November / December Pre-Christmas Issue

Issue 11 - November / December 2013

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The latest products for parents

Allergies Can you spot the signs?

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Baby Buzz Magazine Limited 75 Telford Road New Southgate London N11 2RL

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Company No: 8234631 Nickie Evans nickie@babybuzzmagazine.com 0208 361 0727 07944 240 321

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Birthday to !

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Jenny Blythe Emily Hewett, I am Emily contact@iamemily.co.uk Dean Baxter, ChimpMySite Dean@chimpmysite.co.uk Baby Buzz Magazine is a monthly printed and online publication.

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.

All rights reserved Š

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From the Editor So how many days are there left until Christmas? ...

I’ve never been so overwhelmed by We have reviews, news and advice from Christmas, as I have been this month! our regular experts and lots of editorials and features. This month we also have Whilst everyone else has been preparing fantastic Stocking Filler Gift Guides for for Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night, babies, children and parents as well as I’ve been preparing Christmas Gift the Christmas Present Gift Guides Guides and have been inundated with ranging from affordable to extreme suggestions, ideas, competitions and luxury. features all designed for the festive period! I’ve always loved Christmas so If you have any questions or comments it’s been an extremely fun month and it’s regarding this or any issue, please email: been double the fun what with Baby Buzz celebrating it’s 1st Birthday! info@babybuzzmagazine.com We have some fantastic features, stories Wishing you all a fabulous November! and exclusives this month along with our usual Parents In Business Feature, again providing valuable advice and tips to anyone wishing to start their own business.

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contents COVER STORIES 11 Parents in Business - Inspirational Stories 36 The Childcare Challenge - Mummy SOS 75 Stocking Fillers & Christmas Gift Guides 92 The Arts

FAMILY FOCUS 8 Welcome to the world 9 The Buggy Network - Bringing babies and bottles together 10 Michelle Eskeri - Antenatal Courses: Being Prepared 28 Don’t go out, you might die by Bebe Jacobs 36 The Childcare Challenge with Mummy SOS 42 Oneupmumship by Jodie Newman 43 Why guess, why not test? Group B Strep 48 Arsenal - Fans enjoy a day to remember 49 School gate culture knocks parents confidence 53 Harris + Hoole - Barista Championships 54 Dry Like Me - with Jenny Falconer 58 How early is too early for school by Elizabeth Hobson 97 Journey of first time Motherhood - Nurofen 98 Happy 1�� Birthday to Nurturing Mums THE BUSINESS PAGES 11 Welcome To Parents & Business 11 Educate Business 25 Business of The Month - Babette Wasserman 27 Busy Bees Benefits - Do you have a child and own your own business?

31 Business & Baby = Balance by Kate Codrington

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HEALTH & WELLBEING 26 ‘I carried a watermelon’ by Abi Adams 32 It’s not a bugslife! - How to avoid Nits / Headlice 34 Indoor Allergies - Allergy UK 37 Keeping fit at work - FittaMamma 38 Getting fit the healthy way at Paramoung Health & Fitness 56 Baby Freddie flies home - Air Ambulance NEWS & REVIEWS 30 Slow Toy Awards - The Winners!

46 Mortgage lenders must end this child support muddle 47 Kiddy scoops top spot in Which 2013 64 Reviews - Bits & Bobs 66 Reviews - Health & Feeding 68 Reviews - General Reviews 70 Reviews - Clothing & Maternity 91 The VW Tiguan Review CHRISTMAS & STOCKING FILLER GIFT GUIDES 71 The Baby Buzz Christmas Gift Guide

FOOD & RECIPES 50 Little Dish 52 Healthy eating from FittaMamma FASHION FOCUS 41 A touch of class with Seraphine 59 Baby Buzz Guide to Maternity & Childrenswear TRAVEL 89 The Beach Treat 90 The Tuscany Dream

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IT’S A BUMPER We have an amazing bumper Christmas “Reading” prize with a selection of classics and new novels for you to enjoy with your children. Included is the gorgeous Snowman and the Snowdog Gift set which comes with a soft toy “SnowDog” and is simply beautiful. For your chance to win this amazing bumper prize, simply like the Penguin Facebook page and email your answer to the following question:

When were the first Penguin books launched?

A: Summer 1935 B: Winter 1940 C: Spring: 1937 Answers can be found at: www.penguin.co.uk

We are extremely fortunate to have this beautiful Silver and Gold matching Gift Set, a truly special and unique symbol of the bond between mother and child. Beautifully packaged in an elegant double compartment box – one for mum’s gift and one for baby’s.

Founder, Babette Wasserman (who is featured in this month’s Parents in Business section) has generously given us one of these beautiful pieces to give away to one lucky reader. For your chance to win, simple like the Facebook page: Babette Wasserman Jewellery London and email us the answer to the following question: How many countries is the Babette Wasserman London range now available in?

Answers can be found at: www.babette-wasserman.com/information

We have a fabulous £50 voucher for Luxury Baby Clothing & Gifts company “Cocobaci”.

For your chance to win, simply like the Facebook page: Cocobaci and email us the answer to the following: What does the name “Cocobaci” mean?

Answers can be found at: www.lovecocobaci.com/about-us

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COMPETITION ISSUE! Stack Track is a space-saving train system that allows children to build high performance elevated layouts which combine classic train play with recreated action packed adventures, and because every Stack Track play set can be built in multiple ways and each set connects together it means endless possibilities encouraging imaginative play and delivering exceptional play value. These playsets will develop children’s cognitive, physical and social skills as they construct different track configurations with their parents and achieving great sense of accomplishment in what they have created. There are also a wide range of collectable engines, including your child’s favourite trainees Wilson, Brewster and Koko, plus their many old and new ‘Chugger’ friends.

Rescue at Rocky Ridge Mine Deluxe Playset – New! Inspired by the recent Chuggington extended episode of the same name, children can re-live and create their own adventures with this Stack Track play set that features a hazardous mine-tunnel, a boulder trap, spinning turn table and Wilson engine. Plus with the one set you can build four different layouts– perfect for train themed thrills!

RRP: £39.99 For your chance to win this fun set, simply answer the following question:

The newly launched Zinc RED-i video camera has arrived from Zinc Sports. This innovative, pocketsized mini camera allows the user to capture and download live video and is great fun for all the family.

The RED-i video camera can be attached to almost anything- helmets, handlebars or clothing! With a recording time of 120 minutes and simple recharge through a USB port in just 30 minutes, this simple mini-camera is ideal for recording any extreme activities you want to attempt!

For your chance to win a Zinc RED-i simply answer the following questions: How much does the Zinc RED-i retail for at Argos?

Visit zincsports.com for more information on the Zinc range

We have featured the wonderful Colourful Dove within the Parents in Business section of this issue. We are even luckier that they have given us two full sets to give away to two lucky readers!

For your chance to win, simply like the Facebook page: Colourful-Dove and answer the following question: Who are the founders behind the product?

(See page 12 for the answer)

What age is the product suitable from?

For more train-filled fun visit: www.chuggington.com or www.facebook.com/chuggington

Daniel Footwear is an independent retailer with over 30 stores in the UK, plus an award winning e commerce store. Within the boutique stores and online, you will find an extensive collection of designer shoes, bags and accessories which are of high quality, on trend and at competitive prices.

For your chance to win a £40 gift voucher for Daniel Footwear, simply answer the following question: What address is used as their contact address?

Answers at: www.danielfootwear.com

Courtesy of The Pod Company is this gorgeous knitted Humpty Dumpty.

Made from 100% organic cotton and suitable from birth, he is sure to make someone very, very happy.

For your chance to win him, simply answer the following question: Who couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again?

For more information and to see other great products, please visit www.thepodcompany.co.uk

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN: SIMPLY EMAIL THE ANSWER TO US AT: INFO�BABYBUZZMAGAZINE.COM �INCLUDE: NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER� PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ENTRIES DETAILS WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE BUSINESSES PROVIDING THE COMPETITION PRIZE

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Name: Alexia Zoe Georgiou D.O.B: 10�� October 2013 Weight: 5lb 8oz Parents: Loui & Sophie

Name: David Vassilev Tzompov D.O.B: 14�� July 2013 Weight: 5lbs 5oz Parents: Lina & Vassil

Name: Rose Elizabeth Ansell D.O.B: 28�� October 2013 Weight: 7lbs 7oz Parents: Lesley & Max

Name: Cooper Wren King D.O.B: 24�� August 2013 Weight: 7lbs Parents: Denni & Dan

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Name: Nate Maurice Leo Cowan D.O.B: 16�� September 2013 Weight: 6lbs 9oz Parents: Danielle & Nick

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I SAW AND I CONQUERED AT THE BIG BUGGY CONFERENCE! So my Buggy Network Conference has just happened!

There is nothing that I could have done to change it, make it better or make more people come along. There was only the excitement of the event itself setting in and getting those last few finishing touches done, like filling Conference Tote Bags and making sure I had enough biscuits to keep everyone going thought the day!

I had a vision for what I wanted to achieve and I’ve managed to stick to that first idea of the conference and what we all needed to get out of it.

It’s our way of getting into the next chapter of the “Social Media” education, our step up from how we are thinking of our businesses and how they are working.

With the year almost over, now is the time to clear out the decks and get some systems in place to get next year working more efficiently and to make all this hard work, work harder and work better!! I hear lots of you asking if this Social Media stuff is working, am I doing it enough, how many times do I tweet or use my Facebook Page? The key here is strategy, you must have a strategy. I’ve been giving workshops on all these things for My Coffee Stop with Karen Mercer (as well as my own) and I’ve done a few now. I’ve said in each workshop that you all need a strategy to work from. It needs to be consistent and to be premeditated, but it needs to be interesting to you and fun too!

You can be as likeable in what you do as you like, depending on your client base but you really need to think about who is reading what you are doing. You don’t want your clients to see you in a light that you don’t want them to! But having said that you also may want to have your clients listen to you moaning about your problems you are having with your kids as it makes you on a par with them as the person that you are.

This can make you a better business to work with because you understand them and they can relate to you regardless of what you do as a business. I genuinely spend half my time looking like I haven’t slept as I’ve been up most of the night with my teething toddler, which most parents will have an affinity too.

Now that my eldest son is at school I’ve fallen into this time zone of working that seems to fit around my client base or other working mothers with kids at school too. We all get on line at certain times and I find that some of our nap times over lap too! THIS AMAZES ME!!!! I have inadvertently changed my social media strategy to fit in with my son’s school days and it’s working with everyone else’s too!! BRILLIANT!!

Something is going right then!!

I must sounds like I’m a little nuts but when you find things that work for you or making little changes work better it’s so lovely and such a relief!

Anyway! Work on a strategy. You can always change it later if its not working.

I’d better run! I can hear someone stirring and I’ve got more work to do!!!

Bringing baby bottles and business together! www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

MORE FUN FOR CHILDREN

Zappie is an innovative new concept which uses augmented reality technology to bring children’s pictures, characters and images to life, for the purposes of learning, development and play. Zappie is initially launching a range of cute and colourful nursery rhyme products including wall stickers, heat transfers and greeting cards – products which will not only allow parents to transform children’s nursery’s/playrooms but also make them into fun and interactive learning areas also.

We were given a set of the above I’m a Little Teapot wall stickers which are big and colourful and once scanned in with mobile technology create an imaginative world of fun for your child. Extremely affordable and available in many different colours and themes! Absolutely love them!

For more information, please visit: www.zappie.com 9

Antenatal Courses: Being Prepared group, how family life will be different to their life as a couple. NHS classes are usually too short (around 6-8 hours) to accommodate such discussions and do not focus on group bonding. Our courses focus on creating a supportive environment, enabling couples to form relationships with each other, so that they are comfortable discussing their feelings, hopes and concerns about parenthood together. This bonding is an integral part of the course and time is specifically set aside to facilitate this process.

Last month we looked at antenatal classes from the perspective of Making Choices. Here, we consider a third benefit: Being Prepared.

When we ask parents why they have chosen to attend an antenatal course, we invariably have someone saying that they are coming to learn about how to look after their baby. Whilst practical baby care is one of the activities in the course, it is perhaps one of the simplest ways in which clients can be prepared. Before the baby arrives, clients often worry about the tangible aspects of parenthood, such as nappy changing, bathing and dressing their newborn, but spend less time thinking about or discussing deeper, more fundamental changes that having a baby will bring.

Aside from preparation for parenting and the arrival of the baby, the courses spend time on preparing for labour and birth. As mentioned in the previous articles, these topics are covered in a variety of ways to appeal to all learning styles. We begin by finding out what the couples hopes are for labour and birth. “Short” and “pain-free” are always popular, and although we can’t guarantee that, we do look at ways in which the woman and her birthing partner can work together to help facilitate a straightforward labour and birth. This includes explaining how labour works when it is undisturbed and nature is “doing its thing” and finding ways to create the optimum environment for labour, wherever you have chosen to labour and birth, whether that is in hospital, at a birth centre or perhaps at home.

We also help parents to feel better prepared by helping them to sort through the minefield of information that is available about labour, birth and parenting. Signposting to relevant, accurate, evidence-based information which is reliable and unbiased is an important part of our job too.

NCT courses and Birth-Your Way antenatal sessions can enable parents NCT and other private antenatal courses usually spend at least half the to feel more confident about their journey into parenthood, knowing time on postnatal activities- around 7-8 hours. This time enables parents that they are comfortable with the fundamental aspects of parenting to consider how having a newborn baby might affect them from a and they know where to go for support should they need it. number of different perspectives. Our courses offer opportunities to discuss how the couple’s relationship might change and the impact the From recent feedback, 91% of our clients felt that our classes met their needs very well, 95% felt that they had bonded well with the group, baby may have on their social life, sex life and domestic life.

96% felt more confident about labour, birth and early parenting and Being prepared is therefore not just about knowing how to soothe your 100% said they would recommend our course and facilitator to family baby, wind her or how to put her to sleep safely (although all this, and and friends. more, is covered), it’s about making an attitude shift and coming to the realisation that life will never be the same again. At Birth-Your Way, we This article was written by Michelle Eshkeri, CEO & founder of Birthagree with Lou Holtz who said “Life is 10% what happens to you and Your Way, a Barnet-based company which provides private and NCT 90% how you react to it.” The NCT and private courses that we run give group courses as well as tailored individual birth and parenting parents an opportunity to consider how they may behave in certain coaching sessions. For more information, email info@birthcommon situations and to work through any differences of opinion a yourway.co.uk or visit http://www.birth-yourway.co.uk. couple may have in advance of the birth.

For more information on NCT antenatal courses, visit The best way in which our courses can prepare parents, is by http://www.nct.org.uk encouraging them to discuss with each other and within the wider

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?

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Welcome to our Parents & Business Feature

Are you in need of some inspiration or encouragement, is starting your own business the right thing to do?

Read all about our fabulous businesses featured this month, plus legal advice, business and marketing advice and tax benefits to help you along the way.

THE NEXT STEP …

Last month we talked about Opening hours branding your business and 8.00 am to 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday putting a name too it and 8.00 am to 4.00 pm Saturday now you’ve got this far it is Closed Sundays and bank holidays time to make it all legal!

0845 915 4515 How do I become Self- For the Financial Tax Year ending 05/04/2014 then you are allowed Employed? to earn £9,440 profit before you start paying tax. National Insurance When you start a business as kicks in at £7,755, and there is a weekly National Insurance payment a Self-Employed person then of £2.70 on top, unless you expect to make under £5,725. you have three months to register with HMRC to let Even if you are just starting out then make sure you keep a them know you are starting spreadsheet of income and expenditure including dates and keep a business. All you have to do all your receipts. You will be expected to file a tax return yourself is phone their hotline (or use an accountant) at the end of your first financial year, even (below) and give them your if it has only been part of the year you have been trading. details. Make sure you know your National Insurance number as they will ask for this.

If you need some further advice on tax and what you can and can’t claim then please contact Mark at Fox Evans Accountants on Newly Self-Employed Helpline mark@foxevans.co.uk. Fox Evans offer a free half hour initial This helpline enables you to register for National Insurance, tax and consultation. www.foxevans.co.uk VAT. They will also arrange for you to attend a free workshop with one of our Business Education and Support Teams to help you get Next week is all about ‘Building a website and what to include’ started.

Written by Laura Morris Director of www.educatebusiness.co.uk - providing affordable business solutions Twitter: @2businessmum Facebook: www.facebook.com/EducateBusiness Co-Director of www.networkingmummies.com - FREE networking events and affordable workshops for mums in business across the UK Twitter: @networkingmummy Facebook: www.facebook.com/NetworkingMummiesUK

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Who is behind the Product?

Colourful dove is run by Helen and Mark, parents to twin girls and a food obsessed cocker spaniel!

We both have a love of colour and design and have spent many years working in marketing, design and advertising.

How did the company get started?

When we started to look for tableware for our girls we couldn’t find anything that was bold, graphic or contemporary so naively we thought let’s design some ourselves! We don’t have backgrounds in ceramics so it took us a long while to figure out how it all works, finding suppliers and also wanting to keep it as British as possible made it even more of a challenge.

What is the company about?

Colourful dove is all about bringing fun and colour to family life. For most families life is hectic, tiring, challenging and wonderful all at the same time.

We hope our products fit into those family moments and help to make them even more memorable, fun and colourful!

What do you hope to achieve?

Lots of fun for us creating the products and most of all fun for the people who choose to have colourful dove in their homes. We want to design more products for the family that are fantastic quality, made in Britain where possible and with brilliant designs that brighten up your home.

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

The highlight for us was when we first saw our product, which we designed and had manufactured, looking beautiful on the shelf of a really cool shop. Highlight is bit of an understatement actually, it was mind-blowing!

There were tears!

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

There aren’t any downsides. There are huge challenges that keep me awake at night but the excitement and liberation of working for yourself developing your ideas is close to magical. It’s really addictive as well and there is always something to do so my biggest challenge is switching off. But when you love what you’re doing it doesn’t seem to matter if you’re still doing it at 11pm at night!

What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business?

Wholeheartedly, just do it! It’s the best thing you can do for you and your family. When you’re your own boss you choose what comes first. I’m a mum first. My children will always come first and the business fits in around them. Be prepared for hard work, being broke, being shattered and being so incredibly satisfied and proud of yourself. Do it! www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

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Who is behind the product?

Myself and my sister Martina Craine are behind ClevaMemories.

Clevamama are celebrating 10 years in business this year and we wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. ClevaMemories is the ultimate baby gift and seeing as it was our first gift item in our range, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give something back to a good cause. 15% of proceeds from ClevaMemories are going towards the Make A Wish Foundation to help to grant the wishes of sick children.

How did the company get started?

Clevamama was set up in 2003. Our original idea was to set-up a small family run online baby website. As working Mums, our goal was to develop products which would make parents lives that bit easier. All parents experience the same difficulties and with our products, we found practical and affordable solutions. Our humble beginnings in the back bedroom have got us to where we are today with a range of over 40 products.

What is the company about?

At Clevamama™, we do things differently. Our ethos is to lead and never follow and we pride ourselves on innovation. Our unique products are unlike anything else on the market. For example, we conducted an extensive study with leading world researchers at Trinity College Dublin into Flat Head Syndrome which lead to the development of our patented ClevaFoam products. 45% of children are affected by Flat Head Syndrome and ClevaFoam products are scientifically proven to reduce the risk of Flat Head in babies. This research is unrivalled in the industry and is an example of how our company goes the extra mile to offer our customers something more than just products.

What do you hope to achieve?

At Clevamama we have a commitment to innovation and our goal is to expand our product range and continue to offer our customers the very best in nursery. We have several exciting new products in the pipeline which we will be launching in the coming year. Our research and development team is working hard to ensure that we remain ahead of the pack and we are looking forward to introducing our new lines.

Another important goal for this year of course, is to raise ÂŁ10,000 for the Make A Wish foundation through the sales of ClevaMemories. We have a focused social responsibility programme at Clevamama and this donation to the MAW children's charity will be one of the highlights of our 10 year anniversary celebrations.

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

Starting our own company has been an adventure to say the least and there have been many highlights. I suppose seeing our products on shop shelves in over 33 countries all over the world was a big one! Also our Clevamama Splash & Wrap Hooded Towel is ranked number one by Amazon.com customers out of 8,000 other hooded baby towels, that was a fantastic achievement.

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

Obviously, when you are a parent, you want to spend as much time as possible with your kids. Unfortunately, starting your own business takes a serious time commitment and long working hours are part and parcel. We sometimes joke that the company is like another baby and it can be tough to juggle the business and your family especially in the first stages of building the company. However myself and Martina have a great work/life balance and it has been so rewarding to watch our kids and company grow.

What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start their own business?

It all starts with a great idea. If you are passionate about your business idea, enthusiasm and hard work is half the battle. However it is important to do your research. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! Research your market, your competitors etc. to give you the best chance at success. Set long term and short term goals for your business which will help you keep on track.

Marketing is key so get your name out there. Remember to have fun with it! Social Media is a fantastic way to promote your company for free and create your own distinctive brand voice.

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For more information, please contact: http://www.clevamama.com Facebook: /Clevamama Twitter: @Clevamama YouTube: /Clevamama 13

WHO IS BEHIND THE PRODUCT? My name is Odette Garvey and I live in North London with my husband and two children who are 4 and almost 2. I am a franchisee of Stagecoach, the longest running and most successful children’s parttime performing arts schools network in the UK and the world for children aged between 4-18yrs.

HOW DID THE COMPANY GET STARTED? Stagecoach was initially founded by Stephanie Manuel and David in 1998. It was while teaching and directing drama at various stage schools and seeing the amazing impact the arts had on students' confidence and poise that I decided to open up my own school in 2004. I didn’t have the experience of running a business so I chose Stagecoach, a well-known trusted franchise brand (which I have been running for almost ten years).

WHAT IS THE COMPANY ABOUT? Stagecoach is about providing a springboard for thousands of children to grow in confidence and ability. Stagecoach are committed to helping children develop in all these areas of the www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

performing arts while at the same time introducing them to a range of life skills in a friendly, safe and fun environment that will harbour the potential of every child.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE? Along with my team of teachers I hope to develop the students both as professionals and as people. The education system in is dumping down children’s creativity as the arts are either put at the bottom of the list or taken off the curriculum altogether.

This is where we come in! Education is not just about facts but about thinking in a creative way. It’s not about telling kids what to think but how to think, that is the greatest gift you can give to inspire a generation of independent thinkers which is what the performing arts strive to do. It’s not how talented they are but how good they feel about themselves. When we are inspired we want to become good at what we do and we build selfconfidence and that leads us to develop our skills, the skills for life. And seeing the kids perform and the joy they bring to their parents faces is deeply satisfying. Also, when a shy child has started and over a period of terms they have come out of their shells it’s lovely to see. It’s one of the perks of the job!

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WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF STARTING YOUR OWN COMPANY? You get to be your boss and build something. No one tells you what to do. The flexibility of running your own business is brilliant. It is always tricky to juggle everything but ultimately, doing the school run, being at home with your kids after school, the long Summer, Easter and Christmas breaks are a bonus in any family life or even if you have to make a trip somewhere with the kids, at least you can go ahead and do that and then make up the time later! When you own your own business, you get to shape and flesh out your dreams. You realise your lifestyle choice enables you to raise a family and still have a successful career.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE DOWNSIDE OF STARTING YOUR OWN COMPANY? Juggling the hours! When you run your own business, you can’t just turn off the computer or the phone. You tend to work all hours of the day and night! It is very difficult to ‘switch off’ and give the kids your full attention. I also sometimes wonder where my day goes as I feel that I'm constantly chasing my tail and there's never enough time to fit in all of the work on my to do list.

WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO ANY PARENT WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS? Most successful small businesses provide their owners with a living, not a fortune. But the point is, owning your own business opens up the possibility of making more than you could possibly make as an employee and you won't have to share in any of those profits. You have to be pretty tenacious when running your own business and just try not to give up when things seems really hard.

The key is to not be disheartened and be in it for the long haul.

Best of all, owning your own business can have you waking up with a smile on Mondays eager to start work rather than dragging yourself in to someone else's business.

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We are holding a Discovery Day in early January for children to try out our classes, contact us now for more information.

Call us now on 0207 272 8108 to book your place!

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Who is behind the Product?

Friends and business savvy Mums Maria and Andreina set up Poplico a few months after their children were born.

Maria is a Venezuelan-born London-based Mum and Entrepreneur. Having attended university and started a banking career in Caracas, Maria then did an MBA in Oxford Brookes University and continued her long and successful career in Corporate Banking in London. She further developed her management and business skills and decided to follow her instinct and passion for having her own business.

Andreina is a Venezuelan-born (with Spanish roots) mum-preneur in London. At university, Andreina set up two small business with her sister and always wanted to set up a more formal business of her own. Andreina started her formal career training in Financial Services in USA and moved to the UK to pursue a Graduate Degree at London Business School.

Since her MBA studies, she works in Business Development in London.

Maria and Andreina met shortly after arriving in London more than ten years ago and, after having children, decided to join forces and embark on a new venture; Poplico.

How did the company get started?

The friends’ inspiration came from wanting to make their beloved Bugaboo prams unique and recognizable; a dream that led to the Poplico canopies. The unique polka dot reversible canopies are fun, stylish, water and stain repellent and allow you to mix and match the look of your Bugaboo.

The entrepreneurial Mums have gone on to create an envy inducing range, including Mini Bags for scooters, great for children on the go. The practical bag fastens securely to the front of a scooter and can also be used as a tote bag by changing the position of the velcro straps.

Poplico are also justifiably proud of their reversible seat liners, bibs and hand and foot muffs.

What is the company about?

Poplico sells a range of out and about accessories for children.

What does Poplico mean? ‘We wanted to create a fun word that could be easily pronounced in any language. POP-li-co or po-PLI-co or po-pli-CO The idea of starting a business together was during poppy season in early summer. Poplico is the combination of the word POPPY and COQUELICOT (Poppy in French)’

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What do you hope to achieve?

We’d like to create a range of beautiful products that meet the needs we have encountered as parents.

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

We have felt proud of all our achievements so far, our branding, our range, but best of all we love the great feedback from our customers.

