February issue final pdf by Nickie Evans

baby buzz The Childcare Challenge Mummy SOS

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Nickie Evans nickie@babybuzzmagazine.com 0208 361 0727 07944 240 321

Cindy Evans

Jenny Blyth

Emily Hewett, I am Emily contact@iamemily.co.uk Dean Baxter, ChimpMySite Dean@chimpmysite.co.uk

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day, Happy Pancake Day and Happy New Year (in case I haven’t said it already)! The views expressed in this magazine are not always those of the publishers. Neither the publisher nor any other person associated with the production and publication of this magazine makes any guarantee, warranties or claims as to the accuracy of any of the contents of this magazine. We include and use products and services that we believe to be of a reputable standard but we advise readers to make their own judgements. The publishers and magazine will not be held accountable and or responsible for any loss caused by errors, loss or negligence resulting from Baby Buzz Magazine Limited. We do not accept responsibility for any unsolicited material or photographs published. Terms and Conditions for our competitions can be found on our website at the time of being published. No section of this magazine is authorised for use or reproduction in any form without the prior consent of the editor.

No purchase is necessary. All prizes must be accepted as offered. For products that have been reviewed and then given away as part of a competition giveaway, it must be noted that there will be minimal wear and tear to that said product. All prize details and prices are correct at time of going to print. Winners shall be notified by email after the closing date with a delivery date to be agreed.

2014 has already begun with a bang with Baby Buzz Magazine distributing the magazine to over 430 nurseries located all over the UK. We have amazing people joining the regular columnists each month and I look forward to sharing more and more stories with you over the next 12 months. For the first issue of 2014, we will be featuring an exclusive with Tina Malone who recently gave birth to her beautiful little girl, Flame at the age of 50 years old. We also have our fantastic Parents & Business section that will introduce you to more wonderful businesses started up by parents for the want and desire to create a better life for themselves and their families. In addition, we have advice and top tips from business experts to help any parents who would like to take the plunge and start up their own empires along with great advice being made available at The Work and Family Show being held at the end of this month at the Excel Centre (all people attending the Baby Show will be given free entry!) I would also like to thank all of our regular feature providers AllergyUK, Busy Bees Benefits, Elizabeth Hobson, Abi Adams and Organix who are continuing to provide fantastic editorials with up-to-date information and cutting edge realistic articles, even if they are hard to swallow. As always, I count on all of my readers for their feedback and comments, so if you would like me to cover a specific topic or have an opinion on something you’ve read, please don’t hesitate to contact me at info@babybuzzmagazine.com.

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

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Nickie xx 3

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COVER STORIES 5 Maddielili Competition - The Face of Tiny Tux 8 Parents in Business - Inspirational Stories 11 How to create the perfect work/life balance . . .By Oliver Black 18 Celebrity Exclusive - Tina Malone: Pregnant at 50 24 The Childcare Challenge - Mummy SOS Family Focus 6-7 Welcome to the World - New Beginnings 22 Dry Like Me - Week 4 with Jenni Falconer 27 Little Signers Club - Family Signing 28 Angus Kennedy - Every Parents Nightmare 30 Jodie Newman - Liar, Liar - Parents on Fire 32 Claire Moruzzi - My mummy friends helped make my whirlwind wedding a reality 35 Inch Blue - Celebrating 15 years! 38 Bebe Jacobs - Are our children losing the skills of face to face communication 39 Making Memories - Mumdrum: Are you up for the challenge? 40 Busy Bees Benefits - Parents Savings Saviour 41 Lifecake - Sharing photos of your baby with family 47 KidsTravelSafe - Helping keep your family safe when out and about 48 gNappies - Flash heart raise money for Bliss Baby Charity 50 National Science and Engineering Week - Science of Play 61 Babycademy - A new approach to playtime 62 The Buggy Network - Keeping a happy balance 68 Young Driver - Teaching our children to drive? 70 Family Internet Security - Keeping your family safe 71 What’s On? - The Arts

Health & Wellbeing 20 Birth Your Way - Antenatal Courses: I’ve already had a baby, why should I attend 25 AllergyUK - immunisations and Allergies 26 Oolong with Abi Adams - Was it all a dream? 31 JMHerbalist - Joanne Megilley Q&A’s Food & Recipes 43 Organix - Introduction News & Reviews 44 Recipes 51 News & Reviews - Food & Snacks 46 Food We Want - Friern Barnet Community Library Event 52 News & Reviews - Health & Wellbeing 54 News & Reviews - Maternity 56 News & Reviews - Childrenswear and Essentials Travel 57 Baby Buzz Must Haves for February 66 Hoseasons - Valentines Weekend Breaks 59 Baby Buzz Valentines Day Must Haves 67 Paultons Park - Peppa Pig plus so much more

Cover Photography by: Atila & Michelle, parents of Mae www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

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Sometimes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as simple as just finding the right path for you, believe in yourself and your capabilities.

Over three quarters (80%) of women feel guilty about going back balance and work flexibly but only by leaving her past career behind to work and worry about leaving their child in the care of others her. compared with just 39% of men. Ben Black, Director of MyFamilyCare.co.uk who, together with Clarion * Childcare responsibilities still fall on the mother's shoulders, Events, are organising The Work & Family Show says: "Due to the lack even when both parents are working. of support from their employers on returning to work, women often feel forced to give up the careers they have trained and worked so hard * A fifth of dads (20%) say they wished they hadn't gone back to for in order to fit in their new role of motherhood. However, it work after having a family, saying they wished they could have shouldn't be like this. Staff need to be supported as they return to looked after their child while over a third (37%) of men say they work and deal with the challenges that being a working parent can work full time with NO flexibility at all. bring. Employers who respond to their needs will be rewarded with engaged, productive and loyal employees." New research into the state of mind of working parents in the UK has found that we are a nation divided with women battling to find a The research also asked fathers how they felt about the transition from healthy work-life balance, taking on the majority of childcare working man to working dad. More than a third (37%) said they responsibilities while not at work. The research, undertaken for The returned to work and received no flexibility at all. One in five, Work & Family Show which is due to take place for the first time on meanwhile, said they wished they had never gone back to work at all, 21st and 22nd February, found that over three quarters of women wishing they could take on the full-time role of child carer. Ben Black (80%) feel guilty about going back to work after having a family. Men, continues: "So many big companies like Barclays, Discovery Channel on the other hand, are relatively confident about returning to their jobs and Rolls Royce have made big improvements to their policies to help with just 39% feeling guilty about leaving their children in childcare. their parents who work, but these results show there's a huge deficit. Women shouldn't feel restricted in work when they become a mother The biggest concern for more than 35% of women was not having the and a man's role in bringing up a child has evolved so much in the past help or understanding from their employer when dealing with the 30 years and it's time that businesses recognise this too." difficult transition from working woman to working mum. They also worried that their employers would be discriminatory towards them, The Work & Family Show has been born out of the high demand from entrusting them with responsibility and fewer big projects. families in need of help when returning to work or starting up their own business. Jenny Willott, Minister for Employment Relations and One mum who struggled to return to work after having a baby is 31 Consumer Affairs, will introduce the show while inspirational experts year old Leah McGrath. She returned to her role as an HR Service and employers on the lookout for motivated staff will be on hand to Manager at a large agra-pharmaceutical company after a year at home give working parents and career break women access to practical with her daughter. The plan was for Leah to do a job share but this fell advice. Organised by Clarion Events and My Family Care, it takes place through and she found herself fitting in a full time job into her on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February 2014 at the ExCeL London. contracted three days a week. She says: "I was finding it such a struggle, commuting three hours, three days a week, and trying my Opening times: best to be a good mum. I was getting ill all the time; whenever there Friday 21st February: 9.30am - 5pm (trade and press entry from was a virus going around, I would catch it as I was so run down and my 8.30am on Friday for a networking breakfast) little girl's behaviour was becoming very challenging. After a while I Saturday 22nd February: 10am - 5pm realised there must be more to life and resigned. It was extremely scary but I am so pleased I did." Leah has since re-trained as a yoga Tickets are available from www.theworkandfamilyshow.co.uk from teacher, running her own Yogabellies franchise, teaching pre-natal, just ÂŁ12, and people coming to the neighbouring Baby Show will have post-natal and baby massage classes in her local wellbeing and free entrance. community centres. She has managed to get a healthy work-life

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How to create the perfect work/life balance . . . Author: Oliver Back, director of My Family Care. arrange a night out with your friends at the weekend and on a larger scale book a holiday away with your family for a week and enjoy those hard earned days off! The more you have to look forward to, the easier it is to remember why you’re putting in so much hard work in the first place.

Today, over 2.2 million parents are not working in order to look after their family. However, more than 60% are looking to return to work but do not know how to or are scared of how they will manage to look after their children and focus on work. It’s important to remember that there are more companies than ever before who have introduced fantastic ways of helping their caring workforce have a happy and healthy work-life balance – so it is possible!

Here are my tips for working parents trying to juggle work and family: -

Find somewhere to work which has flexible working, or encourage your HR team to introduce it. If you need to leave early for childcare reasons, you can easily log on later and finish off what you were doing. And so long as you’re contactable, everybody’s happy! Family-friendly doesn’t mean just mums looking after their children and it’s important to remember that! Men of course take a lot of responsibility these days so when making suggestions to company working practices, team up with the men who may also be affected. In addition, many employees, particularly in their 40’s (aka the ‘sandwich generation’) will have the added responsibility of looking after elderly parents who may need them at any given moment. Help your company understand this and they will make more of an effort to accommodate everyone’s individual circumstances. Look into schemes that your employer can sign up to that help working parents. If you or others have a childcare breakdown but are needed in the office for an important meeting, thanks to the emergency childcare that the company is signed up to, they will have a nanny to their door within two hours, meaning their employee’s presence won’t be affected. Most forward thinking directors will be happy to pick up the costs for this if it means the business benefits in the long run. Start up your own business that fits in with your family. Launching your own business can be a daunting prospect but there are a number of companies that offer a franchisee, or licensee opportunities where you can simply re-train in a certain trade. So long as you have the correct qualifications and some money to help you start up, you can have the support of a well-respected company behind you. Examples of these who offer fantastic benefits for the parents that work for them include Forever Living, La Jolie Ronde and YogaBellies. Be organised. Don’t just put together a halfhearted to-do list, go a step further and establish a schedule for your week. Include your childcare plans and how much time you’re going to spend on leisure/work/family. Always have something to look forward to. One of the reasons we work is so we can allow ourselves to take care of the basic needs in life and enjoy it and our families. On a small scale,

Attend events that will provide you with help and ideas. In February 2014, the first ever Work & Family Show is due to launch, giving parents the opportunity to get advice on returning to work or starting up their own business after having a baby. See details below.

Fiona Clark, founder of Inspired Mums who provides life and career coaching to women who have a family says provides her advice on achieving a healthy work-life balance: “First of all, ask yourself 'what does a successful work life balance look like for me? Then take action to take back some control over your time. Here are a few top tips to get you going: ●

Put relaxation on your 'to do' list! Once you are a mum there's a never ending list of jobs to do and it can be hard to relax at home – but it's crucial for recharging your batteries.

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Learn to say 'no' at work where appropriate and don't feel guilty about it

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Build fun back into your life – whether it's meeting with friends, going on date nights with your partner or having more fun family days out – remember laughter is the best form of therapy!

Case Studies Sometimes a change in career is what is needed. Here is an example of an inspirational woman who has changed her life for the better to create a happy and healthy work-life balance. Philippa Symes’ Story Philippa Symes from Monmouth, South Wales had 25 years of experience in sales and marketing. Her husband, Robert was working long hours as a Senior VP in the IT sector and while she describes them as having an “amazing income” they had "little quality time at home." They weren’t happy and stress was taking its toll. Philippa says: "I discovered Forever Living 13 years ago while I was working in local radio. I wanted more freedom and flexibility so this was a perfect solution. At the time, I was working long hours - so building the business around a hectic life was challenging. However, I saw the massive potential and in the few hours I had, started to work on my business. Within 10 short months, I was out of my career and the following year, Robert took redundancy to join me. Today we have a phenomenal global business that we work from home, pays us a fantastic residual income, and has given us the time, freedom and choice to work flexibly in the hours we choose - and the time to travel and be with our family."

achieves a generous cheque in the way of a Chairman’s Bonus - ranging from £12,000 to £22,000. She says: “We meet some amazing people and make friends along the way. I’m now a grandmother so being able to drop everything and run whenever my family need me is brilliant. I am also part of that ‘sandwich generation’ where not only are we looking after our children but also our parents so working with Forever has given me time to focus on my elderly parents who have been in much need of my help recently.” She is passionate about encouraging more women to "bang their own drum and work for themselves". She says: “We provide a wonderful opportunity for busy people to build something, where they can find their niche and can work around their children flexibly. It really is a business of the 21stcentury as it gives you the opportunity to work when you want, where you want, and work for yourself. “We have parents who were earning six figure incomes, and working in all backgrounds, from marketing, admin, recruitment, law, medicine – but they all had one thing in common – they needed a change. As a result they’ve managed to make even more money working part time, and get more satisfaction out of it.” Philippa says that one of the big plus points working with Forever Living is the fact that they look after their staff so well, holding their hand from day one and ensuring they are making a success of themselves. The company was recognised for this by being awarded Investors in People Champion status. My Family Care and Clarion Events are organising the first ever Work & Family Show at the London ExCel on 21st and 22nd February 2014, where parents can get advice on returning to work or starting up their own business after having a baby. Tickets are available from £12 each and early bird rates apply (limited availability). Opening hours are 9-5 on Friday 21st February and 10-5 on Saturday 22nd February. Visit www.theworkandfamilyshow.co.uk for more information. Author: Oliver Black is the proud father of twins and a young daughter. Together with his brother, Ben and friend Jennifer Liston-Smith, he runs one of the UK’s leading nanny agencies, Tinies. He is also one of the founders of My Family Care, who are passionate about helping employees with their work + family strategies.

Through the generous company incentives, Philippa and Robert have travelled extensively every year from Budapest to Dallas and more recently, Hawaii, and Lake Tahoe. In addition, every year she

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Who is behind the product? At Myon Pure we hand pick our products from a small selection of manufacturers. It is important to us to work with brands whose ethos mirrors ours, and they share the appreciation of “what goes on your skin, goes in your skin” and with that in mind they manufacture paraben free products which are naturally good for you. A large proportion of our business is dedicated to paraben free products for babies and children, and we have chosen to work with just four suppliers whose products we passionately believe will give your children the best start in life when it comes to caring for their skin. These brands are: Earth Mama, Angel Baby - Zero toxin, hospital recommended, honestly organic and natural products Love Soap Ltd – Beautiful hand blended organic bath products for children Green People – Leaders in certified organic body care Balm Balm – 100% organic, 100% natural How did the company get started? Knowing where to start when answering this question is a tough one, but I have realised that although I have always been quite private about my feelings and problems in the past, honesty is the best policy so here goes! Four years ago I was blessed to give birth to the most gorgeous little girl, Myla, who is my heart and soul. I love her beyond words and feel so privileged to have her in my life. Unfortunately, just months after the birth of Myla, I was diagnosed with quite an aggressive form of breast cancer. As you can probably imagine, this came as a massive shock, and all I could decision to take a years sabbatical to spend more time with my daughter think was I had to get through this so I would be around to be a good before she starts full time school. Being part of the big corporate world meant quite long and often inflexible hours which meant putting Myla into mother to my little girl. childcare from 7.30am until 6pm, and whilst I don’t think there is anything The months (well...years!) that followed were tough, as I had to endure wrong with this (and many people do it), I wanted to be a bigger part of her surgery and six months of chemotherapy (which left me feeling sick and life, and enjoy watching her grow up. I knew that not working wasn’t what weak which wasn’t easy with a new born baby, and a month of I wanted to do, but I needed more flexibility to fit work around my family radiotherapy), but I had no choice but to battle on, and focus on the end life, and I wanted to be part of something I felt very passionately about (13 years in recruitment had taken it’s toll!). result of being fit and well, and here to see my little girl grow up. Unfortunately, when I thought I’d reached the end of my treatment, it was discovered I have an inherited genetic fault, a BRCA 1 mutation, which meant my chances of a secondary breast cancer were extremely high, as where my chances of developing ovarian cancer, so more surgery commenced to remove various parts of my body which could kill me. I am so grateful to have had Myla before all of this began, she has kept me going through thick and thin, but I live with the fear that I may have passed this genetic fault onto her. Prior to maternity leave (and cancer), I worked as a Director of an International recruitment business, and in an attempt to regain some normality in my life, I returned back to work before finishing cancer treatment. This felt the right decision at the time, but the events of the past few years have changed my perspective on life, and I made the

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This leads me on to how the company got started. Whilst going through cancer treatment, I found out that parabens, (a chemical preservative found in many skin care products - including baby products) have been linked to breast cancer and it was recommended that I should avoid them. Parabens have been found in the biopsies of breast cancer tumours and it’s been discovered that they have the ability to mimic estrogen, a hormone known to play a part in the onset and development of cancer. Whilst I appreciate no causal link between parabens and breast cancer has been found, drawing from the findings of substantial research I decided it would be wise for me to clear out my bathroom cupboards of any products containing parabens and commit to living a paraben free life. Discovering that 60% of the products we apply onto our skin are absorbed into our bloodstream lead me to be as conscious of the cosmetic products I use, as I am about what we eat. Because of everything I had been through, I felt passionate about raising awareness of the potentially harmful effects of parabens so I went on to set up a blog, www.parabenfree.co (there is no uk on the end), to inform others. I had a massive amount of interest in the blog and many people contacting me enquiring where they could source paraben free products. Having realised that sourcing paraben free products is not always that easy, I went on to establish Myon Pure, www.myonpure.co.uk, a business dedicated to promoting and selling high quality cosmetic products which are free from parabens and many other potentially harmful toxic chemicals.

What is the company about? Myon Pure is a business which is very close to my heart. The name is derived from my daughter’s name, Myla O’Neill, because of my desire to protect her from the cruelties of the disease I have been through, and my care over the products I use on her skin. The business is devoted to selling hand picked, high quality paraben free products which are derived from organic or natural sources. At Myon Pure we think it’s important to view the skin as a carrier, not a barrier and therefore feed it that goodness it needs to help maintain your health. Our range includes every day products for babies, children, women and men, as well as luxury skin care products which make excellent gifts. What do you hope to achieve? Raising awareness about the potentially harmful effects of parabens in cosmetic products is of massive importance to us, and we will continue on our campaign to do this on our blog. As a recently established retail business, we aim to source the best possible paraben free products, and provide a service which goes above and beyond that of our competitors. This is just the beginning for us and we plan to continue on our quest to source the best of the paraben free cosmetic world, and make them readily available to our customers from a business you can trust. Longer term, it would be great to start manufacturing our own products but that’s a long way down the line. What has been the highlight of starting your own business? Firstly and most importantly, the biggest highlight of starting my own business, has been having the flexibility to pick my own hours and spend more time with my little girl. “Time” really is the most precious gift of all, and I am just genuinely happy to be feeling fit and well, and enjoying being the best mum I can to my little lady. This may mean that my working day sometimes starts after her bed time, but having that flexibility is just priceless. Secondly, building relationships with our suppliers has been great. We’re all on a similar mission to look after our bodies through our skin, and that’s just great to be part of. What have been the downsides of starting your own business? I have never been a whizz when it’s comes to IT but I worked for a large Plc where computer support were just a phone call away so this was never a problem. Building up a business without the IT support network has been a bit of a battle, but luckily for me my big brother has been on hand to help me out with any difficulties and assist with the building of the website. Any technical problem and he’s become my saviour Thank you James! What would your advise be to any parent wanting to start their own business? Life is short, you never know what’s round the corner. Follow your dreams as you only get one shot at life!

e: info@myonpure.co.uk Blog: www.parabenfree.co Facebook: www.facebook.com/ ParabenFree.co Twitter: @MyonPure

“10% discount available to readers of Baby Buzz magazine by using coupon code “BabyBuzz” at the checkout of www.myonpure.co.uk.” www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

Who is behind the Product? Amy Sanderson. I was an interior designer by trade, and therefore have a love for colour, texture and bold styles. I always felt children can get away with wearing what a lot of adults would want to wear. Every kid looks great in bold, bright colours with a playful twist. How did the company get started? Purely as a side passion to be honest. My first item was a small gift to my friends little girl. Before I knew it people were asking to order them and the demand just grew. In the first quarter of 2013 I had to make a decision, to continue with Interior Design, or put my full attention to my growing branding - I chose Flippers. We officially launched in Oct 2013 in London and the response to date has been positively overwhelming. What is the company about? The company is about playful but versatile children's reversible clothing. Flippers is meant to not only be kinder on parents pockets, the environment and the obviously the families washing load, but also to allow multiple looks to be achieved from less items. With kids growing so fast a lot of clothes are neglected or worn once. With Flippers you can buy three items and get 8 unique looks out of them all with a simple Flip! Flippers items are interchangeable between ranges as well allowing maximum use of each item.

your business needs to be you and your passion about what you do. You will face some tough questions and some lows along the way, you cannot give up when things feel tough. I would also recommend getting a business mentor or joining a networking system where you can go to workshops and share/gain information in all aspects of business. If you walk away thinking 'done it all' then it is a good check for how your business is doing, otherwise you will walk away having learnt some great ideas or things to keep your eye on. Do you have a new collection or colours that will be launched in 2014? Yes we are expanding our Polka Dot Ping Dresses and Cheeky Checkers Dungarees range first of, with each coming out with 7 additional colours. I also have prototypes being made for several new products, but these will be launched towards the mid to end of 2014.

