projects that Tiny Sparks WA delivers to the community is our care packs. We distribute approximately 400 Neonatal Unit care packs per year to hospitals in Western Australia, which means that all babies born under 1.5 kilos receive a pack with the essentials mum will need over the first weeks during the Neonatal Unit stay. 

One of the items we include is a baby wrap which mum can use for kangaroo care or while expressing or as a baby blanket when bub has left the Neonatal Unit. Unfortunately, due to some price rises, we are faced with removing items from our care packs or asking our loyal sewers to help us supply the baby wraps. If you are able we would love for you to help us out by sewing some wraps, details are below. 

 

  • Wraps need to be a minimum of 100cm x 100cm, our preferred size is 120cm x 120cm when finished;

  • They can be made from a single piece of soft cotton, muslin or flannelette;

  • The fabric does not need to be pre-washed;

  • They do not need to be ‘backed’ or overlocked;

  • No fancy sewing is required, just a simple and clean hem around ¼ to ½ inch all round is required;

  • Corners can be rounded or square;

  • The fabric colours need to be gender neutral (this is really important to assist with ease of distribution). We suggest the following colours: solid colours such as white, grey, mint, yellow, simple patterns such as animals, starts, stripes, etc;

  • If you are really clever you can ask your fabric store to cut your fabric to 125cm lengths (to take into account the hem) and very quickly hem up the edge to sew a wrap in under 10 minutes;

  • We need 34 wraps per month so we are not limiting how many each person can sew;

  • All sewn items can be posted to PO Box 1114, West Leederville, WA 6901. If you have bulk donations, please get in touch with us to arrange a time and place to drop off. 

  • Please include an e-mail address in your parcel so that we can send you an e-mail to say thank you and let you know your parcel arrived safely.

Thank you for your continued support. We couldn’t so this without the help of our wonderful sewers! 

With many thanks, 

Tiny Sparks WA

PS - If you are looking for different projects you can complete for us further information is available on our Knitting & Sewing page here.

Neonatal Unit Care Package Program Expansion

The Neonatal Unit Care Package program is expanding!

The Neonatal Unit Care Package program has been a flagship support program for Tiny Sparks WA, providing over 110 separate families with a Care Package at a difficult time in their lives. Funded entirely from public donations through Tiny Sparks WA fundraising or individual donations of whole Care Packages, these Care Packages have been well received by recipients and hospital staff, with wonderful feedback offered by recipients, a sample of which is below:

"Loved it at a time when nobody knows what to say or give as a gift"

"It made me feel very supported"

"It was an awesome gesture and really made my day"

"They are an amazing thing to receive, I will be donating"

We are now thrilled to announce a significant expansion of the Neonatal Unit Care Package program!

As of 1 July 2015 the distribution will increase to parents of babies born up to and including 1500g which will capture a significant number more families!

The expanded program has the potential to reach over twice the number of families in the next 12 months than the program has since its commencement in May 2014!

New Outfit Sizes

The original Neonatal Unit outfits that our industrious volunteers have been creating have been sized to approximately 1.2kg, therefore, the expanded Neonatal Unit Care Package program, which will reach babies born up to 1500g, requires a new size of outfit!

Newly posted on our Knitting and Sewing page are additional girls and boys patterns in 'up to 1.6kg' sizing. These have been listed under the 'low stock' heading as they are brand new - if you are able to assist in creating outfits in this new size and building our supplies we would be very grateful! 

Links to full instructions, pattern downloads and FAQs are all available from our Knitting and Sewing page.

We would like to thank all donors past, present and future for allowing the Neonatal Unit Care Package program to be a success and allowing its expansion! We would also like to extend a massive thank you to the key staff at KEMH who distribute all of the Care Packages and who are the crucial link between Tiny Sparks WA and the recipients.

Future Expansion

Yes, we want to keep expanding! Tiny Sparks WA acknowledges that it is not only premature babies that experience the Neonatal Unit, and as such, we are looking towards future expansions to other hospitals that will cater to the families of newly born babies requiring long term Neonatal Unit care due to illness or other reasons. Watch this space!

Full details of all Care Package programs are available on our Care Package page.

Bed-Rest Care Packages

We are excited to announce that Tiny Sparks WA will be launching Bed-Rest Care Packages in addition to our NICU Care Packages.