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

Any Mum knows that once you become a parent you never really switch off, our company feels like another child, one that you constantly think about! We love what we do so it doesn’t really feel like a negative thing, but being your own boss means saying goodbye to work free weekends!

What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business?

Make sure you really love your idea, and believe in it 100%. Taking a good concept and turning it into a viable business is hard work. Stick with it, however, and you will create something that you can feel very proud of.

For more information, please contact: www.poplico.com Info@poplico.com Facebook: /Poplico Twitter: @Poplico

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What inspired you to start PacaPod? I had taken a year out and was travelling around the world with my partner and while cycling around New Zealand I adapted my two panniers that carried all my worldly possessions with simple colour coded ‘stuff sacs’ as it was proving a nightmare to find that the cooking equipment was getting mixed up with emergency loo roll and sleeping bag! This helped both of us organise our things and reduced the frustration.

My career at that point had been in designing outdoor clothing and we both thought that it was a great solution should I ever design a travel/cycle bag. But as happens in life, things turned out a little differently! By the end of the trip I was pregnant with my first daughter and soon found myself back home juggling work and a small baby. My life was turned upside down and having always travelled, I now found it difficult to leave the house without worrying that I’d forgotten something.

There was no bag out there that could help me with this; they were all like bottomless pits, where bottles mixed with nappies and now the need to find things quickly to placate a distressed baby was even more important. Then I had a ‘Eureka’ moment and remembered the pannier bag idea and after discussing it with my partner and friends and family I decided to design a bag using that concept. The brains of the bag would be hidden inside an ordinary bag and when you opened it up, everything for mum and baby would be neatly organised inside, with a labelling system so that you never forgot the essentials. What spurred me on was the realisation that if I was having this problem getting organised - the chances were other mums and dads were too!

How did you get everything up and running?

Firstly I held focus groups and organised ‘coffee mornings’ with new found friends who were also new mums and dads and babies and asked everyone to bring their favourite baby bag and discuss why they chose them and the most important features and specifications. My background as an outdoor clothing designer for high profile brands meant that I had the tools to and knowledge to bring a product to market, so from those early discussions I designed a bag that would incorporate all the requirements necessary for the perfect baby bag - basically the PacaPod 3 in 1’ baby organising system’ was born. Using my previous experience and contacts I sourced some factories to make bags, made samples, and held more focus groups, field tested and amended the bag again and again until the feedback from parents was just right. At the same time I spoke to nursery retailers about the concept to gain industry feedback and I was told there were too many bags out there already! But my gut feeling and the response from other mums told me it would work – so I took the plunge and booked a stand at the Harrogate nursery trade show in 2008, ordered the goods, set up a website and started selling! From the first idea to the launch at Harrogate it took just one year. Looking back it’s hard to believe I achieved so much, especially as I had a one year old and I was pregnant with my second child at the time!

How does it fit in with family life?

I quickly had to learn how to balance work life with precious time with the girls by working part time, starting with three days a week for the first two years of business! Now I work four days and then alternate with five days. It has been a challenge at times there's no denying it. When I finish work and am at home with the children, there are no interruptions from the business, no-one has my mobile and with technology the way it is, with great online answering systems it's never been a big problem I think you just have to be firm and switch everything off if you want to keep work and home separate. Even when I worked from home, once the door to the office was shut, that was that. People nowadays expect an immediate response and we always get back within 24 hours and I think that's fine....

Biggest learning curve so far?

Any business person will tell you it is tough! The design element of my job is the fun part but running a business is extremely hard work. You have to deal with employing people, man- management, finance, testing regulations , building business relationships with distributors and retailers and it was all a bit of a shock at first! You start with a great idea and then it mushrooms and some days you think – this is so stressful, is this not what I set out to do at the start? But it does get easier and I’ve toughened up a good deal, I take things a good deal less personally nowadays and roll with it!

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For more information, please contact: www.pacapod.com Info@pacapod.com Facebook: /PacaPod Twitter: @PacaPod

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What is the most positive experience so far?

It might sound cheesy but above all it’s the wonderful reaction from mums and dads who appreciate the bags. I’ve been to parties and if someone happens to have a PacaPod and they find out it’s my brain child, people will tell me that it’s made real difference to their life and thanking me profusely! It was a pretty special day when uber cool mum and DJ Jo Whiley wrote to say that she loves her PacaPod bagit doesn’t get much better than that!

Where would you like to be in five years’ time?

PacaPod will be worldwide without a doubt, there will be a lot more staff so that I can take less of a hands-on-role and step back and oversee the direction and management of the business.

What advice would you give to mothers hoping to combine motherhood with a new business idea?

It’s a cliché but the best ideas are the simplest! I would say, use your experience as a mother for your inspiration. But don’t just go by ‘mother’s instinct’- you must research, research and research some more. Also make sure that you have an understanding partner and a good support network because you will certainly need it. Put in place a good solid business plan and test your idea first again and again before your commit anything financial because after re-mortgaging your house twice, as I did, you've got to be confident that it will work.

I think that as a woman one of the most difficult and challenging times in your life is becoming a parent. Your whole job in life changes, people can view you differently in both your personal and work life.

It is also a tremendous opportunity to try something different and take control of your future and really choose how you want to spend your hours, weeks and years we have on this planet.

Looking back would you have done anything differently?

I chose to be a good Mum first a foremost by setting up my own business and ultimately giving me the freedom of choice to make my own decisions as to when I wanted to be with the girls when they were sick or needed me. The offshoot of that of course is that I now also have a thriving business that I love, work is incredibly exciting and the opportunities endless, but the biggest factor is that I don’t have a boss frowning upon me when I need to leave to pick up my daughter from pre-school because she has a tummy ache.

What are your proudest achievements?

In just one year I designed, researched and tested a product and brought it to market, against the advice of ‘doubters’, where upon it was immediately snapped up by retailing giants John Lewis. I turned down Dragon’s Den to go solo and follow my dream to launch a bag that would allow parents to get on with their lives and carry on having adventures with their children and feel I have achieved that. I have also managed to juggle my growing business commitments with my home life and spent precious time with my children, because as all us parents know, time goes too quickly and you can’t get it back - and you certainly shouldn’t waste it rummaging around in your bag for stuff!

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Who is behind the Product?

I am Rikki Parker & my business is byRikki which I run from my home studio in Enfield, North London. I am a mum to two young girls, Phoebe 2yrs and Freya almost 4yrs.

How did the company get started?

I left my career in fashion to have our first daughter in 2009, & what started as a hobby making gifts for family and friends using vintage Scrabble tiles, quickly emerged into a business which allows me to strive for that elusive perfect work life balance while being at home with my 2 girls. As I had always worked before having children, it was important to me to feel I was financially still contributing to the family household and at the same time, stimulating my creative side.

What is the company about?

Everything is handmade byRikki in my home studio. I love taking retro and vintage items and creating new pieces of wall art for the home / nursery / office. I am definitely best known for my Scrabble Art pieces, but I also use retro Subbuteo teams, Vinyl records, wooden hearts and I have a couple of other ideas in the pipeline which I will hopefully get to work on in the New Year. I pride myself in taking time & listening to what each individual customer wishes for their order. My pieces are bespoke & design led items which ultimately make their new home wholly stylish and create individual talking points. Family name frames are a huge part of what my customers ask for, but I do get other requests such as favourite things & places, pets names, song lyrics and often loved ones who have passed away, which obviously need to be handled with great care and sensitivity at all times. My customers, their feedback and imagination, are a massive part of what drives and inspires me to go on and create new concepts & designs.

Repeat business is something I have quickly come to treasure and respect its importance. It also means that I am doing a great job which pushes me further. Ultimately, If I would not be willing to have it hang on my walls, then I would not be willing to send it out to you under my name.

What do you hope to achieve?

To have a product byRikki retailing in the homeware department of a major high street store would be a dream come true for me. There has been a big surge over the past few years towards “handmade” items, which I am convinced will continue to grow as consumers are moving away from mass produced products & steering towards genuine one off hand made pieces, limited editions and vintage items.

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

I have had many personal highlights and have met some wonderful friends along the way. I love receiving feedback from customers on how well a Christening or Wedding gift was received for example, It really does give you that inspiration you sometimes need to keep pushing yourself harder. On a business level, I would have to say that being commissioned to make a house warming gift for Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster’s new home was a very proud moment. Also the first international order I ever received was to Australia. This was a real feeling of achievement and a confidence boost to know that a piece of my work would be hanging on a wall on the other side of the world. The internet give consumers such a wide choice of so many products, so to think that someone chose my work over everything else on offer still makes me smile daily.

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

For me it would definitely be the lack of time I get to spend with my husband. We have avoided placing our daughters into “full time” child care so far, instead opting to look after them as much as I can in the days.

Consequently this has resulted in doing the majority of my work during evenings and weekends. I am incredibly lucky and have great support from Andrew, family and friends who help me out in the days when I may have an urgent deadline to hit. It is fair to say that small scrabble tiles, hot glue guns and toddlers do not mix! I have no doubt that my work life balance will improve as the girls reach school age and I can look to grow the business in a new way, however it is important not to wish the time away now as they are only small for such a short period of time and it is important to cherish the special moments they bring into our lives.

What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business?

I would say to anyone wanting to start up your own business DO IT! but make sure that you love what you do as it will consume you at times. It is possible to start up your own business as I have with next to no investment. Look for a gap in the market or where you can improve on a current product, service or price point. I pride myself on ensuring customers know they are dealing with a real person and not just a faceless business. Build up rapport with your customers and you will get much more satisfaction out of it. The use of social media has helped my business to grow hugely and promote my product to a wide range of customers, whom I may not have reached though traditional marketing methods.

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Who is behind the Product?

I’m Shelley - ‘HQ’ at Little Signers Club. I am a mum of three small people; my daughters of 7 and 6 and my son who is 20 months.

How did the company get started?

Little Signers Club was formed in 2010 by a group of baby signing teachers who wanted to do something a little bit different to what was being offered out in the market place. We put our combined experience together and created something unique - our signing classes not only help parents to understand their little one but clearly show how communication is enhanced by using signing as a tool for speech development.

Over the years we have spent a lot of time making sure our classes and training are fun and inspiring too! We incorporate research from organisations such as the Early Language Development Programme as well as taking inspiration from Abraham Maslow, Magda Gerber and Margot Sunderland.

What is the company about?

Little Signers Club provides expertly taught baby and toddler signing What has been the downside of starting your own company? classes for parents, as well as training for Early Years Professionals and I was fortunate to have a very good background in all sorts of admin / also runs a franchise business for people who would like to teach baby marketing / sales type roles which have stood me in good stead but I have signing for themselves. come to realise that I can’t do everything myself! Learning to let go, as the company grows, has been difficult. And having too many ideas that Signing with small children is a real passion – awe inspiring in its simplicity I simply can’t implement right now alongside my small family. I have to given the results for little ones and their parents or carers at all levels. I remind myself that small steps are just as important as the end game but find it astounding, even now, that a child of just 18 weeks old can learn I am a bit impatient... I am an ‘ideas’ person and I like to be able to run to use their hands to communicate that they need their nappy changing with a new idea as soon as I can. So I have found the waiting very hard.

– without resorting to tears or tantrums – removing the need for guesswork so effectively. Signing is a perfect tool for both respectful care What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own and responsive parenting; its huge fun too – children of all ages love it! business?

Take the plunge! It’s rewarding, exhilarating, hard work, frustrating, What do you hope to achieve? delightful, empowering... But it is never ever dull.

My dream has always been to enable anyone who would like to use signing to be able to do so and to show how much it can help to nurture the I think if you have a passion for something, you are more than halfway relationship between parents and small children. there. Research your market and take the time to write an outline business plan at the very least. Consider what your strengths are and I read research many years ago that concluded that up to 90% of toddler where you will need help. Use your time wisely. Get a mentor, someone tantrums were caused by not having four basic needs met – the need for who you trust, who can step back from your business and help you see food, drink, comfort or sleep. These are such simple signs to implement the big picture and keep you on your path. Have goals but be flexible with with children under three and I would really like to get that message across timescales.... to as many people as possible. Small children have such a rich internal life. Signing can make all the difference in helping to understand their Ultimately, believe that you can do it. ‘Nothing happens unless first we preferences, interests and impact on higher level learning for life. dream’.

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

It would have to be the flexibility! Both as HQ and a teacher, I can run what I do around my little ones as well as be inspired by what I see happening with them. I did want to be a stay at home mum and I also wanted to make a contribution to our family – to be good at something in my own right. Little Signers Club has given me that and also a wonderful, vibrant team of teachers, from all walks of life, who make this business so dynamic and such a pleasure to be a part of.

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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 21

Who is behind the Product?

Me, my husband and our three little helpers (Nicholas, age 4, Lois, age 3 and Vincent, age 1). I am Caroline, a pharmacist by profession, and Mummy to three fantastic children. My husband, Martin, is an electrician (and Daddy) and we both are employed within our trades but since having children have also set up our family business Infasense Ltd. I have had many ideas for baby products missing from the market and our first completed products are Justafit ADJUSTABLE sleepsuits.

How did the company get started?

Justafit adjustable sleepsuits were developed after a comment made by our midwife on a home visit. Our eldest son Nicholas was 17 months old when our daughter Lois was born. Bedtime was approaching when our midwife visited for a routine check-up and Nicholas was ready for bed in his sleepsuit. She commented on the dangers presented by the sleepsuit legs being too long and how he would trip and fall. The previous size was too small.

We had been experiencing this problem for a while including a number of trips and tumbles as well as frustrated faces and whinges as he was standing on the fabric of one sleepsuit leg with the other foot! His sleeves were also too long and kept dipping in his breakfast! We were unable to find any existing solutions or products in the shops to help us, so decided to create our own.

Our sleepsuits use velcro detail around the wrists and ankles to keep hands and feet where they are supposed to be, reducing trips and falls by keeping the ‘growing room’ above the ankles and wrists.

What is the company about?

Infasense Ltd was born in June 2012 with the aim of creating sensible yet innovative products to make life with younger children easier and safer. Our first product ‘Justafit ADJUSTABLE sleepsuits’, launched in October 2013.

What do you hope to achieve?

I hope that as many people, parents and children, will benefit from our products as possible, now (with Justafit) and in the future (with more products to come!)

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

I would say the highlight so far has been receiving our first finished product.

Justafit sleepsuits took over two years of product design, development and testing to get to this point so after all that time and hard work it was such a great feeling to have the complete product in my hands to my exact design specification.

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

Lack of sleep is a bit of an issue! All of our three children are so young and I don’t want to miss a thing and often wait to ‘start’ work once they are tucked up in bed! I have no doubts in the product as I am very pleased with the end result.

Once you try a Justafit adjustable sleepsuit, you will never want to go back to the normal ‘flipper feet!’ This makes the emotional roller coaster all worthwhile!

What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business?

Be positive and give it a go! Take it step by step and make it enjoyable for all the family. I involve my children as much as possible creating a fun work ethic for them to grow up with. Never be afraid to ask for help as it is not easy starting up your own business but if you are passionate about what you do you can achieve it.

For more information, please contact: Tel: Web: Email: Facebook: Twitter:

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0845 474 5159 www.infasense.com info@infasense.co.uk www.facebook.com/infasense www.twitter.com/infasense

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For more information, please contact: Tel: Email: Facebook: Twitter: Website:

0845 304 9807 info@gnappies.com www.facebook.com/gdiapers www.twitter.com/gNappies www.gnappies.com

One day over breakfast, Jason and Kim Graham-Nye came across an interesting fact. They found that conventional disposable diapers are the third largest contributors to landfills in the world. And yet! Only five percent of the population uses them. Crazy. It was a fact of stunning proportion met by another amazing fact: a single disposable diaper can take up to 500 years to biodegrade in the landfill. That got the Graham-Nyes thinking, since they were about to have a baby themselves. At 60 diapers a week until toilet training kicks in plus the likelihood of having more than one child, well, it was beyond comprehension. And so they gasped. Did they want to jump on the landfill train? Absolutely not! What would the neighbors say? How would they face the world on Earth Day? And what about their garbage can? A heavy thought, indeed.

So Jason and Kim did what any two self respecting, socially responsible people do in a situation like that, they began researching an alternative‌ gNappies are colourful nappy covers called gPants that you use with biodegradable* disposable inserts. gPants are adorable, breathable and collectable.

Who is behind the Product?

Kim and Jason Graham-Nye are the Aussie parents behind gNappies.

How did the company get started?

When I was pregnant with our first child, we learned that one disposable nappy takes up to 500 years to biodegrade. We were both shocked! Not only because of the absurdity of the environmental impact of the sheer volume of nappies entering landfill everyday (it isn't rocket science to figure out we are going to run out of holes in the ground for all that rubbish!) but also because we had never really thought of disposable nappies as being made of plastic. We were in Sydney and heading into summer, so the thought of encasing our precious baby's bottom in plastic everyday day and night for the next few years was enough to make us search for an alternative: something that would be both better for the planet but also better for our baby.

What is the company about?

On one level we are about happy babies and a happy planet. But on another, we are about supporting parents through this amazing transformation from women to mother, and all that it entails.

What do you hope to achieve?

Our goal is to eliminate disposable nappies from the world! Just as disposable nappies went from 0-90% of the market in less then 20 years we want to make them a product of the past.

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What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

I love to create. So creating everything from a brand, a company culture, and a community, is all super exciting to me. It is also incredibly humbling to see it come alive and meet the passionate mums and dads who support our mission.

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

Jason and I live and breathe g. Literally. And that hasn't always been healthy for us as individuals. We realized about a year ago that we had lost ourselves and became "Kim & Jason", "Jason & Kim" the parents of two boys and co-founders of g. Our passion for our work and our family made our lives too narrow and ultimately it stunts your growth as individuals. So in essence, we need to get a life!

What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business?

Everyone does a Business Plan, which can be great, but it creates one dimension for success. My advice is to invest the time in understanding what success for your LIFE looks like. This will then dictate how you tackle your business and provide the framework to make decisions i.e. choosing a slower growth rate but having more flexibility might be appealing while your children are younger.

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Who is behind the Product?

My mum and I and of course my two little boys Theo 6 and Noah 21 months How did the company get started?

I have always loved to draw, and as a child, said when I grew up I wanted to draw ‘pretty pictures’. When I left school I went to Art College and then specialised at university in Fashion. I was working as a fashion designer when I had my first son, and after he was born I wanted to fill his room with beautiful brightly coloured pictures, but could never find anything with his unusual name on. This is when I decided to design and draw my own personalised letters to spell out his name. I had it professionally printed, mounted and framed. He loved it (and so did everybody who saw it!) so as the requests came in, I then started to make them for friends and family and because of their uniqueness and word of mouth, the demand became such that I started to produce to order and RudyRoo Prints was created. My mum agreed this was a great sellable product and with her business and accountancy skills we joined together and started sourcing frames, bespoke boxes for shipping, the basic materials and designed flyers to help spread the word. The latest achievement was the launch of our website RudyRooPrints.com.

What is the company about?

Giving customers the option to give a unique gift at affordable prices, RudyRoo Prints illustrations are fun and eye catching they will capture a child’s imagination and bring their rooms to life. Whilst they will love looking at the colours when they are tiny, they’ll also be learning the letters as they grow older. Not only do we produce framed artwork we also offer

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personalised name art on baby's bodysuits and greeting cards. All designs are made to order and we have five very unique themes to choose from any design can be personalised with birth details, date and weight, or name meaning making them a treasured timeless keepsake that will be enjoyed every day.

What do you hope to achieve?

Obviously we want RudyRoo Prints to be a success and our product range to grow, but equally important is that we want to enjoy what we are doing.

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

Working with my mum, and managing to stay at home and watch my children grow, all whilst I am doing something I love. I feel proud knowing my illustrations are being enjoyed by people all over the country but the highlight has to be when receiving our first order via our website.

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

Having children and starting a business sometimes feels like you never stop working, and having to be able to turn our hands to many different jobs to try and get the business started, things we never knew we could do but it has made our passion for RudyRoo Prints even stronger and that passion will hopefully make the business a growing success.

What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business?

If you have the passion and believe in your product your half way there, you need to stay confident even at the hardest times when your life is running at hundred miles an hour. Try and use as much local and free social media as you can, attend events that target your customer. Starting a business is hard work but incredible fulfilling.

For more information contact us at: Website: www.rudyrooprints.com Email: enquiries@rudyrooprints.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/Rudyroohandmade

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Baby Buzz Magazines Business of the Month Who is behind the Product?

Babette Wasserman is the BW brand. She is an award winning British Jewellery Designer with lots of talent and originality.

How did the company get started?

Babette trained at St. Martin’s and founded her own label in 1997.

What is the company about?

BW is famous for its exquisite jewels set entirely in sterling silver and men’s cufflinks fashioned out of silver and base metal platinum/rhodium plated.

What do you hope to achieve?

I would like to raise the profile of my brand so that I can expand my collection and reach an even wider audience.

What has been the highlight of starting your own company?

Creating products and seeing them selected and bought in retail outlets in over 30 different countries worldwide, from small boutiques in places like the Congo to major stores in key cities like London, New York, Milan and Paris. Seeing famous people wearing my jewellery is also a real highlight as was being asked to design the royal engagement ring for the official Buckingham Palace limited edition Princess Catherine Doll for the Royal Wedding two years ago.

What has been the downside of starting your own company?

Working all hours to build up the business is hard when you start your own company but I don’t mind because I literally live and breathe jewellery so it is my work and my hobby. Of course I have to travel a lot to find and visit customers all over the world but again, mixing business with pleasure makes it a positive experience.

What would your advice be to anyone wanting to start up their own business?

Two pieces of advice: Make sure you get as much experience as you can first before you start up your own business. Make all your mistakes in someone else’s company!

The other piece of advice is to make sure you trademark your name as this is crucial to success!

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www.babette-wasserman.com 25

"I carried a watermelon........"

By Abi Adams Bless Baby, getting all embarrassed and flushing crimson at the gorgeous Mr Swayze (aka Johnny) in Dirty Dancing. I'd swap a moments cringe at the hands of the very delectable Patrick for the current fiery hot watermelons I seem to be carrying on the front of my chest! Do I get a high five from all those currently pregnant when I say BURN THE BRA (and not for any feminist reason in the slightest)! The thought of anything containing my breasts at present fills me with dread. Coming home each evening from teaching yoga or massaging a client is like a celebration of freedom. The bra is ripped off and flung to the floor (with crowds cheering and a fanfare playing. All in my head obviously). Ahhhhhhhhh, small pleasures...... So, is there ANYTHING that can help with this current situation? A nursing bra could save you from stretch marks, back pain and the embarrassing situation of breasts blending into your growing tum! The freedom of wire is a revelation. You feel like you can actually breathe and don't feel as if your chest is going to cave in. Invest in a good one and go treat yourself to a fitting. I've also found the current exercise to the right really helpful from Camella Nairs book - Prenatal Kriya Yoga.

I'm now in my 15th week and I'm so pleased to be getting my mind, body and breath back. It's so strange, but it almost feels like a figment of my imagination.... Was I REALLY that tired and did I REALLY throw up in my kitchen bin and sink (yes i really did. and on two separate occasions. Bless me), or was I just being a lazy, dramatic pregzilla?! If you're active and not used to chilling out, I totally hear you when the whisper of guilt starts laying down the law. I eventually succumbed (with some protest) to laying in and not doing all the things I usually did. Guess what ladies. We don't have to be super women! We've proved it to ourselves many a time over our lives and have we patted ourselves on the back and given ourselves a break? NOPE! So you know what, indulge. Put those hard worked tootsies up and give yourself a breather. Your body and baby will thank you for it in the long run.

Food for Thought Gone are the days of the eating for two (aka shovel it in!) mantra. You only need an extra 200 cals when pregnant, so as tempting as it is, try and space out small meals at frequent intervals. Gowri Motha suggests avoiding wheat products as these take a lot of water into the tissues and from her research has been known to impede the birth, with the use of forceps as a result. Book - Gentle Birthing Method.

Go on, Treat Yourself!

You may have sailed through the first 3 months (but still worried about your and your growing babies health), or you may have hugged more porcelain than you cared to remember! Now is the time to start treating yourself. Albeit massage, reiki, acupuncture or a facial. The human touch is a powerful healing tool aiding in relaxation which is great for you and your baby.

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Lateral Extension of Upper Chambers (Under pictures which will follow) We tend to be at the mercy of gravity which will shorten the front of the body and decrease the oxygen that is taken into the tops of the lungs if we do not consciously open the front body. This can lead to depression and confusion, amongst many other conditions - Swami Nibhrtananda.

Come and sit on your heels. Take a few breaths here, growing out through the crown of the head (think space between each vertebrae of your spine), then slide onto the right hip allowing the feet to come out to the side. Push the fingertips into the ground with the right hand and keep the length in both sides of the body. Inhale, raise your left arm to shoulder height and then on an exhale extend the fingers and arm back (keep fingers together). Take 3 slow breaths and on an inhale come back and lower arm. Repeat 3 times on both sides. Try and make the twist happen in the chest area, drawing the shoulder blades back and together and dropping the shoulders away from the ears. If comfortable you can also turn the head to look towards the hand.

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Do you have a child

your own business? attract employers’ National Insurance contributions, so it will create savings for the company (up to £402 per scheme user, per year) as well as for you as the employee.

There is another way…

Childcare Vouchers can also be provided as a benefit on top of your salary, known as Salary Plus. Offering Childcare Vouchers in this way means the voucher value and administration fees are a cost to the company and can be viewed as a business expense. This is a tax efficient way of passing funds through to employees and directors without attracting any PAYE or National Insurance contributions. Salary Plus can be a good option for small companies, family-run businesses or a company where you are the only employee.