What do you hope to achieve? I know 2014 is going to be a great year for us! I aim to get brand awareness to an all time high this year and aim to be stocked in some retail outlets as soon as possible. I would love to achieve Flippers to be a household name. We are currently talking to a few international leads too, so we hope to be an international brand too. What has been the highlight of starting your own company? To be honest, seeing my passion and dream come into reality. I see my adverts in magazines, I see children wearing my clothes, I see people blogging great things about my products and I get emails constantly asking when the next range is coming out. I took a big leap of faith with my eyes wide shut for Flippers, and I have worked very hard - it is good to see it was all worth it. I have also won several awards to date and a few recognition : Best Overall Business 2013 : Rockstar Group Business Mentoring , Best Exhibitor for London Baby Show 2013 : UK Review Magazine, and Shortlisted for Best New Product : Nursery Business Awards 2013.

What has been the downside of starting your own company? Finding the right balance between work and family really. Starting your own business is not easy as it is not a 9-5 job, 5 days a week. It has been tough to juggle all aspects involved within a business, but I am proud of what I have achieved to date and those tough times have always been worth for my much loved brand. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? You need an immense amount of passion about your concept or product. You will face many hurdles along the way and the one solid aspect of

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Who is behind the Product? Our company is Aspire Furniture Ltd, there are 3 partners in the business, Paul Murphy, Jack Burgoyne & Kit Burgoyne. We have been friends since childhood. How did the company get started? When shopping for children’s furniture in the UK we all agreed that the majority of the designs were quite bland and although they may appeal to adults the furniture did nothing to excite children, the real user’s of the furniture. We believed that it must be possible to make children’s furniture which was tasteful for adults which was also fun and exciting for children. We came across the Newjoy products and were instantly impressed, we then set about researching with both adults and children. We have shown hundreds if not thousands of people our furniture with a mix of kids, parents and trade professionals, to this day we still haven’t had one negative response. Once we saw how much people liked it we decided to pursue it as a business and became the exclusive UK distributors. What is the company about? We want to brighten up children’s bedrooms whilst giving parents the piece of mind that their little ones are in a safe environment to learn and grow. What do you hope to achieve? We want to establish Newjoy as a recognised brand in the UK and to brighten up the children’s furniture market with fun products. What has been the highlight of starting your own company? Receiving feedback from parents and children who are delighted with our products. Knowing that because of us, a child has a bedroom they adore provides real satisfaction and hope that we can achieve our goals. What has been the downside of starting your own company? Long hours and challenging work, the constant balancing act between work and family life. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? Be prepared for the hours that come with it and if you have a new born prepare for even less sleep.

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Aspire Furniture Ltd 1 Marsh Hall Barn Thurstonland Huddersfield HD4 6XD Tel: 01484 949354 Email: info@aspire-furniture.co.uk

Who is behind the Product? Fertility, Bump and Beyond has been created by me, Rakhee Shah, a What do you hope to achieve? Complementary Therapist and mum to twins (a son and daughter) con- I wish to raise the profile of how reflexology along with a balanced diet ceived through IVF. and supplementation could actually help a couple in maximising their chances of conception naturally or getting their bodies in a strong posiHow did the company get started? tion to be able to handle the assisted conception Never once did I think when trying to conceive my children route better. Based on the different stages of a couthat I would be affected by fertility issues. My husband and ples conception journey, I have created three differI were healthy people who drank very little alcohol, didn’t ent packages to help them along the way and its with smoke, and generally perceived as good people. So when these packages I hope to be able to create more happy we couldn’t conceive, we found it really hard to compreparents in this world hend and wondered why us. So after going through the initial tests and finding out what the problem was, all we What has been the highlight of starting your own were told was IVF is your answer and wait for that to company? happen. Nothing else. We didn’t know who to turn to or I’ve got two actually – the first highlight has been that what else to do. Family didn’t know how to support us my dream of finally having a fertility related business either as we were the first to go through something like this where I can truly make a difference to people’s lives so it was hard for them to comprehend the situation too. has come true. For the past ten years I have been making a difference to people’s lives by working as a complementary It was through the support of another therapist and her pointing me into therapist and running Have A Massage but in a different way. the direction of an online fertility forum that really saved us. We learnt so much from there and could ask any questions and not feel that we The second highlight is that before the company launched, a couple has were being judged. It was also through my therapist friend we tried an started on my diamond package and the female partner is really enjoying alternative route first to see if that could help so we went down the her reflexology sessions. So here is to some good news in 3 months time holistic and nutritional route and did 9 months of it. Unfortunately it J didn’t help with conceiving naturally but I strongly believe that's what helped the IVF to work first time. What has been the downside of starting your own company? The downside to starting any business is the amount of time it can take So with this in mind, I decided to set up Fertility, Bump and Beyond to to set up, liaise with others who you work with alongside carrying out the help and support couples going through their own conception issues and other commitments you already have. I already run two other businessfeel they have the support and help they truly deserve es but because I am passionate about the work I am doing, I am actually enjoying it and have had great help to get me to where I am. What is the company about? The stat is that every 1 in 6 couples will face infertility. I believe that this What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own is actually more like every 1 in 3 or 4 now. Today’s stresses and lifestyle business? factors are a major contributing factor to this alongside couples leaving Plan well what you want you want to do and don’t set yourself up for it until much later in life to start trying for a baby. Fertility, Bump and failure (I have learnt the hard way). If you’re passionate about what you Beyond is about giving couples the chance to explore a more natural and want to do, then you’ll achieve it because you’ll dream big. Have fun holistic approach to their journey to conception by not being told that along the way but it is hard work and do not be afraid to ask for help – “IVF is your only option” when it might not be. It’s about having that there are a lot of people around with a fountain of knowledge who would support from someone who has personal experience of the matter and be willing to help and have a budget too of what you can afford to spend can be empathetic but informative on what their options are and how to in setting up. Its all too easy to get carried away by spending money you go about achieving their dreams of parenthood. haven’t got yet. And most of all enjoy what you have set out to do.

e: Rakhee@fbab.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/FertilityBumpandBeyond Twitter: twitter.com/FertBumpBeyond Tel: 07957 197 277

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Who is behind the Product? Hi, my name is Andrea and I am the director and main leader of Jiggle Gym. I live in North West London and have a little boy who is almost 2 years old! How did the company get started? I was so excited when my little boy slowly started to crawl across my living room floor, when he took his first steps on his own towards me, and when he started to shout the word ‘jump’, bend his knees and try to jump while listening to music. So I decided to create a new class specifically designed for children to explore their new skills and for their carers to marvel at what their little ones can do! What is the company about? Jiggle Gym is a new, physical soft play class for children between the ages of 6 months to 3 years old. Each week children will be challenged by a different set of obstacle courses to climb, balance, crawl, walk, and jump through – including slides, steps, balance beams, tunnels and a ball pond. Our classes also combine a variety of songs, musical movement activities, sensory developmental activities, parachute play and bubbles for the children to explore and jiggle along to! The class is designed to enhance all aspects of your child’s development. Children work through the three stages of the programme according to their stage of development to learn new skills through weekly classes: Jiggle 'n' Crawl, Jiggle 'n' Walk, and Jiggle 'n' Jump. Jiggle Gym also specialises in great birthday parties – with soft play hire packages and party packages, which can be tailored to make an extra special day for your little one’s birthday! What do you hope to achieve? I hope to provide safe, fun-filled, challenging activity classes for little ones – a place to watch your child develop and grow whilst having so much fun! I also hope to offer a special, unique and memorable experience for young children’s exciting first few birthdays! What has been the highlight of starting your own company? The highlight of starting my own company is seeing the response that people have to Jiggle Gym! The children get so excited when exploring the equipment and the unique class structure really offers children a different, personal challenge each week. It is such a great feeling to know that children are having a really enjoyable time. Also, the response from parents has been great too! To see the love that we have for our children that we take them somewhere that will stimulate and challenge them or that we want to go the extra mile to make their birthdays special is something that is lovely to be a part of! What has been the downside of starting your own company? The downside of starting my own company, along with any other company, is the initial outlay of money – nerve wracking! But I hope that it will all be worthwhile – the equipment that I have bought is top quality and varied and really helps facilitate the special environment and fun that Jiggle Gym offers. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? To go for it! If you think that you have an idea that you/your child would like – chances are someone else does too (well that’s my motto anyway!) I didn’t know a lot about starting up a business, but I knew that Jiggle Gym was a great idea. I put in the time and effort and now have a great class and can provide great parties that I can share with other like-minded mums and tots, providing a really special service to my local community!

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For more information, or to book your class, please contact us at: Tel: 07817 323 010 E: andrea@jigglegym.co.uk F: www.facebook.com/JiggleGym Twitter: twitter.com/Jiggle_Gym

www.jigglegym.co.uk 15

Who is behind the product: Me, Claire. I am the director of the company but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m much more involved as I work closely alongside the nannies, so I feel I can put 150% into the product as I continue to work as a Night Nanny for the company. How did the company get started? As a qualified Night Nanny with over 15 years experience I felt I had reached that point in my life, after having my own baby who is now 2 years old, to run my own company, I have lots of ambition and enthusiasm for the night nanny business so in October 2013 I decided to set up as a company trading as Nannies4Nights. The company was formed and with all my relevant experience and background in the nanny field, I then had a website designed which went live in early December and I was set to go. What is the company about? The company Nannies4Nights represents an agency in where you can find support, guidance in your early days of motherhood, we provide Night Nannies, Maternity Nurses, Babysitters Within the UK and Overseas to help you with getting your new baby into a routine, putting you on the right path so you as a new parent can build confidence, or you may just need rest as it may be your second or third baby and require help. The process would be that you contact us with your requirements and we find a suitable nanny for your family. You would then register with us and book your nanny for your chosen number of nights/weeks. You can make arrangements prior to the birth of your baby or when your baby has arrived, this is all explained on our website.

What would be your advice to any parent wanting to set up their own business? I would say take any opportunity that comes your way. It makes you very independent and especially if you can see it with an excellent future and it means you can run your own business around your family life and other commitments, then I feel you will have the best of everything.

Night Nanny

Maternity Nurse

Sleep Trainer

Troubleshooter

Babysitting

Day Nanny

Emergency Nanny

All new clients who register with Nannies4Nights will receive What do you hope to achieve? I hope to achieve a successful company with many nannies of an one of these gorgeous teddies. excellent standard which I am happy to say we have started to recruit already, which will provide us with an outstanding reputation. I aim to have many satisfied clients who will also introduce to us their friends and family which will help us grow to be one of the leading night care specialists providing nannies within the UK and Overseas. Who has been the highlight of starting your company ? I would have to say my brother Mark was a true inspiration for me starting up my own business. We had discussed the opportunity many times but I guess now I felt the time was right, so with lots of guidance and support from him which made it easier for me to believe in myself that I could do this, made it more real and exciting to create Nannies4Nights. What had been the downside of starting your own company? To me there has not really been a downside to starting my own company. I fitted this around my day to day family life and it was a relatively straight forward company to set up. I believe with my knowledge of how a company like this would run was a benefit to me as I knew what to do and therefore I didn't really encounter any downsides which I was very happy about. www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

For more information or to book one our services, please contact us at the following: Nannies4Nights 3rd Floor, 207, Regent Street, London. W1B 3HH Our office hours are 0900-1830 Telephone: 0203 700 8566 Email enquiries@nannies4nights.co.uk

www.Nannies4Nights.co.uk 16

Who is behind the Product? Treasured was set up in 2012 by Amy and Paul Scott. Together they have over 15 years’ experience building and running software companies, and over 40 years combined experience in business and technology. Amy and Paul are parents, and they combined their knowledge of technology with a desire to create easy and effective solutions for modern, busy parents. How did the company get started? The idea for Treasured came to me when my first child was two years old. With family and friends all over the world, I wanted to be able to share photos and milestones of my life and children in an easy and secure way that was more personal and special. I felt that what was needed was the opposite of the social sharing networks, and more of a private, centralised area to store special, important memories that were of importance to a small number of people. This led us to create Treasured - www.treasured.com. As parents ourselves we totally understand the importance of privacy around children and online photos. What is the company about? Treasured, the app, launched in May 2013, is a cloud-based mobile and web service, that serves as a safe and secure place to store, organise and share your memories, images and data with family and friends. Designed by parents for parents, Treasured is a brand new safe and secure way to collate and share all of those special moments of your life or your child’s life. When you were younger you might have had family photo albums, or a shoebox of your favourite photos, certificates and awards, clippings, a book of milestones, diaries and other memories. Now we take even more photos, and since they are digital they are distributed on your computer, phone, digital camera, or other people’s devices. Treasured is a place online to create your very own digital shoeboxes and family albums. Whether you want a private place to store your photos, photos of your children growing up, you want somewhere to document the memorable things they say and do, or a place to record their milestones, your holidays, special occasions, weddings, your pets or anything else that you love, Treasured enables you to do this in an easy, organised and safe way. Treasured also enables you to share your chosen memory box with your closest family and friends, wherever they are in the world, and allows them to add in their memories, so you have one central memory box to keep forever. The app is free and simple to download. Once you are up and running, you are able to create memory boxes for your life, each child, pet or special occasion. The first 250Mb of storage are free. Following that, our plans range from £2 per month for up to 2Gb to our largest current plan at £10 per month for 50 Gb. What do you hope to achieve? Treasured is becoming increasingly popular. We would like to see this growth increase exponentially, and with our upcoming plans of improvements we think this is definitely achievable. Watch this space for news and announcements of new features throughout the year. Ultimately, we hope Treasured will be seen as the best place to store and share your memories privately!

For more information, please contact us at: Tel: +44(0)1707 226622 E: info@treasured.com Twitter: twitter.com/TreasuredOnLine To download the app please our website or search for Treasured on the App Store

www.treasured.com

What has been the highlight of starting your own company? For me, the highlight of what I do is the impact it has on other people's lives - with technology you are ALWAYS solving a problem, so for me the highlight of creating and running Treasured is when we get feedback from the people who are using our app and website, to collect their Treasured memories into a central, safe and private place, and it is something that they are loving using and is making a difference in their lives. The highlight of working for yourself, is being in control of your own destiny, being able to quickly make decisions and follow them through, without having to check or authorise them with someone else - unless of course they are massive financial decisions, in which case it's always a good idea to check them with trusted individuals! I also love being able to fit my working hours in around your daily life, the school run etc. (although that brings other challenges!) And lastly, the highlight of working with my husband, is that I see him every day, we work well together as a team and I think it helps us both to appreciate the other's unique skills and celebrate our differences. What has been the downside of starting your own company? The downside of starting your own company has to be the responsibility and stress! When everything depends on you - there is no-one else to delegate to, certainly in the beginning - and you have a LOT of different roles to fill, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. But its all a fantastic learning experience, and as the company grows, you can gradually expand and employ other people to take on some of those roles and focus on the ones which really excite and motivate you! What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? I would say that you need to start a business in which you have belief and passion. It is going to be hard work at the beginning, and so in order to keep going, and to succeed, you need to LOVE what you are doing. Good luck! For more information and to download the app visit www.treasured.comn or search for Treasured on the App Store.

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Tina Malone We had the amazing opportunity of interviewing Tina Malone, who recently gave birth to her beautiful little girl, Flame. With her new documentary going live on the 11th February at 10.00pm documenting her personal experiences about a very public issue, Tina Malone opens up about the challenges she faces as a new mum at 50. Tina is just one of a growing number of women exercising their right to childbirth in their 40s and 50s. The documentary is not just one woman's personal story - the film will also see Tina meet other Mums and Mums to-be and hear of the issues they face as so-called 'geriatric mothers'. With her famous brand of down to earth wit, this heartfelt programme is a brutally honest, no-holds-barred account of mature motherhood. We asked Tina a few questions to find out how she’s getting along… How is it being a mum again? Incredible, bliss, pure joy! I say to my husband “that is you in a pink baby gro” and he just humours me because he can’t see it, but she is the walking double of him. I just can’t believe she’s mine and how lucky I am. I feel totally blessed and if that sounds kind of completely naff, well I do, I feel totally blessed and grateful. I keep going “oh my god! what have I done to deserve this”. The bond that we have is no more special than any other mother and child but I’ll tell you what, I think that because I’m older and well travelled and well read and that we went through the IVF process, I’m that much more grateful for it and it just feels much more important to me, than anything else in the world. Did you find, like most second/third time mums, that you’d forgotten everything you’d learned first time around? Yes! People say “oooh it comes flooding back”, no it doesn’t! Apart form the obvious things that have changed like putting your baby on its back to sleep (30 years ago you had to put your baby on it’s front) and you get sleep bags now. Rules are completely different now, they seem to change all the time but they are very different than what I remembered. I guess rules and laws and regulations are always changing - like making bottles, you don’t make all bottles up ready like you did 30 years ago, you used to make 4 up or 6 or 8 over a 24 / 48 hour duration but now you’re not allowed to do that anymore you just

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make one up at a time, for health reasons. It’s just the simplest of things like that, if you can imagine the 20 different rules a day of whatever your baby is like, so you know it is very different. I have friends who have had children 5 years ago and said it is different so you can imagine what 32 years feels like! You went through a traumatic experience early on in your pregnancy, have you thought what, if anything, you will tell your daughter when she’s older? It wasn’t traumatic and we weren’t devastated, we were having twins for all off 10 minutes and yes I cried with sadness but then cried with joy that one had survived. Even though two embryos went in and they were both there, one embryo had a heartbeat and one didn’t. End of! I’m not being flippant or casual or rude, what I’m saying is I’m grateful for the one I’ve got, that survived and became Flame. One didn’t survive, I’m totally grateful for that fact that I have her. You know what it’s a shame, I would have loved twins but will I tell her?? Yes I don’t think you should dwell on things, it’s no family secret that two were put in and one of them survived. She’s not going to feel any loss, it ‘s not like they came from the same egg or that I gave birth or anything. When they put the two embryos in you, you know if you look at people who go through IVF 4 or 5 times, if those embryos didn’t take do you mourn the ones that didn’t take as children that have died? I just think that you need to crack on. I’ve met women over the last nine or ten months who’ve been through the most traumatic of experiences, with women who have had four, five or six rounds of IVF and never conceived or miscarried them all, now that must be heartbreaking. I can’t imagine what that must feel like. Other people have voiced their criticisms about you being an “older” mum, what advice would you give to a women wanting to have a child against what our society perceives as an acceptable age? This is such a contentious issue “what is an acceptable age to society?” I’m not saying that everyone should go out and get pregnant at 50. You know your own body. I’ve got my body, my mind and my finances and everything else into ship shape condition, we didn’t go out and do this on a whim, we thought long and hard about it for 12 months to 2 years. I lost 11 and half stone and went from a size 28 to a size 8 to get myself

and guts to say so. I don’t take it as negativity, I’m not aware of negativity simply because I don’t take it on board and I really couldn’t give a ‘s*&t’! But in terms of if I can open up a debate or a debacle in many areas in this country in homes where people have been married 2, 10 or 20 years you know and haven’t voiced god you know we could go again in our early early 40 years or whatever, well then I’ve done some good doing my documentary and that’s a brilliant thing to bring IVF out into the public domain and make people aware its not just for women in their 20’ but also 30’s and 40’s. We are all much younger now. I just think its subjective, really subjective. You cannot be objective and just make sweeping generalisations about the subject especially on this kind of thing. Would you like to have any more children? Yes, that again is a controversial issue and a subject my husband isn’t too keen on because I was ill, I had pre-eclampsia. Leave it with us and we will see how it goes, its 50/50 I guess at the moment but yes I would like too. How has Paul settled into his role as Daddy? He’s unbelievable, he’s so hands on, he did a full change of clothing and a couple of dirty nappy changes and that was before I even started (this was still in the hospital when she was still in the neo-natal unit). He’s brilliant, he feeds and winds her. It’s a very different thing nowadays than it was 30 years ago with the traditions long since changed and I don’t think he even see’s it as a chore. You know what we shouldn’t applaud it, it should just be a matter of fact. He’s very hands on and not phased by anything. If anything, he was more anxious and nervous and irritated and phased by the fact that I was ill. But I think its because he felt quite useless and redundant, if he could take my pain he would, he hate’s to see me not well and flawed if you like and I’m such a workaholic I guess as well as non-stop cleaning… I used to say to Paul if I ever got a day off (once in a blue-moon) I’m going lay in bed and he would be like no you’re going to be up at 7am so you know that’s just me and my genetic makeup. All in all, he’s just been phenomenal. How did you decide on your daughter’s name, Flame? We were watching two little girls, one little girl was raising money for her little brother who had muscular dystrophy and she was with her Granddad and her Dad on the telly wing-walking, the youngest ever wing walker at just 9 years of age! It looked just incredible and we were watching it on the local regional news and she was just amazing and suddenly her name came up and it was Flame Brewer and we both jut went “Flame!” and that was it, we both decided there and then. We could always agree on boys names, but we couldn’t agree on a girls name and so that was the first one we could both agree on. It’s such a nice story, a 9 year old girl who was really well spoken and really brave who was wing-walking in front of thousands of people to raise money for muscular dystrophy and so to have this name Flame Brewer and we just thought how lovely..

ready but the fact that I’m 50 and that in every way, and my doctors will verify this, I am physically, mentally, emotionally, financially and, more importantly, health wise, in better shape than I was 20 years ago. Back then I was drinking and doing god knows what else and was morbidly and clinically obese. So to my critics I first and foremost couldn’t give a damn what you think anyway. I’ve never been a people pleaser, never kept up with the Jones’s , I’m not normal , I’m not dumb and I don’t do what convention tells us to. I have strong moral and ethical principles in life and I’m fundamentally a decent and good person but nobody is ever going to tell me what I can and can’t do. So in answer what would I say to the critics? If I’ve done everything correctly and I haven’t been irresponsible then who should tell me what I can and can’t do? You’re entitled to your own opinions and if you think that 50 is too old well then I applaud you for having the balls

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What support have your family and friends given you? My mum and daughter were reticent at first but now my mother is obsessed, my mother has been fantastic throughout my pregnancy and has been here every day since, she is besotted. My daughter has massively come round and is now ecstatic, she’s now got a babysitter! in fact now it’s the first thing she says when I get on the phone to her. She’s just opened up her own one women show in Dartford in Reading, recently, ‘Fifty Shades of Maggy’ (an all female one women show, touring all over the country for 6 months) which is brilliant. My friends Kerry and Vanessa also arranged my baby shower (they have 7 kids between them). They are working women, good girly girls and the perfect people to do it. So you know my friends and family really have been incredible.

