ACCLAIMED baby care author and ‘Mummy Mentor’ Pinky McKay is coming to Canberra this weekend to share her advice with parents.

Usually praised by grateful mums and dads for her practical advice, humour and gentle approach, Ms McKay is now also helping shed light on the tragedy of children lost through miscarriage, still birth and in the early years of life.

Ms McKay’s Canberra seminars will equip parents with valuable knowledge and practical strategies to help with feeding, sleeping and gentle baby care, as well as tips to help desperate parents facing a fully-fledged toddler meltdown in the middle of a shopping centre.

As well as giving new parents confidence and advice to make parenting easier and less stressful, one of Ms McKay’s most important messages comes from her role as an Ambassador for the Small Miracles Foundation.

The Small Miracles Foundation is a not-for-profit service to provide free telephone, online and face-to-face counselling for Australian families dealing with fertility issues, miscarriage, neonatal loss, still birth, premature birth or infant loss.

Ms McKay said grief counseling can play an important role in the grieving process, as many people benefit from talking about their feelings and sharing their story.

“Often parents and loved ones are unaware of the resources available to help them cope, and it’s a very Australian approach to just ‘get on with it’,” Ms McKay said.

“But we know professional counseling can help parents cope with loss, manage their grief and understand the impact on their relationships, both in the short and longer term.

“Not least of all, it’s so important for a grieving parent to know they’re not alone, and to share their story with someone who understands – because most of our counsellors have experienced loss themselves.”

One in every four pregnancies ends in a loss as the result of miscarriage or stillbirth and one in every 10 babies is born prematurely, with around half this number needing life support and intensive care.

More information on Ms McKay, visit www.pinkymckay.com.

• Taming Toddler Tantrums, 10am, Saturday, July 23 at Westfield Woden

• Parenting by Heart with Pinky McKay, 12.30pm, Saturday, July 23 at Conference Room 6, Griffin Centre, 20 Genge Street Civic

• Small Miracles Foundation afternoon tea and talk, 2.30pm, Saturday, July 23 at Conference Room 6, Griffin Centre, 20 Genge Street Civic