Childcare Vouchers provided under the Salary Plus arrangement bring Managing your own business and a family is a huge challenge, but there are ways to lighten the financial load, at least, says Stephanie Forrester, the following benefits: Busy Bees Benefits ● Employers are able to back-date vouchers to the beginning of the companies’ Financial Year of up to 12 months’ worth of Firstly, well done! As a business owner and a parent, you understand vouchers. For example if an employee wanted to back-date what it is like to take a risk, make a leap into the unknown and have vouchers in June and the company’s Financial Year was January managed two amazing achievements. to December, they could back-date vouchers to the January As a business owner, you may think that you can’t benefit from financial during that Financial Year. support with childcare. Think again. ● No Minimum Wage calculations are required because nothing is being sacrificed from the employee’s salary which might take You may have heard of Childcare Vouchers, which are an employee their pay below minimum wage (which would breach regulabenefit. I have talked about them before in Baby Buzz, but here’s a quick summary again for new readers. tions). ●

●

●

● ●

Working parents can give up a maximum of £243 per month (£55 per week) in exchange for Childcare Vouchers which do not attract tax and National Insurance contributions. This is known as “salary sacrifice.” The amount is the same no matter how many children you have.

Working parents can save up to £933 per year in tax and National Insurance contributions, making their childcare costs more affordable.

Both parents are entitled to join a Childcare Voucher scheme, which could save them up to £1866 per year on the cost of their childcare.

Working parents can start getting Childcare Vouchers and saving them up as soon as their child is born.

Childcare Vouchers can be used to pay for any registered childcare for children up to the age of 16, which means parents can choose the type of care which best suits their needs. Registered childcare means the carer has been inspected by a body such as OFSTED and includes nurseries, childminders, play schools, pre-schools, crèches, nannies, au pairs, before and after school clubs, holiday clubs/camps, play schemes, reception classes at independent schools.

●

There are no VAT issues as all VAT is reclaimable (under a salary sacrifice scheme operated through a voucher service provider, VAT on the service charge is not always reclaimable)

●

Salary Plus Childcare Vouchers do not affect Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay

Under the guidelines for Childcare Vouchers, employers must make the scheme available to all of their employees. You can’t just give it to some and not others. However, you can operate a mixed scheme where, for example, you as the director receive Childcare Vouchers as salary plus and employees are offered them as salary sacrifice.

When you have your own business, the administration and tax issues can seem like a minefield if you are not used to doing this sort of thing.

You might think Childcare Vouchers are just another administrative hassle. However, in research published earlier this year, the Childcare Voucher Providers Association (CVPA) found that companies spend less than 30 minutes a month administering their scheme, and that includes some pretty big companies!

The table below shows what you can save, depending on the amount So whether you are running your own business, or you still answer to a of tax you pay: boss, sign up to a Childcare Voucher scheme as soon as you can to save on childcare costs now and in the future.

Tax Band Weekly Allowance Basic Rate (20%) £55 Higher Rate (40%) £28 Additional Rate (45%) £25

Monthly Allowance £243 £124 £110

Annual Saving £933 £624 £620

For more information, visit www.busybeesbenefits.com Busy Bees Benefits is a member of the CVPA.

You can operate Childcare Vouchers as a salary sacrifice for your own business if you are a limited company and pay yourself a salary under Pay As You Earn (PAYE). Operated this way, Childcare Vouchers do not

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27

Don’t go out, you might die…

Tracy’s getting ready to go out in the evening with her friends to a restaurant. But her pleasure is spoilt by her son Liam who’s begging her not to go. He’s sobbing heavily and even pulling at her cardigan in a feeble attempt to pull it off which he assumes might at least delay her departure.

So you might think reading this that Liam is about 3 years old and feeling insecure as 3 year olds sometimes do. But Liam is 10 and this is fairly new behavior from him. Until a few months ago he seemed confident, secure and well adjusted. What has changed, and what has affected his sense of security?

Actually, Very little has changed externally. His parents haven’t split up, he hasn’t lost a grandparent or suddenly changed schools. He hasn’t got a new baby sibling and neither has his mother taken up mountain climbing or any form of extreme sport. What has changed is his realization that life is finite and he can’t control it. This doesn’t worry most children who just accept that death and losing our parents is a natural part of life and we just hope it won’t happen until our parents are 100 and we will be able to accept it.

Yet a few very sensitive children like Liam, really worry about it.

Sometimes it is triggered by them seeing a particular incident in the news, sometimes they are involved in a minor accident –but they recognize it could have been a lot worse –not just for them but particularly for their parents. And this triggers extreme panics attacks and worrying.

Liam has an amazing imagination and can set up in his mind the whole scenario – Mum goes out to a restaurant –has a heart attack – gets taken to hospital and Dad’s abroad (as he often is for work) and Liam and his younger sister are left alone to cope by themselves until Dad returns 2 weeks later.

Or in another scenario in his head, Mum and Dad die in a car crash and no one knows who their children are so they are left at home by themselves starving and they don’t know who to contact.

So if you have a sensitive child of this age who suddenly becomes panicky when you leave them at school (and they love school so the problem doesn’t lie with school) and they suddenly beg you not to go out, try some of the following: ● ●

●

●

●

Listen to them and their worries without lessening it.

You can point out facts and evidence and how rarely children lose their parents when they’re young – but that won’t solve it. They know the evidence –they just think they will be the exception Make sure they have a phone number of a nearest and dearest relative so they feel in control of who they can contact who will immediately come and look after them (so not a relative abroad but someone who could be there within 15 to 20 minutes).

Explain very clearly how good the police are at looking after children if they need to and how they would stay with children until a relative arrived If you’re going out in the evening, you may want to reassure your child by giving him some details which you don’t mind him having like the name of the restaurant or which friends you are going to visit.

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●

●

●

●

●

Give your child something of yours when you go out. I know this sounds like treating them like a much younger child but what harm is there in giving them a jumper or scarf which smells like you?

Make a contract which preferably gets written down and which you both agree to. This can be about how often they phone you when you go out. Liam was phoning his Mum at least 6 times until we made a contract between him and his Mum. She stopped all phone calls and instead she texts him when she gets there and again just before she leaves. He can answer the texts – but that’s all. He cannot ask a questions in the texts to get her to engage and respond more.

Don’t as a parent, over promise about times you’ll return. Children are very literal and if you say 10p.m., 10.30 is letting them down and they may even accuse you of lying.

Don’t say “Trust Me.” They will learn this but it doesn’t allow them to accept that you say “Trust Me” yet in their head you sometimes let them down –as life doesn’t always work out exactly.

Teach them the importance of some flexibility. If people are 30 minutes late, don’t go into a panic. Sometimes plans and arrangements and timings change. We all have to learn to let go and allow for these changes without immediately thinking of the worst conclusions.

Liam still worries –he is a child with a sensitive nature and a strong imagination. But at least he feels listened to, he isn’t ridiculed for his worries, and he knows that if something happened, the police would look after him and he has the phone numbers of various people who can look after him and his sister.

And he has an agreement with his Mum – which makes him feel secure and which can be changed as Liam learns to be more flexible.

Bebe Jacobs www.parentingcoachingnow.com info@parentingcoachingnow.com www.facebook.com/bebeparentcoach M: 07939 880 856

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Slow Seven Unveiled at Harrods The Slow Toy Movement is the creation of Thierry Bourret, a man whose unfaltering passion to campaign for change has secured the success of this cultural movement, which began in 2011. The disappearance of the more traditional, beautifully crafted wooden toys is at the heart of the movement. Frustrated by the annual ‘Christmas wish lists’ which included countless battery operated plastic toys that distract children with noises and lights, Thierry decided to alter the mind-set of those in the toy industry. The concept was met with great interest and thanks to his awards the message has spread far and wide and it has even gone global!

The Slow Toy Awards aim to highlight the ‘real’ toys on the market that inspire children, will stand the test of time and offer true play value. Now in its second year, the awards have captured the attention of millions and this year’s winners even include an entry from America and Germany, proving the Slow Toy Movement has captured the world.

This year’s final Slow Seven are a true reflection of the Slow Toy message. The winners include; the traditional Moover Dolls Pram, the beautifully crafted East Coast Activity Cube, the classic GALT Tiny Trike, the imaginative HABA My First Play World Fire Brigade, the inspiring Meccano Multi Models Set, the innovative TWIG by Fat Brain Toy Co and the educational Bigjigs Around the World Train Set! The response to the 2013 awards was overwhelming. Not only was there an unprecedented amount of entries, but with the world famous Harrods department store hosting the event and a panel of admirable judges including life and style editor of the Guardian, Kate Carter and much loved children’s TV presenter, Angellica Bell, this year’s awards are sure to make their mark once again!

Although there is a place for the technical and mass produced toys of today, the reaction to this movement shows there’s certainly a need for ‘real toys’ too! Commenting on the exciting news announcement, Thierry Bourret said: “I was blown away by the success of the 2012 awards and I wasn’t sure we would be able to entice the same interest again, but how wrong was I? The Slow Toy Movement and it’s awards seemed to have taken on a life of their own, not only has it engaged industry experts but our campaign has been mentioned in articles not only nationally but internationally too! It was my dream to have this level of appreciation for good quality, well-made toys that encourage traditional play and stimulate a child’s imagination and I am just overwhelmed that this is now a reality.

Founder Thierry Bourret

He continued: “Not only has the 2013 awards uncovered seven wonderful products, we have also managed to team up with one of the world’s most prestigious department stores to help spread the word! I can only hope that the Slow Toy Awards has established its place firmly in the industry, so we can continue to bring the world’s best toys to the toy boxes of children in the UK!”

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30

Business + Baby = Balance

The sweetness and drama of babyhood and toddler life is so fleeting, it’s no surprise that many women decide to set up a business from home as a way of getting more of what we want. Once the immediate fog of postnatal life has lifted, the reality of returning to the rigidity of 9-5 office life is often no longer appealing. Part time work that is both interesting and flexible is hard to find and usually poorly paid; not everyone wants to work in a school! The cost of quality childcare is so high that it can make returning to work a far from profitable option, unless you have a devoted Grandma with time and energy on her hands.

There are many different options open to us and the internet has vastly expanded the possibilities of self-employment. Popular options include; internet shops, party selling and virtual assistants. Somewhere there will be a golden spot where your skills and the need for a product or service will meet. I’ve been chatting to business Mums and have come up with some tips to guide you on your way to getting more of what you want.

Goals A business plan is essential, but it’s helpful to assess what else is important to you. You can cut pictures from magazines to make a vision board, a mind map or a list and lay everything out in a way that is meaningful for you. Alongside a big car and family holidays, there are other things that may feature; quality time with the children, your partner and friends and family. Consider less quantifiable stuff too; self-acceptance, feeling strong in your body, connection with nature and time to explore your creativity.

Be good enough You will find your life much less stressful if you let go of the idea of having the perfect house and child. Have a look at what things really matters to you and relax your standards on the rest. Being an excellent entrepreneurial role model may mean you don’t have as much time as you’d like to play with them. Settle for being a good enough Mum and don’t sweat it when your children are slightly grubby or you forget the cake sale.

Do the hard thing first At 9am or when your baby starts her nap the first task should be the one that takes you a step closer to your goal, even if it’s a tiny step, it gets you closer and will give you a pleasing sense of accomplishment and progress.

Scheduling Once you know where you want to be in a year or two’s time, the next task is to break down that great big mountain into manageable chunks. Use a diary to plot out the various steps that have to be in place to get there, and work backwards. My experience is that it always takes AT LEAST 3 times longer than you think! Children get ill and then there’s the school holidays to fit in. Underestimating the time needed will make you feel as though you have never quite done enough.

Don’t multitask It has been proved that our minds do not function well when we multitask.

Another scheduling trick is to break tasks down further into 30, 20 or even 10 minute chunks. Set a timer and focus on the job till the ping.

Multitasking does not work! Focusing on one thing at a time does.

Don’t forget to nourish yourself Scheduling time for yourself is vital. Scheduling regular time doing something you love will make you happy and reduce stress, and a happy woman is a better business woman and mother.

Get support You can’t do it by yourself. Fact. To manage a business and a family you will need all kinds of support, business support, childcare support and good friends. There are loads of networking groups for mums where you can get support and encouragement from women who are also juggling business and family. Co-coaching with a friend is a great support. Regular meetings where you can talk through your business issues for half an hour each can give you fresh perspective on blocks and problems, help you to follow through on your ideas and remind you of your skills and resources.

Be Positive Finally, be positive; your needs and those of your business and family are constantly changing and your positivity will help you see the way forward.

Kate helps women with their websites and social media at www.fruitnation.co.uk, runs the PAPA Birth Network and Kate Codrington Massage and has two children aged 7 and 9.

www.nonabox.co.uk

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It’s certainly not a bugs life!

Your questions and answers when it comes to fighting Nits!

Dear Joanne

If I spot them on my son, what I do is to shampoo his hair with a couple of drops of tea tree oil and finish using a quassia bark rinse.

My six year old daughter I make the rinse by boiling a handful of quassia chips in water, keeps catching nits from straining the liquid and allowing to cool (I have bags of the chips her school friends. I for £3 - they can be dried and reused once or twice too) understand that this is a normal problem, but it's The quassia is quite bitter so I have to get my son to close his happening so frequently mouth or he complains bitterly - excuse the pun! that I am getting quite Next, I comb through his hair using a nit comb dipped in hot concerned about using vinegar which helps to break the glue in the eggs. Use a regular strong products on her comb first to de-tangle if your daughter has very long hair. I'd also scalp. Is there a more suggest a conditioner, it helps make hair smooth and it is less easy natural alternative? for the nits to adhere to the hair strands.

I should also mention that I repeat the treatment after a few days to help break the life-cycle otherwise she's well, doesn't have any allergies, although has of the nits. sensitive skin.

If he doesn't have them, but they are doing the rounds, then I do the tea tree shampoo and the quassia rinse as a precautionary Thanks measure, I also keep his hair short so I can see them.

Nina ________________________________________________ Hi Nina

A little hint - nits love the area by the ears and the back of the neck as it's lovely and warm there - so that's the best place to start on your nit search!

Nits are a pain, because no matter what you do, they seem to Let me know how you get on. come back when you least expect it!

Joanne xx

www.jmherbalist.co.uk

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We have high staff ratios and a wealth of experience. All of our wonderful staff hold a variety of qualifications, including CRB checks. We aim to provide children with a rich, stimulating nursery experience, which we hope will be a positive influence on children’s learning and development for life.

For more information, please visit www.stepstonesdaynursery.co.uk or telephone 0208 292 0212

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32

THIS IS WAUWAA EVERY PARENT NEEDS! the rather honest view from couples in one video talking about sex during pregnancy that promises to make this must have viewing!

Although it is an iconic element of the site, it's not just about videos at Wauwaa. If you want to do some reading, the blog is co-authored by a selection of parents in the UK and around the world, including some influential bloggers. And of course not forgetting Wauwaa’s unique sales platform, where parents can find wonderful products at exclusive prices for their families growing needs. Given the very real and supportive nature of the site it will come as no surprise that the team behind Wauwaa are parents too. Talking about why he and his partner became determined to make Wauwaa a reality, Ivan Lopez co-founder and creator said: “We believe that every parent deserves access to objective and comprehensive advice combined with affordable products to enhance their parenting experience. Our approach combines the essential knowledge of experts, but alongside the real life experiences of many different parents. At the heart of Wauwaa is the commitment to making information accessible to all and to ensure different cultures, relationships and family situations are represented so many opinions are presented!

Introducing the very latest concept for all new parents, Wauwaa.com the go to place for support and shopping! As well as providing independent advice from experts, Wauwaa also delivers honest support from real parents via the sites unique video platform. The innovative video based website will also offer exclusive sales events for parents to find exciting products at attractive and reasonable prices.

Ultimately Wauwaa is everything parents need to feel confident, informed and inspired!

He continued: “Wauwaa is passionate about parenting and family life and the team is dedicated to making the site relate to each and every Wauwaa, which is pronounced “WOW WAA”, is derived from the word new parent in the UK and beyond. I needed this site when my wife was Vauva and means baby in Finnish. The site is set to be the new online pregnant and certainly when my baby eventually entered the world! destination for parents to find information, multimedia content and With Wauwaa I would have known I was not alone!” event-based e-commerce sales for all of their needs. Maybe it is just convenient that it sounds like the noise a baby would make, or is that a true reflection of how thoughtful this service is! As you’d expect from any decent parenting site Wauwaa is a platform to access advice from experts on all aspects of pregnancy, birth and parenting and thanks to the teams’ passion they have successfully joined in partnership with the National Health Service (NHS). This unique support has enabled the site to present over 300 of their videos from the medical community to ensure the very best information is available. But, what makes this new service so truly unique is the other extensive video archive created by parents, for parents!

The comprehensive selection of video footage includes interviews with real parents on a huge range of subjects, sharing genuine stories and experiences to help new mums and dads feel like they’re not alone.

The sites covers the essentials such as teething, breastfeeding and birth, but alongside this they have a whole host of topics including a father speaking about finding out his wife was pregnant and a same sex couple talking about their individual roles to name a few. Maybe it is

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INDOOR ALLERGIES Another concern for parents is when their babies appear to be reacting to foods, especially during the weaning period.

How do you tell whether it is a simple tummy bug or just a change in diet? Some foods can cause loose stools until the baby becomes used to them, i.e. vegetables and fruits and should not really be a cause for concern. However, if symptoms do not resolve within a day or two you should consult your GP, especially in cases of severe diarrhoea as babies can become dehydrated very quickly.

With Indoor Allergy Week (11�� – 17�� November) around the corner and the wintry weather on the way, Lindsey McManus from national charity, Allergy UK advises new parents how to spot the symptoms of an indoor allergy.

The type of symptoms that would indicate a food allergy would be rashes or hives on the face or body, and swelling of the lips or face and breathing difficulties that develop very quickly within eating a new food. These should be taken seriously and immediate medical help should be sought. More confusingly, some food allergies can cause delayed reactions so are not as easy to spot - severe eczema is usually related to allergy. Reflux and colic may be associated with a type of milk allergy, but there are other reasons why your baby may have these symptoms. If any of these symptoms are persistent consult your GP would be able to investigate the cause or refer you if necessary.

It can be a nerve racking time for new parents when their baby become unwell for the first time, and it’s understandable parents become concerned their child’s symptoms may be down to something they are allergic to, rather than a more typical Rashes in young babies are very common and for the most part childhood illnesses. are nothing to be overly concerned about; teething, getting too One of the key things to keep in mind if you think your child is warm, viral infections and side effects from medications can all allergic to something is whether there are allergies in the family. cause mild rashes. Again if symptoms occur immediately after Many allergic conditions such as eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma eating, hives or nettle rashes are a common allergic reaction in and food allergies in young children are down to a genetic link. young children, so do seek immediate advice. Eczema is a So if Mum or dad or a sibling has an allergy there is a greater risk common symptom in families that are genetically predisposed that the child may also develop one. If there are no allergies in to allergy, but may also just indicate a dry sensitive skin. Avoid strong washing detergents and fragranced skin care products, the family the risk is actually very low. as these can aggravate sensitive skin, and your GP or health It is very common to see young babies with colds and sniffles in visitor will be able to advise you on management routines that their first year or so as their immune systems are developing and will help keep your babies skin well moisturised. If an allergy is they are, of course, prone to picking things up when they start suspected you may need to be referred to a specialist doctor coming into contact with other children. So how would you tell who will assess both diet and any other allergy triggers. whether your baby is just suffering from several bouts of the common cold or if they are allergic to an airborne allergen such For more advice on childhood allergy visit: www.allergyuk.org or call Allergy UK’s national helpline on 01322 619898. as house dust mites or mould spores?

Viral infections such as the common cold will usually be accompanied by a raised temperature, and symptoms such as a runny nose and sneezing will last for a few days, but these will subside after as the virus runs its course. Symptoms of allergy however will persist all the time the child is exposed to something that they are allergic to, so if symptoms continue for more than a couple of weeks without a fever, it may indicate an allergy to an airborne allergen. Speak to your GP who will be able to refer you to a specialist if necessary.

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Part 3 – How to choose the right childcare for you Now it’s time to start choosing your childcare. You have two main things to consider: firstly, what type of childcare provision you wish to use, and secondly, which provider to choose. I have come up with a short quiz which, combined with the table below, should help you decide on the right type of childcare provision for your situation.

Quiz So, get your cuppa and pen ready and get to work!

1.

What is your primary purpose for using childcare?

2.

What type of environment will best suit your child?

a)

Work ● Full time ● Part time ● Regular hours ● Ad hoc ● Working from home

a)

One to one care

b)

Group setting ● Small ● Medium ● Large

3. a)

b)

Personal time ● Regular ● Occasional

c)

Back up ● For when family or friends are not available

d)

For your child’s benefit ● Development ● Socialisation

c)

d)

Level of structure ● Free play ● Organised activities ● Educational focus ● Variety Length in care each day ● Short sessions ● Meals in care ● Full day ● Extended care

What other factors do you need to consider?

Budget ● Maximum available ● Use of childcare vouchers ● Other government finance

b)

Location o Close to work o Close to home o Transport options

c)

Hours available o Regular o Ad hoc o Full time o Part time o Runs through school holidays

d)

Emergency cover o Child unable to attend normal care o Normal care unavailable o Unexpected additional care require

Now look at your options and consider the best possible matches between the types of childcare provision available (see Part 1, September 2013, p. 20) and your criteria, based on your answers from the quiz above.

Settings

Hours

Structure

Budget*

Family and Friends

As arranged

As arranged

As arranged

n/a

Babysitters

Child’s own home

As arranged

As arranged

Pocket Money

Au Pairs Mother’s Help

Child’s own home Child’s own home

As arranged As arranged

As arranged As arranged

£8 - £10 per hour £8 - £10 per hour

Nannies

Child’s own home

Full time / Part time

Should meet EYFS

£10 - £15 per hour

Childminders

Childminder’s home - group

Full time / Part time

Should meet EYFS

£4 - £7 per hour

Nurseries Pre-schools

Formal setting - group Formal setting - group

Full days / Half days Usually mornings

Must meet EYFS Must meet EYFS

£4 - £6 per child per hour £3 - £5 per child per hour

Daycares / Creches

Informal setting - group

Sessions should meet EYFS £3 - £5 per child per hour

*Data based on averages from the Childcare Costs Survey 2013 and personal research.

Hopefully thinking about these questions will have helped you decide what you are looking for in a childcare provider. Now as you proceed to look at a range of options, you will be clear on what is most important for you and your child, helping you to focus your search. Next time: finding suitable childcare providers. If you have any questions about the information in this piece, or would like further information, please do get in touch!

alex.zetter@mummy-sos.com 07595053512 www.mummy-sos.com www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

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Keeping Fit at Work Pregnancy and postnatal fitness experts give their advice for ways to stay fit and include some level of exercise in your daily life.

Whilst some companies provide their staff with a gym and you can just pop down for a workout at lunch-time and others offer discount gym membership as a perk for employees, most of us need to find ways of introducing more fitness and wellbeing into our working lives.

There are so many benefits to increasing your levels of fitness, especially if you’re pregnant, just getting back into work after having a baby or juggling child-care and a full-time job.

Yoga can help relieve the tension of your daily working life – and there are some poses that you can easily do at your desk.

The Cow Pose is a simple yoga posture that will help make more space for your breathing and release the tension in your upper back and shoulders. ●

●

●

●

Sitting up tall, breathe out and lengthen your back, rolling your shoulders gently to release them.

Stretch your right arm up, bend your elbow and drop your hand down the back of your neck.

Now reach up behind your back with your left hand, reaching as high as you can so the fingers of both hands meet. If they don’t touch, try holding a yoga belt with your right hand reaching for the belt with your left hand, working your hands as close together as you can without straining.

Hold the pose for about a minute, lengthening your lower back and neck and breathing deeply. Make sure you keep your neck free and don’t allow your arm to push against your head.

Release both arms, breathe deeply and relax for a minute before repeating on the other side.

● FittaMamma say, ‘You might need to adapt your routine but even a modest amount of daily exercise can reduce stress and improve your mood, aid concentration and help you sleep better. Strengthening your The full Eagle Pose is a standing posture on one leg that improves your cardiovascular system will improve your stamina, making it easier to cope balance and stretches your upper back, shoulders and outer thighs as well with the demands of running a home and family as well as a job.’ as strengthening your legs, knees and ankles – but this might be a bit tricky in your workplace!

Introduce some cardio exercises whenever you can!

Cardio exercise is so important for keeping your heart and lungs fit and But simply sitting and performing the arm healthy. Ideally you should aim for 30 minutes of cardio activity on at least posture will create space between your five days a week to improve your general fitness – but you don’t need to shoulder blades, ease tension in your back go anywhere special. Cycling, swimming and running are all great for and stretch your arms and shoulders. improving your cardio and you can easily incorporate cardio exercise into your everyday life. ● Keep your spine straight, inhale and raise your arms up to FittaMamma suggest: shoulder level with palms fac● Leave the car at home and walk or cycle to work instead ing upwards. ● Park the car a short distance from your work place and finish ● Cross your left arm over the your journey with a brisk stroll right so that the elbows rest on ● Talk a walk at lunchtime instead of lingering over a cup of tea top of each other. and a sandwich ● Bend your elbows, wrapping ● Get off the bus, tube or train a stop earlier your forearms around each ● Use the stairs instead of the lift other with palms facing each ● When you’re at home, turn the music up loud and boogie whilst other. Your fingers should you vacuum point to the ceiling. If the palms ● Include the kids and play active games with them – it will be do not touch, keeps one palm good for their cardiovascular health too! resting against the other wrist or forearm. ● Remain in the pose for 30 -60 seconds before unwrapping If you’re looking for simple cardio routines to do at home the FittaMamma your arms and bringing them gently back so your hands rest website has plenty of good advice and exercise routines that need minimal on your thighs. equipment. ● Relax and repeat the other side.

Reduce tension with desk-based yoga For more exercises, yoga poses, recipes and stylish fitness wear that is If you’re sitting at a desk all day it’s easy to end up with tension in your ideal throughout pregnancy, post natal exercise and for curvier ladies who shoulders. Try to make sure your chair is set at the correct height and want to keep fit, visit www.fittamamma.com. your computer screen is correctly positioned so you are not straining your back, shoulders or your eyes.