Antenatal Courses: I’ve already had a baby, why should I attend?

By Davina Gutteridge

What is Pilates? Pilates is a gentle form of exercise which helps improve posture, increases muscle strength and enhances breathing and circulation. It has also found to be beneficial to mental wellbeing as well as physical. How can it help new mums after birth? · Strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that are weakened by pregnancy to avoid problems or incontinence. Retrain the abdominal muscles to help support the spine and pelvis and recover pre - baby shape. Correct any postural problems following the natural changes in the body during pregnancy. Strengthen back and arm muscles to enable easier baby lifting and carrying. Improve sleep and minimize depression. · Increase oxygen and blood flow which aids the healing process Qualifications and other services Qualified Excercise to Music Instructor with YMCA Pilates Instructor with The Pilates Institute Pre and Post Natal Pilates with APPI IQ Active Nutrition and Weight Management Level 3 Nutrition and Weight Management programmes also available together with Personal Training all of which can be found on my website

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Where and when are classes available? Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday

Cheshunt Club, Cheshunt at 12 midday St John's Church Hall, Friern Barnet at 7pm Woodside School, Goffs Oak 8pm Northaw Village Hall at 7.30pm St John's Church Hall, Friern Barnet 9.30am

7 week course is £49 = £7 per class For more information or class details, please contact me at: www.dietandfitnesswithdavina.com Mobile: 07930 417840

Image courtesy of papaija2008/FreeDigitalPhotos.net"

course, which usually runs for around 14-16 hours. We meet three times for 6-7 hours in total. The environment is informal, relaxed and nonjudgemental; the agenda totally driven by the participants and their individual circumstances, needs and When I was pregnant with my second son, I contacted the NCT to find experiences. out about attending an antenatal course for parents who had already had a baby. I knew the biggest benefit of the NCT course I attended The first session can be women only, with my first baby was the fantastic support group I gained who helped which is used as an opportunity to keep me sane through the early weeks and months of motherhood. debrief previous experiences and discuss hopes and worries about the However, at that time, Barnet NCT were not running courses for upcoming birth. It enables the group to recap on what they can do to second (or subsequent) time parents and it didn’t feel right to attend a maximise their chances of having the birth they want. course with first-timers, as I felt I would be intruding on their experience. So, I didn’t get to build a group of friends who were having The subsequent two sessions have more of a focus on parenting, looking at how the new baby might affect family dynamics, how to babies at the same time, and my son and I suffered for it. cope with another child, sibling rivalry and any other parenting topics Sure, we were fine day to day, and as a second-time mum, of course, the group wants to explore, such as sleeping, feeding and managing you are much more confident in all aspects of baby care than you were expectations. the first time, but something was missing. There were no opportunities to drink coffee and chat with people I had bonded with before the birth Other antenatal teachers in the area run alternative formats which and my son did not have his own little group of playmates that my first may be more suitable. NCT offers a range of payment options and child benefitted from. Fast forward a few years and now, I am an discounted places for those in receipt of particular benefits, so if you antenatal teacher. I remember how I felt a bit lost when it came to are interested in finding out more, don’t let the cost stand in the way support the second time around. Midwives and other healthcare of you taking advantage of this unique antenatal support course. professionals can be somewhat dismissive of parents who already have children, wrongly assuming that they are confident in labour and This article was written by Michelle Eshkeri, CEO & founder of Birthbirthing, as well as early parenting. In my experience, this couldn’t be Your Way, a Barnet-based company which provides private and NCT further from the truth, it’s just that people don’t like to admit that they group courses as well as tailored individual birth and parenting are concerned about something or haven’t a notion how to go about coaching sessions. For more information, email info@birthor visit http://www.birthmaking a decision this time around. This is why I am now running yourway.co.uk refresher courses for the NCT – to enable parents to build a support yourway.co.uk. group for the next baby and to give them a platform for voicing any worries they may have about their previous labour, birth or parenting For more information on NCT antenatal courses, visit experiences. The course is shorter than an NCT Signature antenatal http://www.nct.org.uk Last time we considered how an antenatal course can help with being prepared for the changes having a baby can bring. This time, we look at reasons why you should attend a refresher course if you’ve already had a baby

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Week 4: Two steps forward, one step back Jenni Falconer’s Potty Training Blog, in association with Dry Like Me

TV presenter and mum Jenni Falconer, her husband James and their daughter Ella embarked on their potty training journey four weeks ago. This is the latest instalment of Jenni’s exclusive Potty Training Blog, in association with Dry Like Me. ____________________________________________________ Week 4: After thinking Ella and I had cracked it, this week has been more challenging. We have had a couple of problems with number twos…luckily both times we were at home. It’s a bit frustrating as I thought we were out of the woods and was hoping that Ella had made the transition out of nappies in record time. Although Ella is still very good at being aware of needing to go it is the number two’s seem to creep up on her. After her few accidents we talked about what to do when she needs to go for a number two, I told her that she needs to shout ‘POO’ so we know to react quickly. I need to be more prepared and ready to drop everything and get Ella on the potty as quickly as possible but with minimal fuss. James returned from America this week and he was really impressed about how we were getting on, he really appreciates that I took potty training on and is very proud of Ella for making such fantastic progress. Travel and False Alarms Last time I mentioned we were going to a friend’s house which is about 1½ hours away, it all went well and there were no accidents in the car. When we got there we visited the toilet about 15 times, although she only actually ‘went’ three times. But it is better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are at someone else’s house. The false alarms appear to be a combination of attention seeking and used strategically to get out of things out of she doesn’t want to do – for example eating food she doesn’t like. Although the other day, whilst we were having dinner she needed the toilet and saw nothing wrong in wanting to take her dinner with her to the toilet.

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Although I tried to point out that this wasn’t particularly hygienic, she insisted and promptly took her fish fingers with her! I haven’t yet worked out when it is a false alarm and I am not prepared to take the risk as I know she will call my bluff and I will be left with a mess to clean up. Ella has had a few play dates in the last week and she isn’t as good as telling me she needs to go. I don’t know whether it is because she is having so much fun she forgets, or she’s distracted, or maybe even a bit embarrassed. Luckily, we didn’t have an accident but we had a number of close calls and dashes to the potty. She did have one wee accident while she was napping, we didn’t know what to do as Ella isn’t really a big napper and we didn’t put a nappy on her on this occasion, but it isn’t a big deal as accidents are all part of the process. Now that I am in my fourth week I would just say to any parents who are deciding whether to start potty training to be brave and, if their children are showing the right signs, go for it. The first couple of days are really hard but persevere as it is worth it. There is no longer a stinky nappy bin and we are now saving a fortune on nappies, as we only need one nappy for night-time. I have found the Dry Like Me pads brilliant, we used the Early Day pads for the first couple of days and since then have been using the Original Dry Like Me pads which have been key to Ella’s learning. We now just have to learn how to use the Night-time Dry Like Me pads, but that won’t be for another week or so. On the whole she seems very proud of herself, as are James and I. I will keep you up to date with next week’s tales at www.pottytraininglive.com If you have any tips please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the Dry Like Me Facebook page - www.facebook.com/DryLikeMeUK.

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selections to your children. When it is time to make the introductions, tell them a friend is coming to play and treat the visit as a playdate rather than an interview. With home childcare, it can be more difficult to check standards. Nannies, for example, are completely unregulated, but should have some childcare training, qualifications in paediatric first aid and ideally child protection. They should also be able to provide references to back up their experience. The best way to find a reputable nanny is to go through an agency, which may also assist with admin such as CRB checks, insurance and contracts, which are a must have if you wish to hire a nanny. Also, it is important to understand that when you hire a nanny directly, you become their employer, which has significant legal connotations, namely the requirement to pay their taxes and NICs. There are some companies which directly employ their nannies (such as my own), relieving parents of this hassle, but this is not yet common practice. Some nannies may belong to the voluntary Ofsted register, which is useful if you wish to use childcare vouchers. A good way to find local childcare providers is by contacting your local Family Information Service, which you can find either on your local council website, or through the National Association of Family Information Services (NAFIS) which can be accessed through the Family and Childcare Trust website. You can also find Ofsted registered providers through the Ofsted website. Like nannies themselves, nanny agencies are not regulated, but those who belong to the Association of Nanny Agencies (ANA) commit to a set of standards. The most important thing is to choose a provider you are So hopefully now you know what type of childcare you are confident in and your child is comfortable with. Children are looking for, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to choose a provider. generally very adaptable, and usually enjoy their time in childcare. So make sure to find are provider where you and your If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at settings such as nurseries, pre-schools or little ones will be happy. childminders, they must be Ofsted registered. Whilst Ofsted reports can be a good indication of standards, it can be For more information visit the Family and Childcare Trust reductive to judge a setting by these standards alone. Ask website http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/ around to hear about other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiences with providers, and most importantly, go to visit the setting. The only I hope you have enjoyed this series and found it useful. If you real way to find out what a place is like is to visit it yourself and have any questions about the information in any of the pieces see if it feels right to you. Try to avoid bringing your little one in this series, or would like further information, please do get in with you on the first visit, as it may be confusing for them to go touch! to lots of different settings. When you have narrowed down your search to a couple of options, then you can take your child along for a trial session, which any setting should be happy to organise. alex.zetter@mummy-sos.com 07595053512 Similarly, if you are looking for home childcare, try and meet all www.mummy-sos.com your potential candidates before introducing your final www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

IMMUNISATIONS AND ALLERGIES …

Lindsey McManus, Deputy CEO of Allergy UK explains which available, patients should be immunised in primary care using an immunisations are safe for allergic children and advises the best ways inactivated influenza vaccine with an ovalbumin content less than 0.12 of making sure that your children are fully vaccinated. µg/ml). This is the most up to date advice from allergy specialists. Only patients who have either confirmed anaphylaxis to egg or egg allergy Having your baby immunised for the first time can be a time of concern with severe uncontrolled asthma, should be referred to specialists for for many parents. This becomes even more of a worry if your child has immunisation in hospital, where there would be facilities available and an allergy. Because vaccines often contain substances which can, in staff trained to recognise and treat anaphylaxis. some cases, cause an allergic reaction, it is natural to question whether immunisation is safe for your baby. However, in practice, allergy to Vaccines with ovalbumin content more than 0.12 µg/ml, or where vaccines is very unusual. It used to be thought that the MMR (measles, content is not stated should not be used in egg-allergic individuals. mumps and rubella) vaccine should not be given to egg-allergic Your doctor or health visitor would be able to find out the ovalbumin children. The information which is often provided with the vaccine content of influenza vaccines in Table 19.6 of the Government’s Green continues to warn that egg-allergic children may react to the vaccine. Book (updated September 2013), the reference for all health care This is, in fact, incorrect, as the most recent research has proven. professionals administering vaccines. There is also now an influenza vaccine available in the form of a nasal spray, this is however a live The measles vaccine is not grown in whole eggs, but in cells which are attenuated influenza vaccine (Fluenz®) and is not recommended for derived from hens. These cells do NOT contain any egg protein (protein children with active wheezing at the time of vaccination OR for children is the part of any allergen that causes an allergic reaction) therefore, with egg allergy or severe asthma because of limited safety data in the MMR vaccine is safe in all egg-allergic children (including those these groups. The vaccines against Yellow fever and typhus are with severe allergy) and allergists now advise that all egg-allergic produced in a similar way to influenza. However, this vaccine is not a children should have the vaccine because of the benefits that it routine part of the UK immunisation schedule and are usually only provides. You should of course speak to your doctor or health visitor given to people travelling abroad to high-risk destinations, so if you are prior to your baby’s vaccinations being due to discuss any concerns and planning a trip to a destination where your child may require this type your allergy specialist, if your child is under one, would be able to of immunisation please make sure that seek the advice of your doctor. advise you also. All available information about immunisation and allergy, points to Influenza vaccine and egg allergy the fact that immunisation in children who are at high risk of Recently there has been concerns over the use of influenza vaccines for developing allergy is safe and not a factor in their future allergic egg allergic patients. There are different types of vaccines available conditions. and if you have been advised that your child may need an influenza vaccine, speak to your doctor about inactivated influenza vaccines, (the For more information, please see www.allergyuk.org or call the vaccines do not contain live virus) those given by injection, which are helpline on 01322 619898. egg-free or have a very low ovalbumin content are safe for children with egg allergy. Patients with egg allergy can also be immunised with an egg-free influenza vaccine if available. If no egg-free vaccine is

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“Was it all a dream…….”

By Abi Adams

So after the HORRENDOUS combination of jet lag and morning sickness at the end of the 3 months of my pregnancy (my husband would probably say it was also his pregnancy having to also deal with said morning sickness), I was beginning to think I was going to be blessed with this constant feeling of nausea and vomiting into my kitchen sink for eternity! But then, veeeeeeeery discreetly, all traces of said morning sickness disappeared and it was as if I was back to the pre- pregnant me. Was it all a charade?? Had I been dreaming for the last 2 months? And then I was given my next gift - intense itchy skin. Aaaahhhhh, and what a gift it was. Now , there's an ickle itch that feels good when you get your partner to scratch it for you, but then there's the incessant, ant stamping itch that once you engage with travels to various other parts of the body. Like an ant invasion! I found loose cotton garments helped to ease this predicament (thank Buddha for Sweaty Betty calypso yoga pants) along with spraying the body after washing with Pinks Boutique Rose and Geranium flower water. But like all experiences in pregnancy, you ride the intense wave before said wave washes up on the beach and remains a loving memory.... Am not sure which glorious gift I preferred, the nausea or the fire like itch. I'm now in my 7 months flying into the 8th and really enjoying it. What I'm finding less enjoyable is the wonderful comments of how awful I'll start feeling towards the end of the pregnancy. How wonderful! Thanks everyone, but please refrain from talking to me if that's the only dialogue you have, otherwise you may find me walking off into the sunset. Feeling pre pregnant, my yoga practice has resumed a more regular pace, and I'm really enjoying settling into the postures once more, although a bump reminds me of certain postures I can't get into (thankyouverymuch!).

The Warrier Posture Stand against the wall and take the feet wide Turn right leg all the way out, left foot slightly in tuck tailbone, lift out of hips and bring body back to centre arms up at shoulder height/bring shoulders back in socket inhale straight legs/exhale bend front leg keeping back leg straight. Be aware of front knee falling in or out (want to see big toe) Hold the posture for 5 breaths and increase with practice.

I'm really loving the kicking communication me and Baby Oolong are sharing, especially the slow motion action moves which you can see happening. My husband has been massaging my stomach and back each evening with rosehip oil to build a bond with his touch and also with his voice by telling stories. Although he was a bit nervous and shy at first, I now have to fight the oil bottle out of his hands! Don't be afraid to ask, coax and enjoy this time with your partner as its your baby that benefits most. They're starting to understand that there is a loving, warm environment waiting for them outside and who wouldn't be tempted out by that! MY TOP TIPS Pinks Boutique Rose/Geranium water - spray after bath/shower. Gorgeous refresher, great for itchy skin and you also smell divine. Cold Pressed Rosehip Oil - best oil for the tummy/stretch marks John Masters Vanilla/Blood Orange Body Lotion - smells out of this world and really keeps the skin hydrated. Organic Life Teas - Minty Green Tea / Saffron Teas relax tea - love love love especially with a dash of honey! A great couple of postures to work with whilst you have the strength, breath and energy are the Warrior and Tiger pose. These are great for building strength in the thighs and hips, gently. You can flow in and out of these as preparation before settling into them and holding, working with that strength element.

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The Tiger Posture Come into an all fours position (if wrists hurt, use fists or if lack of strength in arms come onto forearms) Keeping right knee bent lift out to the side x 5 (exhale to lift, inhale to lower) Make sure hips stay aligned (its not vain to do this in front of a mirror as the hips can tell tales) Repeat on other side, building up repetitions as strength builds

Oolong 07951 101 049 www.loveoolongtime.com 26

Family Signing Fun – for Everyone! ‘I’ Tip of extended index finger contacts the chest ‘Love’ Flat hands are held crossed on the chest ‘You’ Index finger points with short movement towards other person (with eye gaze)

Gesture is one of the building blocks of speech (I Can) and using signing is a wonderful, fun and interactive way to help communication development for babies, toddlers and older children too. Signing has incredibly valuable outcomes for little ones. For example using signing: ● ● ● ● ●

could help to alleviate up to 90% of tantrums and tears gives your child a head start with communicating needs and wants helps with confidence to use spoken language and be understood reinforces learning helps children gain and use a greater word bank

Just adding in a few signs to everyday games at home can encourage children to learn new words and develop their motor skills. As families get bigger, we very often find that older siblings ADORE showing their signing skills to their new baby brother or sister and quite frequently become the person in the home who signs the most with a new arrival. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, give Secret Sign Codes a try! Make up some secret signing codes that you use only in your family. Boost confidence, and offer your child some gentle reassurance too, using the ‘secret’ signs for ‘I Love You’. Children are kinaesthetic learners which means that they learn most effectively by being able to ‘do’. Games, interspersed with signing, are probably one of the simplest, most effective ways of reinforcing language structure and word acquisition. REMEMBER: ● ● ● ●

SAY the word as you sign it SIGN in your child’s line of vision WAIT for a response REPEAT as much as possible

"Wow. What a wonderful gift to give a child. It’s saying 'I Love You' over and over and over and over and over again." Download your FREE! baby signing e-book at www.littlesignersclub.co.uk For more information, please contact: (e) info@littlesignersclub.co.uk (w) www.littlesignersclub.co.uk (fb) www.facebook.com/littlesignersclub (blog) www.littlesignersclub.wordpress.com

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Sign descriptions:

Every parents nightmare! I honestly feel like I have lived a life in a week. Those of you that know me now from my previous writings and books have discovered that recently I seem to have had a fair share of life’s more, let’s say, ‘dramatic’ experiences. If you have children, then I forgive you for not reading from this moment on. This might not be the easiest story to take on board or even believe! So I invite you to stop reading at this moment in time and you are forgiven for unsubscribing to my stories forever till the elements combine - amen. This is exactly what happened to me so are you ready? Let’s get stuck in. Last Friday evening I came back from work to discover that my 14-year old daughter disappeared into the middle of the night - she had gone, my daughter had gone missing. I was dropped into one of life’s worst nightmares. I was the one in the film set of the horror story you may watch on a Friday night with a favourite drink and take away. You think you plan life, but in a split second your life has changed forever. We live in the country and my daughter had vanished into the night. I was expecting the normal chaotic night of baby throwing food on the floor and arguments over which one of my children will inherit my old iPhone. Instead, the worst words that any father can hear came to me like a golden arrow into the heart. “She’s gone,” said my wife. It was dark outside, very cold and pouring with rain. 200 acres of river frontage (hey not mine!) woodlands, barns, tracks, fields, hay stacks, sheds and thick mud. She could have been anywhere out there. Had I thought about the impossibility of the task of finding her on such an evening I might have given up there and then. But you don’t, do you? There is no question; you will find your daughter. I was at the doorstep staring into the night as the rain and wind hammered at my face. My baby, the one I gave up work for to be with when she was born, had vanished. Oh God she’s gone! People say to me, “what were you thinking how did you go through with it?” But I didn’t have time to think, you can’t let yourself think. It’s too horrible. You are in the nightmare, you are it, you are the one scaring people (including yourself). I grabbed a torch, put on my walking boots (it was really raining hard now), my 12-year-old son joined me and that was it. A father and

son, 200 acres, two small torches and nothing but faith that she was alive. We were off into the night, no idea which track to turn, hill to climb or barn to look in. My daughter, my baby, she isn’t eating well, she faints easily and I just knew she was in trouble. I didn’t know where she was but I had to find her fast. There lay my daughter in a ball curled up. Her green coat soaked, silent and hidden in the brambles, faced down and in the nettles. She was unconscious. She had been there for hours and hours.

