Grow Kids Collective

13/10/2025

💩 Constipation affects 1 in 6 kids — and it’s often missed because parents think “they go every day.”

It’s not just about frequency. Hard, painful, or incomplete poos can mean your child’s bowel isn’t working as smoothly as it should.

The good news? It’s common, not your fault, and treatable.

🌱 I’ve put together a free Constipation SOS Parent Guide — a simple checklist to help you spot the signs and support your child with confidence.

📩 Comment POO below and I’ll send it to your inbox 💌

17/09/2025

This has been very much the vibe we are hearing from families this week. Lots of frazzled little nervous systems. Take some time to take some pressure off and be kind to yourselves. Connection over correction is the key to getting through this especially for our kindy kids in this last few weeks of term.

11/09/2025

💛 R U OK? Day 💛

Today is a powerful reminder to check in with the people around us. A simple “Are you OK?” can open the door to conversations that might change — or even save — a life.

👉 You don’t need to have all the answers.
👉 You don’t need to fix everything.
👉 You just need to listen, with care and without judgment.

Take a moment today to pause, connect, and ask the people in your world how they’re really going. 💬

But what happens tomorrow? Thursday 11 September is R U OK?Day — but life happens every day. Whether it’s a friend, family member, partner, or colleague, the people around us go through ups and downs all year round.

💬 Research shows that when we’re regularly asked “Are you OK?”, we feel more supported and connected. And the truth is — most of us already check in with others more than we realise.

It’s normal to feel hesitant about starting a deeper conversation, but here’s the good news: 9 in 10 Australians feel grateful and cared for when someone genuinely asks if they’re OK.

So don’t wait for one day a year. Be brave, be kind, and check in — because a conversation could change a life.

✨ Need tips? Visit ruok.org.au for free resources to help you start the conversation.

Because every conversation matters. 💛

21/08/2025

The Parenting Today survey is a landmark research initiative led by the Parenting Research Centre, designed to capture a rich and up-to-date picture of parenting in Australia today.

Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, service provider, educator or policymaker, this survey matters to you – because your insight helps shape what better support looks like for all families.

Want to be part of it? Take the survey today: parentingtoday.net.au

20/08/2025

👣 Flat feet in kids – should you worry?

Most children under 5 years old naturally have flat feet. ✅ In fact, the arch often develops as bones, ligaments, and muscles mature.

Here’s what research tells us:

Flat feet are common & normal in young children (up to ~44% of kids at age 3–6 show some flatness).

In most cases, arches develop naturally without treatment as they grow.

When to check with a physio:
🔹 If your child has pain, stiffness, or swelling
🔹 If flat feet make running, jumping, or balance difficult
🔹 If they fall frequently
🔹 If one foot looks different from the other

✨ Remember: every child develops differently. Flat feet don’t automatically mean a problem — but if you’re unsure, we can help with an assessment.

➡️ Swipe to see the myths vs facts!

19/08/2025

17/08/2025

Play should be fun and safe for every child.

💬 Teach kindness: model it in your own interactions
🤝 Encourage inclusive play: mix up groups and games
🛑 Speak up: remind children it’s OK to say ‘stop’

While Bullying No Way Week may come to a close, we can all help make the playground a place of belonging.

16/08/2025

Climbing is more than just a fun activity – it builds strength, coordination, and self-belief in your child.

Did you know?
- It strengthens the core and upper body.
- It supports balance and motor skills.
- Each climb boosts confidence!

What’s a moment when your child surprised you with something new?
Share it with us below – we’d love to celebrate with you.

24/07/2025

🧠💔 Chronic pain doesn’t treat everyone the same — and that’s a problem we need to fix.

At Grow Kids Collective, we work closely with children and families impacted by lifelong conditions like Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and other Heritable Connective Tissue Disorders (HCTDs). Too often, we see the emotional and physical toll of being dismissed, misdiagnosed, or left waiting years for answers.

✨ What’s heartbreaking is how often I see mothers—coming in for help with their child’s hypermobility—quietly struggling with their own pain. Many have lived with symptoms for years, unheard and unsupported. Sometimes, I’m the first health professional to truly listen, validate their experience, and gently guide them toward starting their own diagnostic journey with trusted, well-informed therapists.

According to the 2025 National Pain Report by :

🔴 Women, non-binary and LGBTIQA+ people are more likely to:
– Wait years for a diagnosis
– Be dismissed or judged by healthcare providers
– Struggle with stigma and mental health challenges

🔴 People with HCTDs like EDS face even greater barriers to care, often mislabelled or excluded from treatment pathways altogether.

💡 Everyone in pain deserves to be:
✅ Believed
✅ Respected
✅ Heard
✅ Supported with timely, evidence-based care

This National Pain Week, let’s raise our voices and shine a light on the inequities in pain care—especially for the women, mothers, and carers who carry so much for others while waiting to be seen themselves.

📖 Read the full National Pain Report here:
https://chronicpainaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025_07_21_NPW2025_National-Pain-Report_digital.pdf

23/07/2025

👶💛 Have you heard of kangaroo care?

Originally developed in Colombia as a life-saving approach for premature babies without access to incubators, kangaroo care has now become a global standard in neonatal care — and for good reason!

This beautiful practice involves holding your baby skin-to-skin on your chest, supporting bonding, emotional regulation, temperature control, and even brain development. It’s gentle, powerful, and backed by growing evidence.

At Grow Kids Collective, we love seeing how physiotherapy is playing a growing role in this space. The Australian Physiotherapy Association’s 2023 Competence Framework encourages physios to work hand-in-hand with neonatal nurses to provide developmentally supportive care — including safe, regular kangaroo care for suitable infants. 🤝🍼

Read more about how physiotherapists are supporting families through movement and connection:
👉 https://healthtimes.com.au/hub/physiotherapy/8/practice/ff/kangaroo-care-neonatal-physiotherapy-supporting-bonding-through-movement/9444/

30/06/2025

🌈 From the Heart of Grow Kids Collective 💛

We believe every child — no matter their background, ability, or circumstance — deserves access to therapy that supports their growth, dignity and dreams.

Today, we are heartbroken to share that the NDIS is cutting funding to the very supports that help children thrive, especially those who need outreach care at school or in the community.

These cuts begin tomorrow (1st July) and will reduce access to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and more. The most affected? Children with complex conditions, with trauma backgrounds, in foster care, First Nations children, and those from non-English speaking families — the very ones we should be protecting.

At Grow Kids Collective, we’re speaking up not for ourselves, but for the little ones who may no longer be able to access the services they trust.

🌟 We’ve written to our MP. We’ve signed the petition. We’ve asked for transparency.
You can help too but the time to act is now:

✍️ Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/stand-up-for-disability-support-stop-the-ndis-cuts
📧 Email your MP: https://australian.physio/stopNDIScuts -tool

Together, let’s say:
Stop the cuts. Fix the freeze. Our kids are worth it.

22/06/2025

We stand for quality care for all abilities!

Stand up for disability care!

We are mobilising physiotherapists and NDIS participants to tell the government: this isn’t close to ‘good enough’.

Check out the APA’s advocacy toolkit and spread the word.

Join the fight against inequity: https://australian.physio/advocacy/ndis-price-limits