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Getting fit the Everyone who knows me, knows that my exercise routine and methods of keeping fit consist of nothing, absolutely nothing, nadda, niete! I hear the “how do you stay slim?” question a fair bit and the answer is quite simple, I run around after a ridiculously overactive toddler! Perhaps what many people don’t realise, or maybe don’t understand, is that being slim does not mean being fit, in fact far from it. Now that I’m getting that little bit older (only a little I might add), I wanted to get in shape and ‘firm up’. We all know that joining a gym is hard work, with both willpower and temptation constantly throwing themselves at us with a bar (or two) of chocolate, so I’ve teamed up with my sister and we’ve decided get in shape. Now, don’t get me wrong, neither of us relish the idea of going to the gym or eating healthy but sometimes a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do (or boy, really not gender specific)!

For the next 6 months, my sister and I will be working out, getting fit, shaping up or quite simply punishing ourselves beyond any realm of rationality, by teaming up with Paramount Health & Fitness, a family run gym based in Palmers Green, London Borough of Enfield. Founders Elena and Mario Ioannou have given us unlimited access to the gym along with the use of a personal trainer once a week and a training session once a week. For the first instalment we will be giving you the lowdown on the initiation process plus an introduction to the founders of Paramount Health & fitness and also an interview with our fabulous personal trainer, Julio.

My sister, Cindy, and I are different in size and build and our final goals and targets at the end of this task are very different. Whilst we both want to get fit, I want to tone up, get more muscle definition and There are gyms and fitness centres all over all over the UK and finding generally establish a healthier work out regime, whereas my sister wants one that actually cares about you as an individual and gives you targets to maintain a healthy fitness level without feeling like passing out every and goals that are achievable are critically important, especially if the time she sets out. Read on as we embark on our exercise journey… most exercise you do consists of walking up the stairs or, in my case, walking to the car!

So who are the people behind Paramount Health & Fitness…

In 2009, Elena and Mario Ioannou decided to convert an old furniture shop in Palmers Green into something new.

With a love of health and fitness and having worked as a personal trainer for over 9 years, Elena decided to combine her skills with husband and co-founder Marios’ skills (a former accountant and car dealer) to launch Paramount Health & Fitness.

Paramount Health & Fitness is a state-of-the-art, family-run gym which prides itself on offering unbeatable value for money, unparalleled customer service, cutting edge equipment and the latest in workout classes. One of the biggest things Elena wanted to establish and instil in fellow staff members was the need to treat every person as an individual, take the time to find out members names, what they hope to achieve and then to set realistic targets.

Elena enjoys helping clients look and feel their best and continues to help her clients achieve long term results in the fastest possible time by using a comprehensive approach incorporating exercise, nutrition and lifestyle changes where necessary. She has worked with a wide range of clients needs ranging from weight loss, muscle building, fitness, reducing stress to improving posture, flexibility and back problems.

Elena has a fantastic team supporting her at Paramount Health & Fitness with each person bringing something special to the business. As the gym is family run it has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, and members and staff regularly go out on bike rides together, and socialise together.

Become a member of Paramount and you will be on the way to a fitter, more energetic and happier you. Because Fitness is Paramount.

For more information, please contact: Next months feature will include pictures of the equipment we are using and what benefits they have, as well as the ups and downs we’ve experienced. We will also be featuring the nutritional hints and tips that we will be trying. If you have any questions regarding our Fitness Feature, email us at info@babybuzzmagazine.com or Paramount Health and Fitness on enquiry@paramounthealthandfitness.co.uk

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Email: enquiry@paramounthealthandfitness.co.uk Tel: 020 8292 0616 Website: www.paramounthealthandfitness.co.uk

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healthy way..

So who is charge of keeping us on our toes and keeping the motivation levels up? Let me introduce you to our personal trainer (PT) Julio.

What made you get into the Health & Fitness industry?

Since a young age I have always been sporty. I played for my schools basketball, cricket, hockey and tennis teams. I then became a tennis coach for many years and found it very rewarding teaching and entering my students into competitions. I began to exercise in the gym to become fitter and stronger on the tennis court and from that moment on I discovered my new hobby which was bodybuilding! A lot of people associate bodybuilding as big and muscular, someone who poses on stage when in fact bodybuilding is building the body the way you want to see it. e.g. loosing weight, toning and even putting on weight. From the moment I saw the transformation in my body, I decided to help others achieve such rewarding goals.

Are there any must haves and must not’s that you would recommend to people who are looking at getting in shape?

This really depends on the individual but overall try and keep a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, 2-3 pieces of fruit a day, a good source of protein which are egg whites, fish and chicken and also brown carbohydrates. You should keep saturated fats to a minimal as these can increase cholesterol. To compliment this diet you should exercise a minimum of 3 times a week with a balance of cardio and resistance.

What are the benefits of what you do?

Well, where do I start! The feeling of helping someone achieve what they have always wanted is the greatest reward. I has helped so many What are your future goals?

To work with more people who have disabilities. I am working with 2 of my clients build confidence, which in turn has lead to: people at the moment who have Parkinsons Disease and must say I am very proud of them as they have come along way. That has got to be 1) finding a job one of the most rewarding goals I have achieved so far.

2) being more outgoing and making new friends 3) dating What has been the funniest thing a member has asked you?

I remind my clients that as much as it is important to look great and feel hhhmmmm....nothing really that someone has asked me, but I can tell confident, it is also vital to keep the heart healthy and strong in order you the funniest thing I’ve seen, and its happened a few times now, it’s when people are doing squats and then let one rip! Now that’s funny. to give you a longer life.

Obviously I didn't laugh, I just pretended I didn't hear it and glanced around the room…

the “this is easy” feeling!

the “oh my god” feeling!

The first step for us getting into our fit and healthy programme is one most women would prefer to avoid - measurements, lots and lots of measurements and then to top if off, the dreaded weighing scales! Our PT Julio was very gracious whilst still enforcing the importance of each measurement and helped explain the reasons behind all the measurements taken. Not only were we both weighed the traditional way, we also had our body fat and BMI measured to give a more detailed breakdown, this also gave a more accurate way of outlining what our end goals needed to be.

So after the first session, we walked in feeling quietly confident that all was going to be nice and gentle and making our way round the gym using various apparatus and leaving again gently puffed out but able to walk!

WRONG! We each had approximately 35 / 40 minutes 1-2-1 with PT Julio and oh my god.. I ached in places I couldn’t imagine I could ache! This session for me started with a workout on the treadmill, this was the first time in a long time that I actually did some running. This was followed on with weights, lunges and squats (no I can safely say the above did not happen to me!) and then Once that had all been completed, PT Julio went through, in sufficient machine work. There was no let up after detail, what we hoped to achieve at the end of our fitness regime and each piece of equipment and wow did I feel like I’d been through a round then, for me, also gave me a detailed plan on foods to avoid and to with Mike Tyson. My sister didn’t fare much better and after an initial increase to help build muscle tone. bout of dizziness, thanks to the spinning bike, went through the paces and tackled each thing thrown at her by PT Julio.

We then headed into the main gym to start the “working out” process!

First in line was the treadmill for 10 minutes, which we found quite easy We both left struggling to walk down the stairs, aching from head to toe considering we have the fitness levels of a squashed ant! Then came 10 thinking how on earth were we going to face this all again the following minutes on to what can only be described as the stationary jogging / week! So two days on from this session, my legs ache and the stairs are walking machine which I have to confess nearly killed me! 5 minutes into a challenge, but I’m excited and looking forward to the next session. My this left my legs not being able to move! This was followed by the bike sister certainly feels the burn and likewise is looking forward to Week and another 10 minutes of torture. This was completed and we were Two. allowed to crawl back to the car and go home.. I have to say I didn’t ‘ACHE’ the following day and was quite looking forward to ‘Session Two’ We’ve both embarked on a much healthier eating plan, and I’m still whereas my sister was quite sore and happy to escape! eating much more protein than I had ever done before. Keep reading each month and see how much progress we make!

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Businesswoman, designer and mother Cecile Reinaud is the founder of celebrated international maternity fashion label Séraphine and co-founder of new revolutionary shoe brand, ShoeTherapy. Originally from Paris where she studied business, Cecile first moved to the UK to work at high profile advertising agencies including JWT, where she was appointed as the youngest Account Director in the company’s history. Cecile’s true passion has always been designing and creating clothes (inspired by her grandparents who owned a fabric company that supplied fashion houses such as Chanel), and it wasn’t long before pregnant friends began approaching her to tailor clothes to suit their bumps. Cecile spotted a business opportunity for fashion-driven maternity and nursing style solutions and in 2002, founded Séraphine.

Cecile’s first creation for Séraphine was a pioneering pair of maternity jeans, the first of their kind, which she made simply by adding a jersey panel along the waistband. The now award-winning denim range*, lauded for its versatile, flattering cuts and fashion colours, was an immediate success and soon had a two month waiting list. A decade later, and Séraphine boasts a unique and covetable collection of over 200 styles including chic Parisian-inspired wardrobe basics, partywear, sophisticated tailoring, underwear and nursing accessories, worn by A list celebrities including Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Claudia Schiffer, Jennifer Garner, Alyson Hannigan, Jessica Alba & Kate Hudson and sold in the brand’s London and Paris boutiques, award-winning international e-commerce sites and global stockists. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Cecile and her team have remained enduringly committed to creating the maternity clothes that are trend-influenced but functional, in the finest quality fabrics; and also to creating retail environments, online and in-store, that are luxurious but accessible. This vision and dedication has meant that Séraphine has grown quickly to become one of the leading global maternity fashion brands. New for 2012 is the Luxe collection – an exclusive range of bridal dresses, red carpet-worthy evening gowns and investment pieces, designed to be wearable throughout pregnancy and beyond.

One year after launching Séraphine, Cecile became pregnant with the first of her two sons and during her second pregnancy, conceived the idea of ShoeTherapy, the revolutionary patented footwear brand. Suffering firsthand from back ache, Cecile sought-out the corrective inner soles developed by acclaimed French orthopedist Doctor Jean Douhaire and from there, approached Dohaire to co-create a range of shoes that were as stylish as they were comfortable, with unique, health-benefiting technology.

ShoeTherapy was first launched in 2011: a collection of easy-to-wear ballerina pumps that are scientifically and clinically proven to alleviate back and joint pain and muscular tension, optimise posture and stimulate circulation - the fashionable solution for ALL women suffering from back and joint ache and also for pregnant women, seeking relief from heavy legs and swollen ankles.

Cecile continues to live and work in London, England.

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Séraphine has been in the public eye on many an occasion over the last year due to Kate Middleton wearing various pieces from the range. With Zara Phillips also expecting and, undoubtedly, following in the same footsteps, we are sure to see the brand in the news / press for quite some time. On wearing Seraphine’s signature knot front dress, founder of Séraphine, Cecile Reinaud, says “It is an immense honour that the Duchess chose a Seraphine dress for her official family photograph. It’s a dream come true to see that she likes my designs so much that she continues to wear them after the birth of Prince George. I was delighted to see her in our Blossom dress and she looks so radiant in our bright fuchsia design, it’s a perfect choice to show the world her happiness with her newborn and husband.”

Renata Polka Dot Dress - £52.00 Jolene Dress - £46.00

Blossom Knot Front Lavendar Dress - £50.00 www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

Colour Block Silk Maxi Gown £225.00

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Oneupmumship!

By Jodie Newman

The company of other mums is fantastic and it can be a vital support network - a chance to offload, to share the good bits (but more often the bad bits), to make sure you have not gone utterly, stark-raving bonkers, and to realise that there are a whole host of other unfortunate people in the same l e a k y , uncomfortable, precarious and unseaworthy boat as you. This boat, of course, is the good ship Parenting. There we all are, cast adrift on the choppy waters of motherdom, with no map, no clue and only a plastic bucket beside us. Which could come in handy for the inevitable bouts of sea sickness, but little else. But the perilous journey is made a little easier knowing that you are not alone.

I think oneupmumship starts even before the poor baby is born. The routine scans of your foetus are steeped in comparisons and milestones that should be reached, ticked off and rubber stamped: heads, limbs and organs are measured, and your baby better damn well measure up or they'll be trouble. "Well, your baby's index finger seems a little short," the sonographer might say, and you spend the rest of your pregnancy terrified that your offspring will never be an effective pointer-out-of-things. You might then mention this to another pregnant friend, who will make all the right sympathetic noises before there is a small silence, at which point she will smile and say, "well, that's funny really, because at my scan they told me my baby had extra-long index fingers." At which juncture all you want to do is take your average-size index finger and shove it up her right nostril.

I have very fond memories of those early days with my first born, venturing to the coffee shop to meet my NCT friends, all of us in varying states of exhaustion, worry and bewilderment, discussing the exact colour of our babies' poo, or just how long is acceptable to leave your baby crying, or what the best way to get a pureed carrot stain out of white jeans (although anyone who tries to wean a baby who is not wearing a full length chemical protection suit and a sowester deserves everything they get, quite frankly).

Both of my boys have had periods where they have been rubbish sleepers. As a skill, you would think that sleeping is not the most tricky to master, but my children have struggled to grasp the concept at times. So I have had many occasions where I have talked (I say talked, I mean moan. I say moan, I mean scream) about this to friends.

Without fail, the conversation will end with them telling my how fabulous their children are at sleeping and I am once again, a victim of Oneupmumship.

At one of our mum-gatherings when our babies were all about eight months old, one of the mums mentioned that her daughter had started to crawl. The rest of us tried to hide our disappointment with our own, lazy, prostrate offspring on the rug before us. I gave mine a sneaky toe-poke to try and spur him into action, but he just lay there, giggling. There was no way that boy was about to crawl - every time I put him on his tummy, he just flailed about, his limbs barely making contact with the ground due to the rotundness of his belly.

But there was no mistaking the frisson of tension in the room: who's baby would walk first? Who could claim the perambulatory glory?

And yet. Get a group of mums (a fatigue of mothers?) together and "Oh well," I say, "At least he is fluent in Mandarin." Well. If you can't there can occur something a little less palatable, a little more divisive. beat 'em, lie to 'em.

I call it oneupmumship. Mums who just can't help but boast about their offspring. Of course, every mum and dad wishes that the embodiment of their combined genes will be a perfect specimen of For more information and highly a human being, a wish that lasts usually about a fortnight at which enjoyable reading, please visit any of point you can't help but momentarily hate your baby for not having the following: the skill to sleep through the night like everyone else's seems to. And every day you realise that your child moves a little further away from http://www.jodienewman.co.uk- for perfection, slowly but surely. So all that is left is oneupmumship: your exclusive extracts from Womb with a child may not be perfect, but as long he is better than someone else's View and to purchase the book child, some comfort can be had.

Waiting to see the health visitor one day, I eaves-dropped on a conversation between two mums: "My son walked at nine months, he was a really early walker."

"Really? Mine was crawling at five months."

"Oh, mine didn't bother to crawl. He just walked at nine months. And a week later, literally, he ran. Proper running. Literally."

At which point a silence fell in the waiting room. The woman who was suddenly contemplating that her baby must practically be a retard for not running a marathon by ten months could not muster up a reply to top that. But of course, there was an appropriate response: Shut Up.

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www.motheringfrights.wordpress. com: One mother. One toddler. A baby. And no bloody clue whatsoever. www.facebook.com/mothering.frig hts - be my friend (said in highpitched, desperate voice) and never miss a mothering frights blog again 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

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Why guess, why not test?

Women want protection from deadly newborn baby infection. Newly published data show that 97% of women think ALL pregnant women should routinely be offered a reliable test for group B Strep (group B Streptococcus or GBS).

The research, conducted among 2,102 pregnant women on Bounty’s ‘Word of Mum’ Research Panel, showed that 41% of women had not heard of group B Strep.

choose to have penicillin in labour if they are carriers.” (Professor Philip Steer is also a member of Group B Strep Support’s medical advisory panel).

National charity Group B Strep Support campaigns for greater awareness and better prevention of group B Strep infection in babies, specifically asking that: ● ●

Of those who had heard of group B Strep ● 33% of women had heard about it from a midwife, GP practice or antenatal class ● 67% had heard of it from other sources, almost half of these from a pregnancy book or magazine ● 44% of women who had heard of group B Strep had found all the information they needed, more than half had either not found any or not found enough information.

Almost one newborn baby a day in England, Wales & Northern Ireland suffers group B Strep infection, the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborn babies. One in ten of these sick babies will die and a further one in twenty of the survivors will suffer long-term physical or mental disabilities. Carrying group B Strep during pregnancy, which approximately 25% of women do, is recognised as a key risk factor for group B Strep infection in newborn babies and yet, as these new data show, most women are not being told about group B Strep by their health professionals.

Group B Strep infection in babies is up to 90% preventable when antibiotics are given in labour to women found to carry group B Strep by sensitive testing at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy. This is standard practice in many developed countries, including Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Oman, Poland, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland and the USA. Countries which routinely offer antenatal testing for group B Strep have seen 71-86% reductions in the incidence of these devastating infections in newborn babies, whilst in the UK the incidence rose in the decade to 2010 by 46% (0.28 per 1,000 live births in 2000, 0.41 per 1,000 live births in 2010). The UK used a risk-based prevention strategy, introduced in 2003, and sensitive tests for group B Strep carriage are not widely available within the NHS. The data suggest this strategy isn’t having the desired effect.

Jane Plumb MBE, chief executive of national charity Group B Strep Support, says, “These latest data confirm what we hear all the time - women want to be informed about group B Strep, offered a reliable test in pregnancy and, when group B Strep is found or other risk factors arise, offered preventative antibiotics in labour. And they simply can’t understand why this happens in other countries but not here. To think that in 2013 women aren’t even being told about what is recognised as the most common cause of severe infection in newborn babies is astounding.”

95% of the women interviewed said that they would take a test for group B Strep in pregnancy if offered without charge by the NHS. 60% would pay the £35 to do it privately. Jane Plumb continued, “Just why health professionals aren’t telling pregnant women about group B Strep remains a mystery. If they’re concerned that it will worry them, this new data suggest otherwise – when asked whether knowing about GBS affected their enjoying their pregnancy, nearly 9 out of 10 said it would not. Women are clearly keen both to be told about GBS and offered testing.”

Emeritus Professor at Imperial College and consultant obstetrician at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, Philip Steer comments, “Unlike countries where screening has been introduced, the UK has not seen falls in the incidence of this highly preventable disease, instead the rise in the number of births means that 50% more babies are reported as being affected each year than a decade ago. This is particularly distressing when we know that most GBSS disease can be prevented if we offer women a simple test, which allows them to

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● ●

Information about GBS be routinely given to all women as part of their antenatal care Sensitive testing for GBS be made freely available within the NHS and offered to every pregnant woman whose baby is at low risk of developing GBS infection Antibiotics be offered intravenously in labour to all mums whose babies are known to be at higher risk of developing GBS infection Vaginal swabs from pregnant women always be tested using a method that offers good sensitivity for GBS detection

Case study: Tilly’s Story Tilly Collins, born 17�� March 2013 at 38 weeks. Suffered from EO (early-onset) GBS | Weight: 8lb 10oz Mum Joanne’s pregnancy with Tilly was neither difficult, nor easy.

However, Joanne’s waters had gone more than 18 hours before Tilly was born (prolonged rupture of the membranes – more than 18 hours before delivery is recognised as one of the clinical risk factors where the risk of GBS infection is increased three-fold).

Joanne had a normal vaginal delivery in a mid-wife led hospital and no antibiotics for group B Strep were administered. Tilly very quickly developed breathing difficulties, continuous grunting and refused to feed. This continued for several hours. “We alerted this to the attention of the midwife on multiple occasions and after checks had suggested no obvious issues we were escorted to the special care baby unit where more tests were carried out,” says Joanne.

The doctor initially diagnosed a small tear in Tilly’s lung and she was placed in an incubator on a small dose of antibiotics. Twenty-four hours passed with little improvement, resulting in blood tests to identify any bacteria growth. Early results suggested a potentially serious bacterial infection which was shortly confirmed to be group B Strep meningitis and sepsis. This resulted in Tilly being cared for in Winchester’s SCBU for two weeks and receiving a course of antibiotics.

“We feel that this terrible ordeal could have been avoided if only the test for GBS was offered, especially knowing that this only costs £30 (privately) which seems a small price to pay considering the potential life changing impact of the infection.

Also that cost compared to the cost of a two-week stay in SCBU seems fairly insignificant but despite that the care we received in SCBU was priceless. All the doctors and nurses we came across by far exceeded our expectations,” says Joanne. Joanne feels very strongly that every pregnant woman should be made aware of this infection as this is currently not being undertaken as part of a pregnant woman’s antenatal programme. “Since having Tilly, I have found out a lot of information about group B Strep and I am upset we were not given any during my pregnancy.”

Since those traumatic two weeks where Tilly’s life was on the line, the Collins’s have been on an emotional journey, taking every day as it comes with the worry of what the long-term impact of the infection may be on Tilly. Six months into Tilly’s life, she is showing incredible strength and has fought every battle to date and is developing into a beautiful little girl.

Group B Strep Support, P O Box 203, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1GF www.gbss.org.uk Registered Charity No 1112065.

Company Registration No 5587535

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A Survey Said…

Second on the list of child-trumping phrases was “what have I told you” no doubt said in a tone of frustration with an equal undercurrent of love and ‘it serves you right!’.

Other phrases included: ● "You’ll get square eyes from all that telly” Mums across the UK relish and fear, ● “Wait til your father gets home” often in equal measure, the prospect ● ‘If you break your leg doing that, don’t come running to me” of ‘turning into their mother’ but a ● “You’re eating me out of house and home” recent survey by Clevamama suggests ● And the matter of fact, no argument, “Do what you’re told” that the similarities across the generations is more than just tying a knot in your bra to remember The survey also asked the new parents what things their pre-baby selves would be shocked at and “wearing clothes covered in baby drool” and something important. “going out in a tracksuit with no make up” were both top of the list.

84% of UK mums admit to finding Commenting on the research Suzanne Browne, Managing Director of themselves sounding like their parents.

Clevamama, said; “It is interesting to see how the memories and It seems that British mums are inadvertently echoing the older experiences we have as children impacts on the way we are as parents. generation with the catch-all argument winner “because I said so” There is so much memory in parenting – from echoing the tellings off topping the list of phrases mums have adopted from their parents. and frustrations of our own parents, to treasuring the memories of our When it comes to parent vs kid trumps, ‘because I said so’ just about childhood and that of our own children.” wins over ‘whatevs’!

A survey of British mums has shown a staggering 99% of mums keep charity helping to grant more wishes for very brave and deserving their baby’s hospital ID band. children.”

The survey by Clevamama to mark the launch of ClevaMemories, a Retailing at £34.99, it is an ideal gift to give at a Christening or baby keepsake suitcase and baby record book, also found that 82% of mums shower. keep their baby’s first curl and 74% store away their baby’s first tooth amongst their cherished memories.

Partnering with pioneering charity Make A Wish, 15% of the overall proceed of sales go directly to the children’s charity, which helps grant Whist 71% of parents store their memories away in time capsules and the wishes of deserving children all over the UK. boxes, for some mums the memory is at risk of getting lost with attics, shoe boxes, wardrobes and carrier bags under the bed among the top ‘storage’ places cited for precious keepsakes.

Other cherished keepsakes include the first doll or teddy, the pair of shoes, dress or outfit, drawings, letters and crafty creations from the littleuns and baby blankets, often knitted by a loved one. Newspaper clippings from the day the baby was born and scrapbooks are also popular with parents. Umbilical cords and belly button clips are even kept by 6% of mums.

Commenting on the survey findings, Suzanne Browne, Managing Director of Clevamama, said: “As each child grows, we all collect priceless items and treasures too precious not to keep. Increasingly parents are able to keep and share a digital record of their baby’s first days, weeks and months. ClevaMemories is for everything you can’t have on your phone - the physical and immensely personal collection of cherished moments and items precious to parent and baby.

“The keepsake suitcase is designed to store the items that are collected as the child grows. The baby book includes documents to story from pregnancy to birth and beyond, and even includes a record of the news of the day – the price of a pint of milk, the average house price, the number one song and even fashion trends. A memento to cherish and look back on in years to come.”

She added: “We are proud to launch ClevaMemories in support of such a worthwhile charity as Make-A-Wish. 15% of all proceeds from ClevaMemories will be donated to the Make-A-Wish UK children's

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Keeping your baby warm and secure is especially important in the early months. The Snugglebundl baby wrap is designed to keep your baby snug even when you’re on the go.

This hooded baby blanket ties at the front and has soft, strong handles (tested to 30kg/66lbs) so you can gently lift your baby in and out of car seats, prams and pushchairs without disturbance. The Snugglebundl can be used from new-born to 6 months, it’s made from 100% cotton and is softly padded under the head area.

Metanium – nappy rash experts – are offering 3 Baby Buzz readers the chance to win a Snugglebundl lifting wrap for babies (RRP £40). 6 runners up will win a Metanium Busy Week Planner (RRP £9-99) to help you organise your hectic Baby schedule. All winners will receive a free sample of Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment. When you’re on the move, the one thing you don’t want to have to worry about is nappy rash. Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment has a unique double action formula to provide daily protection from nappy rash and is gentle enough to use every day and at each nappy change. If nappy rash does strike, then Metanium Nappy Rash Ointment is licensed specifically to treat nappy rash. Metanium Nappy Rash Ointment is a medicine, always read the label.

In a product test with Mumsnet, 200 mumsnetters tested Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment and most said they would be likely to recommend Metanium to other mums.

Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment RRP £2-99 for 40g and £5-49 for 80g and Metanium Nappy Rash Ointment 30g RRP £3-65 are available from Asda, Boots, Morrisons, Savers, Sainsburys, Tesco, pharmacies and at www.boots.com

Visit: www.metanium.co.uk for more information about the treatment and prevention of nappy rash. http://www.snugglebundl.co.uk/ "Lift without strain, move without waking!"

Metanium – together we’ve got your baby’s bottom covered! www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

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Mortgage lenders must end this child support muddle, says SavvyWoman.co.uk Thousands of divorced women, or those whose relationship has broken down, are being penalised because they’re with the ‘wrong’ mortgage lender.