All she was wearing was a pair of trendy shoes, tights and an inadequate green coat; even walking she would have felt the cold without eating problems. We headed for the woods. I was calling out with my son. “It’s Dad, we are here, we love you. Lorna, I love you!” I was screaming into the trees to the wilderness shining the torch under the ivy. We looked for two hours; nothing. I called the police. Lorna I love you please contact me. I text anything, everything. No response. I called my wife and she received a text from Lorna. I ran home with my son, a text she’s coming home! I arrived on the doorstep to discover that Lorna had text her boyfriend to say she can’t come home and that her phone had gone dead. You know the feeling of being extremely scared and your heart being ripped out. Think Angus think, what was she wearing, what shoes? Look for footprints, what did she say? Which direction? Where would she go? Why did she go? My baby, where is she? Part of my life was being ripped out of my heart.

face. “She’s gone dad, she’s gone.” We will find her, we will, just don’t give; up we are going to find your sister. Now I was crying. Three hours and nothing. It was cold my daughter was in trouble; I knew we were racing against the clock. Then the police cars arrived. The cavalry from every angle. “Dad Look at all those cars on the hill. One, two, three, four, five cars, we were a long way from the house on the other side of the valley. My son was getting tired. Son you’d better get home. NO! he screamed I am going with you. Hey, that made me cry even more. Now not only did I take myself on what felt like a self induced SAS course, I was being hit emotionally as well with the thought of never seeing my daughter again. What else can happen? Just then something rather funny happened. The ground started thumping, literally moving and shaking and from out of the night two, three, five, I couldn’t see, huge horses came from out of the darkness. RUN! Seriously, I was thinking, I don’t need this. My son was about to get hurt so God knows how but I threw him right over the barbed wire fence and he landed on the other side. Where did that strength come from? Our daughter has now been missing for over four hours. The horses came for me, it was too late, I was knocked down and I couldn’t find my baby. I stood my ground and a very annoyed horse came puffing up to me. Horses are not charging animals, my mind raced in again. I stood my ground. Quiet and collected I reached out to it and it stopped just in front of me. “Please help me!” I started talking to the flipping horse.

“Are you OK dad?” I heard from the other side of the fence. We started laughing. The Two and a half hours, no texts, no night of all nights was unravelling, the extreme of all extremes of physical and communications. New batteries in the torches and off we went again father and son, emotional torment was upon us. I will walk until I die. I will never ever stop We started to run up to the lights where the looking, I will find my treasure. Feelings of horror were waiting on my shoulder if I let police were now organising a search party. them in. Off we went in the other direction; Lights, torches, radios, cars, an ambulance, perhaps she is sitting in a barn? Over the hay neighbours, and quad bikes. bails, the fences, under old tractors, behind fences in the old garages, the folded river it We will find her, we will. My legs could hardly was flowing fast. Angus don’t contemplate it. move now, up hay bails, under cars, over She’s alive; she has to be. fences, but it was pitch black. The woods were alive. There is no force greater than the will to preserve love. My son stopped, saying, Lorna I love you, I love you. Leon shined his torch into a hedge, tears coming down his “dad where is she?” I prayed, he prayed, my

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wife prayed, we all asked for help. Part of my heart was disappearing from my life and there was nothing on earth I, or any policeman could do. It was now luck, chance the divine. I was a broken man, but I still had the pieces held together by faith. Faith and hope will hold anything. It was now 11 o clock at night. I couldn’t bear the time. Loose your daughter at 5pm but 11 o clock. It was horrible, detestable, indigestible, terrifying. But then we hear the calls and the cries. The search party on top of the hill had seen a girl running through the orchard next to our house. There she is, quick catch her. We all started running to where the figure was running. Police, boyfriends, dads, sisters, and brothers. But whom was that running? The figure ran like the wind through the orchards appearing and disappearing. “Lorna, come here come back!” She was fast! The figure disappeared. I ran and ran and ran hours and hours of running. My body was on fire; sweat pouring out of my woolly hat, immune to all physical feelings. Oh my god. I too ran like the wind on a channel of hope.

We ran to the point where the figure stopped. Just a wall, nothing. I collapsed a finished man. But I will never ever give up. We looked over the wall. There lay my daughter in a ball curled up. Her green coat soaked, silent and hidden in the brambles, faced down and in the nettles. She was unconscious. She had been there for hours and hours. Oh my God, my daughter! I dived on her hugged her and kissed the back of her cold head and face. I picked her up and we went out of the woods, out of the darkness, with tears pouring down my face,. I was bringing our little girl back to her mother. Guided by a mysterious figure in the woods. I knew what that figure was. The paramedics took her and I treated my son for shock and exhaustion. Her boyfriend slipped and went in an ambulance (he’s OK now). Everyone was laughing and crying, knocked down, elated, destroyed and re-born. Nothing matters, nothing matters. I am a better man for this. I am able to tell the story, it’s a true story and I get the feeling

this is one of the best decisions I made in my life, to write this experience. Other than going out right away to look for my daughter. Hyperthermia was so close. Had we not found her that night my daughter would not be alive. I am a blessed man and I openly thank the police, the Angels, the neighbours and all of humanity and mother Earth herself for putting to pieces of my heart together again. Life is the experiences we have, and the harder they are, the wiser we become. My God I need a nice glass of wine after that. God bless all of you and may you never go through what I did last Friday. I do hope to report on a rather more enjoyable lesson from God next Friday!

Angus !! For more updates and to sign up for future Friday Lights, please visit:

http://www.theanguskennedy.co.uk /category/fridaylight/

What Is Anorexia ? We’ve all heard of Anorexia Nervosa and yet many of us will assume that it won’t affect us, our loved ones or friends. What many people fail to realise is that eating problems such as anorexia are not just down to food, they are about feelings too. You may get anorexia because you want to be in control of something in your life at a stressful time or it might be because you are dieting and cannot stop or because you hate your body. It may be because you want to be popular or because you are linking being slim with success and wanting to look like models or celebrities. You may be depressed or have low self-esteem or anorexia may be in response to something that has happened such as abuse. Young people with anorexia feel that things will be better if they are thinner. Anorexia usually starts during the teenage years although there are reports of children as young as eight having eating disorders. One fifteen-year-old girl in every 150 has anorexia and one fifteen-year-old boy in every 1000 has it. Girls and women are 10 times more likely than boys and men to suffer from anorexia or bulimia although eating disorders are becoming more common in men. Anorexia is a serious eating disorder and if it is left untreated you can become malnourished and have long-term physical problems such as osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones. However, it is possible for you to recover with help and treatment. If you think you have anorexia, speak to someone you trust straight away or talk to your GP.

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Questions. My five year old is like every other five year old: incessantly interested in stuff that technically, he has no rights to be interested in. Death. Santa's job for the other 364 days of the year. Who the Tooth Fairy really is. Why a bagel has a hole in the middle. Who made the Earth. What glass is made from. I am being continuously probed for information, opinion and facts that quite frankly, I am ill-equipped to deliver. Who does he think I am, Wiki-flipping-pedia? And on hearing these questions, I am struck by the classic parenting dilemma: to lie, or not to lie? There is a school of thought that says you should never lie to your kids. I have come across these Truth Sayers, and they fill me with dread and a grudging respect. In theory, I think it is a great strategy. However, I seem to have set up my flimsy parenting tent in the field marked 'Make It All Up as You Go Along'. Lies tend to fall out of my mouth like toast crumbs round a toddler's high chair.

words that you think are inappropriate for your child's ears. For example, the knotty problem of what to call their private parts. Look, there's one right there. Private parts. That's not what they are really called. There are some Truth Sayers who refuse to indulge in Super-Sub Lies. A penis is a penis, a vagina a vagina, regardless of whether you are talking to a two year old or an adult. I use the Super Sub lie of willy to my sons, because if either of them referred to their willy as a penis before the age of sixteen, I may never recover. And so to another of my favourites: Obedience Lies. This, I fear, is the last bastion of mediocre parenting; they are lies that force your child to behave. One that I used to use regularly was designed to get my son to sit properly in his car seat. "If you don't sit straight and I drive off and a policeman sees you, he'll put you in jail." Now, I am not proud of my reliance on Obedience Lies. But it does mean we get to the shops before they shut. Finally, we have the Ejector Seat Lies - lies deployed as an answer to a question of such profundity that you can see a fatal conversational pile-up heading toward you.

"How did the baby get in your tummy, mummy?" I always consider telling the truth with these sorts of questions, but do I really want to explain the mechanics of sex to a five year old? Firstly, there are the Cultural Lies. I am more than happy to tell I quickly push the Ejector Seat Lie button. these, as it was not me who thought them up and so I am utterly "It grew from a seed." blameless in this particular lie. Cultural Lies are the ones that are part of our deception inheritance. Santa, for example. Most of the The trick with Ejector Seat Lies, given that they are created in haste population know he does not exist, but still lie about this to anyone and do not stand up to further scrutiny, is to then create a diversion. At this juncture, there is only one parental weapon left under about four foot high. Which is fine by me. at your disposal: "Would you like some chocolate buttons?" And then there are the Functional Lies. These lies are the grease that keeps the cogs of your day spent with your children turning. A For more information and highly enjoyable reading, please visit any favourite Functional Lie involves those wretched children's of the following: magazines - the ones with gaudy plastic tat heat-sealed onto their covers with industrial glue, the strength of which is inversely http://www.jodienewman.co.uk - for exclusive extracts from Womb proportionate to the toys themselves, that break within ten with a View and to purchase the book minutes of wrestling them out of the packaging. "Oh, sorry," I say to my hopeful son, "I don't have any coins with me today." Hah, in www.motheringfrights.wordpress.com: your face CBeebies phone, with your pretend buttons and wonky One mother. One toddler. A baby. And no bloody clue whatsoever. www.facebook.com/mothering.frights - be my friend (said in highstickers. I win. pitched, desperate voice) and never miss a mothering frights blog again.

And no parental lying armoury would be complete without the Big Them Up Lies. These are the lies we tell when asked to respond to the latest piece of 'artwork' our offspring has created. I am not expecting my son to create masterpieces. But really, some of the stuff he throws together looks like it has been... well, thrown together. "Look mummy," he says, wielding a crinkled sheet of paper, which is buckling under the weight of three pots of paint applied seemingly randomly and in a great hurry. I do not have the heart to say anything other than a great, fat Big Them Up Lie. "That's great!" There is a pause as I try to think of a good enough Functional Lie to prevent it being stuck on the fridge.

www.twitter.com/motheringfright more words, sometimes even arranged in the right order. Get Womb with a View in paperback at www.jodienewman.co.uk or Kindle version from www.amazon.co.uk.

Next up in the pantheon of porkie pies is the Super-Sub Lie. This is technically more of a euphemism than a lie, but let's not try and make it sound less fibby. It is the word that you substitute for other

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Dear Joanne I thought I'd write in as I am struggling with morning sickness. This is my second child and I had nothing like this with the first. I am 10 weeks pregnant and I work part time as well as looking after my little girl who's now 3. The sickness isn't restricted to the morning, in fact it happens at totally random times and I struggle to keep up with work, commuting and my daughters schedule! I feel terrible because when we are together I am often feeling under-par. I don't know what to do! Can you help? Louise, 32. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hi Louise I completely understand your pain! Nausea can be terrible and really very limiting. So long as you're not actually being sick, that does actually help. Continuous vomiting and not keeping anything down can be a real worry and so I'd suggest you contact your midwife straight away.

breakfast then eat them, just not too many. I had cravings with my son, fishcakes and beetroot notably and with my nausea things like decaffeinated Earl Grey saved my life, I seemed to need the citrus flavour. Also low sugar Ribena which did get me through many commutes! With regards to work - is there anyone who you can speak to in confidence so that they understand what's going on health-wise? You might find that someone in HR can help and just take the pressure off. With your daughter, it's tricky. It's still early days so it's difficult to explain what is going on. I told my son that mummy 'was trying to grow a baby' and it was making me really poorly. He is slightly older, but he did understand that it was not a fait accompli and was very understanding when I needed to lie down or take five minutes quiet.

Don't overdo it, reduce some of your commitments so that you're not feeling stressed, please also don't beat yourself up about taking it easy for a while. Some time spent at home with your daughter playing board games, reading books or doing puzzles is great fun and gives you some time where you don't have to be rushing around- the sickness should improve in your second trimester but let me know how you get on! With the nausea, try and take it easy. Ginger is a fantastic aid, so ginger Best of luck with the pregnancy x biscuits, tea or flat ginger beer are always good to have on standby (flat because the bubbles can be more irritating!). I'd also always try and If anyone else has great tips for reducing morning sickness then I'd be keep some food nearby, even if it is a ginger biccie or some crackers, interested to hear! often a small amount of food can help stop the nausea. I'd also try and Love, health and happiness, Joanne xxx avoid big meals, especially greasy ones! Listen to your body, 'sensible' cravings (ie not chocolate by the kilo, or chips non stop) should be acknowledged - if you fancy gherkins for

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“My mummy friends helped make my whirlwind wedding a reality.” www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

I then called on another mum from the Nurturing Mums course, personal trainer Ivana Koudelkova. She designed me a bridal exercise plan that targeted my upper arms, So now we had a date. What next? The dress. The décolletage and tummy. It’s difficult to find designer I had in mind was time for fitness when you have a 9-month Sally Lacock – her dresses old baby, but Ivana’s mother-in-law were stunning but I knew watched Ivana’s daughter and Aidan while we worked out. It’s amazing how they usually took months resourceful new mums can be, especially to make. At this point I New mum, Claire Moruzzi, enlisted with family support. had nothing to lose, so I the help of her local mum contacts called Sally on the offReception venue, flowers, photographer, chance and she said yes! to help plan her wedding in just 8 car… all important aspects of the big day Childcare wasn’t easy to weeks . . . that can take some brides months to figure arrange, so Aidan had to come to one of my fittings out. Thanks to my mummy friends, it was all sorted in a matter of weeks. with me! Not something that the bigger wedding So in the blink of an eye, our wedding day dress boutiques would arrived. Everything went as planned and probably allow. whole day was wonderful, from rainy start to tipsy finish. Having Aidan there to share Fortunately our chosen the day with us gave everything an extra reception venue – the dimension and made our vows very fabulous Clissold Arms – was free on the new date. poignant. We weren’t just promising to cherish each other, but him too. The only Hooray! This was a huge relief as we had Dan asked me to marry him last January, disadvantage to not waiting to get married our hearts set on it. I’d spent a lot of time just a few days before our first baby was was that he was too little to be our ring due. I was delighted, but a wedding was the there in the early months after having bearer! furthest thing from my mind. First there was Aidan, first with my lovely NCT friends and their babies, and then when I took the the birth to get through, then those early I’d wholeheartedly recommend a whirlwind Nurturing Mums 6-week course. Without months. We felt like we were living in a sleep-scare time warp where any challenge these fellow new mums, the finer details of wedding. The short deadline made me focus and made decision-making so much easier. beyond eating a hot meal together was out our wedding wouldn’t have been so We’ve now freed up 2014 for lots of fun of the question, so we sensibly settled on an effortless. family adventures! August 2014 wedding. Ella, from the Nurturing Mums course, A big thank you to all the following people That gave us over 18 months to plan, so we recommended her wedding photographer who helped us to create our perfect day: Steve Watkins. His style was just what we booked the registry office and then forgot were looking for and he was miraculously all about it. Ok, I bought a few bridal www.nurturingmumsuk.com free on the new date. Tick! magazines and tried on a few dresses, but stevewatkinsphotography.co.uk the wedding itself stayed just far enough www.sallylacock.com Sarah, one of my NCT friends, used to be a out of reach that I didn’t feel any pressure florist and I was delighted when she agreed www.facebook.com/ivana.koudelkovamustafa and could focus on our gorgeous new son to do my flowers. She also had a word with www.clissoldarms.co.uk Aidan. www.nct.org.uk her partner Jon who lent us his very classy classic car for the day. Tick! Tick! Dan and I took Aidan to Italy in early September – our first family holiday. It was Claire Moruzzi there that I got to thinking. Life is short; @claireycloos why not just go for it? I felt really strongly that I wanted us to be an official family, and – despite being a card-carrying feminist – I wanted to have the same surname as my two men! it up without even seeing it.

Once I’d had the idea it felt so right that I got down on one knee and said to Dan “Will you marry me this year?” We were so excited that we turned on international roaming and called the registry office straight away. But there were no Saturdays left in 2013! Rather than get married on a weekday, we decided to start from scratch with a new venue. An internet search revealed a local gem, Avenue House in Finchley. They had a date in early November, just 8 weeks away! We booked

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Wales and are made using Chrome 6-free leather, which is very safe for babies and toddlers. The brand’s co-founder, Rhiannon Owen, is constantly developing Inch Blue’s core product range and designs dozens of new styles and colourways each season, in addition to complementary products. These include Inch Blue’s award-winning natural sheepskin baby booties, called ‘Cwtches’, luxurious printed gift sets featuring Inch Blue’s exclusive prints on babygros, hats Inch Blue - the UK’s much-loved brand of soft and shoes as well as embroidered gift sets in leather shoes - has been adorning the feet of many of the brand’s most popular designs - all babies and toddlers since 1999 and in 2014, of which are presented in Inch Blue’s celebrates its fifteenth year in business! signature luxurious packaging. Today, Inch Blue is one of the UK’s leading brands and its collections can be found in prestigious retailers ranging from Harrods to Selfridges and its collections are sold worldwide. Inch Blue has been a popular choice for new parents and people looking for imaginative and eye-catching gift ideas ever since it launched in 1999, and the brand’s continued success is attributed to its commitment to quality and innovation. The shoes are all hand-stitched in Inch Blue’s own factory in

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To mark its 15th birthday, Inch Blue has reintroduced a handful of its most popular designs, with small changes to ensure that they continue to look as fresh and fabulous as they did when they first launched. The designs include the Oriental Bird shoes and gift set and the Cherry Blossom shoes. New designs for 2014 include the Fox, Tractor, Rafferty the Rabbit, Bluebell, Monty the Dog, Dash the Dachshund, Flower Pot and a new Matilda shoe. Inch Blue shoes are available from 0 - 6 years and gift sets and Cwtches are available from 0 - 12 months. For more information please visit www.inch-blue.com

Depression: what do you know … I have been a mother struggling more or less with depression now for 2 years (I had to work that out several times because it feels like 20). In that time I've done quite a lot to help myself which has made the biggest difference; I've also reached out to the NHS who have not helped much at all- and I've done enough research to know that the care I've received from them has been at best short term and superficial (medication) and at worst erroneous and dangerous. So I've wanted for quite a while to write an article imparting what I've learnt to other other women in the same position- because, for me, a mother could not be a higher priority case but (as you probably know if you are a mother with depression) GP's seem to care very little. (Note: I am really sorry for the generalisation to any conscientious GP's out there doing great work, I'm talking from personal experience and a mass of anecdotal evidence about what does seem to be the unfortunate norm.

I'm finding this difficult to write because it makes me feel utterly defenceless consciously accepting my lack of professional support. I successfully suppress this knowledge most of the time but I had to see a GP recently and my experience was so awful that from relative stability it's triggered the worst down I've had for a while so - while I can't feel much worse - I want to tackle this goal and hopefully help someone.) Let's do the obligatory 'look you're not alone statistics': *

Around 10% of women are believed to be experiencing depression in the UK at any given time- that's pre-natal, post-natal or outside of the perinatal period altogether (although post-natal depression is associated with greater severity and incidence of psychosis and suicide). 1 in 3 women will be prescribed antidepressants in their lifetime (most commonly in their reproductive years).

* *

Up to 4% of pregnant women are taking antidepressants. Interestingly, 18% of women keep their medication secret from their family, 10% do not even tell their partner.

If you think you may be depressed you should seek professional help but if you feel the need to tick some boxes before you can make that leap there is a 'depression test' that GP's routinely administer and is available at www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/depression.aspx. Here is a plain text version of it: Could you be depressed? There are many symptoms of depression, including low mood, feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem, lack of energy and problems with sleep. The more symptoms someone has, the more likely they are to be depressed. This test will help you to assess whether you could be suffering from depression. Answer the questions based on how you've been feeling during the last two weeks. 1. Have you found little pleasure or interest in doing things? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 point) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points)

2. Have you found yourself feeling down, depressed or hopeless? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 points) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) 3. Have you had trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much? No, not at all (0 point) On some days (1 points) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) 4. Have you been feeling tired or had little energy? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 point) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) 5. Have you had a poor appetite or been overeating? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 point) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) 6. Have you felt that you're a failure or let yourself or your family down? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 point)

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On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) 7. Have you had some trouble concentrating on things like reading the paper or watching TV? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 point) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) 8. Have you been moving or speaking slowly, or very fidgety, so that other people could notice? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 point) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) 9. Have you thought that you'd be better off dead or hurting yourself in some way? No, not at all (0 points) On some days (1 point) On more than half the days (2 points) Nearly every day (3 points) More on suicidal thoughts If you have had thoughts of self-harming or are feeling suicidal contact someone immediately. •

•

See your GP or the out-of-hours GP service. If you have already taken an overdose or cut yourself badly, dial 999. There are helplines with specially trained volunteers who'll listen to you, understand what you're going through, and help you through the immediate crisis. Or contact a friend, family or someone you trust.

The Samaritans operate a service open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for people who want to talk in confidence. Call 08457 909090.

RESULTS 0-10 points Based on your responses today it's unlikely you're suffering from depression. While it's unlikely that you have depression, if you have any concerns about your health, or mood, please call NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or arrange to speak to your GP. More information on depression, and its causes, can be found by following the link at the bottom of this tool. 10-27 points Based on your responses today it's very likely that you could be suffering from some form of depression but only an experienced health professional can tell for sure. You should make an appointment to see your GP as soon as possible or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. They will be able to help you and offer some form of treatment.