We have worked closely with King Edward Memorial Hospital to ensure the contents are suitable and practical for mums who unexpectedly find themselves in hospital on bed-rest in the second trimester/early third trimester period of their pregnancy, due to complications or risk factors associated with their pregnancy. They often find themselves in such situations unexpectedly and without time to make any preparations for themselves. The bed-rest care package includes:

  • Toothbrush & toothpaste
  • Shampoo & conditioner
  • Deodorant
  • Moisturiser
  • Lip Balm
  • Face wipes
  • Tote Bag
  • Pen
  • Ear plugs
  • Eye mask
  • An information booklet

Would you like to help in a personal way? Would you like to make a difference to someone's pregnancy journey? You can 'gift' an entire Bed-Rest care package here.

You have the option for your name and a personal message of hope to be displayed under the 'proudly donated by' line on the care package. The hospital staff will present to the family on your behalf.

The RRP of this care package is $45 and thanks to our volunteers sourcing donations and purchasing in bulk, the cost is currently reduced to $30.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Parents of Prems joins forces with Tiny Sparks WA

It’s been an exciting month here at Tiny Sparks WA, and it’s not over yet!. Not only is November the month that World Prematurity Day is celebrated, but it has also seen the coming together of two local and like-minded charitable organisations, Tiny Sparks WA and Parents of Prems!

The parents behind Parents of Prems, Daniel and Michelle Giles, have joined the Board of Tiny Sparks WA and will be continuing the operations of Parents of Prems under the name of Tiny Sparks WA whilst also contributing to existing and new programs offered by Tiny Sparks WA.

So, what are these operations that Tiny Sparks WA has inherited as a consequence of the merger? Primarily, the compilation and distribution of NICU Care Packages that Parents of Prems has been successfully managing since early 2014.

The idea for the NICU Care Package was spurred by the Giles’ own experience in 2012 following the birth of their daughter at 25 weeks gestation. Like most other shocked new parents of such a small fragile baby, Daniel and Michelle wanted to be able to focus on each other and their new baby without having to think about unfamiliar supplies and logistics; Michelle had never even seen a breast pump before! And so the idea of providing these new parents with a suite of NICU essentials was born.

Currently the NICU Care Packages donated by Parents of Prems are distributed by KEMH to new parents of babies born under 1000g (irrespective of gestation), a limit imposed only due to funding constraints, idealistically we would love for all parents of babies born premature or sick to be able to be reached!

As of 1 January 2015 the NICU Care Packages will be produced by Tiny Sparks WA.

A survey was conducted of previous recipients and other parents of NICU babies to ensure the contents of the NICU Care Packages are as useful as possible and reflect the feedback provided by parents who have experienced the NICU journey. As a direct result of this feedback, the 2015 NICU Care Packages will contain the following items:

  1. A Fridge-to-Go cooler bag for transporting of EBM (the most popular item within the existing Care Packages based on the feedback received!);
  2. A muslin style wrap to use during kangaroo care cuddles, for a cover whilst feeding or expressing, or to use when baby is home;
  3. An IV friendly NICU top or dress (sized to approximately 1.2kg);
  4. Pocket hand sanitiser for keeping germs at bay when out and about;
  5. Hand cream to combat dry skin caused by frequent washing and use of hand sanitiser;
  6. Chocolates and snacks for an energy boost on long days;
  7. A reusable water bottle to help maintain hydration;
  8. Inkless hand and foot print wipes to create a treasured keepsake; 
  9. A Tiny Sparks WA wrist band;
  10. A pen to keep on hand to record special moments; and
  11. Valuable information to help you on your NICU journey, including real life stories of ex-premature babies and where they are now.

Throughout 2014 individual NICU Care Packages have been created to celebrate or honour individuals. The recipient parents receive a NICU Care Package that states it has been “proudly donated by” and lists the donors message (e.g. “proudly donated by the family of Olivia, born at 25 weeks in 2012”); a personal touch to acknowledge our special donors and to let the recipient parents know that someone has thought of them.

If you would like to donate an individual NICU Care Package this can be completed through the Tiny Sparks WA web shop at a cost of $45 (a tax deductible donation). Your personalised message can be entered during the transaction and will appear on an individual NICU Care Package.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the individual donors and supporters of Parents of Prems who have helped make the NICU Care Packages such a success throughout 2014 and have reduced the cost of these packs to $45 from the recommended retail price of $95. Special thanks goes to Christine Livesey who has hand made each outfit that has been distributed with the NICU Care Packages and to Fridge-to-Go for making it possible to include such a high quality cooler in the NICU Care Packages.

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