Women could be forced to keep their ex’s name on the mortgage, or be denied a mortgage altogether if they choose a mortgage lender that doesn’t accept child support as income, says leading financial website for women, SavvyWoman.co.uk.

SavvyWoman.co.uk contacted thirteen[i] of the UK’s leading mortgage lending groups and found there was little consistency in their approach when deciding whether or not to lend to customers who receive child support. Some mortgage lenders only take a percentage of child support into account when assessing income, at least two lenders ignore it altogether, and others insist that a court order or CSA/Child Maintenance Service[ii] plan is in place. Last year, child support was paid to support over a million children[iii]. Official CSA figures show that, in 2012, almost 150,000 families reached an agreement to pay child support informally, something the government is trying to encourage more parents to do as the Child Maintenance Service takes over from the CSA. If lenders continue to insist that an official maintenance plan is in place, it could affect thousands more borrowers.

SavvyWoman.co.uk contacted thirteen of the UK’s leading mortgage lending groups and found: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Two lenders didn’t accept child support payments as part of a borrower’s income at all, and one not as a general rule.[iv] Two lenders only accept a percentage of child support income (in one case as little as 50%)[v] Six lenders insist on a court order or CSA/CMS payment order or similar[vi] Only five accept child support as income without a court order or official CSA/Child Maintenance Service payment plan in place[vii]

Sarah Pennells, Editor of SavvyWoman.co.uk, says: “Mortgage lenders simply aren’t keeping up with the times. The fact is that almost 120,000[viii] couples get divorced each year, and many thousands of relationships break down. Of these, numerous will result in the payment of child support. When couples apply for a mortgage they expect to stay together, but if a relationship breaks down and child support is required, a woman – or man - receiving child support could find they are not able to take over the mortgage. If remortgaging, they must be careful about the new lender they apply to.

Mortgage lenders that ignore child support or restrict how much is taken into account may say it’s because these payments aren’t guaranteed and they need to check the support is due to be paid for several years, but few jobs come with a guarantee these days. Mortgage lenders must make sure mortgages are affordable, but should also understand that the income of divorced women – and men – may include child support.”

SavvyWoman.co.uk is calling for mortgage lenders to: 1.

2.

3.

Be clear about their policy, and publish this information so borrowers know the lender’s approach before they sign up for a mortgage.

Review how they treat child support if they don’t currently count it as income or only include a percentage of it.

Reconsider their approach in light of the government’s extension of the work of the CMS in December and, by definition, its encouragement of parents to come to informal arrangements

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The family law organisation Resolution is supporting SavvyWoman in highlighting this issue and is calling on lenders to take a consistent approach.Nigel Shepherd, spokesman, says: "Resolution members are family law professionals committed to helping separating couples agree financial arrangements between themselves wherever possible. We would want lenders to be consistent and support this objective. Privately agreed child support payments should be accepted as relevant income rather than requiring parents to go to the CMS, which risks creating unnecessary conflict and will cost parents when in due course planned charges for using CMS come in. “ Nigel Shepherd continues. “If it's in the interests of the children to stay with a parent in the family home and this means that parent taking over responsibility for the mortgage, anything that mortgage lenders can do to avoid putting barriers in the way should be welcomed."

Leading mortgage expert, Ray Boulger of brokers John Charcol, says mortgage lenders are being illogical: “As Government policy is to encourage the parties to come to a private arrangement for maintenance payments, a policy being reinforced by the CMS under plans to impose charges on both parties when its services are used, it is illogical for lenders to discriminate against applicants who are able to agree terms for maintenance without involving the Court or the CMS. However it is sensible for a lender to require to see the private agreement between the parties setting out the terms of the maintenance payments, plus a track record of regular payments, which can be proved by the applicant providing bank statements for, say, 6 months, to satisfy themselves the arrangements are robust. This should also be adequate to satisfy the regulator, The Financial Conduct Authority, as well as the lender.

“Furthermore, rather than restricting acceptance of maintenance payments to only 50% or 60%, as some lenders do when calculating affordability, once the principle is established there is a strong argument for not only accepting 100%, but going further and grossing up the payments in view of the fact that maintenance payments are tax free. Maintenance payments are only likely to be reduced or temporarily cease if the payer loses their job, i.e. exactly the same risk of any mortgages generally, which are based on earned income.”

While divorce lawyers say that an existing mortgage is increasingly being seen as a valuable ‘asset’ in financial settlements. James Pirrie, partner and child support specialist with leading family law firm Family Law in Partnership, says: "I have found increasingly over the last couple of years that settling divorce cases is not about the assets, but about who gets to keep and benefit from an existing mortgage because it is so hard to secure replacement borrowing.

Those going through separation and divorce are often completely unprepared for how the mortgage market has changed. Government policy aims to encourage those seeking to make an application for child support into settling their own arrangements, however these ‘family based arrangements’ are non-binding.”

The Child Support Agency (CSA) is a delivery arm of the Development for Work and Pensions. From December 2012, its work is gradually being replaced by the Child Maintenance Service, and from the end of the year it will start taking on existing cases (although a final date hasn’t been set). For more information, see http://savvywoman.co.uk/c8pages/c8s2.php?art_id=1034.

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KIDDY SCOOPS TOP SPOTS IN WHICH 2013 RESULTS! Kiddy is extremely proud to announce manufacturers is outperforming the shoulder harness system, winning top spots in today’s Which proving yet again that protection shield is the safest way to transport an infant.

Best Buy 2013 results.

Kiddy’s Phoenixfix Pro 2 child car seat has received first place in the Group 1 Best Buy Car Seat category with an outstanding 82%, while Guardian Pro 2 maintained the top spot for Group 1, 2, 3 for a second year running!

Kiddy has been setting standards in terms of mobile child safety and is regularly awarded the best ratings by the major European consumer protection and test organisations. For more than 30 years the family run company, based in Germany, has declared the safety of children in the car as its priority.

For the Phoenix Fix Pro 2, this is yet another accolade after receiving the highest grades possible in the latest child car seat tests from leading German test houses. ADAC has awarded the rating 'Very good' for a group 1 child car seat (9 to 18 kg, approx. 1 to 4 years old) for the first time and Stiftung Warentest also gave a judgement of 'Very good', the highest rating given.

The manufacturer of innovative child car seats, pushchairs and accessories is now present in 53 countries. Research, development and the use of high-tech materials form the core thesis of the company strategy, whose ethical approach can be summed up in one sentence: the uncompromising safety of the child is the priority. From this ambitious philosophy stem child car seats of the highest safety performance format.

In other results, Kiddy’s Cruiserfix Pro has achieved joint 2ⁿ� place in the Group 2, 3 Best Buy Car Seat category and GuardianFix Pro 2 scored joint 3�� place in Group 1, 2, 3. What these recent Which Best Buy tables really show is that protection shield technology from Kiddy and the other

For further information, please visit: www.kiddy.de

Is an “Outstanding” Nursery in Chase Side, Enfield. The nursery is OFSTED registered and provides high quality care and education to children and babies aged from 6 months to 5 years, for 50 weeks of the year.

The nursery is purpose built and offers a wonderful, home from home environment. Our staff are wonderful and hold a variety of qualifications, including CRB checks. We aim to provide children with a rich, stimulating nursery experience, which we hope will be a positive influence on children’s learning and development for life.

For more information please visit www.nurseryonthegreen.co.uk or telephone 0208 292 0262

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YOUNG ARSENAL FANS ENJOY DAY TO REMEMBER AT EMIRATES STADIUM

150 young Arsenal fans had the chance to attend the Club’s annual supports to help an increasing number of young people across the ‘Gunner’s Play Day’ on Friday, October 4, at Emirates Stadium. globe fulfil their potential and help their communities thrive. The main focus of the work is through education projects, an area where Arsenal The ‘Junior Gunners’ – all aged 0-3 – and their parents enjoyed an has made a difference over many years with community-led and action packed afternoon in North London. charitable initiatives that motivate and engage young people using the power of the Arsenal name.

There was the chance to meet Arsenal star Santi Cazorla, who attended the event with his young children, and to get stuck into tons of football For more information visit related activities. www.arsenal.com/thearsenalfoundation There were mini games of football, a football themed bouncy castle and a cut out of Club captain Thomas Vermaelen to pose alongside.

With Arsenal’s young membership scheme the Junior Gunners celebrating its 30�� anniversary this year, there was also a birthday themed arts and crafts area, with cup cake and party hat making, face painting and balloons.

Arsenal mascot Gunnersarurus was also on hand to meet all the young fans.

Full details on the Club’s young membership scheme can be found at www.alwaysaheadofthegame.com/junior.

Arsenal Football Club is proud to transform the lives of young people through a variety of projects funded through The Arsenal Foundation.

The Arsenal Foundation is a fundraising and grant-making organisation designed to grow the reach and effect of the programmes the Club

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School gate culture knocks parent confidence … ●

Parents feeling under confident as new term begins… and flock to the shops to feel good

●

The rise of the school gate ‘Mumzilla’ is rife

Mothers may have recently emerged as the ones to feel pressure to look good on the school run, but it is parents in general who lack self-confidence, with over a third of all British parents feeling that they have no confidence to pass on to their children (35%), potentially leading to a future generation of shy, insecure and introverted youngsters.

Further to the discussions this week on netmums, a survey by Transform Cosmetic Surgery[�], found that with the new school term upon us, 10% of parents cited being at the school gates as a situation they do not feel confident in, as the rise of the ‘Mumzilla’ means parent peer pressure to look and feel good is rife in the playground.

In fact, only 5.4% of parents stated that they always feel confident, revealing that British parents are suffering a serious confidence crisis. As a consequence, men and women alike are hitting the shops to change how they look – a whopping 54% feel that they have to rush out to have makeovers before doing the school drop off, which included getting a new hairstyle, new clothes and having their teeth whitened. The least confident of Britain’s parents are in Cardiff, with a whopping 46% of mums and dads stating they have low confidence levels and worry about passing this on to their children. Following closely behind is Norwich, with 45% stating their insecurity, with anxious Plymouth parents (40%) in third place. The situation that terrifies parents the most is returning to work and going for job interviews (41%), followed by visits to the local swimming pool (30%), clothes shopping (23%) and even a simple task such as looking in the mirror in the morning (25%).

Commenting on the findings, Steven Taylor, Marketing Director at Transform Cosmetic Surgery says: “The research has shed light on how British parents are feeling at this crucial time of year. It’s shocking that mums and dads alike are struggling to this extent with confidence issues. This school gate culture means that parents feel nervous and unsure of themselves and so ultimately have little confidence to pass on to their children. We want to highlight these findings to help parents feel confident in their own skin and not let the peer pressure from other parents and surrounding situations take over their lives.”

Activities parents do not feel confident in: ● Job interviews / return to work – 41.8% ● At the swimming pool – 30.3% ● Clothes shopping – 23.4% ● Looking in the mirror – 23.3% ● At the gym – 22.4% ● Dealing with banks utility companies – 18.1% ● On the beach – 18% ● At kids parties – 16.2% ● At the pub – 15.3% ● Being around younger people – 14.9% ● On public transport – 13.5% ● At family gatherings – 12.1% ● School gates – 10.7%

Least confident of Britain’s parents: ● Cardiff – 46% ● Norwich – 45% ● Plymouth – 40% ● Liverpool – 38% ● Nottingham – 37% ● London – 36% ● Brighton – 35% ● Sheffield – 34% ● Southampton – 34% ● Glasgow – 32% ● Belfast – 33% ● Manchester – 33% ● Newcastle – 32% ● Birmingham – 30% ● Leeds – 30% ● Bristol – 26% ● Edinburgh – 17%

Transform is Britain's largest and most popular cosmetic surgery provider with 38 years' experience 27 clinics across the UK and two hospitals dedicated to cosmeticsurgery.

Transform offers a comprehensive and extensive post-operative care programme, included in the cost of the treatments, giving patients that extra peace of mind after surgery. Transform works with highly qualified and GMC registered cosmetic surgeons and experienced nursing staff.

For further information, please contact: www.transforminglives.co.uk 0800 655 6406 info@transform-medical.co.uk

Vitamins for Children Following renewed fears regarding the re-emergence of rickets Professor Dame Sally Davies called for a review of the current vitamin distribution policy.

Rickets is back (800 cases have been reported this year) and it is blamed on poor diet and lack of outdoor activities for children. 40% of children are thought to have less than the recommended levels of Vitamin D. This helps the body absorb calcium which of course is essential for young bones. At present only children from a low income family get assistance. Dame Sally is recommending all children under 5 are offered vitamins.

Solaray offer a naturally flavoured and sweetened (fructose free) raspberry lemonade children's multivitamin and mineral to combat this problem. It is dinosaur shaped and the children will love the taste!

This supplement includes Vitamins A, B-12, B1, B2 B6, C and D as well as calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Selenium. Everything a child needs to keep them healthy and active, especially as the weather closes in and getting them outside is more difficult.

Multisaurus - £6.98 for 60 chewable tablets Available from www.solarayuk.co.uk or independent health food retailers.

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Stress-free family meals

We know that family meal times are a good idea. Studies have shown that kids who regularly eat with their parents are healthier, happier and do better at school. But to get everyone sitting round the table, and even better eating the same food, is often a struggle. So here are some tips to make eating with your children an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

▪

Research shows that kids copy what their parents eat.

So when you give them a new food, make sure they see you enjoying it first.

▪

Even after you've done this, they may still reject it. This is perfectly normal and the best way to deal with it is simply to take it away, without getting angry with them, and reintroduce it over the next few months until they eat it.

▪

And when they do decide to eat it, or anything healthy they've previously turned their nose up at, they don't have to be rewarded with pudding. How about using a star or sticker chart, and giving an outing or a toy as a reward. This tones down the negative connotations of healthy food, and is better for them too.

▪

We've all experienced how telling your child not to do something can be the best way to get them to do it!

Following this principle, banning foods is not a good idea. Give your kids the chance to eat all foods in small quantities. This will teach them the value of healthy eating, prevent snacking, and make them hungry for mealtimes.

For days you’re not able to eat together, Little Dish can help you to produce nutritious yet tasty food for your little ones. Our fresh meals are made with 100% natural ingredients, with no added salt. They are perfect for children from 1 year and up, and are ready to eat in minutes. You can also cook our meals from frozen.

All our recipes have been taste tested by our team of ‘Tiny Tasters’ so you know they have been approved by little ones like your own – good news for fussy eaters. You can find our meals in the chilled aisles of Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, selected Morrisons and on Ocado.com. www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

You can read more tips on feeding little ones and download lots of tasty recipes at www.littledish.co.uk. To keep up to date with Little Dish news you can like our Facebook page at www.Facebook.co.uk/littledish. Alternatively, send a lovely message to Jess, our Brand Ambassador for the South East, at jess@littledish.co.uk.

Reader Competition: Calling All Great Family Cooks ..

If you have a tasty and healthy recipe that guarantees an empty plate from all the family, even your smallest family members, we would love to hear from you. Send your recipe and a photo of your dish to Jess at jess@littledish.co.uk and we will publish the best recipe we receive on our Facebook page. Our winner will also receive our Little Dish Favourites Cookbook and other goodies plus a week’s supply of Little Dish meals thrown in for good measure. Our deadline for submissions is 15�� December with the winning recipe published online from 20�� December.

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Little Dish loves home cooking. That's why we make our healthy kids' meals just as you'd cook them at home. So here are a few tasty, natural recipes which the Little Dish team and their tasters have tried and tested:

Simple Tomato Sauce This is a delicious and quick recipe, an essential basic that can be adapted for lots of dishes. It can also be frozen in large batches.

Ingredients: ● ● ● ● ●

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes Freshly ground black pepper

Here's what you do: ● Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally for about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes and season with black pepper. ● Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens.

Tasty Tuna and Tomato Stew

Cheesy Falafels

Once you have made our simple tomato sauce, Makes about 20 small balls, can be try your hand at this tasty and hearty dish. frozen.

Ingredients:

They are easy to make and kids enjoy ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

1 tin of tuna picking up the little falafels with their A batch of our Simple Tomato Sauce (see fingers. If you have never tried to above) make falafels before this is the recipe 3 potatoes for you.

4 stems of broccoli A handful of fresh spinach Ingredients: 1/2 pepper 1/2 onion ● 2 x 410g chickpeas A handful of fresh basil ● 1 tbsp plain flour Crushed black pepper

● ●

60g grated cheddar cheese 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped 1 egg

Here’s what you do: ● Preheat oven to 18ºC. ● Wash and peel the potatoes. ● ● Bring a pan of water to the boil. ● Chop the potatoes into cubes and place into Here’s what you do the boiling water; power boil for 8 - 10 ● Whizz it all up in food minutes. processor, add seasoning if ● Bring another pan of water to the boil and required. cook broccoli for 3 minutes. ● Scoop onto baking tray in ● Drain both the potatoes and broccoli. small balls. ● Chop and dice the onion, pepper, spinach and basil. ● Bake in 180 degrees oven ● Place the chopped onions, peppers, spinach for 20 mins. and basil into a deep casserole dish along with the broccoli and potatoes. ● Open the tin of tuna and drain, empty the tuna into the casserole dish. ● Pour in our simple tomato sauce and mix through. ● Sprinkle some crushed black pepper over and stir through again. ● Place the casserole dish into the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Enjoy.

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For more easy and delicious smoothie recipes visit www.fittamamma.com

Try our easy healthy pregnancy soup recipe!

Don’t feel much like eating?

Sometimes when you’re pregnant you just can’t face a big meal – but it’s important not to skimp on essential nutrients.

FittaMamma’s ‘Power Shake’ is packed with essential calcium, minerals and lots of lovely vitamins – all served in a glass! ●

● ● ● ● ● ●

Approximately 150g/6oz prepared fruit such as berries, mango banana, papaya, peach, apricot, melon or Kiwi fruit 250ml/8½fl oz low-fat plain yoghurt 250ml/8½fl oz fruit juice of choice such as orange, apple, pineapple or cranberry 50g/2oz ground almonds 2 tbsp honey 3-4 tbsp wheat germ Pinch of ground cinnamon

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, serve in glasses with extra ice to taste, this shake will keep in the fridge for two days.

This easy soup recipe is packed with essential pregnancy vitamins. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene with is good for your eyesight, immune system and healthy skin, tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin C which helps form healthy bones, teeth and gums! ● One medium onion finely chopped ● One clove of garlic, crushed. ● I tbsp olive oil. ● 3-4 large carrots roughly chopped into small cubes. ● 2 tins of chopped tomatoes . ● ½ pint of chicken or vegetable stock. ● 2-3 tbsps crème fraiche. ● Tbsp of fresh oregano (if available) or used dried oregano to taste. Salt and freshly ground black pepper Gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is transparent, add the carrots, stir and fry for a minute or two before pouring in the stock.

Simmer gently until the carrots are tender and add the tomatoes and herbs.

Continue to simmer to allow the flavours to meld together and blend, add more water if it’s too thick. Add the crème fraiche, re-heat gently, season and serve!

Carrot and Ginger Salad with Oriental Dressing Ooh we love this recipe! Carrots are the perfect source of beta-carotene, so important for your healthy pregnancy diet. Just Healthy pregnancy snack carrot and ginger saladone portion of this salad will give you more than the recommended daily amount AND it’s teamed with fresh ginger to help combat pregnancy nausea! ● 4 large carrots coarsely grated ● 2 spring onions finely chopped ● 2 tbsp of sesame seeds ● 4 tsps of finely grated fresh root ginger ● 4 tbsps sunflower oil (rapeseed oil or peanut oil both work well too) ● 6 tbsp rice vinegar ● 3 tbsps soy sauce ● 2 tsps soft brown sugar ● A few chives for garnish Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden brown. Mix the carrots, spring onions, sesame seeds and grated ginger in a bowl. Make the dressing by combining the oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar and stirring vigorously. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, mix well and serve. Garnish with a few coarsely chopped chives

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Harris + Hoole to train best two baristas to compete in UK Barista Championships Harris+Hoole has announced the winners of its inaugural ‘Hoolymipcs’ – the company’s annual search for its best barista.

The Hoolympics consisted of four competitions for cupping – which tested baristas’ tasting abilities, latte art, the Brewer’s cup – challenging baristas to produce delicious coffee using a manual process and the barista championships. The winner of the barista championships will be trained by Harris+Hoole’s head trainer Dennis Tutbury to compete in the UK Barista Championships next year.

the runner-up, James West (below right) for the UK Barista Championships too.

Vaiva also won the Brewer’s Cup while Andrew Shirtliff (below right) took both the latte art (below) and cupping crowns.

The final took place at Harris+Hoole’s Cannon St branch. Harris+Hoole’s finest baristas battled it out for the crown of ‘Best Barista’, taking it in turns to create the perfect cup of coffee for a panel of four judges.

Andrew Tolley, Coffee Director at Harris+Hoole, commented: “We really admire all of our baristas. Vavia and James went that extra mile, and we were seriously impressed. It is fantastic that both have shown such brilliant ability, and so early in their careers too. We are excited to help them on their journey to the UK Barista Championships, and we anticipate great futures in the coffee business for both of them.

“Coffee championships challenge the competitors to take their skills to a new level by focussing on sensory, technical, service and knowledge development. Harris + Hoole fully appreciates that quality is at the heart of its business and that these competitions are invaluable in helping baristas develop the requisite skills to consistently and passionately produce quality coffee”.

The winners of the Hoolympics were announced later that day, at Harris and Hoole’s ‘Festival of Happiness’ – the company’s first-birthday celebrations held at the London Fields Brewery in Hackney.

The barista championships winner was Vaiva Maskovaite (below left), but such was the quality of the competition that Dennis agreed to train

About Harris+Hoole Harris+Hoole is an artisan coffee shop venture founded by siblings Nick, Andrew and Laura Tolley (the founders of Taylor St Baristas) in 2012. It aims to set a new standard in high street coffee, using some of the latest artisanal barista techniques and technology to ensure maximum flavour and quality. To date, the company has opened 22 stores and now employs 350 people.

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Week 1: The nappies are off!

Jenni Falconer’s Potty Training Blog, in association with Dry Like Me comes up with work I know Ella will be in good hands. I understand potty training can be a bit stressful so I want Ella to be surrounded by people she knows well as we start to introduce changes into her routine.

First, let’s get through week one....the ‘preparation week’ and for this I have pretty much cleared the decks as much as I can in terms of work. I am helping out on the Heart FM London Breakfast Show with Jamie and Emma Monday to Friday this week. I have been out and about giving prizes to listeners all across London but the early starts mean I am normally back by 9am so it is great to know that James and my mum will be at home with Ella.

Is Ella ready?

In terms of gauging whether Ella is ready, she has started telling me that she has gone for a wee, which is not something she did before.

At the weekend we bought her a new duck potty; it has a lid like a proper toilet and quacks every time something goes in the bowl.

We are yet to put the batteries in so it isn’t quacking yet. Ella has been sitting on the potty with her nappies on with a wet wipes in one hand and a nappy in the other.

TV presenter and mum Jenni Falconer, has teamed up with Dry Like Me, to pen an exclusive Potty Training Blog. Jenni, her husband James and their two year old daughter Ella are taking the plunge and are embarking on a very public potty training. The six weekly blogs will bring potty training to life through the eyes of a busy working celebrity mum, following the peaks and troughs of what is When I pointed out that she doesn’t need to wear her nappy on the an eventful, humorous, and sometimes stressful episode for parents potty she didn’t seem at all happy and says she needs her nappy (at least that’s what we think she’s saying!). So I have been asking her and children alike. whether our dog Alfie, a puggle, wears nappies or her favourite toys Jenni Falconer, aged 37, is a broadcaster and presenter best known like Minnie Mouse wears nappies (this is what the potty training for TV shows such as This Morning and National Lottery Live. The book advised). She says yes, but after a bit of ‘to-ing and fro-ing’ she Scottish presenter married actor James Midgley in 2010, Ella is their eventually concedes that they don’t actually wear nappies. Although she does occasionally try to put a nappy on some of her toys so I first child. _________________________________________________________ think we have still got a bit of a way to go.

The time has finally come to begin potty training with Ella, I gladly agreed to pen the potty training blog some time ago, but now that it is here I confess I am quite nervous. I think the nerves come from wanting to make it as smooth a process for Ella as possible. Truth be told, whilst both James and I are keen to get Ella out of nappies, we are slightly reluctant as this means that our baby is really growing up!

As she is only just two she can’t fully converse but she knows exactly what we are saying. We have been reading ‘Poppy and Pablo’s Big Routine’ in the ‘How to Potty Train’ book which has helped explain the first steps of potty training. This means when we were in the bathroom and I ask her where does Ella go, she understands and points at her potty and I ask where do mummy and daddy go, she points at the toilet so she really does understand and I am confident that she is ready.

Getting Ready: From reading the How to Potty Train book, week 1 is all about preparation, which is really about ensuring that Ella is ready, but as busy working parents we have had to make sure that we are ready as well. The book is fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone embarking on potty training in the next few months, it is full of great advice, handy tips and signs to look out for during the whole process.

Next Steps: I had planned to remove the nappies today, but she has had a cold and is a bit under the weather, so I am going to wait until she is feeling better, I don’t want her to feel like we are rushing it. Once she feels better we will take them off and see how it goes (eek!). I have completely cleared my diary at the weekend so even if it takes all week for her to fully recover, things can officially commence on Helpfully, James is jetting off to the States for work next week. To Saturday! say he is washing his hands of potty training would be a bit harsh, but the timing is a little suspect. To be honest it’s an exciting project that he’s directing and he can’t really turn it down in favour of a spot of potty training, so it looks like he’s off the hook...but until then, he’s getting involved as much as possible!

Stepping into the breach in his absence next week are my mum and dad who are visiting from Glasgow and will be spending ten days with me. This is really helpful as it gives me flexibility, if something

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Week 2: Accidents, Successes and Progress!

TV presenter and mum Jenni Falconer, has teamed up with Dry Like Me, to pen an exclusive Potty Training Blog. Jenni, her husband James and their two year old daughter Ella are taking the plunge and are embarking on a very public potty training.