Most people with depression improve with good care, which may include changes you can make to your life, talk therapy and medication. This is for information only and is not intended to replace a consultation with a GP. The PHQ was developed by Dr's Robert L Spitzer, Janet BW Williams, Kurt Kroenka and colleagues with a grant from Pfizer Inc. Reproduced with permission. (NHS Choices 2013)

Once you have confirmed some kind of diagnosis of depression is where things start to get very tricky for a woman of child bearing age being treated by her GP. Professor Howard (head of Women's Mental Health section at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College) attests that "the risk of taking most antidepressants is very, very small" but also advises avoiding them if possible at child bearing age (half of pregnancies are unplanned), looking instead to psychological therapies as the first line of defence. Advice from the Royal College of Psychiatry suggests that GP's should always refer depressed patients to a psychiatrist for the prescription of antidepressants. I am yet to meet any woman whose GP spoke to them about their medication in relation to pregnancy (regardless of their situation and whether they were likely to become pregnant in the near future) unless they were literally pregnant at the time. Evaluation from a trained psychiatrist is incredibly rare, and generally must be fought for by the patient. What should be a detailed risk/benefit analysis conducted by the patient and those caring for her to minimise exposure both to the illness and treatment is all too often a stab in the dark by someone of limited expertise with little choice or explanation given about the chosen medication. The elephant in the room is likely to be Professor Howard's 'psychological therapies', far from being 'first line of defence', they are nigh-on impossible to obtain from the NHS (though many people find this kind of assistance, for free, from the charity MIND, who are always highly commended). Pregnancy is a critical point in a woman's life to achieve this balance of minimising exposure to illness and treatment unfortunately knowledge is limited making choices very difficult to make. Companies do not recruit pregnant women for tests on antidepressants for ethical reasons and this leaves massive holes in our knowledge both of the drugs effects on unborn babies and of what the physiological changes in the pregnant woman does to the functioning of the drugs. Even the effects of untreated mental illness are relatively less documented than say poor diet/ smoking/ drinking or drug use in pregnancy. But what is known is that the presence of high levels of cortisol in the womb (as there is in untreated or unsuccessfully treated depressed mothers-to-be) are linked to: miscarriage, low birthweight/ pre term birth, increased use of pain relief in labour and worse obstetric outcome, impaired attachment in the postnatal period, poor growth and impaired development in children, behavioural

disturbances, family breakup and predisposition to stress, anxiety and depression (attempted and completed suicide) in adulthood. No decision is risk free, advice for all medications is to take as little as possible especially during the first and last 3 months of pregnancy, but mental health complications outweigh the dangers of responsible pharmacotherapy. Pregnancy can mask symptoms of depression such as fatigue, insomnia and appetite changes so psychological symptoms (see NHS questionnaire above) are more reliable in pregnancy- and, despite the difficulties, just so worth investigating as part of your commitment to parenting your coming child. There are four main types of antidepressant: Tricyclics, MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors), SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors) and SNRIs (Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors). There is no research into MAOIs therefore they are not advised during pregnancy. In the 'Summary of Product Characteristics' of SSRIs and SNRIs you should find that they are not recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers. This is a legal statement and is due to insufficient evidence for licensing for mothers caused by the ethical constraints in testing. However there is a lot of evidence out there suggesting their safety so it is at the discretion of the prescribing doctor and they do seem to have fewer side-effects than Tricyclics which have been in use for such a long time that their use by pregnant women is regarded as fairly safe (though still not licensed). In fact the only antidepressant that is licensed for use by pregnant women is Fluoxetine and this is as a result of the length of time it's been in use and the sheer quantity of data that has been collected on it- but this does not mean it is the best medication for any given pregnant woman and a really knowledgeable health practitioner may be able to recommend to their patients more suitable options offlicense. Breastfeeding with antidepressant use is another complex issue with even less controlled or systematic research. What evidence there is is from small case series and single case reports. These confirm that antidepressants are excreted into breast

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milk at varying rates. They also show that infants have a decreased capacity for drug metabolism (compared to adults) until the 3rd week of life then it gradually increases till by the 8th to 12th week the rate is several times faster than an adults. At the moment although there is not enough evidence to support categorical guidelines there are no conclusive contraindications against the use of Tricyclics, SSRIs or SNRIs whilst breastfeeding. Furthermore, the physical touching in breastfeeding promotes attachment and better mental health and the abnormal brain function apparent in one month olds whose mothers were depressed in pregnancy inexplicably disappears if the baby is breastfed. It is of course a fantastic idea to pursue holistic methods of managing depression, including the myriad of psychological therapies available, relaxation techniques, social interaction and support groups (all of which you will likely have to access without the help of the NHS I'm afraid). Counter-intuitively though, the martyrs road of rejecting pharmaceuticals whilst pregnant or breastfeeding may not be in your child's best interests (though this is adverse to the advice most GPs dole out). It is an unfair burden on an ill mother but you must do your own research, pressure your GP unrelentingly for what you think you need from them and discover the changes and practices you need to implement for long-term health on your own. Welcome to parenthood! Written by: Elizabeth Katherine Hobson Twitter: ElizabethHobso6 Blog: http://elizabethkhobson.wordpress.com (Please note the views expressed in this article are personal to me and are in no way the views expressed by Baby Buzz Magazine).

Are our children losing the skills of face to face communication? By Bebe Jacobs

10 year old Robbie is painfully shy and hardly acknowledges his parents. He spends hours playing computer games or texting friends. “Even when we ask him direct questions he hardly looks up to answer” complains his Mum Maria. Like many children today Robbie is lacking in social skills and prefers to interact via technology. How are these children going to make and sustain personal relationships, friendships, be good managers in the workplace or even pass interviews? Children are losing the skills of face to face contact and how to make a good lasting impression when they meet people. What do we need to teach our children? 1)

That impressions are made within the first few seconds of meeting some-one and once the impression is made it is quite hard to 6) reverse. So the first few seconds are crucial. Teach your children to: ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙

2).

stand a comfortable distance away, look at the person but don’t stare, say hello with a firm handshake – which shouldn’t be held for too long, 7) and smile.

Understanding body language. We all think we know about body language but our children often don’t realize the huge impact it has. When we video children in our communication skills sessions, we see that often they are leaning too far forward or too far back when they speak giving out signals of being too eager or reluctant. Eye 8) rolling is a common behavior amongst children –they are usually unaware of how rude this is and how noticeable it is. Even when they do know –and this is the impact they want to make, you can teach them alternatives such as expressing their displeasure or frustrations in words. We also teach them about the vital 9) importance of good eye contact – not staring and not looking through half closed eyelids. We also discuss standing tall as if being pulled up by a string and keeping shoulders held straight rather than hunching them which many children do.

is great for helping them to find the confidence to project their voice. It’s also connected to their breathing and posture so again getting them to understand body language helps. One social skills which is hard for most of us is knowing how to end a conversation so it doesn’t drag. Teach your child how to end conversations with phrases like “ I’ve really enjoyed talking to you and have learnt a lot. /It’s been really interesting but now I have to go. Many thanks for your time.” Teach your children that goodbye’s need to be said-you can’t just slink away! Talk to your child about how to get into a group in a social situation so they are not left standing on the outside. This can be so hard but entering into a group and edging in, getting noticed, making eye contact and then joining in the conversation, is a real skill which again needs to be practiced. In our sessions, we use Chinese whispers as a game to help children realize that so often messages get lost and someone along the chain of conversation has misheard and changed the message. We need to ask for clarity when unsure. A large part of social skills is the sub text. What are we assuming? Are we assuming why the teacher is cross? Are we assuming why our friend hasn’t called? Are we assuming why we weren’t chosen…………… Teach your children not to jump to conclusions which usually leave them feeling hurt and vulnerable, without checking out the real reasons first.

Teach your children to understand and reading facial expressions which is all part of body language but which is an essential skill. Look 10) A large part of communicating is telling the truth to build trust. But we also know that head on truth can really hurt so teach your together at faces in magazines and ask your child, “What do you children subtleties. Some call these white lies – I think it’s about the think that person is thinking or feeling? What do you think they are way we express difficult things. We don’t need to be head on – we going to say next?” We are always amazed in our workshops at how can usually find sensitive ways to be assertive and say what we don’t difficult children find this, as they aren’t used to thinking about the like or simply that we want to say “No”. But you need to be aware varieties of facial expressions. Looking a the different range of facial that you as their parent, role model these skills too. If you are too expressions, helps increase their repertoire and gives them insight blunt –or completely shy away from the truth –but then feel put into the impact they are having when they make certain faces. upon, that’s what your children will learn. Vitally important is knowing when to listen and when to speak. Some children find it difficult to be quiet and listen to others. They are 11) Finally in this list of communication skills, teach your children not to run away from challenging situations. Help them to be assertive, to often bright and bubbly but lack social skills as they want to be the express what they want to say and that they will grow stronger if centre of attention and they don’t give others a chance. Videoing they stay with situations which are challenging even when it’s tough. them and showing it back to them gives them real insight into the Long lasting friendships and partnerships involve facing and dealing impact they make. Other children are shy and wait to speak and with challenges not repressing them and walking away when the then do so hesitantly. They need to feel valued and listened to going gets too tough. without being judged. If you have a child in the shy category, make sure you listen without giving your own opinions too quickly. When your shy child asks you what he or she should do in a given situation, Bebe and her colleague Mag run Face2Face Social skills Communication throw it back to them and ask them what they think before you give Workshops for children aged 8 plus. If you would like to book them for your opinion. And don’t rescue from sticky situations. Let him figure your school or community centre please get in touch via info@parentingcoachingnow.com or either of these mobile numbers: it out for himself. 07939880856 or 07884186470. Children can be helped to project their voices even if your child seems to naturally have a quiet voice. Taking them to drama lessons

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Innovative parenting website mumdrum.com celebrated its first birthday this January making this the perfect time to unveil its first official campaign. Having already helped countless families capture Follow us on Twitter: precious memories in their unique online Child Memory Books, The @themumdrum Mumdrum is excited to launch ‘Making 52 Memories’ a truly inspired movement to support families to create memories and most importantly share them with the people that matter. Commenting on the project Sarah Nicholson from The Mumdrum said: The exciting project will encourage parents to create memories with their little ones and to share them with family and friends. Sensitive to busy schedules and the ever growing juggling acts parents’ face these days The Mumdrum team were passionate about developing a realistic challenge for all families to get involved with. Making 52 Memories is a simple concept to inspire families to make one memory per week in 2014.

“When we initially came up with this idea we were confident it was a realistic goal for families, however busy they are. It provides one simple target each week, which will result in something truly special at the end of the year and a lot of fun throughout. However in light of Dr Fin’s insightful thoughts, we feel rather proud we have developed something that could be so important for families in this day and age. We hope 2014 is just the first year people choose to capture their #52memories”

The activity encourages families to document a year of memories online and has been described as a wonderful project by many. But Whatever age your children are… start an online Child Memory Book leading psychologist and founder of Parent Perspectives Dr Fin today and join the 52 memory challenge! Williams Bsc, Msc, D.Clin.Psy goes further, expressing her delight in What the parents say: this project, commending The Mumdrum for giving families a unique opportunity to create the modern family album and explaining the significance of documenting family life in this way. "The Mumdrum Child Memory Books are a brilliant idea - now I can keep track of all the funny things my children do and just share it Dr Fin reflects on shared moments when you look back on family with the people who matter. Even technophobic grandparents love photos. Despite the natural embarrassment we are faced with it and don't find it as intimidating as other social media." (especially if there is a bare bum on show) the feeling of belonging Helen Bligh and of being loved is overwhelming. According to Dr Fin the family “The Mumdrum Memory Book has been a wonderful way for us to album quite literally ensures we ‘are re-membered as part of our capture the first year of our adopted daughter’s life with us and a family’. great way for us to continue recording her life story which is so important for an adopted child. We captured the moment when We build a fundamental narrative through these actions – developing we first met our daughter, her arriving at our house with her small the family stories. She explains that these stories “form your identity, bag of belongings through to the momentous days such as her your values and beliefs, that would serve to guide you through future celebration day in court when she finally become ours and the day experiences…promoting resilience” She continues to say that, “the her new birth certificate arrived with our surname on it. We have most resilient people have a sense of themselves as capable, and an also captured other special moments – buying her first shoes, first ability to tolerate uncertainty.” haircut, first holiday and it has been great to find a way to combine adoption specific memories with everyday memories that are Dr Fin’s theories explore the role of the family story on everyone’s important for all families” development; in the wake of advancing technologies and “Anonymous” industrialisation, family organisations are shifting dramatically and it is increasingly common for families to live apart. This results in less I was an expat for about 5 years. I fell pregnant with my first child involvement with grandparents or extended family and therefore in 2011 while living in Egypt. I planned to fly back to the UK to give causes the family connections, and subsequently the narrative, to birth but sometimes the best laid plans don’t always work. My son weaken. Combined with the digital age and lack of physical albums William was born 6.5 weeks early in Cairo, head and shoulders out we have lost the tools to document these stories. in the back of the car while my husband frantically drove us to the hospital. William was a good weight (2.4kg) but jaundiced and When talking about The Mumdrum Dr Fin says: reluctant to breastfeed from a mother with hardly any milk. It was “The Mumdrum Memory Book provides us with a way of recording a traumatic, stressful few days but everything worked out well in not only photographs, but stories, quotes and scenes from our child’s the end and now at 18 months William is a robust, happy boy development and family history that we can share with friends and weighing 13kg. I think it is important to share childhood memories family online: The people who can help us to co-construct a coherent with your family no matter where you live but as an expat it is vital story for our children to discover. Making them a part of our family as your family are missing out on so much of your child growing up. tapestry in completely unique and irreplaceable ways. A story that The grandparents love The Mumdrum as I can post the smallest helps them with their identity, their sense of belonging, and their little thing, such as him finding his belly button or going to the capabilities to face the challenges.” beach for the first time, but it means a lot to them. Overseas Mum

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Parents’ Savings Saviour choose, you will have to pay. A lot. Childcare is one of the biggest costs parents face after their rent or mortgage. Any planning and saving you do in advance could save you thousands in the long run. Before you go on maternity leave, ask your employer what benefits they have in place to support working parents. They may offer enhanced pay and leave, flexible working, or onsite childcare. Many, but certainly not all companies offer Childcare Vouchers, which can save mums and dads up to £933 each a year, but your employer needs to offer them. Most employers use a Childcare Voucher provider to operate the scheme (to protect employees they should use a member of the Childcare Voucher Providers Association). The company can save money too and the best providers won’t charge anything to set it up.

Stephanie Forrester of Busy Bees Benefits reveals the financial “no brainer” no working parent should miss. You’re pregnant! You may have already got through the fatigue, the nausea and the backache. You have resisted the temptation of a glass of wine, another coffee, that delicious looking paté and that really pungent blue cheese that for some reason you now really fancy (even though you wouldn’t have given it a second look in the supermarket before you were pregnant). You have already formed some thoughts about the sort of birth you want (although many find a birth plan is something which quickly gets forgotten once your little one decides to make an appearance). You’ve trawled the Internet to find out if you are eating the right foods, doing the right amount of exercise and taking the best supplements.

Childcare Vouchers In Brief ∙ You exchange up to £243 of your pay each month for a Childcare Voucher. ∙ You don’t pay tax or National Insurance on the value of the voucher. ∙ You use the voucher to pay a registered childcare provider (i.e. registered with OFSTED or equivalent body). This could be a nursery, nanny, au pair, childminder or later a holiday or after school club (vouchers aren’t just for childcare for babies and pre-schoolers!) ∙ You save up to £933 in Tax and National Insurance (per parent, per year) on childcare ∙ Your employer saves up to £402 in National Insurance (per Childcare Voucher user, per year) The current Childcare Voucher scheme may close to new entrants in Autumn next year (although once in a scheme it is currently expected that you will be able to remain in it for at least 5 years), so if your employer doesn’t offer the vouchers now, there is a window of opportunity for both of you to make the most of this benefit. You can start saving up Childcare Vouchers as soon as your baby is born. However, you cannot sacrifice Statutory Maternity Pay (although if your employer offers enhanced maternity pay you could use some of this to start getting vouchers at the earliest opportunity). Dad could start getting the vouchers once he has returned to work after paternity leave, which would be sooner.

You may have already done lots of window shopping, both online and on the high street or perhaps visited a big show like The Baby Show to see the huge range of products now available for babies and their parents. Even shopping for parenthood throws up lots of questions. How does that pram chassis collapse and expand? Will that car seat fit The other thing to consider is what will you do if your childcarer lets your car and is it the best one you can possibly get without breaking you down? Obviously this is less likely to happen if your child is in a the bank? Do you want to buy reusable nappies or disposables? nursery with a number of staff, whereas a lone carer such as a nanny or childminder may be ill or on holiday. Look for a Childcare Voucher You may already have the answers to these questions. You are well provider who offers an emergency childcare service. The best on your way. So you can relax a bit now, enjoy buying all your stuff and rest up as much as possible for the remainder of your pregnancy. providers offer an emergency service which is free to join, provide a national network of support and only ask that you pay for the care Right? received. Wrong. You need to give some thought to the practical and financial Once you are in a Childcare Voucher scheme, you will see that stuff too, and you need to do it sooner than you might think. vouchers really are a “no brainer”. Which is probably a very good thing, because if you haven’t come across the term “baby brain”, you You may not have even decided yet how much maternity leave you soon will! will take or if you will return to work, but if you are planning to be a working parent, have you thought about who will look after your Visit www.busybeesbenefits.com for more information. child? If you aren’t lucky enough to have relatives who are willing to provide childcare, you will need to think about the type of childcare you want. Your choice will be influenced by your own lifestyle and the needs of your child. Some parents prefer to have a home environment with a childminder, care in their own home with an au pair or nanny, or the care of a nursery which provides a wide range of facilities and social and educational opportunities. Whichever you

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One mum shares the secret to sharing photos of your baby with family.. By Zoe Sobol

It is so easy. Every time I upload a photo or video it is stored in high quality, just as I took it, so if anything happens to my phone my photos are safe, and because my phone is constantly in my baby’s mouth and being dropped on the floor I now have peace of mind. Having invited my mum, in-laws and brothers to see photos of my kids on Lifecake, they are all instantly updated as new photos and videos are ready to see, which saves me the task of emailing every one individually every time I’ve got something to share. It’s really nice, they all leave funny comments and rate their favourites on the page. I feel like my family are part of my baby’s everyday life, which is especially nice given they are spread over the four corners of the country. Plus when they come to visit they can add photos to the timeline themselves and so they become part of this rich online journal of her life evolving each day. But best of all is that I no longer worry about either spamming my Facebook friends with photos of my baby or about who exactly is looking at those photos. It’s totally private and hurrah, no adverts from companies I’ve not opted to share my details with – finally. My little girl turns one in January and I am really looking forward to making a book of her first year. I tell Lifecake which family member the book is for and it finds the ones they have enjoyed the most and pre-selects those into a simple, high quality photo book template for me to print. It’s genius.

I can’t stop taking photos of my baby girl, I want to capture literally every move she makes, but my heart sinks at the end of the day when looking back at my camera roll of unedited photos. My family and friends are constantly asking for updates and photos and I almost shudder at the thought of my ever increasing daily to-do list which includes the task of designing photobooks, underlined multiple times, as I know they’re exactly what the grandparents want as I no longer feel overwhelmed by managing my photos and my a treasured keepsake. family feels part of the action everyday. And that leaves me more Like so many new mums, I’m busy! I have such a short window of time to take more pictures. Lifecake is a lifeline and a must for all chore time to allocate to the download or upload of photos! It’s a mums on the run! task I keep pushing to the back of the list but the longer I leave it the more photos of my little girl I accumulate and the memory card on my phone just fills up – some of the best pics get lost amongst generic shots of the dog and things for the house and I forget about them as quickly as I’ve captured them. Occasionally I’ll post a photo or two on a social networking site but I always get a niggling feeling about where they could end up. Sometimes I’ll email a photo when I take a good one but then the photos and replies get Lifecake is completely free to try, and you get a generous allowance of roughly 1000 photos and 1 hour of high quality video. Additionally, you can become a buried in my inbox and are difficult to find if I think to try and look VIP: Very Important Parents can keep 100 GB of content safe on Lifecake. them up again. Then, brilliantly, a solution. A friend of mine mentioned in passing one day a new website, Lifecake.com. I’m not terribly computer literate but I have just got my first iPhone and joined the Apple generation so checked out the site there and then on my phone and downloaded the app…I’ve not looked back since. I simultaneously share my photos and videos with the people I love, while storing them in the cloud, organising them into a beautiful timeline and pre-selecting them for inclusion in a photobook; my to-do list is getting shorter by the moment!

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Subscriptions are monthly – for £2.99, about the price of one frappuccino – or yearly for only £24.99. Photobooks can be purchased for £35 plus shipping for an 80 page hardcover book. Additional pages can be added. You can pay for Lifecake: On iPhones, iPads, and iPods or directly in the app using your iTunes account. On Android phones pay via Google Play account and on computer via PayPal or credit card.

Bath time is about to get even better! fun can go on and on! The bath is suitable for babies from birth up to six months; even new born babies can use the bath, thanks to our clever ‘Bum Bump’, which keeps the baby in a sitting position. The sloping back also helps to keep baby upright, freeing mum and dad to interact with the child.

