12 minute read
New Year, New You
Just one healthy thing
At this time of the year, we are bombarded with unrealistic health advice. So how about setting yourself an easy target of changing just one thing this New Year?
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Consider cold water swimming Start with cold water showers and build up with the Wim Hof method.
© Bruce Mars from Unsplash
Get a fitness buddy
Accountability works. Find out more.
Take time to meditate
10 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Find hundreds of free meditations.
Take Vitamin D
10mg daily for adults in autumn and winter compensate for lack of UK sunshine.
Try forest bathing
Time in forest/woodland boosts your mood, health and wellbeing. Find options here.
Get quality sleep
If your nights are disrupted, try going to bed earlier. Discover the benefits.
Photo: Spirited Euphoria Photo: Gabrielle Henderson from Unsplash
Photo by Ella Olsson from Pexels
Go veggie For one day a week, skip meat. Follow MeatFreeMondays.
Give up alcohol
Try mindful drinking with Spirited Euphoria! 100% natural, non-alcoholic, endorphin-releasing alternative.
Practise gratitude
Keeping a daily gratitude diary can make you feel more optimistic.
Health & fitness products for parents
Getting fit when you are a busy parent can be a challenge. Here are some great products to get your health and fitness mojo back in 2022.
Groov-e SportBuds
Wireless Stereo Earphones, perfect sound, snug ear hook fit and sweat-resistant. £39.99
TOFOTL Cordless Jump Rope
Practical, clever weighted, cordless skipping rope. £10.60
The Leg Master® Improves pelvic floor health and posture through classic strength training. £89.95
Claude Leggings, Pocket Sport
Maximum comfort, flattering, breathable fabric, quick drying. Hidden pocket. £55
Eco-friendly Yoga Mats
Inspiring, colourful, sustainable. Earth & animal-friendly. £40+
The Zeno Running Pushchair The ZENO: for push or pull running; the AVI: ‘hands free’ stroller. From £819.95
Twelve South ActionSleeve 2 Wear on upper arm and workout with Apple Watch, monitoring your progress. £34.99
Breathe Deep, Seek Peace Flower Essence
Awarded ‘best better sleep’ product. £12
Grounded Protein Shakes
Dairy free, sustainable, plant-based protein shakes. 20g of plant protein. £19.95 (6 pack).
How CBT can help children with anxiety
By Lilly Sabir As both a clinical therapist and a mother, I know from personal and professional experience how important it is to help our children understand, identify and support their own mental wellbeing.
Studies suggest that the earlier children are empowered with the resources needed to improve the way they think, the earlier positive foundations are laid that they can build on throughout their lives.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is identified as the most effective therapeutic intervention in managing anxiety.
When your child expresses feeling tiredness or pain, this can be one of the most demonstrative signs they are anxious - somebody or something has triggered an emotional response within them.
Children don’t know how to express and articulate emotional language in the early years but this improves with age.
Tummy aches, headaches and ‘something is hurting’ is often a child’s way of saying whatever is going on around them has caused them stress.
They need to calmly be helped to cope with that pain, using fun ways that can help them tap into the sensations occurring in their bodies and minds. It’s important to recognise when a child needs therapeutic intervention, rather than masking their emotional problems and hoping they will grow out of them; the earlier the intervention, the more effectively treatments can work.
If you have a child who is suffering with anxiety-related issues, find out more about some child-friendly CBT techniques that you can use to help them.
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Sensible safety supplies
It’s a great time of year to check that you have all the right protection to keep your children safe at home.
Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Essential if you use gas, LPG, oil or wood at home. £14
St John Ambulance Travel First Aid Kit
Important at home and when away. £18.60
Stove & Hob Guard
Protects from stove-top dangers. Adjustable. Suitable for gas and electric. £37.99
Cable Tidy Unit
The easiest way to keep cables away from children. Click-lock lid. £17.90
Magnetic Child Locks
No DIY skills required. Fit lock and catch simultaneously. £19.95
Corner Protectors
Easy to install. Larger than others. Soft protection from sharp corners. £6.99
Bath & Room Thermometer
Flashes/beeps when water is too hot/cold for your child. Floats in bath. £11.49
Oven Door Guard
Prevents little hands from opening the oven and getting injured or burned. £6.49
Door Slam Protector
Protects fingers from door slamming and children from getting locked in. From £6.99
Volunteering at your child’s childcare setting is a great way to become more involved with your child’s learning and development.
If you’ve previously worked with children or in childcare, that’s invaluable but you don’t actually need any experience.
You may be interested in formal roles like a nursery assistant where you will receive lots of support including an induction or special training. Other roles may be more informal with flexible arrangements such as joining outings to the park, helping with a fundraising activity or running a toy library. Your child’s setting is likely to be open to ideas.
Volunteering at your child’s setting can help you:
Increase your enjoyment and understanding of the way your child learns; Learn new skills, gain confidence and practical experience; Make new friends and meet other parents; Develop and become part of a parent forum; Take up free training opportunities to help you progress into paid work; Get to know your child’s friends better; Explore new career opportunities in childcare; Give something back to your local community. Children learn a huge amount while in quality childcare but parents remain their most important educators.