Week 2: Once Ella had recovered from her cold, the nappies came off last Saturday. I was prepared for the first couple of days to be difficult as I had spoken to my neighbours who have older children and they confirmed the first couple of days can be quite tricky (and messy) for both the parents and the child.

At first poor Ella just couldn’t understand why we were doing it. She definitely didn’t understand what to do. I then became worried that we were doing it too soon; even though we had talked about it with Ella last week it seemed that she missed the security of her nappy.

Unsurprisingly, Ella had a lot of accidents on Saturday, she got through quite a few pairs of big girl knickers and one pair even went into the bin. There were even a number of outfit changes. By bedtime on Saturday both mother and daughter were knackered and Ella fell straight asleep in her night-time nappy.

Sunday continued to be much of the same. I have to admit I don’t think I appreciated how time consuming potty training would be.

Ella has been very clingy and wanting her mummy, which is understandable when she is experiencing change. James has been very supportive and kept telling me that I was doing a great job and now that we have started it was important to keep going. Whenever I wavered, he quoted the ‘How to Potty Train’ book to give me encouragement which was sweet.

Tuesday was even better with no accidents at all. We introduced high fives and chocolate buttons as rewards, she gets one chocolate button for a pee and two chocolate buttons for a poo – Ella is yet to receive two chocolate buttons at once as no number twos have happened in the potty yet. She must be holding in her number twos as she does them first thing in her night-time nappy.

James is now away for ten days and it is great that my mum has been able to come to stay, she has been doing a grand job whilst I have been out at work. It really is an all-consuming part of parenting and I am very grateful that my mum can spare her time to help me with Ella.

It was a tough week, but looking back we have made huge progress and I feel we have turned a massive corner and I mustn’t be tempted to put the nappy back on.

The Dry Like Me pads have been a good half way house, at first Ella thought the pads were a type of nappy and therefore felt normal and comfortable. A number of her pees were absorbed by the pads.

However, on one occasion the pad couldn’t hold all the pee (as they are not designed to hold a full pee, as that would be a nappy!) and Ella was very stressed out, she didn’t want anyone to change her and was ashamed of what had happened. I was amazed that my two-year-old daughter could feel such an emotion and felt bad for her, but had to keep telling myself that accidents are all part of her learning when she needs the loo. I just kept saying to her it’s ok, you will do it right next time and then she did.

Thankfully, Monday was a different story, Ella had put all the pieces of the puzzle together and she understood what needed to be done.

She started telling me when she needed a pee and now goes over to her potty and sits down. She doesn’t always go and sometimes sits there for up to 20 minutes but she is starting to understand the signals her body make when she needs the loo.

I will update you next week on how we all got on – wish me luck! www.pottytraininglive.com/celeb-week1/the-nappies-are-off/ If you have any tips please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the Dry Like Me Facebook page - www.facebook.com/DryLikeMeUK.

Ella likes to move her potty around with her so she doesn’t miss out on anything and also so she doesn’t have to run too far when she needs a wee. She prefers the plain potty downstairs as she thinks the duck potty is a toy and not a place for pee! We only had one accident on Monday.

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Baby Freddie flies home in time for Christmas

Anna Laker was 33 weeks pregnant with her first child when she without them we would have been forced to stay several hundred miles travelled from her home in London to attend a friend’s wedding in Leeds away from the support of our friends and family, possibly for several in October. weeks before Freddie would have been well With at least another month to go until her due date, Anna and her enough to travel by husband had not yet finished decorating the nursery at home, or road.” purchased a car seat or buggy for their new arrival.

Pilots Steve Cannon and At 10pm on the evening of 7�� October 2013, Anna was standing at the Paul Hogan arrived in the bar at her friend’s wedding reception, chatting to some friends when green tailed Agusta 109 her waters broke without warning. She was immediately taken to Leeds Grand helicopter and General Infirmary where doctors confirmed that she was in labour and waited whilst doctors she would be having her baby much sooner than she had anticipated. stabilised Freddie and made him comfortable in Little Freddie arrived just hours later, healthy but very small. He was the Baby Pod. With the taken to the Special Care Baby Unit where he was tube fed as he had helicopter able to reach not yet developed his sucking reflex, essential for feeding. Still shocked up to 200mph the by the incredibly swift arrival of Freddie, Anna and her husband were journey to London took desperate to be allowed to return home to London to be closer to the just one hour and the support of their friends and family. It was agreed that Freddie would pilots kept Anna and her be allowed to return to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to continue husband informed of his treatment. However, doctors decided that he was far too delicate their progress to endure the 5 hour journey by land ambulance, so The Children’s Air throughout the journey.

Ambulance was called in to help get Freddie home, working together Anna and her husband with the Embrace Yorkshire and Humber Infant and Children’s Transport followed by road. Freddie’s journey was so swift that he had arrived at Service, part of the Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and was settled in before Anna had even been discharged!

When babies are poorly or premature, they can deteriorate very quickly, and can go from being simply unwell to fighting for their lives within Freddie continues to do well and is expected to be allowed to return a matter of hours, so saving time transporting them between hospitals home in time for his first Christmas with his family. is crucial. The Children’s Air Ambulance helicopter can fly a baby around four times faster than a journey by road. It is also fully equipped The Children’s Air Ambulance receives no Government funding, relying on board with a life support system for poorly babies, including a ‘Baby entirely on public donations. Part of The Air Ambulance Service charity, Pod’ (a specially adapted little incubator), medical gasses and essential it works in partnership with NHS paediatric care teams offering a free monitoring equipment. The charity helicopter has two pilots and has of charge helicopter allowing babies to reach the care they need quickly space for a young patient and up to three clinicians from the specialist and safely. If you would like to find out more about this crucial service NHS retrieval teams. visit www.thechildrensairambulance.org.uk.

Anna said: “It was a complete surprise when my waters suddenly and dramatically went at the wedding and being so far from home, with no stuff for the baby and in an unfamiliar hospital was quite frightening.

Although we received fantastic care at Leeds, we were still a long way from home. We are so grateful to The Children’s Air Ambulance as

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How early is too early for school? in their academic ability and are less likely to believe that they control their own destiny as teenagers"- all of which are associated with "being in work and having higher wages" in later life. In addition to this August born children exhibit less socio-emotional development and are more likely to report "being always unhappy" and "bullied all the time" in school at age 7. It seems clear to me that were the children (born in August or otherwise!) not deemed 'ready' by their parents and carers held back to join as the eldest of 'next years' intake they would benefit enormously, potentially for the rest of their lives.

It was with sheer mystified disappointment that I recently received the news that school leaving age is being raised this year to 17 and in 2015 to 18 (I know, I should have been listening when it was announced in 2007- but I was 2 years from motherhood at that point so looking the other way I guess). Whilst I imagine that individual outcomes may be improved I cannot believe that the majority of the 23% who don't pursue education or training after leaving school at 16 will really benefit from having to stay on an extra year- or two. In fact, in my opinion, the ultimate goals- of decreasing unemployment, crime and delinquent behaviour- would be greater addressed by raising the school STARTING age and integrating flexibility.

In Europe school starting age ranges from 4 (in Northern Ireland) to 8 (in 7 countries). In Hungary the starting age is 7 but with with a years discretion so parents and early years teachers can choose not to send children not believed ready until 8. In England education was made compulsory from age 5 during the Victorian era in response to the need for child protection and social conditioningas well as pressure from employers who wanted children available for work as soon as possible (age 10 at that point). Unfortunately earlier starting ages have not proven to raise attainment levels but, counter-intuitively perhaps, children elsewhere in Europe where curriculums adhere to the idea of the first stage of a child's development lasting until 6 (as prescribed both by Steiner and Montessori) so compulsory education not starting until after that actually achieving better qualifications long term.

Between 2006-12 Professor Robin Alexander of Cambridge University's Faculty of Education led The Cambridge Primary Review enquiry into primary education. He advised caution about reducing these linked issues: structures of schooling (including the transition from early years foundation to Key Stage 1), assessment practices and continued professional development for teachers; to a debate purely about school starting age but nevertheless suggested that the age should be raised to six. In addition to this he initiated a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies comparing outcomes for September (oldest in school) and August born (youngest) children. It was found that, despite August born children typically having a "richer home-learning environment" as parents try to compensate for their disadvantages, September children outperform August children in exams. August children are 20% less likely to attend a high status university at age 19, and they "have lower confidence

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This year (at a cost of ÂŁ7.4 billion) 52,000 more students will stay on in education past age 16. History indicates that people are likely to accept this, with raises in school age in 1947 and 1970 not leading to any increase in the overall truancy rate (as many predicted then and as Parliament is concentrating on now, believing that to be their greatest challenge).

However many sources claim that communication of the options available to students (education, apprenticeship or work plus full time study all acceptable) is greatly lacking leading to the likelihood that some students will be unable to access the most suitable choice for themselves- especially those who would otherwise have found themselves not in training, education or work through a lack of direction, those that this bill is aimed at helping. It is yet another change of policy in several decades of the only constant in the vocational curriculum being complete reorganisation every few years and will lead to frustration for pupils and teachers and mystification for employers when trying to compare candidates for jobs with incomparable educational histories.

Sir Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector of English schools, has waded into the debate by calling for the leaving age to be reduced to 14 (as in Finland where students attain remarkably high levels of education) claiming that some are unsuited to academic study and suggesting a path that might include more apprenticeships and "practical hands-on, craft-based training that takes them through to a job". This model can be seen in action in Germany where young people receive some kind of training or education compulsorily until age 18 but businesses and educational establishments have much closer ties, which by all accounts is a very successful practice all round.

England and Wales was one of the last areas in Europe to adopt a compulsory system of education (with the Elementary Act of 1870) and that tradition has been continued ever since of being least progressive in our education policies- and, unfortunately, really very deficient particularly when our relative wealth is taken into account. It is a fallacy to assume that more time in school equals a better quality education. We need to rethink our system completely, especially at the very beginning and very end of our children's school careers.

Written by: Elizabeth Katherine Hobson Twitter: ElizabethHobso6 Blog: http://elizabethkhobson.wordpress.com

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Dot&Co was founded by Annie Coherton. Having worked in the fashion industry for over 9 years, both in the UK and abroad, Annie saw a gap in the market for a new brand of organic babywear, something fun and colourful instead of the usual array of neutral shades and conventional designs.

Like every new adventure, Dot&Co has overcome some obstacles along the way, but Annie has always been confident that her products will stand out from the competition due to the excellent quality of the garments and distinctive styles across the range.

Vest - £12.50 Dotty Print BabyGrow - £19.50

Reversible Trousers £17.00 Hat - £6.50

Foxy & Friends BabyGrow - £19.50

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Reversible Hat - £6.50

Reversible Bib - £6.00

Striped Blanket - £18.00

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Low Top trainers, Converse ALL STARS - Price £24.99

Low Top trainers, UGG LAELA HOLOGRAM KIDS, Pink - Price £64.99

Spartoo is the story of three friends who love shoes and the internet.

Boris, Paul, and Jérémie, recent university graduates with a combined age of less than 75 years , dreamed of creating their own business online.

After much reflection, they decided to launch their very own online shoe shop. The adventure started in 2006 with Spartoo, a reference to Roman sandals, the ancient leather sandals from the city of Sparta, one of the most powerful cities in ancient Greece. They creatively added two "O"s, a symbol of some of the Internet's greatest successes: gOOgle, yahOO, kelkOO… And that's how Spartoo was launched on the 16th of August, 2006. Their enthusiasm and unique project seduced their motivated teams, investors, brands, and partners, who all came together for this legendary pioneering adventure.

Hi Top trainer, Converse ALL STAR ROCK N ROLL UK Flag - Price £34.99

Ash Fanta Kids Pink Price £84.99

Ankle Boots Kickers KICK HI, Black Price £44.99 Low Top trainers, Vans 106 VULCANISED KIDS, Charcoal/Red Price £24.99

Vans AUTHENTIC V KIDS Green/Blue - Price £24.99

Crocs, CROCBAND IRIDESCENT GUST BOOT, Violet/Mulberry Price £39.99

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Timberland 8 IN PULL ON WP BOOT WITH SHEARLING, Brown Price £88.99 61

www.oyumoyu.com We were introduced to the most beautiful, luxury baby and children’s wear at a recent Press Day and had to share it with all of our Baby Buzz readers. Oyu Moyu clothing is about creating the best possible childrenswear inspired not by fashion trends but by the universal bond of storytelling. Each ‘story collection’ is based on the made-up tales shared between designer Oyuna Tserendorj and her three year old son. Oyuna uses the softest and most beautiful of fabrics from cotton to the highest grade Mongolian cashmere and the slightest touch leaves you wanting to wrap yourself up in the products and never let go…

£72.00

£135.00

£130.00

£179.00

£95.00 £135.00

£95.00

£190.00

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- Red carpet dressing during your pregnancy!

With the festive period fast approaching, expecting mums need not worry about what to wear. Séraphine have the answer!

Inspired by the luxurious curves of the pregnant figure, Séraphine LUXE encapsulates red carpet styles that can be worn before, during & after pregnancy. Our chic collection in luxe French lace and the finest silks evoke haute couture style. This season Séraphine LUXE offers a sophisticated take on event dressing with our signature floral print inspiring our stylish evening dresses.

Jewel coloured accents highlight this collection with royal tones of magenta and cobalt giving our evening dresses a touch of Hollywood A-list appeal.

There is something to cater for everyone’s budget and everyone’s taste with an amazing array of colours and styles.

Silk and Lace Special Occasion Maternity Dress - £159.00

Multi Way Dress - £99.00

Strapless Magenta Evening Gown Full Length - £225.00

Multi-Way Blue Silk Maternity Evening Gown - £225.00 Olive Green Faux Fur Maternity Scarf - £39.00

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Ivory Angora Maternity Bolero - £69.00

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Each month we review an amazing selection of new and innovative products and clothing and this month is no different, in fact it’s even bigger than ever! From books and magazines to cold and flu prevention, we’ve got it all covered.

Would you like to join our Focus Group? Sign up now at info@babybuzzmagazine.com.

Children’s Manuals When I was little, I remember getting the Barbie and Asterix Manuals for Christmas, as part of stocking fillers, and it was great way of relaxing over the crazy festive holidays but isn’t it amazing how you can forget about all the simple and fun things we used to get when we were little. I’m a firm believer that we need to go back to the basics for our children instead of just getting them the electronic gadgets, that seem to get more and more expensive each year. In preparations for the Christmas issue, I’ve been sent some amazing products to review and included in this are the Fireman Sam and Mike the Knight Manuals. I tested these out with my niece, who was enthralled with them, and we spent an age reading through them and playing the From: £7.99 games. A great and affordable way of keeping you child entertained this Christmas!

Available from all good book retailers.

War of the Gods

By Justine Borrego, Juan and Marco Borrego A fantastic book written by a mum and her twin sons with illustrations brought to life, as viewed from a child’s eye.

Based on a young boy’s dreams and written in a beautifully magical way that any child can relate to and illustrating Greek Mythology in a non-complicated manner. The character in the story, Justin, opens up his chimera (box of dreams) and becomes a fearless warrior and hero of the Romans and the Greeks and in the process leads you into his world willing him to succeed. Each chapter features stunning illustrations drawn by the authors creating a much deeper connection with the story. This book is suitable for girls or boys War of the Gods (published by New Generation, paperback RRP £6.99, eBook RRP £4.99) is available from all good online retailers including Amazon.com from the end of October. For further information go to www.chimeraboxbooks.com ‘Itsyourstory’ was the first company in the UK to sell photo personalised books for children and last year they launched eStories. We were given the opportunity of trying out the new eStory feature and were amazed at how affordable it was. What is an extremely easy and fast process, resulted in a really fun online, animated picture book which went down an absolute storm! My little one loved that Mummy was on the computer screen and ‘flying’ (part of the storyline). Every day she asks if she can see mummy flying on the computer! If you don’t want to just have a personalised storybook, there are numerous other products that you can personalise, perfectly in time for Christmas!

EStorybook’s start from just: £2.50 For more information, please visit: www.itsyourstory.co.uk

The Art of Baby Making

By Gerard Kite On a more sombre and serious note, we were also sent the ART of Baby Making written by fertility expert Gerard Kite. A refreshing and insightful perspective faced by many men and women when trying for a baby and not having much joy.

Ranging from the Five-Element philosophy to real case studies, the ART of Baby Making is written in a way not medically mind-blowing but instead features Gerad Kite's unique approach using common sense and case studies with the aim of giving inspiration and hope to those trying for a baby. Gerad Kite is a renowned Acupuncture Master, Fertility Expert and founder of The Kite Clinic on London's Harley Street and has helped many couples to conceive.

The book is available in paperback (Amazon £7.99), Kindle and iBook format.

We were contacted about a new application called mebooks, which is a free application enabling you to purchase children’s books to read on your chosen iPhone or iPad. What you aren’t perhaps aware of is just how interactive the stories are!

There are over 150 books to download with prices starting from just £1.50! What is so different from other online reading app’s is the interaction, I can’t stress how much we loved this! On one night we came across the story “The Lonely Beast” and spent at least an hour in hysterics!

You simply swipe the screen to theoretically turn the page, tap the screen where the text is so that it is read out but then you can also tap the pictures and they come to life with various theatrical sounds so fitting with the story! We were given 4 stories to trial and have already bought 5 more, with me envisaging buying many, many more!. Highly, highly recommended by us at Baby Buzz! www.mebooks.co (especially recommend The Lonely Beast!)

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Talltape:

Bits & Bobs An ultra-stylish way of using a bib and combating teething! Cheeky Chompers have created the Neckachew which stops the dribbling soaking your little ones clothing but also prevents having to sterilise teething toys that are constantly dropped on the floor! Great concept and available in many different patterns.

Prices from £9.99 Available from www.cheekychompers.com One of the biggest benefits of my job is that I get to see all the newest and cutest products that come to the market. I’m always on the look out for products that actually work and of all the night lights that I’ve tried and tested the Pabobo Lumilove Savanoo and the Summer Infant Slumber Buddies Night Light are, in my opinion. by far the best on the market! The Lumiloe Savanoo is a fun nightlight with movable arms and legs, is multi-coloured, doesn’t overheat and is rechargeable (8 hours operation for lots of well-lit hugs).

With the slightest tap on the head you can choose which colour is emitted.

Prices from £25.00 Available from www.Tesco.com

A beautifully illustrated height chart that arrives tightly rolled up and with a pen ready to start recording those milestones. Amazingly detailed and available in 5 different colours and designs, there is something to suit everyone. A must for all children and perfect as a Stocking Filler!

Prices from £9.99 www.talltape.com Taking night lights to a whole new level. These gorgeous little characters come as either an elephant, a frog or a butterfly and each is as cute as the next.

The difference with the Summer Infant Slumber Buddies is that they play a variety of slumber tunes and project an array of stars, planets, circles and the moon onto the wall and ceiling. This little character is cuddled to sleep each night and is the first thing sought after upon waking up! Another amazing product that doubles up as a toy and then a fabulous nightlight.

Prices from £25.00 Available from www.kiddicare.com

Hands-up if, like me, when you left hospital you put your keepsakes into an envelope or shoebox in the hope that your precious possessions never got lost? The solution for you then is this… As featured in our Parents in Business section, where you can read much more about the people behind the brand, Clevamama have created this beautiful suitcase that you can personalise and continue to store your little ones most treasured items. There are three little boxes for first tooth, first curl and hospital I.D band and also a record book to fill in. The one little glitch we found was the metal catch was a little flimsy but asides from this, we love it and it will continue to hold many more things as little one grows!

Prices from: £24.99 Available from: www.Tesco.com | www.mothercare.com | www.Amazon.com | www.argos.co.uk

Gumigems have produced a fun and exciting series of teething toys for your little teethers! Making up the most sought after products of car keys, credit cards, small purse and mobile phone, your little one can enjoy their own possessions.

We are doing quite a feature on potty training this month, so this came in just at the right time! Imagine a little mini ‘portaloo’ for your little one, giving them the ultimate privacy when using the potty! These painted cardboard cabins will provide some privacy for your toddler as well as entertainment, so they can play games and colour in while sitting on their potty. The easily transportable hut comes in a variety of colours and is easily assembled. Available on new online design store Triitme! A unique product, this must have cabin is only available for a short period of time, so don’t miss out!

Mummy Emily and daughter Lola: The Gummigem toys are just the right softness/hardness that you need for teething, my daughter loves the keys the best but the credit card comes a close second!

A few people have commented on them and some other mums are off to buy a set : ) I would definitely recommend them, they are a lot better than other teethers I have used and are really handy to just pop in a bag and take with you.

Prices from: €49.00 Available from : ww.triitme.com

Prices from £19.99 Available from www.gumigems.co.uk

SCHWARTZKOPF COLOUR MASK REVIEW: It’s been a while since I’ve dyed my hair but with winter approaching and a few extra grey hairs making themselves known, I wanted a colour that wouldn’t be overpowering but that would add some warm and complimentary tones to my natural colour and hide those few pesky grey hairs that I hate so much, whilst still leaving my hair in great condition. Schwartzkopf colour mask Chestnut Brown was really easy to use, gave me just the pop of colour I needed and left my hair feeling and looking really healthy. Two weeks since using it and the colour is still really good (although the greys are beginning to reappear again unfortunately). My only complaints are the smell of the product (which is quite strong) and that although I have shoulder length hair, it’s thin and in my case, there was a LOT of product leftover once I’d coated my hair thoroughly. It’s such a shame that there’s no way of keeping the excess for future touch-ups but despite that, I would happily use this product again.

Price: £4.99 Available from www.superdrug.com

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Health &

Five ways to keep colds and flu at bay!

Winter is without a doubt one of most wonderful times of the year, but with Christmas lights and seasonal celebrations come the dreaded coughs and sneezes. Looking after a little one with a cold is tough, but here are five fabulous products to help you deal with it all!

As every parent knows wiping a snotty little nose is tricky, and getting children to blow their noses is even harder! Aleva Naturals™ Bamboo Breathe Easy Baby Wipes are made entirely from plant ingredients and easy congestion with one simple wipe. Made from bamboo and enriched with natural saline solution, eucalyptus and menthol oils these wipes are soothing and super soft on dry skin. They are also 100% biodegradable! £3.99 www.vitalbaby.co.uk All parents know that the school playground is normally to blame for their little one coming home with a cold. One way that would certainly reduce germs spreading is if the little ones stuck with their own drinking bottles. Bandino is a simple innovation that enables parents to personalise their children’s bottles and cups to ensure they are easily identified.

The stretchy Bandino is a fun concept to make little ones feel like they have their own special bottle encouraging them to keep hydrated, as well as alerting others to allergies and also reducing the risk of spreading germs. £8.95 (for a pack of 3) www.bandino.co.uk It’s the time of year when you’ll be worried about germs getting everywhere, but thanks to Vital Baby Aquaint Sanitising Solution, parents can sterilise with just a spritz!

The unique spray kills 99.9% of bacteria in just seconds.

Made from a unique mix of water and Hypochlorous Acid, a completely natural acid that is actually produced in the body itself, parents can be confident that this is safe enough to use from birth! Keep one bottle at home and a small one in your changing bag to make sure you all stay germ free. £2.49 for 50ml £4.99 for 500ml from www.vitalbaby.co.uk Parents looking for an affordable and handy kit packed with everything you need to deal with colds and fevers, Vital Baby Health and Safety Kit is exactly the ticket. Inside each kit there is a nasal decongester, 3 in 1 thermometer and Benji the Bear bath and room thermometer. So whether you need to check temperatures or ease snotty noses, this kit has it all. £16.99 from Boots Hats, Scarves and gloves are a must at this time of year to keep colds at bay, but one of the common problems parents face is trying to ensure the little ones keep them on! Snoodz ‘n’ Mitz is a truly unique hat and glove set that not only stay on all day, they are always there when you need them! This ingenious winter solution promises that lost hats and gloves will become a thing of the past and what’s even better is this new winter accessory is set to be the next fashion must have for tots! £12.50 www.skibz.co.uk

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Another new product to the market is Sterimar Sea Water Nasal Hygiene. A very gentle spray which is 100% natural. Using the experience of the sea and trace elements, Sterimar has developed a specific product for babies. We gave a few samples to our focus group members and for the next few months we will be featuring what each of them thought.

We were first in line to try this out as my little monkey picks up every single bug that goes around. We were a little worried about using this on such a delicate little nose but with such a congested and cranky little girl on our hands, we really wanted to see if this would work.

Sterimar baby is a medical device and is recommended for cleaning your baby's nose. Sterimar clears mucus from the baby's nose to help with breathing and bottle feeding and stimulates the natural defences of the nasal lining. With a specially designed nozzle and very gentle pressure and microfine spray, there are approximately 150 doses within each bottle and quite rarely is suitable from birth!

Very happy to say that this worked and certainly helped relieve our little ones stuffy nose.

Prices from: £4.49 Available from : www.boots.com Gorgeous, scrummy smelling, brightly coloured body washes and shampoos that make bath time fun and take away the niggling worries about what exactly you are putting on your little angel's skin.

Halos and Horns have just launched their mini guides which include "Fun with Tooth Brushing", "Fun with Baby Massage" and "Fun with Hair Washing".

Download your guide now for fun and practical advice and top tips.

As a family, we live by the products for out 2 year old and 12 year old, as they are ultra skin friendly (especially important when you have to deal with sensitive skin).

Prices from: £2.10 Available from: www.halosandhorns.co.uk

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Feeding

The Battle of the Bottles

The Battle of the Beakers Again, the Lansinoh Momma doesn’t disappoint and is striking in design.

The round shapes have been specially designed to make the grip easier for your baby’s tiny hands. This bottle features the ‘In&out’ straw system which has the straw going in and out of the cup by simply turning the cover. This modern closing system ensures maximum hygiene even when you carry the cup around.

The only downside is the size, it doesn’t hold a great deal.

Prices from: £6.00 Available from: www.borndirect.com

Baby Buzz Rating: 3.5 / 5 A great beaker from the Dr Brown’s team and available in pink, blue or multicoloured.

The spout on the beaker is slightly more unusual than the others we normally see and is quite flat. Again the spout is sip-activated which results in no mess when your baby is not drinking.