Have you ever suddenly realised that the baby’s bath water is cold and the poor little one is freezing? Or struggled with a really heavy bath? Shnuggle’s Sinead and Adam Murphy have, so decided to do something about it. Like our award winning Shnuggle Moses basket, the Shnuggle bath has been designed by parents – that’s us, Adam and Sinead - with parents firmly in mind. We’ve taken elements of the traditional baby bath that we found could be improved and redesigned them. The Shnuggle bath is made from a baby-safe foam material that is lightweight, soft and extremely durable. Despite weighing roughly the same as a loaf of bread (400g) when empty, the bath is stable and won’t tip over when filled with water. The shell is incredibly strong, and of course complies fully with safety regulations. We’ve all had the heart-stopping moment holding a heavy baby bath, knowing it’s too slippery and we’re going to drop it. The Shnuggle bath’s foam material is textured to allow the outside of the bath to be gripped easily, so spills should be a thing of the past. The textured surface also ensures that the inside of the bath is non-slip. This material is soft, which helps to make bath time an even more comfortable experience for baby. We’ve been very aware when bathing our own two children that the water can get cold very quickly, so wanted to design a bath that overcame that problem. Thanks to the special insulating properties of the foam, the water stays warmer for longer, meaning the

We thought carefully about the design of the bath, and are really pleased with the smooth curves and flowing roll top. The mum and dads who have helped us test the bath loved it, agreeing that it’s functional and beautiful. The Shnuggle bath comes in a range of beautiful vintage colours allowing parents to choose from a selection of shades: ocean, mint, pearl, buttercup and rose. As parents ourselves, we understand that mums and dads want options that fit in with and complement their every day lives, so we have created a well-designed, high quality product. We’ve been keen to test the bath thoroughly with parents, so have done a lot of research with mums and dads during the design phase. We listened carefully to parents’ feedback and know that we’ve have created a baby product that is modern, beautiful and functional. It’s been no surprise that our sample baths have been universally positively received by parents and the nursery trade. We’re excited that this positive reaction has translated into preorders. Mums and dads have commented on the wonderfully soft foam material, as well as the choice of pastel colours. The light yet stable material has been another talking point. The Shnuggle bath will be available to buy early 2014, check out our website www.shnuggle.com and Facebook page www.facebook.com/shnuggle for regular updates!

YOU DON’T HAVE TO STOP ARGUING, JUST ‘DO IT BETTER’, RELATIONSHIP EXPERTS SAY Arguing doesn't have to mean that children suffer if couples take action ‘Evidence suggests that working with couples at an early stage in their to ‘argue better’, research suggests. relationship or during times of change we can modify destructive patterns of conflict behaviour. Conflict and feuds are a normal part of being in a relationship and research shows that family relationship patterns can be passed on from ‘Practitioners and those working regularly with parents are in a key one generation to the next, so it’s important to be aware of ways to position to identify families in need’. Co-author Professor Gordon ensure they are less harmful. The review, Parental Conflict: Outcomes Harold, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Professor of Psychology at the and Interventions for Children and Families examines the differences University of Sussex said: ‘Today's children are tomorrow's parents. between ‘destructive’ and ‘constructive’ conflict and how both kinds affect children, why some children are more adversely affected than ‘The psychological fallout from homes marked by high levels of interothers. It features the latest evidence on how conflicts impacts on child parental conflict can lead to negative behaviour and long-term mental physiology and interventions to help couples in conflict. health problems that repeat across generations. It shows that conflict can affect family life by influencing the way couples parent, as well as how children understand and make sense of this conflict. Destructive conflict such as sulking, walking away, slamming doors or making children the focus of an argument can have a detrimental impact on their development.

‘Effective intervention can help to break this cycle, improving outcomes in the short and long term.’

OnePlusOne offers training for health professionals and a free online course for couples and health professionals called ‘How to Argue Better’. The course will help you stop arguments from getting worse Children exposed to such conflict between parents are at a greater risk and sort out issues. of a range of negative outcomes including social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. However, children react better when parents For more information on the course go to: can relate to each other more positively during arguments, and when http://thecoupleconnection.net/users/sign_in conflicts are resolved. Co-author, Dr Catherine Houlston, from OnePlusOne said: ‘We know that conflict is a normal and necessary part of family life. ‘It’s not whether you argue but how you argue which matters most to kids.

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In 1992 Organix was founded by Lizzie Vann who believed that it was a business that not only could, but should, change society for the better. Organix were founded with a vision to create a world where healthy nutritious food was a real choice for everyone by doing three things:

INSPIRING MUMS AT MEALTIMES Organix launches new food planner to help parents plan and introduce more variety to family mealtimes A third of children eat up to just seven different meals in an average month as busy parents don’t have time for inspiration in the kitchen, according to a survey by Organix.

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The study found that 41% of busy parents offer their children little variety, serving them a different meal every day, but rotating the same meals each week. In an attempt to inspire and help mums and dads at mealtimes, Organix has developed a new weekly Food Planner to allow them to plan ahead and add variety to their family meals.

When our first baby foods went on the shelves it was a proud moment. It was organic, tasty and had labelling parents could understand. This set a benchmark and it’s been the way we’ve worked ever since. We want to ensure that what we make, how we sell it and what we say about it creates better choices for children’s health.

Organix asked 1,500 parents across the UK, with children under the age of four, to share information about how they currently plan their meals. They found that 23% of parents let their children dictate the menu as they are too busy to think about different dishes they could cook for the family. Lucy Jackson, Senior Brand Manager at Organix says: “Getting children involved in dinner-making decisions is great as it helps them develop a good relationship with food. However, by letting children choose the entire menu can prove an issue for parents who are trying to ensure their little ones are getting the variety they need, as children tend to choose the meals they know and like.” “Our research shows that almost half (42%) of parents rely on Google to find new recipes, and over 40% said they spend up to one hour a day cooking. Therefore, we’re hoping our Food Planner will save time and help inspire parents at mealtimes, enabling them to share new dishes and tastes with their little ones.” The Food Planner can be found on the new Organix website alongside nearly 100 nutritious recipes that can be filtered by a little one’s age or weaning stage. Parents can save their weekly food plans and favourite tasty recipes, along with more content in the coming months such as tips and helpful advice, to create a personalised online hub which can be unique to every child’s tastes and needs.

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In 2012 80 tonnes of sweetcorn was needed to make the sweetcorn powder for our Goodies snacks.

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We sold: 59million apple rice cakes and 32million carrot stix in 2013

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Our penetration of Goodies snacks is 60% so we can say 6 out of 10 pushchairs has a goodies snack in it!

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We’ve sold 11.76m individual gingerbread men (normal size not minis) which is more than the population of Belgium

The new Organix website has now gone live and has been created to offer relevant support and advice, as well as inspire parents at every step of their child’s food journey.

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creating great food empowering parents challenging the government and food industry

170g ripe bananas 70g vegetable oil 2 eggs 120ml water 1 tsp vanilla extract 250g self raising flour 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp baking powder Half tsp cinnamon powder 80g or 5 packs of Goodies Raisins & Chopped Apples

for the compote 4 ripe plums Â˝ tsp ground cinnamon 1 clove 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 tbsps water

Step 1 - Mash the banana

Step 1 - Chop the plums into a small bite size pieces. Put all ingredients into a small sauce pan and cook until the fruit is softened and cooked down

Step 2 - Beat together the banana, oil, eggs, vanilla extract and water until creamy Step 3 - Mix in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon

for the french toast 4 slices of fruit bread 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs

Step 2 - In a bowl, beat together the egg, vanilla and a little cinnamon Step 3 - Pre heat a pan with a little sunflower oil

Step 4 - Stir in the chopped fruit Step 5 - Spoon into a 1lb loaf tin and level off Step 6 - Bake in oven at 200 degrees for 40-45 mins or until the knife comes out clean when inserted Step 7 - When cooked tip out and place on wire rack and leave to cool before slicing

Serving suggestions Good on its own or to make it extra yummy for mum on Mothers Day spread with a little butter!

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Step 4 - Take two slices of bread, spread one with the plum compote then place the other on top to make a sandwich. Dip into the egg mixture coating both sides Step 5 - Place in the hot pan to cook until golden on one side then flip over to cook the other side. When golden remove from the pan and cut into fingers

Serving suggestions Serve with a dollop of the plum compote or some yoghurt and fresh fruit pieces

www.organix.com

300-350g lamb, cut into small chunks 2 tbsps vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 1 celery stick, chopped 2-3 tbsps pearl barley 600ml water 2 sprigs of thyme 1 bay leaf Pinch of black pepper 2 carrots, chopped 3 medium potatoes, chopped 80g kale or spring greens

Step 1 - Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pot with lid and wait until it is very hot. Brown the lamb pieces quickly then set the meat aside Step 2 - Turn the heat down and add 1 tbsp of oil, the onion and celery, cook gently for 3 minutes Step 3 - Return the meat into the pot, add the barley, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper and enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally Step 4 - After 1 hour, add the carrots and potatoes and simmer covered for further 1 hour Step 5 - Add the kale or spring greens and cooked for 5 minutes before serving

Serving suggestions Tip: for a speedier version, use minced lamb and cook everything together until tender. Add the kale or spring greens at the end as above. www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

450g lean minced lamb 1 large carrot 3 spring onions 1 clove garlic 50g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs 2 tsp tomato paste 1 dessert spoon of mint 1 dessert spoon of coriander

Step 1 - Grate the carrot, finely slice the spring onions, crush the garlic and roughly chop the mint and corriander Step 2 - Place all the ingredients together in a large bowl Step 3 - Mix together with a wooden spoon, until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes Step 4 - When the mix is cool and you are ready to cook, shape the mix into kofta shape pieces suitable for your little one to pick up and eat Step 5 - To cook, place the kofta under the grill for 1015 minutes until they are cooked through and golden in colour Serving suggestions Mix a few dessert spoonfuls of Greek yogurt with some chopped coriander, mint and some finely diced cucumber to make a yummy dressing, perfect for dipping 45

Friern Barnet Community Library Saturday March 8th 1-5 pm A fun event to raise awareness around local & global food issues Why? Modern agricultural methods have resulted in spectacular that affect us all. We will have: short films, snacks, talks, info, increases in food production over the last 20 years, however rather than growing food to meet the needs of local communities, industrial games, goodies… Aimed at young people but all welcome.

Would you like to help out and volunteer for this event? ● ● ● ● ●

Contribute articles to the FWW website Publicity: help us promote and market the event Film the event (film will go on the FWW website) Volunteer at the event itself... Come up with your own ideas!

Come along to the event & spread the word! For more information please contact: patricio.swift@googlemail.com www.foodwewant.org/eng www.friernbarnetlibrary.org About Food We Want Today about 1 billion of our planet’s people do not get enough food to eat. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), we are already producing one and a half times the amount of food needed to provide everyone in the world with an adequate and nutritious diet, yet one in seven people is suffering from hunger.

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agriculture produces crops to sell on world markets. Food We Want is a campaign to raise information, awareness and lobby to promote small-scale family farming and sustainable agri-food systems as a key solution to tackling hunger, as well as addressing poverty and climate change issues. To support FWW (takes a few seconds) please visit: Organisations: http://www.foodwewant.org/eng/Supporters Individuals: http://www.foodwewant.org/eng/user/register FWW are also producing a comprehensive BOOKLET about food issues (food security, food consumption and waste patterns, biodiversity, food sources, food prices...). The booklet will form part of an LSE lecture and then be sent out to schools. There are fun and educational GAMES (simulation, card games...) that accompany the booklet. The booklet and games will be handed out at the event - otherwise contact us if you would like copies (we also have a PDF version). Sunday 23 March 2-5pm - 80th Birthday of Friern Barnet Community Library. Join us to celebrate our eightieth birthday. We are pleased to announce that we have Alan Gibbons (Childrens writer and campaigner) and Laura Swafiield as guests to speak about the importance of libraries. Friern Barnet Community Library Registered Charity number 1154956

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London and gNappies form a flash heart to raise money for Bliss Baby Charity. “Globally, we have a history of products with a giving component; with the giving focused on mothers and babies. This is the first time gNappies have been able to do the same here in the UK, said Louise Kjellerup Roper, European Managing Director gNappies. “We chose to work with Bliss because we believe that every baby should be given the best start in life and that is exactly what the fundraising for Bliss helps ensure.” "We are pleased that gNappies has chosen to support Bliss”, says Fiona Gaffney, from Bliss; “One in every 9 babies in the UK is born premature or sick. That's over 80,000 babies every year. Bliss works to provide the best possible care and support for all premature and sick babies and their families, who often struggle to cope during this, most stressful, time.”

Mums, dads, babies and supporters of the Bliss Charity - who provide care and support for premature and sick babies - battled against the weather and the tube strike today, to join together in Covent Garden to form a heart shape to raise awareness for the Bliss Charity. The flash mob, was organised by gNappies, makers of the world's only 100% compostable disposable nappy insert, who very kindly donated £1 to Bliss for each of the people who took part in the Flash Mob. gNappies hosted a LOVED FLASH MOB which saw gMums, gDads, babies and supporters of Bliss join together to make a HEART shape to raise money and awareness for the Bliss Baby Charity in Covent Garden today. For every supporter in the heart gNappies donated £1 to Bliss Charity, they have also created a LIMITED EDITION LOVED gPant and T-shirt Design exclusive to Ocado to further raise awareness and money for Bliss. Taking part in the LOVED campaign include Olympic medalist Laura Trott, Dr Ranj, actress Holly Matthews, presenter Sarah Cawood and Danielle Lloyd.

"As a doctor I see how a good start in life is essential to all babies. I am delighted to give my love and support to the gNappies LOVED campaign to raise awareness and money for premature babies who often don’t get the easiest start. gNappies are a great choice for the environment too – ticking all the boxes." Dr Ranj a successful NHS doctor, specialising in the care of children and young people, and also co-creator and presenter of the CBeebies' show Get Well Soon.

About BLISS Bliss is the UK charity working to provide the best possible care and support for all premature and sick babies and their families. One in every 9 babies in the UK is born either premature or sick. That’s over 80,000 babies every year with one being admitted to special care every six minutes.

"As an ambassador for Bliss, it's great to be involved in gNappies' LOVED – a campaign which raises funds for Bliss. Being born with a collapsed lung, I overcame difficulties in my early life, which made me more determined to succeed in my cycling career. I know how important it is to support and love babies and their families at this early, difficult time of life. " Laura Trott, Double Olympic Gold Medalist

www.gNappies.com

Would you like to understand exactly what your baby wants to tell you? Help your baby communicate before they can talk? Build your baby's confidence & social skills? Stop tantrums before they start? Then learn baby signing the fun way with Sing & Sign Multi-award winning classes for babies 6-30 months www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

Call us today 07582 900 418 48

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National Science and Engineering Week Science of Play For example, rough and tumble with friends and family creates strong emotional bonds, and expressive awareness. Through this type of interaction, children learn to be sensitive to others, and begin to establish their limits. Artistic activities such as drawing, dance, and even developing silly rhymes, give children the opportunity to develop their language and interpretation skills as they start to decode what is going on around them. Pretend play can have a serious side too. Dressing up, playing with dolls and miniature figures gives children the chance to rehearse some of the scenarios they already see or might face in their future life, whether it’s expressing how to care for someone (such as their favourite doll) or tackling aggressive situations. And let’s not forget the value of a bit of family competition, whether that’s board games, card games or even computer games. While playing games with their friends, siblings and parents, young children are learning a range of social skills related to sharing, taking turns and We all want to do the best by our children, which is why debates on understanding others’ perspectives. parenting can feel so emotionally loaded. And this is often complicated by the challenges of society today. For example, the explosion in 3. Do you give your child enough free reign? technology gives parents choices, but also questions about how much The current generation of parents are so concerned about letting their their children should use this technology. Our increasing working hours children out unguarded, that this can restrict children as they don’t learn lead many of us to have concerns about whether we spend enough to be independent. Children learn through risk and those that are quality time playing with our children. And our passion to do the right deprived of nature and the opportunity for ‘risky play’, like climbing in thing by our kids, and keep them safe, often leads us to feel we have to trees, building dens and playing in rivers, miss opportunities to learn to oversee their play at all times. But is this the right approach? assess what’s risky and, if necessary, deal with the consequences. As parents, we’re often reminded that raising a child isn’t an exact science, and support and guidance on the topic can be confusing and contradictory. Dr Whitebread is supporting National Science and Engineering Week, which aims to raise awareness of the important role science has in many aspects of our lives. Below, he tackles some of the key questions parents have about raising children today. Play Today 1. Technology use – good or bad? Technology is part of our modern world so it certainly shouldn’t be a no-go for parents today. Using technology in early education can be very useful as it can present intellectual challenges not available in the real world that in some cases, can be more engaging for children. The key, as with all things, is balance and moderation. Too much screen time obviously prevents your child from doing the range of other activities that is beneficial to them, so keep these tech tools in your armoury, but keep time restricted on use. Excessive, solitary screen-based play in early childhood is recognised to be problematic if it limits the development of children’s other play skills, and links have been established in this case with difficulties in social development, obesity and so on. But there are also benefits from screen-based play. For example, there are studies that indicate the physical benefits of video games, such as quickened reaction time. Videogames can increase children’s tolerance to frustration. They are also often very active and mentally stimulating and cooperative, with many children playing games with friends and with parents. 2. What constitutes quality play time with your child? Do something that gives you genuine enjoyment. That enjoyment is infectious and creates the right, emotionally warm environment for play and development. There are a whole range of play experiences that are deeply beneficial for children.

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UK culture is currently quite risk-averse, and so children are heavily supervised and play indoors, in their gardens and in specially designed play spaces with safety surfaces. In the more rural and thinly populated Scandinavian countries, however, children are much more encouraged to play outdoors and in natural surroundings, and are far less closely supervised. At the same time, in the UK and many other countries, rates of obesity, self-harm and mental health disorders diagnosed in children have climbed significantly. This is attributed to a now well recognised phenomena of ‘nature deficit disorder’ arising from children having very limited access to the outdoors and natural environments. There’s a balance to be struck in giving your kids the chance to try these things and, of course, keeping them as safe as you can too. Perhaps give an older sibling the role of parent, allowing younger children to have this freedom with the supervision of a more mature child. Credits National Science and Engineering Week takes place from 14th to 23rd March. Adults and children alike can attend free events across the UK in a range of fun environments. To find out about these events and how you can take part, visit www.britishscienceassociation.org/NSEWevents

Attributed to Dr David Whitebread, Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Education, Cambridge University References 1. 'Developmental Psychology & Early Childhood Education' (Sage, 2013). David Whitebread. Available on Amazon and at all good book shops. 2. ‘The Importance of Play’ (Report written for the Toys Industry of Europe, March 2012). David Whitebread with Marisol Basilio, Martina Kuvalja and Mohini Verma. www.importanceofplay.eu/IMG/pdf/dr_david_whitebread__the_importance_of_play.pdf

Each month we review an amazing selection of new and innovative products and clothing and this month is no different. This month we have the top maternity brands, parenting books, new food tasting sessions and health products. If you would like to join our focus group and review a varied selection of products, please do contact me at info@babybuzzmagazine.com.

Food & Snacks Many parents struggle with their child’s eating habits and all too often resolve to reaching for anything to ensure that their child has had enough to eat. Coming from Free From Italy are these child friendly pasta products in highly recognisable character shapes, with the latest to the addition being Hello Kitty! The pasta shapes are low fat, low salt and in some cases gluten free! For those parents who are as lucky as me and whose child loves pasta, these will go down an absolute treat! Eve:

We absolutely loved the pasta shapes, even if eating dinner became a slightly longer experience. Our boys loved the Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder shapes and had great fun”playing with their dinner”. As fussy eaters, they ate really well and as the price is so reasonable, these are definitely going to be on the shopping list again.

Nickie:

Love, love, love these! Lillie loves pasta in whatever way it is served. Just the simple fact that they come in recognisable shapes brings it to a whole new level…. Now if only they did it in Peppa Pig, the world would be a perfect place!

Available at Ocado, Amazon, FunFoods4All from £1.49 per pack. All too often there are different food pouches released that, to be quite honest, taste awful and have no beneficial contributes! There is either too much sugar, too much salt or just no flavour whatsoever. We’ve tried a good few products on the market now and a good few have been discarded after the first taste. It was great to try the new releases from Plum, who have just launched the Mighty 4. The pouches are a nutritious organic snack for active tots and picky eaters and they are the only such product in the UK to cover four mighty food groups: fruit, vegetables, dairy and ancient grains. Knowing the dangers of adding sugar and other additives to baby and tot food products, Plum ensure that they are doing best by little ones everywhere and include only natural and nutritious ingredients in their pouches and pots. The delicious pouches are easy to carry around and enable tots to self-feed. There are currently three flavour combinations, all of which are delicious (even if I do say so myself)… Sarah:

As a busy mum on the go, we regularly take food pouches with us but we’ve also experienced the “I don’t like it” and then struggled to find a suitable, quick replacement. The mighty4 range from Plum was a great success with the preference being towards the Blueberry and Strawberry flavours. Definitely something to purchase again.

Clare:

Gorgeous flavours and suitably filling when needing to fill an immediate gap. Would recommend highly to any busy parents.

The Mighty 4 range is priced at RRP £1.19 per 100g pouch. The products will be rolled out in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Boots, Waitrose, Ocado and Morrisons between January and April 2014. We’ve tried different meal options from the Ella’s kitchen range and have always been impressed with the flavours and varieties available so we had high hopes for the new Smoothy Fruits and Nibbly range. The Smoothy Fruits are packed full of flavour and are quite simply an organic Smoothie fruit snack, with nothing else added, not even water. It contains 1 of the 5 lovely pieces of fruit and veg recommended each day! We tested this with both toddlers and older children and the comments were all positive! Nickie:

These are amazing! They are packed full of flavour and our little one wanted to have more and more! (We had to stop after the second one otherwise she would have had them all at once). Unfortunately the nibbly fingers weren’t as much a success and she didn’t like the texture. After tasting these myself, they seemed to lack as much flavour and were a little bland.

Mark:

We love them all! We regularly source organic healthy snacks for our children and these certainly lived up to the task. We would regularly purchase other snack items but we like the variety that Ella’s kitchen have available and will certainly be looking at buying these again in the future.

