The Infants' Home

The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 had a devastating impact on the social fabric of Australia. With many young men enlisting to join the overseas conflict alongside other Allies of the British Empire, mothers with young children were to manage as sole parents, often with very little outside support, while also enduring the agony of long periods of uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones.

A foundling, Peter Albert Day, who was left at The Infants’ Home in 1915 bore a note pinned to his clothes that read: ‘Don’t think me cruel or hard hearted but I am broken hearted and I leave my boy here that you will be good and kind to him. He was born the day his father was killed on the battlefield July 15th so there is nothing left for me but to put an end to my miserable life as I have nobody and I trust to God you’ll be good to him. ‘A Broken Hearted Mother’.

Peter is pictured in the arms of The Infants' Home Matron who also holds hands with Marjorie, another Australian soldier's orphan. (Image: Sydney Morning Herald, 4 June, 1916).

Today’s (17 August) Red Bug Playgroup is being held at our Rigby House Community Space at The Infants’ Home due to the rain. Enter via Gate 4 at 17 Henry Street, Ashfield. We hope you can join us!

😴 Adequate sleep is important for a child's health and development. It not only supports their physical health, it also helps to boost concentration and attention, and steady mood and behaviour throughout the day.

Dante, one of The Infants' Home's paediatric Occupational Therapists, shares two simple tips to help children get the rest they need to thrive:
🌙 Set regular sleep and wake times each day to help set a smooth sleep rhythm.
📖 Establish predictable bedtime routines, like brushing teeth, putting on pjs and reading a story before bed.

Simple, consistent steps can make a big difference for children's rest and sleep.

For more information and tips for families, visit our Information Hub
👉 https://theinfantshome.org.au/posts

😴 Adequate sleep is important for a child's health and development. It not only supports their physical health, it also helps to boost concentration and attention, and steady mood and behaviour throughout the day.

Dante, one of The Infants' Home's paediatric Occupational Therapists, shares two simple tips to help children get the rest they need to thrive:
🌙 Set regular sleep and wake times each day to help set a smooth sleep rhythm.
📖 Establish predictable bedtime routines, like brushing teeth, putting on pjs and reading a story before bed.

Simple, consistent steps can make a big difference for children's rest and sleep.

For more information and tips for families, visit our Information Hub
👉 https://theinfantshome.org.au/posts

At The Infants' Home, child safety isn't a checklist — it's a culture. 💛

It's woven into the fabric of our daily interactions, routines and relationships. It's about building trusting relationships, listening deeply, and responding with care. We continuously review and improve our practices, guided by the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the NSW Child Safe Standards.

For more than 150 years, we've put children at the heart of everything we do, and we reaffirm that commitment not just today, but every single day.

👉 Read our Statement of Commitment to Child Safety at https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w_n720

Today’s (10 August) Red Bug Playgroup is being held at our Rigby House Community Space at The Infants’ Home. Enter via Gate 4 at 17 Henry Street, Ashfield. We hope you can join us!

There is a moment in every rainy day where the afternoon stretches out and you are not sure what to do next.

This is that moment's answer.

Get on the floor with your child. Choose an animal. Bear walk down the hallway together, crab walk across the living room, race each other as cheetahs until someone dissolves into laughter. Add a secret mission and watch your child's whole world light up.

Animal Walks builds gross motor strength, coordination, and body awareness without either of you realising it is happening. But what it really builds is something even more important — the memory of a parent who stopped, got down, and played.

That is the kind of support our Allied Health team believes every family deserves to have on hand. Practical, simple, and full of heart.

Save this post for the next rainy day and follow us for more tips from our Allied Health team.

For more information and tips for families, visit our Information Hub https://theinfantshome.org.au/posts

Your child will not remember the rainy days. They will remember that you got on the floor with them.

The activities that stay with children longest are rarely the ones that cost the most or take the most planning. They are the ones where a parent or carer chose to be fully present, to be silly, and to play alongside them without distraction.

Animal Walks is exactly that kind of activity. Simple enough to start in seconds, joyful enough to fill an entire afternoon, and meaningful enough to become one of those memories that stays.

Our Occupational Therapist Julia Foundouradakis explains why this activity is so valuable for children and how families can make the most of it on a rainy day at home.

Swipe through to see the full breakdown.

Save this post and share it with a family who needs a reminder that the best moments are often the simplest ones.

For more information and tips for families, visit our Information Hub https://theinfantshome.org.au/posts

In 1917 electric lights were installed at The Infants’ Home. ‘It was... considered advisable to install electric light throughout the buildings, and though the initial outlay was considerable, there will be a great saving in the current expenditure.’ (1917 Annual Report).

A retiring committee member, Mrs Marks, ‘wished it to be recorded that she was opposed’ to the installation of electric lighting.

Thankfully, electricity was not a ‘fad’ as Mrs Marks had feared, and The Infants' Home went on to reap subsequent savings by moving away from the use of kerosene lanterns.