All parts in Dr Brown's Trainer Cup System are interchangeable (Handle,Spout,Valve) Prices from: £5.49 Available from: www.drbrowns.co.uk

Baby Buzz Rating: 4 / 5 Always a fan of the Tommee Tippee range, they have now brought out a new animal antics collection which consists of some fabulous fun prints covering all age ranges.

For the 1�� transition cup there is a gorgeous green and white non-spill beaker with yellow and white handles and for the slightly older toddler the 7 - 12 month non spill beaker with clever little monkey print.

Both are great value for money and do exactly what they say with babies and toddlers adjusting very easily to using either option.

Prices from: £53.99 Available from: www.asda.co.uk

Baby Buzz Rating: 5 / 5 www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

Dr Browns are a unique product in its own right, purely as they produce the only fully vented vacuum free feeding bottle. Widely recognised by parents and health professionals as the most effective way of preventing colic symptoms caused by regular bottles and teats, Dr Brown's Feeding System offers your baby the opportunity for a more comfortable feed.

We really liked this product, with the only critiques we could find being all the little bits to put it together.

Without the integral parts, we found that the bottle leaks.

Prices from: £21.60 (Pack of 4) Available from: www.drbrowns.co.uk

Baby Buzz Rating: 3.5 / 5 I see and review so many different types of baby bottles that I’m always curious when a new one comes to the market.

At first glance, the Haberman Suckle Feeder looks very sleek. The teat on this has been specifically designed so that baby feeds from the teat, not the bottle, just like a breast. This way your baby can feed in a more natural position and the feed is delivered by suckling on the teat not just flowing under gravity as in vented bottles.

A great transition bottle if you want to move your little one from breast to bottle.

Prices from: £7.50 Available from: www.habermanbaby.com

Baby Buzz Rating: 4 / 5 I love the fun aspect of the Lansinoh bottles, but for what I see as fun there is also a practical and sound reason why the bottle is shaped like a weebly! The cup features the latest in spill-proof technology and has a soft teat which simulates the breast and thanks to the cup's round shape, the silicone spout never comes into contact with the surface of tables or highchairs ensuring maximum hygiene.

My little one loved the shape and vivid colours of this one. (available in orange and green).

Prices from: £6.00 Available from: www.borndirect.com

Baby Buzz Rating: 4.5 / 5 67

Since being introduced to the Cybex brand at the Harrogate Nursery Fair last year by my sister-in-law, I have become infatuated!

General Reviews

Not are you instantly attracted to the vibrant colours that they offer in all of their products (regardless of stage) but if you do your research, they are one of the safest products you can buy. The research undertaken into the safety element of the car seats simply surpasses almost every other brand.

Admittedly, they aren’t the cheapest product on the market, but then if you are buying such an outstanding product that will last, you will spend that little bit extra.

A few months ago we reviewed the Sirona car seat, which for me is still the most beautiful and functional of car seats I’ve seen, and so we were really excited to review the next stage up, the Solution F2-Fix. With its innovative features including a reclining headrest and additional side protectors that are similar to a side airbag, the award winning Solution X2-Fix from Cybex offers uncompromised safety, receiving the Which? Best Buy seal of approval for child car seats in 2012.

What the professionals say: The patented 3-position headrest shifts the child's head slightly backwards and keeps it from falling forwards while they’re asleep.

Plus, in the case of a side impact collision the child's head is protected, as it remains within the safety zone of the seat. This patented head protection offers a more comfortable sleeping position as well as unbeatable safety levels compared to conventional systems.

With the linear side protection system, the forces of a side impact collision are absorbed by the protection pillow, the side of the seat, and the head protectors. Simultaneously the kinetic energy from a child’s body which is omitted in a collision is also absorbed at a very early stage and the head is actively led into a safe position.

I am the first to admit that I have a very fussy toddler when it comes to her food! We’ve tried many different ready made meals and quite a few of them haven’t been received very well. We were sent a selection of the new Mighty Soups and Squeezy Tubes to share with our Focus Group but I wanted to test them out on my little one first before getting the Review Bags ready.

My little one detests soup, will not eat it if its smooth or lumpy and so this was going to be a major taste test! I couldn’t believe it, when placed with the little soup bowl, that she devoured it! Every last bit was eaten (although I confess to having a spoon, to try it out of course!). The flavours are amazing, wholesome and the consistency is chunky without being too much so. What a fantastic product to take us into the colder months! I can’t wait for my focus group in December where this will be handed out to the mums to try as well!

Again, my little one, Lillie, has never really been into the whole squeezy tube thing and they normally get discarded to one side but with this she ended up eating 3, one after the other! What a fabulous and fun way of getting her to eat her fruit! Look out for the reviews in the following issue! Well done Organix or two amazing products, sure to be a hit with mums on the go!

Prices from: £1.69 Available at most supermarkets

What we say: We pretty much agree with all of the above but we found that the head restraint sat a little too low on the shoulders of our little tester and resulted in her bottom being pushed forward. Whether it was the way in which we had installed the car seat I can’t be sure, but we tested this out with my little one as well and at the lowest point, doesn’t sit comfortably on the shoulders, unless lifted into a higher position.

Overall, another fantastic product!

Price: £165 Available from many online and high street retailers For all the creative mums out there is a fantastic and beautifully illustrated book called Baby Knits from Around the World, by Kari Cornell. The book features 20 designs by well-known artisans around the world and includes instructions for the usual baby hats, blankets, sweaters, booties, pants, dresses, toys, and mitts but where this differs is that each design then gives an in depth history into the technique used. There are over 100 stunning photos (and diagrams) throughout, ensuring something for knitters of all proficiency levels something to try .

Prices from £16.99 Available from all good book retailers.

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THE CO-OPERATIVE DELIVERS ITS FIRST OWNBRAND NAPPY RANGE! The Co-operative Food is introducing its new arrival of own-brand nappies as part of its new “Loved by us“ offering, providing busy families with great-value, quality products, available on their doorstep.

Starting from just £2.75 a pack, the new own-brand disposable nappies will cater for the different stages of a baby’s development, from birth to its early years. The range will go into selected Co-operative stores nationwide from 11 November 2013. The new nappy range will launch into The Co-operative’s new Loved by us branding, which the community-based retailer began rolling out across its standard products in September. The Co-operative own-brand nappies, which are all dermatologically tested, are available in five different sizes New Born, Mini, Midi, Maxi and Junior - and all feature a speciallydesigned core to ensure a snug fit along with a super-soft lining for comfort.

We were given the Size 5 nappies to review and they are great! It’s so nice to have something that’s affordable and that do work just as well as other leading brands! The materials are soft and gentle on babies skin and caused no reaction with our little one.

Price: from £2.75 Available from www.co-operative.co.uk

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If you've experienced head lice in your family or know someone who has, you'll know how important it is to prevent them altogether, or to find and treat them early.

However, head lice treatment should never be used unless a live head louse has been found. Unfortunately, even if you've successfully treated a head lice infestation before, this doesn't mean that you or your family won't catch them again. If anyone in your family comes into close contact with someone who has head lice, e.g. at school, there is always a risk of catching them again, unless you take precautions.

General Reviews

A new innovative product that we came across at the Baby Show recently. What a fantastic product! We’ve all seen the pouches and how they work but also how fiddly / messy they are. The great thing about Sucup is the ease in which you can fill them and then just give them to your child to “suck up”. Definitely one of those ‘why didn’t I think of that’ moments. Well done to creators Andy and Chris.

Price: £9.99 Available from: www.sucup.com I was extremely excited to receive one of these to review. If, like me , you use your iPhone to take most of your pictures then this is an attachment for you. A fantastic, small and lightweight adjustable unit that simply slides over the camera corner of your iPhone or iPad. The Olloclip 3-in-1 includes a fish-eye, wide-angle and macro lens and gives you a whole new range of uses for your camera! The quality is fantastic.

Should you wish to take macro shots, you simply unscrew the wide-angle lens to reveal the macro lens behind it, this enables the iPhone to focus on a much closer level (10-15mm from the lens), letting you magnify objects by around ten times. The Olloclip can also be used when shooting videos and for Facetime.

Price: £59.95 Available from: http://store.apple.com/uk

Eve: We’ve been really unfortunate to experience headlice on a frequent basis thanks to it being passed from youngest to oldest to adults over a period of time so we were keen to review the the Lyclear shampoo. The instructions are extremely easy to follow and we’ve just done the second treatment (recommended after 7 days). Pleased to say that there appears to be no more itching or reappearance of the little beggars, so fingers crossed…

Fran: We have heard from other parents that they use this shampoo so we jumped at the chance to try it out! We were a little sceptical as we’d read other reviews which weren’t so positive. Pleased to say that it worked for us too, maybe we were the lucky ones.

Price: £13.99 Available in many online and high street retailers I’ve not used a dummy with my children, but all too often I’ve seen friends struggle to clean dummies that have fallen on the floor. The Milton portable dummy steriliser provides a great way to help. The portable container cleans and sterilises the dummy, is 100% watertight and takes just 15 minutes with no need to rinse. You must use Milton Mini Sterilising Tablets with this unit. The little pods have adjustable straps to easily attach it to your buggy, pram or change bag and are BPA free, so really a must have for all the dummy users!

Prices from £6.99 There is a few products recently introduced to the market that are fantastic additions to the iPhone and iPad and I can’t wait to use them again in the future. Have you ever been to your child’s school assembly or end of year choir performance, moments that are very sentimental and make you proud but don’t have the money for a video camera or expensive camera or professional recording equipment? You may have noticed that when recording via an iPhone the sound can become crackly, or voices are often too quiet to capture, resulting in those precious memories being missed.

Well I may have the answer or you. The new Mikey Digital, a really simple plug-and-play recording device which has been designed to optimize sound quality and definition, providing great sounding playback, whether it’s a loud and proud singing voice or a shy whisper. The product is so simple to install, a simple click into the charging point and you are good to go! If only everything was this easy. The quality of the recording is crisp and clear and a definite must for the proud parent, well I guess that’s all of us then.

Price: £99.99 Available from: PC World, Dixons, Currys, Apple and other consumer electronics retailers worldwide

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Clothing & Maternity It’s always nice to know that just because you are pregnant, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style, comfort or support in your clothing! This becomes even more apparent when you decide that you want to continue keeping fit but need a little more care taken in your choice of clothing. We had one such mum, Sarah, who was into her second trimester, try out one of the gorgeous FittaMamma Support tops whilst she embarked on her routine workouts!

“I loved the feel of the FittaMamma Support Top and felt extremely confident and supported whilst wearing it. I’ve only just started the workout sessions so am looking forward to growing more and more into the top and feel sure that I will continue to feel supported. I’m not sure how well it well fare after I’ve given birth, but the quality of the clothing seems to suggest that it will be suitable then. I will keep Nickie at Baby Buzz posted!”

It is worth noting that FittaMamma have a wide range of tops, bottoms and accessories available with the Support tops starting from £44.99. Whilst this might seem a little expensive, it is well worth remembering that the design and concept behind the clothing is to protect your ever growing bump and it should last well after birth too. I wonder if they’ll send me something for my monthly workout feature!

Prices from: £44.99 Available from: www.FittaMamma.com With the festive season coming upon us, I am being sent the most beautiful present ideas. Admittedly most of the products are for babies and children, but we’ve been sent the most beautiful (both in product and in packaging) which consists of a pair of alpaca socks for Mum and a pair of gorgeous little alpaca booties for your child. The quality exudes from the box and I almost didn’t want to take them out of the box! I have to say that ultimately I did and they were amazingly comfortable and warm and a fantastic gift.

Prices from: £35.99 Available from: www.Perilla.co.uk

I spend so much time on my feet and coupled with the cold weather now in full force, being sent a pair of these Faux Fur Body Mule Slippers was a very warm welcome. The slippers are lined with a soft fleece and have a non-slip base. Highly recommended for warm cosy toes, especially for Mum! Prices from: £5.99 Available from: www.fragrancedirect.co.uk

Until you experience the weight and discomfort of trying to sleep when pregnant you will never appreciate the heaven sent products otherwise known as support pillows. There are many on the market, that sadly aren’t very good quality or simply don’t last the duration they are needed. When we were given the opportunity of reviewing two of Theraline’s great products we jumped at the chance! One of our Focus Group Mums had just given birth and it was instantly apparent that when breastfeeding she was stooping over her baby, which looked highly uncomfortable. We gave her the Wynnie and it has been an absolute god send! Not only does she sit evenly and supported but baby has a more comfortable way of lying close to mum.

The Plushy Moon was given to another mummy-to-be who had started complaining at the old familiar discomforts of “trying to get comfy” and was just not getting any joy. We handed over the Plushy Moon with the advice to wrap herself around it and supporting the bump and she came back a week later over the moon (pardon the pun).. The quality of both products has, so far, been the best we’ve seen. Here’s to a good nights sleep zzzzz……

Prices from: Plushy Moon: £23.95 | Wynnie: £23.95 Available from: www.theraline-shop.de/uk/nursing-pillow One of the biggest things expecting mums do when they discover they are pregnant is, quite rightly, to stop drinking. Now that we have Christmas fast approaching, that doesn’t mean you have to give up the bubbles! Shloer have released their festive range which include a glamorous white-grape or a blushing rosé, made from a sparking grape juice. The flavours are exquisite and can make you feel as much of the party as anyone else! Definitely something we will be purchasing for our house over the holidays.

Cheers to you all!

Prices from: £2.99 Available at a wide range of retailers

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1. 8 stencil designs, basic recipes for cakes and frostings, step-by-step decorating tips - £13.99 2. Amazing musical Christmas carousel advent calendar. Easy to construct, with no glue required, it spins round and plays "We wish you a merry Christmas". 24 doors to open in the runup to Christmas - £11.75 3. John Hanly Cashmere Throw -Woven from 5% cashmere and 95% merino wool it feels like 100% cashmere. With its chunky soft feel, it is wonderful to curl up in - £105.00 4. Cosy Cushion - Sausage Dog. Scented hand and body warmers in cosy knitted covers with appliquéd felt and embroidery detail. Cosy Cushions contain Silica beads, scented with essential oils rather than wheat - £14.95 5. Zatchel - A twist on the traditional leather satchel, these barrel bags are perfect for life's little essentials. This handmade barrel bag is a perfect spring shade, complete with contrasting white hand stitching and nickel silver buckle £40.00 6. Bergamot & Amber Gift Box - This Gift Box is packed with luxury bathing treats, the ultimate gift for him, containing Bergamot & Amber facial moisturiser, bath soak and wash bar - £35.00 7. Brand new for 2013, this Furryosity Hare has tactile, super soft beige fur, fluffy tail and long bendy ears, this is a first for Jellycat and should prove irresistible for the more unusual Hare lovers amongst us - £21.00 8. This Linear Stem Print is a sophisticated take on Orla Kiely’s renowned stem design. Bold and chic monochrome, this Baby Changing Bag will blow away those autumn blues. A must-have for all you yummy mummies of taste! £134.00 9. A gorgeous sterling silver bee necklace from the Alex Monroe Original Sin collection with heavily detailed textures - £115.00

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www.joiebaby.com

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New free on-line diary reminder and gift buying service…

Nudge-me.co.uk – what we’re all about….

and most importantly never again forget a loved one’s birthday, anniversary or special occasion.

At nudge-me.co.uk we want to help you turn over a new leaf for yourself this Winter – and get seriously organised. Our site is designed Our job is to make you look good. Your job is to enjoy the appreciation to act as your own free on-line domestic PA; it’s all about saving you and thanks from friends and family for remembering, and choosing a time. Something that founder and busy working mum of 3 Ally who thoughtful present whilst juggling your busy life! recently launched the service had very much in mind.

The primary focus is to act as a date reminder service and unique gift finder ideas for anything from birthdays, to anniversaries, parties, annual calendar events and so on. When you register with nudgeme.co.uk, we provide you with your own personal on-line calendar (My Calendar) in which to store all of your important dates. The calendar is linked to our Gift Finder service which is linked to over 50 different retail partners and has a whopping 40,0000 gifts from which to choose.

Based on what you tell the site about each person in your ‘My People,’ we send you a virtual ‘nudge’ prior to the event. Not only that, but we provide you with a choice of gift recommendations tailored to each person based on that info. Couldn’t be simpler could it?

We’ve also recently launched a new service on the site too – the ReadyLists. These are a collection of downloadable checklists for all the important life events from moving home to having a baby, back to school and Christmas preparations even essential Holiday packing lists too….. (see below for a sample).

In our ever-busy lives, free time is precious. Now, thanks to the genius that is nudge-me.co.uk you are only a few clicks away from being able to claw back some of that valuable time, become a little more organised

November 2ⁿ� saw the grand opening of a fantastic new hair salon, dedicated to children, in St Johns Wood! Most parents know that children are, more often than not, terrified of getting their hair cut, so this is something that is almost guaranteed to bring a smile to your child’s face.

So what is it all about? The salon is all about fun! The salons are bright, modern, meticulously clean and completely geared to giving kids and their parents, a memorable experience. In a warm and friendly environment, hair-stylists entertain and amuse kids, so that getting the perfect haircut is a treat rather than an ordeal. This is a place where kids get their haircuts while watching favourite shows on their very own television, play the latest games on the WII, Xbox or Playstation 3 and watch their favourite music videos on huge flat screen TV’s. Older girls can choose to have their hair done at the beautiful glamour stations, complete with movie-star mirrors and age-appropriate magazines.

In addition to exciting haircuts, Sharkeys offers its especially designed party room for unforgettable 2 hour birthday parties for the 4 - 14 year olds, mother and toddler group get-togethers, book and poetry reading sessions, knitting classes the possibilities are endless. All in all, a fantastic and fun place to go with your kids!

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FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT: P: +44(0)207 625 2680 W: www.sharkeyscutsforkids.co.uk FB: sharkeyscutsforkidsUK T: @UKSharkeys E: stjohnswood@sharkeyscutsforkids.com 74

1. Mr Mole Blankets - Personalised Christmas Stockings and Sacks.

Prices start from £9.90 www.mrmoleblankets.co.uk 2. Nordic Kids - Octomoose Soft Toy Prices from £14.99 www.nordickids.co.uk 3. Abney & Teal Bean Toys - Prices from £8.99 www.Amazon.com (Suitable from 36 months only)

4. Christmas themed crayons - Set of 6 £3.99 Kreative Krayons www.facebook.com/ kkrayons 5. Wooden Mouse with Wheels - £4.00 www.bramleybymail.com 6. Milton Mini-Portable Soother Steriliser - £6.99 www.onlinebabycentre.co.uk 7. Thomas and Friends - solid milk and white chocolate shapes - £1 www.mothercare.com / www.superdrug.com/www.iceland.co.uk

8. Tommee Tippee - Closer to Nature Soothers 2 for £6 www.asda.com 9. Peanut & Pip - Pingy Family Pull Along Toy - £18.95 www.peanutanddip.com (suitable from 12 months+)

10. Festive Feet - Gorgeous little leather shoes for your little ones feet! £18.00 www.inch-blue.com

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1. Lottie Dolls - £16.99 (per doll) www.lottie.com 2. Talyana Hair Bows & Tutus - Prices from £4.50 www.Talyana.co.uk 3. Wooden Biscuit Counting Game £9.50 - Little Ella James www.ellajamesliving.co.uk 4. Child Safe Scissors - £1.99 www.10littlebirds.com 5. Magic Beanstalk Seeds - Pack of 5 £3 - Beecycle - (Age 5 - 8) www.beecycle.co.uk 6. Seedling - Babushka Stickers - £3.95 www.kindtoys.co.uk 7. JIP - Assorted Picture Frames £8.50 www.10littlebirds.com 8. Christmas Lotto Game - Phoenix Trading - £5.00 www.phoenixtrading.co.uk/web/jennyblyth 9. Christmas Sugar Mice - Pack of 3 £3.99 www.hopeandgreenwood.co.uk 10. Love Soap - Organic Bubble Bath £7.50 www.lovesoapltd.co.uk 11. Supercast - Forever Friends - £4.99 www.sac-games.com 12. Invisibobble Hair Ribbons - £4.50 www.invisibobble.com

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1. A selection of gorgeous height charts - £9.99 www.talltape.com 2. Seedling - Pirate Stickers - £3.95 www.kindtoys.co.uk 3. Decorate your own space car £7.99 www.10littlebirds.com 4. Murgi - Maya Organics - £37.50 www.hoplikeabunny.co.uk 5. Slot Together Clockwork - £3.00 www.stocking-fillers.co.uk 6. Hope & Greenwood - North Pole Party Chocolates - £4.99 www.hopeandgreenwood.co.uk 7. MeenyMineyMo - Personalised Jigsaw Puzzle - £12.50 www.meenymineymo.com 8. Spaceboy Colour Pencil Tube - £1.50 www.10littlebirds.com 9. 48 piece Jigsaw Puzzle in a bag (Power Rangers or Batman) - £1.99 www.theworks.co.uk 10. RoboFish - £9.99 www.hawkin.com 11. Supercast - Famryard Animals £4.99 www.sac-games.com www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

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1. Plastic Potato Gun - £3.50 www.hawkin.com 2. Beer Soap - £4 Www.villagegreensoaps.co.uk 3. Essential Spice Set - £12.75 www.fineoilandspice.co.uk 4. Build an Electric Dragster - £10.00 www.10littlebirds.com 5. Me & My Daddy Picture Frame £5.99 www.gettingpersonal.co.uk 6. “2013” Christmas Bauble - £14.00 www.kutuu.co.uk 7. Chatty Feet Second Collection Pak of 4 - £20.00 www.chattyfeet.com 8. Fudge Smooth Gift Set - £14.50 www.fragrancedirect.co.uk 9. Strawberry & Cream Lipbalm £2.95 www.sweetcecilys.com 10. Jolly Christmas Sweets - Hope and Greenwood - £5.00 www.hawkin.com 11. Dr Lipp - Original Nipple Balm £11.50 www.drlipp.com

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1.

Wooden Bunny Trike - £30.00 www.elc.co.uk

2.

Buzzing Brains Deluxe Kitchen Play set - £29.99 www.kiddicare.com

3.

EverEarth - Activity Walker £55.00 www.mamasandpapas.com

4.

Wooden Toy Till - £25.00 www.gltc.co.uk

5.

John Crane Wooden Baby Walker and Bricks - £40.00 www.johnlewis.com

6.

Peekaboo Animated Bear £30.00 www.my1styears.com

7.

Sherman Sheep Soft Toy - £6.00 www.marksandspencer.com

8.

Bob the Billduck - £6 www.cargohomeshop.com

9.

Pack of 3 boy/girl suits - £17.00 www.vertbaudet.co.uk

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1.

IPod Nano - £129.00 www.apple.com

2.

Peppa Pig Giant Snakes & Ladders - £10.00 www.thetoyshop.com

3.

Mini Micro Scooter T-Bar Pink £54.95 www.micro-scooters.co.uk

4.

Fairy Blossom Musical Jewellery Box - £17.99 www.elc.co.uk

5.

Glitter Ballerina Mould and Paint £8.95 www.gratgizmos.co.uk

6.

Wild Science Perfume Laboratory £8.66 www.johnlewis.com

7.

Y Flicker A3 pink - £74.99 www.yflicker.co.uk

8.

JVC Violet/Pink Headphones £11.66 www.play.com

9.

Jelly Bean Machine - £26.00 www.cargohomeshop.com

10. Vodafone Smart Mini Phone £50.00 www.vodafone.co.uk

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1.

Shopping List Game - £7.50 www.orchardtoys.com

2.

FM Walkie-Talkies - £29.99 www.wickeduncle.co.uk

3.

Lego - The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape - £39.99 www.shop.lego.com

4.

Construction Kit and Paint Set Aeroplane - £6.00 www.cargohomeshop.com

5.

Pirate Crayon Set - £5.00 www.notonthehighstreet.com

6.

Music Alley Kids Blue Drum Kit £74.99 www.djmmusic.com

7.

ATM Bank Toy - £19.99 www.menkind.co.uk

8.

Dixit 3 - £12.98 www.play.com

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1.

Need something extra special?

The most beautiful yellow gold (18k) eternity ring courtesy of Anfray & Anfray.

From: £1,700.00 www.wolfandbadget.com

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2.

Rustic Red Brushed Cotton Slim Fit Casual shirt, £125 www.emmettlondon.com

3.

Shimmer Brick, Gleam - £27.00 www.glo-minerals.com

4.

Heads-Up Display, Sat Nav £129.99 www.garmin.co.uk

5.

Leather Cufflink Box- £74.00 www.notonthehighstreet.com

6.

Great British Beers Gift 15 bottles- £37.00 www.beerhawk.co.uk

7.

Retro Sweet Hamper- £24.99 www.gettingpersonal.co.uk

8.

Cybex by Jeremy Scott, Baby Bag - £95.00 www.cybex-online.com

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1. The gorgeous new baby sling courtesy of Cybex! The U-Go Heavenly Blue - from birth to approx 5 years.

Price: £80.00 www.cybex-online.com 2.

Hugs & Happiness Welcome Gift Set Price: £24.95 www.babeswithbabies.com

3.

Barefoot SOS Face & Body Rescue Cream (100ml) - £13.00 www.barefoot-botanicals.com

4.

Ciate - Mini Paint Palette - £25.00 www.ciate.co.uk

5.

The Christmas Box - £24.00 www.prestat.co

6.

Pregnancy Badges - £2.95 (£5.95 for both) www.mumstuff.co.uk

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Price: £7.99 Age Range: 2 - 5 Years

Price: £10.99 Age Range: All

Price: £4.99 Age Range: 4 - 6 Years

Price: £6.99 Age Range: 0 - 5 Years

Price: £7.99 Age Range: 0 - 3 Years

Price: £12.99 Age Range: 6 Years+

Price: £12.99 Age Range: 3 - 5 years

Price: £6.99 Age Range: 0 - 3 Years

www.penguin.co.uk

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Price: £8.99 Age Range: 5 - 8 Years 84

Storage Box, White Flowers £29

Set of 7 hooks, assorted £16

Coloured Chair Sky Blue - £29

Mirror Princess £27 Photo Montage Frame £29

Bedside Lamp £49

Pink Rug, £65

Bed Linen Set Ophelia Owl - From £29

www.vertbaudet.co.uk www.babybuzzmagazine.com | Twitter: BabyBuzzMag

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Seasonal Signing Fun - for Everyone!