Available in all good supermarkets and shops. £0.79 for Smoothy Fruits / £2.29 for Nibbly Fingers

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News & Reviews: Health & Wellbeing Now this is what I call variety! I think most people, regardless if they are parents or not, will be aware of the Whitworth brand, whether it be for baking ingredients or just dried apricots or prunes! When we were contacted to try out their new varieties we were in for a big surprise. The amount of products now available are extensive and all of them are delicious. I could be eating something new every day for a month and never get tired of it. The great thing about Whitworths is that they have something for all ages. They have a great selection for babies and toddlers but they also have a selection for mums, dads and grandparents too! I can honestly say that we loved every single product and are looking forward to seeing what new products are coming out next. Julie:

As a grandparent and former food teacher I was thrilled to see the selection of products available for the whole family, that were not only healthy but were easy to take on travels. We’ve grown up with a lot of the products throughout the years so it is great to see a long standing brand coming up with new and exciting snacks.

Rudi:

Great quality snacks, highly recommended to all families.

Nickie:

Amazing! It is great to be able to buy something that is suitable for the whole family and most importantly a product that is affordable. Will definitely be buying these again in the future and happy to recommend to everyone regardless of age.

Available at all good supermarkets. Prices start from £0.49p In today’s world it seems impossible to encourage our children to go out and exercise or to be active. It’s all about the games and gadgets, so when we were contacted by ibitz about a new fun gadget that combined gadgets with exercise we got very excited! The ibitz is suitable for both parent and child and is extremely easy to set up. The ibitz is a little fun wireless colourful gadget for the child (with a matching black one for the adult) and is attached to your clothing or your shoes (it is waterproof) enabling you to just get on with your day. You register the gadget with your iPhone or android and this keeps track of your activity, steps, distance and calories burned by day, week month or year. The children’s online version is a more fun based app which gives your child a spaceship to explore space. The more active the child, the further they can explore. The added incentive with the ibitz is that the child can earn rewards (which are set by the adults to keep them active and exploring), kids can even earn coins and exclusive content through Disney’s Club Penguin. Whilst my oldest daughter got a little bored (she is 12 years old so perhaps a little old for this), I can definitely see the appeal to younger children and for adults as well to see how much activity they are doing (and should be doing more of!). This is a great affordable way of keeping children and parents active together. Available at John Lewis £29.99 for children and £39.99 for Adults. As a mum who experienced a serious iron deficiency whilst pregnant with my second child, I completely understand the benefit of this! With all of the tests that were missed, it would have been really useful to know about Spatone to prevent the iron transfusions that followed! These convenient, one-a-day sachets, packed with the taste of juicy, ripe apples make iron supplementation not only easy but tasty too! One sachet of Spatone Apple can provide you with your recommended daily amount (RDA) of iron and Vitamin C, well-known for its ability to increase the absorption of iron. Vitamin C contributes to a healthy immune and nervous system whilst also supporting our energy metabolism thus reducing tiredness and fatigue. Spatone Apple is available from Boots, Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, Lloydspharmacy and good independent pharmacies and health food stores.

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Designed from birth onwards, 'For babies & children' (For your child's health) can support digestive health and immunity. As we are just starting the month course , below are some of the glowing reviews given by other parents: Mum Jen, Chester: "I bought these for my 2 week old son, who was very colicky and passing lots of wind. He would writhe about screaming and his tummy felt hard. We are now one week into using the probiotics...he has it from an oral syringe mixed with a little breast milk every morning, and the difference is amazing, much less wind, nice soft tummy and no more writhing and screaming. Every new baby should come with a box of probiotics!! I have five children and used infacol, gripe water, colief etc in the past and nothing works like this!!" Mum Danielle, Hampshire: "Just 4 days of Optibac Probiotics for children and I have noticed a marked improvement in my young twins skin (22 months old). They both suffer from eczema and I didn't want to go down the route of steriod creams. Thankfully a friend told me about this product and the improvement is fabulous! Clear skin, no blotches and their old wounds where they have been picking at them have also started to clear up!! "

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News & Reviews: Maternity Our gorgeous mummy-to-be this month is Sharon Duffy. Sharon was asked to review the latest in maternity wear as she is expecting her first baby, due in April and although she is still working full-time she also enjoys going out with friends and family. Being in the last trimester, she doesn’t want to compromise on style or comfort and so we thought she would be the perfect person to try some of the new key pieces. I have to say, when they were delivered to me first I was amazed at how gorgeous the clothing was. The quality of the fabric is evident immediately on all pieces and whilst they all vary in price, they certainly show that you don’t have to wear dull, boring and frumpy clothing any more. Here’s what Sharon says about the pieces she tried:

The packaging is the first inkling that you are in for something special. Every attention to detail is thought of with a small dried flower, chocolate and letter thanking you for your custom. With the clothing wrapped delicately in tissue paper, the anticipation to rip open the paper is immense. Perfect Ways Poncho - Slate Grey Soft and luxurious this poncho is a made from a cashmere, silk and wool blend. Brilliantly versatile through pregnancy, breastfeeding and far, far beyond. This very cleverly transforms from a shrug to a poncho, to a scarf and a wrap just by altering the way the gorgeous little mother of pearl buttons are fastened. It makes the most brilliant gift for pregnancy and new mums (one size fits all!) Keep one in your bag for journeys, throw over jeans for a dash to the shops, or pop over pjs and snuggle up and relax on the sofa. Available in soft oatmeal, vibrant fuschia (wonderful for pregnancy complexion), classic midnight navy and cool slate. Price: £98.00

Sharon says: This is beautifully soft and cosy, but reminded me of my old school uniform. A little plain www.babeswithbabiesco.uk compared to my usual wardrobe and definitely more suited for work than casual in my opinion. Again the packaging from Isabella Oliver is outstanding and makes you feel very excited about what you are about to open. Isabella Oliver is one of the most recognisable maternity wear brands and as this was the first time we were reviewing any of their clothing, we were very keen to try out a couple of their new collection. Sharon says: The Relaxed Maternity Jean The material is soft and very gentle to the touch but they weren’t very flattering on the bum and so they didn’t feel very comfortable to me. I have however, passed these jeans onto a friend of mine whose baby is due a month after me and she finds them extremely comfortable so it could be just a matter of preference in fit. Not for me I’m afraid.

Price: Price: £49.00 £95.00 www.isabellaoliver.com

The Scala striped T-Shirt We were just about to go away for a long weekend and this was one of the items I took with me. I’m so glad I did as it was soooooo comfortable, really good quality, and I loved the way it showed off my bump. My other half Tom loved this top on me too. I am sure that this one will see me through until the end of my pregnancy and I’m so glad it washes very well too. Definitely one of my favourites! The Buddy – a Multi-Purpose Pillow for Breastfeeding … and so much more! The new, animal shaped Buddy from ISI.mini is an invaluable support for mums while breastfeeding. But in addition to helping with feeding, this uniquely designed pillow has a multitude of uses, covering pregnancy through to toddlerhood and beyond. From late pregnancy, supporting baby, feeding baby and supporting and comforting older children, this really does cover it all!

www.maguari.com

Price:

This has the potential of giving five to six years of use and is outstanding value for money at just £29. For those watching their budget this is one product we are more than happy to endorse!

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News & Reviews: Maternity Ever since I came across this brand last year I’ve been a really big fan, purely as its one of the only maternity brands that still leaves pregnant women feeling sexy regardless of how big they are or how big they are going to get! In almost every store I go into, the designs are frumpy which is such a shame and Cake Lingerie have proven that pregnant doesn’t need to be boring! We were amazed that when we received our review package there were three beautiful sets to try out! Prices start at £29.90. Sharon says: The first set I tried was a dainty pale pink knicker and bra set which could be used for nursing once baby had arrived, in fact all three sets were suitable for nursing one baby had arrived. I love love love this set. It is so comfortable and pretty which is unusual for maternity undies. The black set was also very nice and fitted well. My only concern was the stitching at the back near the corner of the clasp end was quite rough and after wearing all day it felt that one of the corners was quite sharp. The final set we tried was also the newest to the collection and was the navy and orange sporty set. This is really lovely but I wish it were a swimming set as it was far too nice to hide under clothes. However, it was very comfortable and flattering. I will definitely be buying more from the wide variety that they have available. BABY BUZZ - BEST BUY: We love Cake Lingerie and the fact that being pregnant doesn’t mean you need to buy boring underwear. We highly recommend this brand to all expecting and nursing mums!

Price: £47.00

Price: £69.00

Seraphine has been in the press a great deal lately due to the high profiles it has received through both celebrities and also the royal family. For those people who think that the clothing isn’t affordable or on current trend, think again! For the non-expecting mums (i.e. me) I love pretty much everything they have on offer whether it be there new collection or their sale items. I have to say this month I am very envious of our reviewer! Grey Luxe Maternity Skinny Jeans Sharon says: These fit really well (everywhere apart from the legs are slightly too long for my liking). I had to get them taken up before I could wear these. Even though the size 8 may have been a better fit the 10 still fit well, just not the skinny sprayed on look I am used too. I love the colour and the fact that they can probably be worn after the pregnancy with a longer top to cover the waist area, so a good addition to the collection. Knitted Tie Back Maternity Dress - Reduced to £41.00 Sharon says: I LOVE this dress, it is so comfortable. I was worried at first that it may be itchy, but the fabric is gorgeous, I've worn it all day at work with a pair of black tights and heels and it looks so chic! Everyone commented... It's going to last me until the end of my pregnancy thanks to the ribbon which can be tied looser and looser as I expand! Hell, I'll even be wearing it after the birth, over leggings or skinny jeans!

Price: £41.00

Black Maternity Coatigan Sharon says: A fabulous combination of coat and cardigan. A chunky knit that I can wear inside or out, dressed up or dressed down and something I know will keep me covered up from now until the end of my pregnancy and then afterwards as well. A really great value option especially when you don’t want to spend too much on a coat during pregnancy.

www.seraphine.com

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News & Reviews: Children’s Wear & Essentials With the cold weather hitting with extreme effect over the last few weeks, we were very keen to review the latest in warm footwear for children. Jones Bootmakers was established in 1857 and currently has over 100 branches throughout the UK. The company has expanded into most of the key retail outlets as well as high profile units within London. The pair of boots we were sent were leather and synthetic and perfect to keep our little girl warm. The style and quality are fantastic and the design is very nice too. This was a definite hit with our little girl and she insisted on wearing them around the house. Definitely a company we would be happy to recommend. They stock a variety of brands as well as there own with something suited for the whole family.

Price: £22.50

www.jonesbootmakers.com We had been looking at boots for the colder spell for some time and then came across two great yet very different brands all at the same time. The latest in our funky collection were from Durango, an American Cowboy inspired brand with some really great and fun designs. Our only little criticism on these was that they come up quite big. Whether it was because the American size was that much different to the UK size, I don’t know.

Nonetheless, when Lillie saw these they were put straight on and she was walking around the house like she was on a horse! Great colour and very eye-catching! Slightly more expensive but well worth it due to the quality of the boot. These boots are made of Fiberglass shank Cushion, Flex insole, Man-made upper Soft Mesh Lining, Extremely lightweight abrasion resistant EVA with an outsole Square Toe and Cowboy heel 1". These are sure to last a really long time no matter how much wear and tear she creates!

www.durangoboot.com

Price: £45.42

Price: £16.00

I’ve seen many children’s clothing labels over the last few months all launching their latest collections. I’ve been sent many different samples to review and some of which have been lovely and others not so much. What I really liked about the selection we received from Little Beau Chic is that not only do they have clothes ranging from birth right up to 8 years old but that they are based on quality designs and aren’t too grown-up. Many clothing items nowadays for children, especially girls, aged 5 upwards are far too mature. As I have two girls my first reactions were to the girls clothing. The little denim dress is stunning with different colour fine stitching to accentuate the style and the material is super soft, which is great for denim. The little cardigan was just adorable and we fell in love with this. A mummy in our focus group has just had a little girl and we passed this onto her to try out. Even her first observations were how gentle the fabric was and how cute the designs were. Another of our mums took the boys long-sleeved top for her 5 year old son and she absolutely loved how bright and vibrant the design was.

Price: £9.00

Price: £18.00

www.littlebeauchic.co.uk I am always looking out for products that are gentle to both babies and toddlers and also parents and the Naked range certainly doesn’t disappoint! My little girl loved the strawberry scents and unfortunately for me half of the bottle went into the first bath! The Butter Hand cream is also divine and as much as this is catered towards little hands, I’m afraid mummy’s hands have taken this one! Fabulous products all round with great scents, it certainly makes bath time smell that much nicer.

We were contacted by the creators of this clever little gismo recently and honestly we were a little skeptical. The creator, Adam, sent us one to test and I can honestly say it is a very clever little clip! If you are anything like me with the nappy bags flying all over the place, this little hook simply clips onto most a changing mat or soft surface close at hand and helps keep the bag open so you can easily dispose of dirty wipes and nappies. A very useful little clip whether you are at home or if you go away. The clip is not fussy and whilst it looks quite plain, it does exactly what it needs to do. The hook is made from durable, wipe clean material and is BPA, Phthalates, PVC free (amongst many others) to ensure mums and dads don’t have anything else to worry about!

Price: £4.99

www.smallestideas.com

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BABY BUZZ FEBRUARY MUST HAVES . . . Introducing the next generation YOYO NEW BORN YOYO 0+

Prices from £375.00 (With newborn nest) The innovative YOYO buggy has become a phenomenon since it hit the UK this year and from January 2014, with the launch of the next generation YOYO 0+, you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of the YOYO from the moment your baby is born. YOYO is the smallest folding buggy in the world and the only buggy to fully comply with size recommendation for cabin baggage. Perfect for urban parents and fantastic for globetrotters! The YOYO 0+ will have all the same great features as the existing YOYO 6+ (suitable for 6 months+), but will accommodate babies from birth. The stylish newborn stroller is rear--•]facing with a pop--•]up canopy that can be adjusted to 3 positions, a foot cover and head support and a 5 point harness. By removing the newborn nest and adding the 6+ pack (seat base and hood ), parents can convert the YOYO 0+ to the existing YOYO 6+, an outward facing stroller with multi--•] position reclining seat. Weighing just 6kg, this unique buggy is the most compact buggy ever imagined (52 x 44 x 18 cm when folded). The featherweight buggy has a one of a kind folding mechanism which allows it to be opened and folded in seconds with just one hand and it can then be carried over your shoulder with the detachable shoulder strap.

www.whitestep.co.uk

Prices from: £12.99

www.mayaorganic.com

Price £13.00 We did it! We finally found the greatest little bath toys for toddlers. Have you had to throw away the little yellow ducks or other rubber bath toys because they had become mouldy inside? I’ve lost count of the toys we’ve had to throw out. Having attended the Baby Show last October we came across the stand for Mushroom and Co and saw the cutest little set called the Ocean Set that comprised of a crab, dolphin and octopus. Handmade from natural rubber and hand-painted with non-toxic food grade dyes, so your baby is completely safe to use them as teethers and interact with them.

www.mushroomandco.com

Price £140.00 (Child micro-scooter - £59.95) Being released just in time for Easter and Mothers Day are these amazing Scooters designed for mum. We’ve had the pleasure of having one of these for my daughter and she absolutely loves it, I can juts picture me scooting down the road alongside her! An absolute must whether it be for parent or child!

www.micro-scooters.co.uk

Prices from: £29.00

www.maguari.com

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Prices from: £41.00

www.Seraphine.com

For Spring Summer 2014, a stunning range of knitted playsuits, cardigans, sweaters, blankets and dresses taking you on a trip through vivid bursts and melting stripes in hues of sunshine yellows, fluoro pinks, warm greys and ocean blues. Brightly coloured shooting starmotifs and a melting ice-lolly applique's complete the hazy seaside summer story.

Dickie Baby Cotton Playsuit: £41.00

Drew Cotton Sweater £36.00

Stellar Cotton Cardigan £37.00

Ronny Cotton Sweater £37.00

Sully Cotton Dress: £37.00

Peggy Cotton Cardigan £37.00 Polly Cotton Dress £37.00

Baby Cotton Playsuit £42.00

Danny Cotton Trousers £27.50

Pip Cotton Playsuit £39.00 www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

Thumper Organic Cotton Top £20.50

Tricky Organic Cotton Dress: £26.00 58

If you’re looking for the perfect present for your loved one this Valentine’s Day, Seed Pantry hav some great kits to get you and your sweetheart sowing the seeds of love. From: £26.00 For more information, visit: www.seedpantry.co.uk

Gorgeous personalised Plantabox crates, perfect for any occasion. Why not personalise one for your loved one on Valentines Day and then fill with a selection of goodies. From: £22.95 - For more information, visit: www.fablittleshop.com

Something for the Boys: Suffolk Cable Knit pullover, £660 www.quique.co.uk | Ink with Bronze Polka Dots Pocket square, £40 | www.opumo.com Sterling Silver Feather Cufflinks, £115 www.ilovealassie.uk.com | Weekender Central Park Watch, £47 | www.opumo.com FILSON | Original Navy Twill and Tweed Briefcase, £268 | www.opumo.com

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Pancakes aren’t just for Pancake Day. Abra-ca-Debora have some seriously delicious recipes to make your Valentines that much sweeter. From: £1.75 (Pack of 6) - Available from all good supermarkets and www.Abra-ca-Debora.co.uk

Celebrate your love with this beautiful eternity love knot necklace made using handmade artisan sterling silver, 24k yellow gold vermeil and 24k rose gold charms. From: £26.00 For more information, visit: www.notonthehighstreet.com

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A new approach to playtime :) Babycademy's unique Music Time toolkit is the ideal solution for any family looking to revolutionise their approach to playtime in 2014! Those looking for expert guidance, support and original material to initiate exciting, interactive and educational play don’t need to look any further. Babycademy provides everything parents need for that all important first year. Babycademy launched just two months ago in the UK but has already proved immensely popular. Parents from all different walks of life have been taking advantage of the wonderful, engaging and educational lessons the innovative tool kit provides. From first time mums trying to remember the lines to their favourite nursery rhymes to Dads who only have a precious hour or so in the evening with their little ones, Babycademy is certainly making its mark on families across the UK! The invaluable Music Time kit, the first in the Babycademy series, comes with ten pre-prepared lesson plans, as well an interactive CD of original music, an enchanting story book, a wooden rattle, Wilson the Whistling Tree Frog hand puppet to help guide you through and a silky scarf for sensory play. Families can start using it from birth, and as little one grows up you’ll discover all sorts of new and exciting things to explore with each other. One thing is for sure, parents can be confident that playtime with a baby will never be dull again. Apart from being a lot of fun, the Music Time Kit also actively encourages learning. All the content has been created by founder and mum of one Bernice Hewson in connection with leading Child Development specialist; Dr Brenda Todd. An expert in baby and infant play and learning, Dr Todd explains that that Music Time provides important support for six key areas of development sensory skills; social development; large and fine motor skills; intellectual development and language skills. Instead of panicking about educational play, parents can relax, enjoy time with their baby and let Babycademy take care of the rest. It won’t be long before baby starts recognising the songs, and looking forward to playtime with Mum or Dad. A session of Music Time is a great way to spend quality time with your baby and watch them progress. It’s brilliant for bonding throughout the first year, and best of all it can all take place in the comfort of your own home. Whilst baby classes are brilliant for social interaction, sometimes you just want a bit of time to yourselves and Babycademy allows you to make the most of that special time together. Bernice comments ‘Changing your approach to play doesn’t have to be difficult or challenging. As a parent myself, I know how exhausting those early months are, but that made me even more determined to make sure I was doing the best for my baby. The activities we have devised make it really easy to fit play into your daily routine, and also give parents that extra confidence boost to know that they are doing the right thing. I am delighted with the initial response to the Music Time toolkit and I hope it continues to make playtime very enjoyable for families everywhere.’

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What the parents say: The first time Mum ‘As a first time mum in my thirties it has been a long time since I have played with young babies so I need a bit of direction!’ Nancy, an accountant is mum to baby Lauren Nancy had done a lot of preparation for the practical side of parenting, she knew copious about nappy bins and travel systems but with so much on her mind, hadn’t thought about how she would actually play with her daughter. ‘ I had forgotten all the words of nursery rhymes and often ran out of steam when trying to engage with her as she became more alert as I was still pretty exhausted from adjusting to parenthood’ Nancy comments. The Babycademy box was a godsend for her, as it ensured playtime was taken care of and full of fun for Lauren. It also meant that on the days she couldn’t get to baby classes, she didn’t feel like Lauren was missing out! The working Dad ‘The little time I have with her during the working week means that every minute is an investment’ Steve, a teacher and Head of Sixth Form is Dad to baby Pippa Steve works hard during the week, so rightly feels that every moment he spends with his daughter is incredibly special, and that he needs to use the time wisely. As a teacher, he is always looking for toys that aid development, but finds although many might be fun to play with, they don’t offer any potential for further development. Steve says ‘I think that any working parent will empathise with the missing moments in your child’s life, the first word, the first smiles, the precious time forming a bond. The Babycademy toolkit maximises the effectiveness of our time together, allowing for play and learning whilst securing my own father bond with Pip.’

The parents who like structure ‘She now needs exciting stimulation even for the short periods of time she is able to concentrate and stay awake’ Nysia, a Technology Consultant and Ian an IT Project Manager are parents to baby Thila Nysia and her partner Ian have both worked in highly structured environment, so once they had established a feeding and sleeping routine for their daughter they wanted something similar for playtime. They both love the idea of Babycademy, as it ensures everyone is having fun. Mum Nysisa says ‘We really like the idea of using a holistic toolkit which hits upon all the key development areas for our baby, rather than just one element such as just shaking rattle, which would lead to everyone getting bored in a short space of time’ She added ‘we also like the fact that this product has been validated by a child psychologist giving us confidence we are doing something great for our girl.’