Find out how to continue developing your child’s learning at home. READ MORE
Protect your child online!
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Top car seat suggestions
Need a new car seat this year? Kickstart your research with these nine top ADAC safety-approved models.
Joie Spin 360 Group 0+1
Birth to 18kg. Birth to 4yrs. From £199.
Cosy N Safe Merlin 360 Group 0+/1
0 to 18kg. Birth to 4yrs. £200
Britax Romer Dualfix M i-Size
Up to 18kg. 3mths to 4yrs. £325
Maxi Cosi Axiss Swivelling 9 to 18kg. 9mths to 4yrs. £139
Joie Baby Bold Group 1/2/3
9 to 36kg. 9mths to 12yrs. £179.99
Graco Milestone All-in-One Group 0+/1/2/3
Birth to 36kg. Birth to 12 yrs. £210
Cosatto Judo Group 1/2/3
9 to 36kg. 9mths to 12 yrs. £180
Nuna Myti Group 1/2/3
9 to 36kg. 15mths to 12 yrs. £325
Halfords Essential Group 1/2/3 9 to 36kg. 9mths to 12yrs. £40
Family tech ideas
The latest in technological innovation – maybe you can find a bargain in the January sales?
Symfonisk Picture Frame with WiFi Speaker
Your favourite sounds from your favourite picture! £179
Bonaok Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone
Enjoy family karaoke at home. £29.99
Oculus Quest 2 Virtual Reality Headset
Use headset and app to jump into VR. £299.
Facebook Portal - Smart Video Calling
Video call others on their devices with WhatsApp/ Messenger, even if they don’t have Portal. £60.
da Vinci miniMaker 3D Printer
First-time users 3D printer. Great for young minds and STEM learning. £284.40
Illuminator Light Up Drone
Delivers an amazing light show. USB and batteryoperated remote control. £29.99
Philips NeoPix Easy Home Projector
For cosy winter nights in. £99.99
Heated Throw
Perfect for snuggling up with the family. £53
Nanit Smart Baby Monitor
Peace of mind. A crystalclear overhead view of your baby’s cot. From £199
Protect your child online
Save 15% on complete guide to parental controls (E-book/PB) Welcome to the new book, which aims to make it easier to protect our children online!
The internet is a fantastic place to learn, play and contact friends and family. However, just like the real world, it’s not safe for children to navigate alone.
Leading children’s charities and parent groups agree that parents need more help to understand potential online dangers and understand how best to react when our children are upset or disturbed by something they have seen online.
Protecting children of the digital age contains over 130 pages of information, advice, tips and step by step guides to setting parental controls on the most popular devices, Apps, platforms and games.
Use code FAM15 at check out here to obtain the e-book for just £5.94 or the paperback for just £13.59.
Special Reader Offer
Try Storytime, the world’s best story magazine!
Save 50% off your first 4 issues - just £9.99!
Full of fairy tales, adventures, myths and legends, tales from other cultures, real life stories and awesome animals, Storytime is the world’s best story magazine. It’s packed with wonderful stories for children and parents to read, love and share, as well as puzzles, activities and games. All 52 pages are beautifully illustrated and printed on quality paper so they can be treasured, read and re-read.
Special Reader Offer
No adverts, plastic toys or packaging and each copy arrives in a specially illustrated envelope, so your child has all the excitement of receiving their own mail.
Plus, each month, there are free home learning resources and fun activities to bring the stories to life.
More info and apply for offer. Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Moving on after separation and divorce
By Adele Ballantyne At Only Mums and Only Dads, we get many emails expressing concern at the way an ex-partner has introduced their new partner to the children. Often these emails report that the children have become upset as a result. So we asked Adele Ballantyne for her advice on getting this right.
Separating when you have children isn’t easy but as a new ‘normal’ begins to emerge, you may find yourself or your ex-partner starting to think about moving on with the ‘adult’ part of life.
So, what happens when you want to start socialising and even dating again?
Before dating, I would say that it’s important to take time to heal, to reflect and think about who you are and what you want going forward.
But, of course, you will want to socialise.
Many parents use the time whilst their children are with their other parent to start socialising, keeping it separate from their parenting role initially. Of course, it’s okay to tell your children, especially older ones, offering reassurance if you meet resistance.
When you do feel ready to start dating, to avoid disputes, it is definitely worth discussing and agreeing a plan with your ex-partner about how you would manage the introduction of any new, long-term partner to your children.
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Magazine
Proud t o bePrin t Families Magazine30 years July/August 2021
P roud to be Print Families Magazin e30 yearsMagazine May/June 2021
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Unusual class and club ideas
Kids looking for something a bit different to try in 2022? Check out our ideas.
Chess Rock climbing Fencing
Trampolining Parkour Archery
Table tennis Sailing Skating