At just 6 months old, a baby's motor skills are sufficiently developed to make simple gestures. The results are incredible - calm, confident children who generally have better language acquisition at an earlier age. The use of signing with young children is an incredible preventative, putting a stop to toddler frustration and upset very effectively. Signing makes the guesswork disappear and as an added benefit, everyone in your family is able to join in. Try some winter signing fun for yourself'

COLD: (also means Winter) Closed hands and elbows pull into body in shivering action, shoulders hunched and cheeks puffed.

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 At the very least you will have a great deal of fun - but, with a little effort, we'll guarantee that you will gain a confident, more communicative child...

“Who wouldn’t want their child to be the first to be communicating, be the most chilled out, to be happier, to have a real head-start?”

"Wow. What a wonderful gift to give a child. It says 'I Love You' over and over and over and over and over again."

BOOTS: (Wellies) Fists make upward pulling movements of right then left side, near waist, in action of putting boots on.

Download your free baby signing e-book at www.littlesignersclub.co.uk

HOT CHOCOLATE: Clawed hand is drawn across the mouth, then a 'C' hand brushes downwards twice on the chin.

HAT: Hands move in the action of placing a hat on your head. Handshape and movement may vary.

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© BSL sign graphics Cath Smith - the Let's Sign Series www.DeafBooks.co.uk

How to Sign....

To Buy or Not To Buy - That is the question…

One of the questions that Bestbear is frequently asked at this time of year is ‘what is the etiquette for giving our nanny or childcarer a Christmas present?’

Your nanny is an important part of your family and you are likely to be lost without her. Giving a Christmas bonus and/or present is one way of helping to make her feel valued and important to you.

Most nannies are given one week’s salary as a Christmas bonus, however some incredibly generous families have been known to give up to a month’s salary. In addition to this you might want to consider some of our other ideas, for a more personal touch: -

A spa day or pamper treatment at a local salon Some pamper goodies Vouchers for a local shopping centre or her favourite store A kindle or similar e-book reader iTunes vouchers A voucher for a course at a local cookery school or craft centre Theatre tokens or cinema vouchers Jewellery A case of her favourite wine or a bottle of champagne A beautiful bouquet of flowers or Christmas floral arrangement Red Letter Days activity vouchers Gym membership Stationary and notebooks

In addition to this, many childcarers really appreciate a gift from the children that they care for especially if they have chosen it or made it themselves.

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Framed painted canvasses Fingerprint jewellery Painted ceramics Personalised notebook – you can buy these with personalisation or with designs from the children Homemade cakes or chocolates

The most important thing is to demonstrate how much your nanny or childcarer means to you, and this does not mean you have to spend huge amounts of money. Small/inexpensive but personal gifts can often mean a lot more to the recipient than expensive gifts that lack thought or relevance.

New treatment offers mums a natural alternative to steroid creams for babies with eczema and irritated skin..

Reczema contains a potent plant acid to fight the symptoms of eczema, and is proven to be safe and effective for all the family, including babies under 6 months old Many mums would prefer to avoid harsh treatments like steroid creams when it comes to easing their child’s eczema. Thanks to Swedish company Secuvie, there is now an effective alternative to available in the UK: Reczema is 100% natural and has been clinically proven to significantly improve the symptoms of eczema and irritated skin.

Reczema works to tackle these conditions, by: 1.

2.

3.

Delivering calming and moisturising relief to dry and irritated skin Encouraging intense cellular repair – thanks to a clever plant acid called CHD-FA™ or ‘fulvic acid’, which helps cells to absorb the vital nutrients they need to heal Forming a barrier layer to protect the skin against external irritants

What’s more, Reczema is completely free from perfumes, preservatives, cortisone and other steroids.

Lee from Manchester, who has been ordering Reczema direct from Sweden for six months, said: “We had tried just about everything for our 6 year old daughter’s eczema. Even after the first application with Reczema, we could see the difference - and within four days, the redness and itching had completely disappeared. Reczema has given my daughter her skin back.”

Reczema is safe for long-term use and can be used on the face and body, including sensitive areas where the skin is delicate. For best results, Reczema should be applied to affected areas morning and evening, and can be applied repeatedly through the day as required.

Reczema is priced at £26.00 and will be available at independent community pharmacists nationwide from January 2014.

Bestbear.co.uk offers a wide range of information and resources relating to nannies and childcare, including a comprehensive childcare search, parent ad facility and reference checking. We vet all agencies registered with us for your peace of mind, ensuring that we only list the very best nanny and childcare agencies.

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The Beach Retreat

Celebrate New Year at the new Blue Bay Beach House in Cornwall Perfect for a special occasion – this impressive house is ideal for New Year so you can gather all the troops – all in one place, for a truly special break. The new Blue Bay Beach House in Mawgan Porth sleeps up to 20 people. Join in the Cornish celebrations: watch spectacular firework displays and join in with the fancy dress revelers for a fun night out, or enjoy a peaceful getaway beside the beach for a festive family break.

On your doorstep you can eat at great restaurants, dance the night away on the beach or cosy up by the fire. It’s a stone’s throw from Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, which is offering a wonderful four-course meal and after party for New Year’s Eve revelers.

Family Friendly Hen Nights

Weddings are getting less traditional and couples quite often have kids by the time they get around to organising their big day. You wouldn’t leave anyone so special out of the big day itself, so it makes sense that the kids are involved in all the exciting stuff that happens in the run-up too. It’s a lovely idea to plan a hen party that your kids can enjoy with you, but what to do? Here are some ideas from Viki Sanders at hen party specialist Eclipse Leisure to inspire you: Make yummy treats There are few things that grown women and small children have in common, but they are sure to share a mutual love of chocolate. While cocktail making is probably off the menu (unless you fancy a Shirley Temple) you can find plenty of opportunities to try out your culinary skills, get your hands dirty and satisfy your sweet tooth. Fashionable cupcake classes can be found up and down the country (and abroad!) that cater for both hen parties and kids’ birthdays, so why not combine the two? Make sparkly princess cakes for girls or mud pies if you have mini stags to bring along. If cakes aren’t your thing, chocolate is an equally tempting alternative. Adults and kids will love seeing sumptuous melted chocolate transform into amazing shapes ready to eat!

On New Year’s Day, why not start the year with a traditional swim in the sea!

The house offers: • • • • • • • •

Eight ensuite rooms and family suites 400m to the sea down a coastal path Heated outside shower, surf racks Secluded courtyard 'sun trap' garden Sea-view facing decking area surrounded by lawns Private conservatory-style lounge with sea view Off-road parking for up to 10 cars Bose sound system

Something a little more active If your hens are all willing to embrace their inner child, you could do something a bit more daring. Usually a staple activity for stag dos, paintballing can be great for a hen party; especially if you have energetic teenagers to keep amused. For younger children, Nerf Wars is a great alternative. It works with the same principles as paintballing but instead of hard paint pellets, participants shoot soft darts instead. Those looking for a compromise between outdoorsy kids and reluctant mates could opt for Laser Quest, which you can do inside, in the dry.

If that sounds a bit too aggressive, why not consider a bouncy castle or a game of It’s a Knock Out? You can burn off all the calories you’ll consume when the kids are in bed and the wine comes out.

Price: from £1,500 per week for up to 20 people

For more information, please contact: www.beachretreats.co.uk 01637 861 005

Go vintage The words vintage and wedding go together as well as ‘love and marriage’, so a vintage hen party is a natural choice. While adult hens will love to experiment with potential looks for your big day, your little ‘chicks’ will love playing dress up. A perfect solution if you have friends after a classy affair and who balk at the idea of a kid’s party. This will have a ‘proper’ hen do feel, which should keep everybody happy. You can book a vintage makeover at most beauty salons or photography studios and some vintage shops.

Channel your inner Lady Gaga (or whoever the kids are listening to these days) Another novel activity which adults and kids will both love is starring in their own music video. You can opt for a professional experience or be creative and make your own. The youngest and oldest hens are sure to love showing off their inner diva- the only argument will be who to be: Madonna, Beyoncé or Little Mix. You can try to be authentic by emulating costumes and learning the real dance routine, or just get some feather boas and inflatable props and have fun.

Throw an American style bridal shower If trying to find an activity to keep everybody happy is proving too much, then you can follow an American example. Similar to a baby shower, a bridal shower can just be a gathering at your home - a hen party solution now popular with mums*. If you’re following the American bridal shower custom to the letter, then you also get to throw a bachelorette party. That way you can have a raucous hen do too - the best of both worlds.

Netmums forum: http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/home-life-8/brides-weddings503/137055-ideas-hen-night-all.html

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Tuscany is typically heralded as a destination for adults, with couples looking for romance in Florence, foodies looking to find the best authentic trattorias in Italy and wine connoisseurs taking guided tours through the rolling vineyards.

However, this famous region of Tuscany is also wonderfully suited to families, with exciting outdoor adventures, delicious food and fun and spacious villas to relax in together. Visitors to Tuscany know best how great the region is for a family holiday and so Italy villa specialists Tuscany Now has tapped into their customers’ knowledge of Tuscany to create a useful map of things to do in Tuscany. It has a dedicated ‘family friendly’ tab to highlight all of the fantastic activities, locations and restaurants which will entertain, and cater to, children.

Find out more about some of the favourite family highlights below and check out the Things to Do in Tuscany map for yourself to see even more great kid-friendly attractions.

On the borders of Tuscany and Lazio, Lake Bolsena is one of the Italian Lake’s ‘best kept secrets’. There are pretty sandy shores to set up base and a small harbour where families can book a boat trip during the high season. The beautifully clear blue waters are perfect for spotting fish and seeing the countryside from a whole new perspective. Active families can hire bikes from the small lakeside and, with most of the area being flat, all abilities can explore easily by bike. For the more adventurous types, you can even sail on the lake with facilities available on the north shore.

Another water attraction, Lake Trasimeno is the largest lake on the Italian peninsula. Found in the Umbria region, it’s a popular day trip for families staying in Tuscany. The lake has a whole host of activities for families to try, including archery, horse riding facilities and cycle hire centres. However, visiting families have found that one of the best things to do around Lake Trasimeno is to explore the hidden castles and exciting ruins that are dotted around the lake’s shore. From the leaning ruins of the Tower of Vernazzano on the northern shore to the ruins of Zocco castle on the east side, kids will love discovering these ancient hidden palaces.

Recommended as the best place to discover Tuscany by horseback, the Vecchio Texas horse ranch is found in Casentino Valley near Figline Valdarno, about 25 miles from Florence. The ranch, inspired by classical western movies, has been passed down from generation to generation and is now run by sisters Maura and Silvia. Perfect for beginners and experienced riders, families can discover the rolling hills, sweeping vineyards, woods and olive trees of Tuscany in a special and unique way that children will remember forever. Find out more at Vecchio Texas.

A popular attraction during the summer and school holidays, the Acqua Village on the Tuscan coast is a great alternative to a day at the beach. The park in Cecina includes a wave pool, tropical pool for younger kids, soap soccer, surfing hill and plenty of thrilling waterslides. There are restaurants and bar food available as well as a grassy picnic area and dry adventure playground. Children under three go free and there is a reduced rate for people visiting after 3pm.

Prices vary between 10-22 euros. Find out more on the Acqua Village website.

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Dining out with young children can be difficult abroad, especially when you’re not familiar with which places are family friendly and which are not.

The Italians are firm believers in family though so many places will happily receive you and your bambinos, adjusting the portion size from the menu and making you feel really welcome.

Some Tuscan family favourites include: ·

This charming pizzeria is open all year around and is great for a meal out with the kids. Found in the centre of Castellina in Chianti, Il Fondaccio provides deliciously cooked pizzas with every topping you could possibly want (including sweet pizzas with bananas and Nutella!) There’s also a cheese and meat cart, a favourite with visitors, where customers can help themselves to local cold cuts and beautifully made cheeses.

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About seven miles outside of Florence, La Sosta del Rossellino boasts excellent service, food and wine and caters really well for children. Open Monday to Saturday, La Sosta del Rossellino has a traditional stone interior and a pretty terrace overlooking the lush green hills. Their menu is the perfect way to introduce your family to authentic Italian food with traditional tagliatelle, gnocchi and antipasti starters.

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If you’re looking for something sweet whilst exploring Florence, kids will delight at the handmade ice-cream from Gelateria Vivoli.

It’s the oldest ice-cream shop in Florence and offers delicious flavoured ice-cream, pastry treats and even ice-cream workshops.

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Villa T ramonti sleeps 10 guests, with five bedrooms, two private pools and al fresco dining areas. In the heart of the Chianti Classico region, just outside Castellina-in-Chianti, families can spend happy days relaxing and swimming in the private outdoor pools, enjoying big Italian style family dinners under the villa’s outdoor stone house and playing on the lush lawns. With an exception contemporary but family friendly design, T ramonti boasts a gorgeous kitchen, spacious living areas, big bedrooms and pretty terraces, all topped off with breath-taking views over Chianti’s vineyards and olive trees.

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Villa Zacconi sits atop a small hill, surrounded by pine woods and beautiful gardens. It sleeps 11 guests, with six bedrooms, private pool and a maid service. Children will love the outdoor pool area, with a private salt water pool and loungers and plenty of shade for playing under the wooden pergolas and nearby woods. The bedrooms are light and airy and the living spaces are great for families with a big, welcoming kitchen and comfortable lounge.

For more information, please contact: www.tuscanynow.com | info@tuscanynow.com | 020 7684 8884

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VW HITS THE SPOT WITH THE NEW TIGUAN SE BLUEMOTION I’ve done quite a lot of research on practical family vehicles in the last few months, after experiencing the same old annoyance that many other families face of trying to fit buggies and travel systems into the boot. First in the series of Baby Buzz reviews was the VW Golf which was deceptively spacious and gave a lot for the money.

I was, therefore, very eager to test drive the VW Tiguan when presented with the opportunity.

The Volkswagen Tiguan is aesthetically pleasing and resembles a compact / mini SUV. It is an ideal compromise to those wanting a family vehicle with the increased added security and the improved visibility without actually buying the bigger SUV with the bigger price tag. Their are numerous reviews that say the Tiguan isn’t for the driver wanting a vehicle that stands out or that it lacks style to the interior but I couldn’t disagree more! The exterior was sleek and the interior provided ultimate comfort whilst in drive mode. I’ve test drove a few of the larger SUV’s in the past and by far this has been one of the easiest to handle.

Basic ‘on the road’ recommended retail price* £28,395.00 *includes £775 (delivery, number plates, VAT, £175 VED (band G) and £55 registration fee)

Baby Buzz Rating: 5/5

How Practical Is it?

We were given the 2.0-litre TDI 140 with BlueMotion to run around with. The Tiguan handles amazingly well and I felt very secure whilst driving around with my two girls. The seating position is perfect and whilst I had initially been a little apprehensive about being able to handle a larger vehicle, I adjusted to it within minutes! There is a central display screen giving you full, easy control at the touch of a button with thankfully nothing too complicated . Below this are the switches giving you the option of having stop/start, off road and traction control activated or not, again all simply located, giving you fast control.

Any negatives?

Not for us! We found it to be a good, solid, all-round pleasant driving experience and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone.

Overall: A fantastic response from VW keeping in line with other rival vehicles within the range. It also has all the latest VW safety kit either already fitted or available, which includes Driver Alerts as standard.

How eco-friendly is it?

That BlueMotion Technology badge means the Tiguan tries the start-stop system works as flawlessly as you'd expect, and VW has optimised as many other systems as possible to save fuel without How spacious is it?

Incredible. There isn’t the option of third row seats but the rear compromising the ownership experience. seats do slide and recline individually while the central unit can be folded down to give an armrest option with drinks holders Would I buy it? incorporated. There is ample storage space located throughout. Absolutely, since driving this I’ve become more convinced that this The boot, however, is where it comes into its own and is is the way to go for my next family car, I felt safer for both myself exceptionally large. The spare tyre is housed underneath a but more importantly my children. concealed shelf and keeps everything tidy and in its place. The space on top is more than ample for a large travel system and additional I’m hoping to review the new Beetle for the New Year to see if you really have to sacrifice fun when you have a family! shopping!

Engine capacity (litres / cc)

2.0 / 1968 (4 cylinders, 16 valves)

Power output (PS @ rpm)

140@ 4200

Max torque (lbs ft / Nm @ rpm)

236 / 320@ 1750-2500

Top speed (mph)

117

0-62 mph (seconds)

10.2

Fuel economy (mpg)

Urban – 40.9; Extra-urban – 51.4; Combined – 47.1

CO2 emissions (g/km)

158

Insurance group (1-50)

18 E

Warranty

3 years / 60,000 miles; 3 years paint; 12 years body protection

Breakdown assistance

1 year Volkswagen Assistance (UK & Europe)

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W

e were recently invited to an evening hosted by Nurofen for Children with guest speakers Dr Pixie McKenna and other health professionals at the Grace Belgravia. The evening was about revealing and discussing new survey findings on the challenges women face when entering into motherhood and to explore the latest topics on parenting. It was a great fun-filled evening, which for me started with a luxurious hand massage at the wonderful Spa hidden within Grace Belgravia. Grace Belgravia is an exclusive private club for spirited, cultured, caring women who want the very best for their health and well-being. Grace has a spa, hamman, Atelier, gym, as well as a restaurant and bar. The gym offers a unique methodology by Matt Roberts, specifically designed for the female body and classes have been created to ensure that every member has the exercise of their choice. The service is exquisite and I left the massage to resume the evening completely relaxed, I can only imagine what a back massage would leave me feeling like!

If you would like further information about Grace Belgravia, please visit the following: www.gracebelgraiva.com

The journey of first-time motherhood!

The average first-time mum finds the first year of her baby’s life ‘chaotic, tiring and stressful’ research by Nurofen for Children has revealed.

A detailed study into the trials and tribulations of becoming a parent found that as well as days full of love and amazement, many mums find the initial 12 months emotionally and physically draining. Words such as ‘stressful’, ‘helplessness’ and ‘fatigued’ were also used to describe the first year. And mums admit the more negative aspects of parenthood – such as the sleepless nights, the feeling of being lost, loneliness and bewilderment – outweigh the positive for 54 per cent of the time. The report finds that it is only when baby reaches the age of 11 months that the happier elements of motherhood come to the fore. At this point, new mums finally start to feel that they know what they are doing and are more confident in their role.

symptoms with pain and fever solutions, it's a perfectly safe and sensible thing to do, just follow the guidelines.

Researchers found 89 per cent of women’s lives completely change by having a baby, with their relationships at home and work life taking the biggest hit. Even relationships with friends and family can be affected by the introduction of a new-born, while just under half of those polled had to put a stop to old hobbies and interests. And while mums said they did start to really enjoy motherhood from about six months in, 65 per cent admit they find the first year incredibly stressful – 52 per cent genuinely feeling as though they’d lost their identity. Two-thirds of those polled found it difficult to cope with the sleep deprivation.

Four in 10 women had no idea how to get their baby to sleep in a regular pattern, while 35 per cent felt they were making it up when it came to feeding the child. Getting the baby settled into a routine, juggling the cleaning and cooking with childcare, and coping with the sheer responsibility are all aspects women would have liked training on. A quarter of mums didn’t have a clue when their baby was supposed to be reaching different milestones with regards to their learning and development. When asked what they missed most about their lives pre-motherhood, 55 per cent said social life, 35 per cent said work, and 51 per cent wished they could have their old body back.

Leading GP Dr Pixie McKenna says “It is easy to underestimate the impact having a baby has on a woman’s life. Before embarking on parenthood, many women are settled in a job, know what they are doing on a day-to-day basis, and are confident in the role they have carved out for themselves.

They have independence, aren’t responsible for anyone but themselves, and their abilities and decisions aren’t questioned constantly. The minute a baby comes along, a woman’s world is turned upside down – with that initial rush of love and joy comes the unknown, and it is this which can throw Nurofen for Children is an effective and fast-working treatment for pain and fever reduction and is the best-selling ibuprofen suspension for children. Nurofen for women completely off balance.”

The study of 2,000 mums by Nurofen for Children finds more than half of new mums suffer a major knock in confidence in the first year because they suddenly realise they have no idea what they are doing. Indeed, many mums would be far happier to have a manual, more help, or instructions on how to cope with certain aspects of motherhood. Half of those polled wish someone could have told them why the baby was crying, and 43 per cent would have liked tips on how to deal with sleepless nights. Others would have liked to be sure when it was appropriate to contact a doctor, and when to administer medicines. Research also found that 30 per cent of mothers feel confused about treating their child’s illness. Mothers also struggle to recognise when the baby was truly ill or just grumpy in the first year.

Children starts to work in just 15 minutes to bring down a temperature and relieves fever for up to 8 hours Clinically proven to last longer than paracetamol to relieve a fever, Nurofen for Children treats pains from a sore throat, teething pain, toothache, earache, headache, minor aches and sprains and also relieves the fever associated with teething, Nurofen for Children Cold, Pain and Fever is the latest addition to the Nurofen for Children portfolio. The Nurofen for Children products are available in two great flavours: strawberry and orange, and are sugar and colour free. To make giving the correct dose to your child simple, a free easy dosing device is included in every pack.

Nurofen for Children is trusted by mums, 9/10 would recommend the product to a friend.

And Mum is the first person women rely on for help in the middle of the night with around four in ten admitting they would call their mum for tips on treating a sick child. Dr McKenna says: “When it comes to health advice, only a quarter of mothers feel comfortable sharing advice with other mothers on knowing when to query things with a doctor, and even less feel comfortable advising how to recognise when a baby was ill, or when it’s appropriate to administer medicines. As a doctor I don't think I ever fully appreciated what it was like to have a sick child, until my own children fell ill. My advice would be not to go it alone, share your anxieties no matter how foolish they may seem and don’t be scared to ask for advice. Consulting a healthcare professional who can help guide you through your child's illness will help to ease their pain and your concerns.”

UK mums revealed the top things they wish they had known in the first few years of motherhood:

While fever and pain, whether it's from teething, earache or a cold, is something that many new mums fear, it is worth remembering that it is a sign that your little one is fending off illness. Don't be afraid to treat their

For further information visit: www.nurofenforchildren.co.uk

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1. Why the baby was crying 2. How to cope with sleepless nights 3. The sheer responsibility of being a parent 4. Whether to let them cry it out or not 5. How to get a baby settled into a routine 6. How to recognise when a baby was ill and not just grumpy 7. How to juggle the house-cleaning with looking after the baby 8. Whether you should be querying things with a doctor/health visitor 9. Knowing that mums in the same position may only be appearing to cope 10. How to cook a meal while looking after a baby

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Happy 1st Birthday to London’s Most Popular Postnatal Group Becoming a mum can be the most daunting experience a women can face.

Why is it assumed that once you’ve given birth you have all the tools and support there is to happily set off on your journey? I was fortunate enough to meet with two mums a few months ago who had set up a group called Nurturing Mums. Founded by Elise Mendelle and Gemma Frenchman in November 2012, Nurturing Mums has now successfully run six of their unique postnatal courses, with two more planned for early 2014. It has been so popular that they are launching in a second area in the new year – so watch this space! Gemma and Elise say “New mums have it tough! They are literally left holding the baby, often with no clue where to begin; breast or bottle, routine or baby-led, the list goes on and on. This new role can be overwhelming and lonely, particularly without a sociable support network to depend on.”

A new study reported by the Daily Mail suggests that 65% of first-time mothers find the initial 12 months incredibly stressful, and many would feel more confident if they received more help or guidance on how to cope in early motherhood. Gemma and Elise continue to say “This is longed-for beauty treatment. There are also goody bags and exactly what Nurturing Mums aims to do: bring new mummies together, competitions. Courses are benefitting North London mums so much that getting them out and about locally with a weekly diary date. Practical, they are 100% recommended! sociable support is the name of the game”. Antenatal support is widely available through the NCT as well as an increasing number of private “I have so loved the Nurturing Mums postnatal course and am actually providers. However, much-needed postnatal support is hard to find. sad that it’s over! With insightful talks, goody bags and pampering, it Nurturing Mums courses are based on the lack of non-judgemental advice sounded useful, special and a little bit different; I certainly wasn’t let available to new mums where they can openly and honestly share their down! It’s been so interesting learning about key issues as well as emotions. Elise and Gemma want to change the way new mums feel building up an invaluable support network of local mums. Having that about early motherhood and give them a more positive experience. helping-hand feeling through the early stages is useful and comforting – I just wish the course was longer as I’d happily attend!” Claire, winter Nurturing Mums postnatal groups are held in informal, friendly venues 2012 where mums can chat, learn and relax. Guest speakers share their expert advice and answer questions on key topics including sleep, weaning, “I loved Nurturing Mums postnatal course so much that when my relationships and infant development. The course offers mums an easy closest friends are pregnant, I will book them a space on the next course and engaging way of learning practical parenting skills and making new instead of giving them babygros or toys!" Lisa, summer 2013 friends. In addition, a professional photographer takes precious mumand-baby shots and an indulgent pamper morning gives the new mums a For more information visit our website: www.nurturingmumsuk.com

9 EAST BARNET ROAD, EN4 8RR 020 3609 3342 07594603340 www.playandlearn2.com FREE FUNDING FOR 3 YEAR OLDS available NOW! 2 year FUNDING SOON COMING!! open 7.30-6.30 MONDAY – FRIDAY

Play and Learn

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Baby Massage and more ‌ New to Winchmore Hill, Enfield and Southgate; Baby Massage and development classes.

Baby massage is the beginning of an incredible journey for you and your precious baby.

This natural bonding process will give you confidence and an insight into your baby’s development.

You will learn: Massage strokes which will help with colic, wind, reflux and constipation.

Techniques to help soothe, calm and understand crying.

Relaxation techniques for you and your baby.

Songs and rhymes Classes, Small Parties and One to One Sessions available

DOTTYROSEBABYMASSAGE

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