PERFORM 2014 is the UK’s biggest dedicated annual event for people looking to carve out a career in the performing arts. Taking place from 7th to 9th March 2014, this year’s event will be its biggest yet. Housed in a dedicated venue at Olympia London, PERFORM has quickly established itself as the destination to connect with industry experts and gain insight into the many fields of performing arts. From students to teachers looking for work or those currently working in the industry, this is the event to help people develop their career, gain fresh inspiration and make new contacts. PERFORM 2014 opens the doors to a wealth of expert advice and opportunities to explore a diverse range of career options. From drama, acting, singing and performance skills to musical theatre, a pool of industry experts will be on hand, ready to pass on their knowledge. PERFORM also provides the opportunity to network and connect with vital industry contacts.

Other highlights include; directing and acting at masters level, advice and ideas on careers in stage management, technical theatre, production and audition preparation.

THE SPACE ‘The Space’ stage will host live talks, interviews and demonstrations on the most important topics for the performing arts industry. Dedicated Q&A sessions with agents, producers, actors, directors and representatives from industry bodies will inform, inspire and engage! Guests include the highly acclaimed Film and TV Director Tom Harper (The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, Peaky Blinders, Misfits and This is England 1986) and West End star Samantha Dorsey (Cosette in Les Misérables) who will share their career highs and lows and will pass on their tips for success. Equity will discuss the Ten Point Code - championed by Vogue - and its impact on the industry. And a fun, interactive session with puppet expert Nigel Plaskitt - whose breadth of experience includes working on Avenue Q, Spitting Image and The Muppets movies - will explore the use of puppets in theatre, TV and film.

With around 50 exhibitors, which include The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Drama UK, The Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama, and LAMDA, and over 60 seminars and workshops, visitors will be able to access face-to-face advice, ask questions, CAREER CLINICS find courses and learn the tricks of the trade straight from Career clinics hosted by Equity and Spotlight will provide intimate personal advice, tailored to help those looking to gain leading industry experts and performers. information or guidance relating to their specific needs. Whether it be singing, acting, musical theatre or performance skills, PERFORM 2014 includes: SEMINARS CONDUCTED BY LEADING VOICES IN PERFORM- PERFORM is the one-stop destination to gain invaluable knowledge, explore and network! ANCE ARTS Want to tread the boards in the West End or Broadway? GraduTo purchase tickets, book classes or for more information, ates from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Musical Theatre visit www.performshow.co.uk course will host practical sessions providing a useful introduction on what to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Dialect or accent skills need fine tuning? Game of Thrones accent coaches Jan Hayen and Edda Sharpe will share their breadth of expertise to help budding and established actors looking to perfect those hard to grasp accents and develop the character traits to deliver a script convincingly. Learn the Secrets of Surviving Stage School, with insightful tips from Author Nathalie Burt, who’ll divulge some of the secrets not taught at stage school. Max Bowden of BBC's Waterloo Road will talk of his experience as a successful actor, sharing his knowledge of the TV auditioning process to young people who wish to work in television.

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Keeping a happy balance . . . This is our first article of the year and we are really excited. 2014 is all about getting your business working that bit better, and using your time more efficiently between your business and your kids. Over the last few years of working for myself, its been a real time of discovery. From starting businesses that I find that I need to change how I work because of my children or unfortunately because the business has evolved into something else, a way of working that I didn't like ruled by clients. This hasn't worked out for me. I can't be fulfilled by working in a way that's not good for me and in turn my family life. I work for myself for many reasons, but one of them is that I have to. I have to pay for all the things that I need for my family etc but I have to as I'm just that kind of crazy person, its who I am. But... There are reasons why we don't enjoy our work if we work for ourselves and for me it was that I had been pushed into a way of working that I wasn't happy with, so I decided to stop. Once I had made that decision, it was so easy to make the next step, to either carry on doing the business in a different way or to stop altogether. To be honest either became a good option that I was comfortable with as I had another job. I love The Buggy Network. Maybe because I had found a new passion that fulfilled so much of me, it made it easier for

By Eve Tudor

me to decide, but trust me it wasn't an easy decision at all. I've been crying for about 6 months solid. But that was ok too. It made me think of myself in a different way and that was good. I decided to let the other business go with the flow so that I could make The Buggy Network amazing. For me to do this, I need to feel more like a photographer whilst I do it, so I'm trying to let my creativity flow that much more. I always look at the fundamentals of making a strategy for your business and it all begins with one really simple thing. Time. I had to stop doing everything and give myself a break. Time to think and process and not actually do anything at all. To be honest I became ill and for almost two weeks I was a total mess. Full of too many ideas too much that I had to do, I wanted to do and couldn't do as I had people that needed me to be their everything at the same time. I lay in bed and stared out of the window (when I got the chance of course) and thought about my life. How it was and how sad I was. I talked to people that I felt new me but decided that they were wrong basically. Well to an extent I was ill. They meant well but I had to decided what I was going to do with my life alone. The funny thing is when you work for yourself you don't have to think about just your job you have to think about your life!!! Hard times. Anyway, it was good as someone said something I didn't like which helped me make a clear decision and with that they kind of flowed. The only way to really ensure that you are working efficiently and working in a way that is working well for yourself and your business is to semi regularly take a time out. I don't think you will need two weeks but taking a weekend off or a day to do no work at all to have some me time helps put things into perspective. You might think that you can't afford to do that, but if you get to where my position was then you don't have a choice. It's the strongest thing you will do for both you and your business, as that time is where the real ideas grow and they are the good ones for taking you to the next step.

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Panic and stress can only take you so far. Not enjoying watching your kids play as you need to be on twitter isn't a way to live. We all do it, but its when your doing it out of panic that it doesn't work, put your phone down, it will be ok. This stopping and smelling the roses is an actual business tactic. People are paid to come into new business and see the problems that arise through being in the zone all the time, so a fresh mind comes in and finds your problems and helps you fix them. We can't all pay someone to do that for us, but we can do it for ourselves. Stop working. Read a book, doodle and draw with the kids, make a cake. I like to do something that has a simple process that is repetitive that I can loose myself in, works great as my mind wonders and relaxes. Its at that point that you start to think of things. They just pop into your head, like a strange gift. I hope that helps. I think if someone had told me that taking a work break, will actually help me a year ago. I would have laughed but I would have done it and saved myself lot of wasted time.

For more information, details of events or to join up, please visit:

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milk flow, and then longer, deeper sucks, and Medela pumps work in exactly the same way. Their most recent research looked into the benefits of double pumping, and they were delighted to discover that there really is a reason using a double breastpump is more effective and efficient. When a mum expresses milk using a single breastpump she has an average of 5 let down reflexes (this is what releases the milk!) however when expressing from both breasts at the same time women have an extra let-down from each breast, which means even more milk! Medela discovered double pumping produces an average of 18% more milk, which is fantastic but what is even better is that the milk produced when double pumping actually has a higher energy content making it even better for baby. The more fat content breastmilk has the better it is for baby, giving them more energy for growth and development. Breastfeeding can be a really special time for mother and baby, it’s a brilliant way to bond and mums can be safe in the knowledge they really are giving their baby the best start in life. Breastfeeding isn’t all fun and cuddles though, it can be hard work sometimes! Many mums choose to express milk at some point during their breastfeeding experience, whether it’s to let their partner feed baby, or just so they can have a well-deserved evening off. Medela breastpumps are found in 94% of UK hospitals and their mission is to support any mum who wants to breastfeed by providing super-efficient high-quality breastpumps that get mums more milk in less time. Without a good breastpump, expressing milk can be time consuming and Medela are only too aware one thing mums are short on is time! One reason why Medela breastpumps are so efficient is because they dedicate a lot of time to scientific research. Their multi-award winning breastpumps all come with Medela’s original two-phase technology that allows mum to express in the same way that she feeds baby. At first baby uses fast and light sucks to stimulate

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With this new information Medela decided to take their very best flagship pump; the Swing and 'max it up'. Introducing the all new Swing Maxi double pump Medela’s latest product! The Swing Maxi is so popular that hundreds of mums have already chosen it as their favourite, and it has been awarded a prestigious ‘Bounty Mums Love Award’. So now you know the benefits of double pumping what are you waiting for?! COMPETITION TIME Medela has teamed up with Baby Buzz Magazine to offer one lucky winner a Swing Maxi breastpump worth £239 of their very own along with one of their Breast Care Sets. Packaged in a pretty yellow bag mums will find all the essentials they need from PureLan nipple cream to breastpads and cooling hydrogel pads. The ultimate package for a breastfeeding mum! For your chance to win, simply visit www.babybuzzmagazine.com and answer the simple question.

www.medela.com/UK/en/breastfeeding.html

VALENTINE WEEKEND BREAKS ‘Just the two of us’ AUTOGRAPH: Exclusive to Hoseasons Autograph Lodge Holidays offer a collection of hand-picked contemporary and stylish lodge holidays across 28 locations in England and Wales; ideal for couples seeking a romantic break, away from the hustle and bustle, in the fresh air. Each lodge boasts a private outdoor hot tub, surrounded by the countryside allowing couples to luxuriate in a moonlit soak, sipping champagne, and the shimmering reflection of stars in the sky. SOUTH DEVON: Part of Hoseasons Autograph Lodge Holidays Collection, Indio Lake Lodges offers the ultimate luxury retreat this Valentine’s weekend in the heart of Devon’s picture-postcard countryside. The eco-friendly lodges enjoy an idyllic setting either nestled at the lake’s edge or tucked away amid the surrounding woodland and acts as an idyllic base for couples to do as little or as much as they please. Indio Lakes sits at the gateway to the Dartmoor National Park, so walks exploring one of the country’s most rugged landscapes, peppered with quaint pubs and traditional teashops, provide opportunities for those wishing for a little adventure. A three-night stay in Waterside (LP5568), sleeping four, on February 14th costs £529. For more information visit www.hoseasons.co.uk or call 0844 847 1100.

YORKSHIRE DALES: Tucked away down a peaceful lane in one of Yorkshire’s prettiest villages, this Hoseasons featured cottage is idyllic for a Valentine’s weekend break. Once the Blacksmith’s shop the property is now converted in contemporary style and boasts a kitchen, balcony and private orchard garden, whilst its log burning stove ensures cosy evenings after a day exploring the landscapes and attractions of the Dales, Yorkshire Moors and Durham. The village pub and shop are only 600 yards from the door and the market town of Bedale is only two miles away offering a choice of shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. A three-night stay in the Blacksmiths Shop (E4958), sleeping two, on February 14th costs £223. For more information visit www.hoseasons.co.uk or call 0844 847 1100.

Hoseasons by Wyndham Vacation Rentals Hoseasons by Wyndham Vacation Rentals is one of the UK’s leading self-catering accommodation specialists, with over 21,000 places to stay in coastal and countryside settings throughout Britain and Europe. From lodges and parks, to boats, cottages and apartments, the brand offers the widest available range of self-catering holidays in the UK. Hoseasons accommodates over 1 million holidaymakers and more than 46,000 pets every year. Hoseasons is part of Wyndham Vacation Rentals, the world’s largest professionally managed vacation rentals business providing access to more than 100,000 vacation rental properties in approximately 600 unique destinations worldwide, and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE:WYN). For additional information visit www.hoseasons.co.uk.

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PAULTONS PARK - A REAL DAY OUT FOR ALL THE FAMILY

Deep in the heart of the New Forest is Paultons family theme park, child’s toy land adventure which is home to the world’s first and UK exclusive Peppa Pig World with unique areas for boys with exciting Peppa Pig themed rides, an outdoor playground and and girls of all ages. an indoor play centre. What did we think? Fly in the clouds on the Windy Castle ride, hitch a ride on Grandpa For the last few months my Pig’s little train and take to the skies in Miss Rabbit’s helicopter two year old has been ride. There will be daily appearances from Peppa herself and her absolutely besotted with brother George, so guests will be able to wish Peppa a happy tenth Peppa Pig and would happily watch anything to do with Peppa Pig anniversary of being a TV star in person. throughout the day. So when the chance came to take her, to what we hoped would be her most favourite place in the whole world, As well as being home to Peppa Pig World, Paultons Park is this year we jumped at the chance. We had heard from previous friends that launching a brand new, hand-crafted Victorian carousel in time for we shouldn’t take my oldest daughter because at the age of 12 she the Easter break (April 4 to April 22). Sporting two levels, beautiful would be highly bored and wouldn’t enjoy herself. I am so glad we music and 24 traditionally painted horses; visitors will be able to didn’t listen as my oldest daughter had a blast with the different gallop into their own fairy-tale experience on this enchanting new areas of the park and my youngest daughter had the most amazing ride. Hungry guests will also be able to visit Paultons’ brand new and special time being surrounded by everything Peppa Pig! ‘Wildwoods Restaurant’. Opening especially for Easter 2014, the themed restaurant will sport a healthy child-friendly menu and will Ticket Prices be located in the new guest welcome building at the entrance of As with most theme parks, the cost can vary depending on the size the park. of your family or how many people you go with. Tickets start from £23.50 but there are various offers available via the website if you 2014 will see the front of Paultons Park change dramatically with book family tickets and indeed book in advance. For more the opening of a new 30,000 square foot welcome building. With information, please contact the website: visitor numbers reaching more than one million a year, the dramatic new entrance and admissions kiosk area is a sign of how the award-winning Park is gradually expanding and looking forward to the next 30 years. The new development will not only be home to the ‘Wildwoods Restaurant’ but also a 10,000 square foot Would we visit again, 100%! It was a really fun and fulfilling day themed toy shop. An attraction in itself, The Big Toy Shop will be a and the whole family enjoyed the day out!

www.paultonspark.co.uk

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Teaching your child to drive. . . REALLY?

concentrate so hard. Young Driver is a road safety revolution in the making." Young Drivers use only dual control cars and specially selected driving instructors. All of our instructors have been CRB checked (criminal records bureau) and we are the only young driver initiative to have a child protection policy in place with training for all team leaders and We were given the opportunity of trying out an amazing data stored on a secure database. experience and one that I can honestly say terrified me at first! Just the thought of having my twelve year old daughter behind So what did we think? the wheel of a car, a real car I hasten to add (not dodgems or Absolutely brilliant! When we go-kart) was quite unnerving, apart from making me feel old! arrived, we were introduced to our instructor, Jeffrey. Each child is The aim behind Young Driver is actually an excellent one and given their own Drive Diary which one that I think would be extremely beneficial to our children monitors how they are progressing and teach them the real safety aspects of not just cars but the at each lesson. Jeffrey ensured that road itself. Mia was comfortable and could actually see over the steering wheel So what exactly is Young Driver all about? and then handed her the keys. The Young Driver training programme is aimed at 11 - 17 year Thankfully there was a thorough olds and mirrors what a driver would learn at the age of 17 and explanation of the importance of upwards on the road. The only difference is your child learns to checking the six view points of mirrors and blind spots and then drive in a safe environment on a specially constructed road it was a case of, GULP, starting up the car. I really wasn’t sure course. Whether you book them in for a 30 or 60 minute lesson, what to expect, it’s all well reading what they will do, but your child spends the whole time in the car. The first lesson will actually sitting in the car and watching it happen is a very deal with starting and stopping the car, moving away, changing different thing. Mia was given a few circuits around the course gears and steering. In further lessons they will progress to other to familiarise herself with the car and its capabilities and during activities such as: the 60 minute lesson we progressed from indicating and turning corners to emergency breaking (yes this actually hurts a lot more when you are sitting in the back) and then ultimately · Driving in two-way traffic reverse parking and going through roundabouts. · Dealing with junctions · Turning / slalom Cost and Location · Dealing with roundabouts (at selected venues) Ah, the big question, just how much does this all cost? Well · Dealing with traffic lights (at selected venues) there are two options initially of a 30 minute or 60 minute · Bay parking and reverse parking lesson and each costs £31.99 and £59.99 respectively. There Our instructors will adapt the lessons accordingly to suit the are, however, special offers available on the website and youngster's ability and age. All our pupils receive a Drive Diary located at the course centres. Young Drivers have centres and venues all over the UK. Our specific centre was at the top of to show their progress. Brent Cross Car Park - I didn’t even know that there was anything up there, it was certainly an eye opener. What are the benefits? Research shows that early driving experience cuts road accidents by 40%. With 1 in 5 young people crashing within 6 months of passing their tests, anything that reduces accidents among this group must be a good thing. Motoring commentator, Quentin Willson, is a man who knows an awful lot about cars and driving. He supports Young Driver saying: "I took my son to Young Driver and have never seen him

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Would I book anymore lessons, absolutely! What a fantastic and fun way to learn about road safety. Look out world here comes my daughter! For more information or to book your session, please visit the following:

www.youngdriver.eu 68

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Family Internet Security - Keeping your family safe online MOST IMPORTANTLY! The most important thing you can do to make sure your children stay safe online is to maintain an open channel of communication with them make sure they tell you what they’re doing, and they feel safe and happy to do so - explain to them what the risks are, so that they know your rules are there to keep them safe.

As our children get older they will start to use the internet, whether for homework and research or to play games etc. How do you keep them safe from all the online threats they might encounter? It’s a worry for every parent or carer. But where do you start? Online Security We all know the basic rules to staying safe online... or do we? Things change so quickly, new websites and apps appear on an almost daily basis - how do you keep up? There are some basic do’s and don’ts... It’s important to make sure you and your children know what they are. DO: Change your passwords regularly. DO: Connect with people you already know and trust online. DON’T: Use an easily guessed name or date of birth for passwords. DON’T: Connect with random strangers. DON’T: Give out your address, bank details or other confidential information online. DON’T: Arrange to meet a stranger you’ve met online. DON’T: Email or post intimate pictures of yourself online. Parental Controls: All electronic devices have the ability to set up parental controls, so that you can stop your children seeing inappropriate content they will allow you to: 1. set specific times during which certain devices can’t connect to the internet 2. set age limits for inappropriate content 3. block inappropriate websites

Mums and Dads... While it is important to make sure our children stay safe online, there are also measures we should take ourselves to make sure our data and information is safe. 1. READ internet security policies and rules before you tick “Agree”.. make sure YOU retain ownership of your data, photos, videos etc before uploading them to websites. 2. DON’T post anything online that you wouldn’t want YOUR parents or children (or employers or prospective employers) to read once the information is “out there” it is hard, if not impossible, to take it back. 3. DON’T open any email with an attachment or click on any link if you don’t recognise who it’s from or it looks suspicious delete it. 4. Back up, back up, back up! We all know someone who has lost their photos, data, work or homework because their computer or hard drive has crashed - there are lots of cloud backup services to choose from - some of which are free or very reasonably priced. 5. Don’t upload photos and videos of your children to public websites (unless there is a valid reason to do so). 6. Know and apply the basic rules. 7. Make sure you talk to your children, often and openly, about their internet security - maintain an open channel of communication.

Some great places for information are: Check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to find out what The kidsmart website: http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/beingsmart/ services yours provides. Met Police Internet Safety: http://safe.met.police.uk/internet_safety/get_the_facts.html Online Gaming: Many computer game stations such as the Xbox and Playstation will CBBC Stay safe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/topics/stay-safe enable the user to connect with others to play games together over the BBC webwise: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/0/21259413 web - this is a great feature, but at the same time it can be abused by The BT website: www.bt.com/familyprotection Childnet International: http://www.childnet.com/ people wishing to connect with our vulnerable children. The same rules apply here - don’t connect with strangers, give out Stay safe online! personal information or “chat” with people you don’t know! by Amy Scott Visibility: Keep all internet accessible devices within your sight - this may not be CEO of Treasured Ltd so easy for older children, but certainly for the younger ones, make sure they use internet connected devices in the family areas of your home, rather than in their bedrooms. Charging station: One great way to ensure that our youngsters are not using their phones, tablets, laptops or other devices when they go to their room at night, is to have a “family charging station” in a family room in your house, where all devices go at bedtime to be charged. (It’s also apparently better for your health!)

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Treasured.com is an online digital memory box & scrapbooking solution provided by website and mobile app, to keep your memories safe, organised and private.

Safer Internet Day is the 11th February! 70

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You’d expect that love is equal at Valentines, but that’s far from the truth. A recent survey of 500 people has highlighted the divide in male and female opinions at Valentines. One thing is for sure, after reading this; ladies won’t have as many Great Expectations this Valentine ’s Day. Some of the results are shocking, if women wonder why they never get chocolate at Valentines, they may be shocked to find out that found that 35% of men don’t buy chocolates for their partner, as they think they are already overweight. Other results show that 65% of women would rather cash than a present and 47% of women don’t want flowers! If women are planning a perfect valentine’s night, then they need to make sure their partner makes it first, as an outrageous 42% of men have feigned illness on at least one valentine’s to avoid the day, whilst 79% of men would quite happily have a night out with their mates than their lover. Women may wonder why their partner organises a meal on a day that isn’t valentines. It may be because a tight fisted 1 out of 2 men admit to suggesting having a valentine’s meal on an alternative day, so they can use a 2 for 1 meal voucher! Many ladies decide to take valentines into their own hands as 75% of females explicitly tell their partner what gifts they want to receive! If these direct instructions aren’t clear enough 83% of men have booked a table after being told to by their partner. A hopeful 28% of women have put on their best attire for the evening expecting a marriage proposal, only not to get one! Is this a coincidence? We think not as 65% of men admit swiftly changing the subject when their partner has mentioned marriage! The survey was conducted by leading online gift retailer Prezzybox.com as part of their Love or Hate valentine’s campaign.