Tag Archives: kids

KIDS DON’T JUST SAY THE FUNNIEST THINGS…THEY EAT THEM TOO

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Toddlers’ eating habits cost UK families millions of pounds in damages a year, but what is the real cost to their health?

A SURVEY RELEASED today reveals that the nation’s toddlers regularly have mouths full of mum’s jewellery and chew on family essentials like car keys and cameras – with the average toddler costing mum and dad £60 in damages during their first three years[1], equating to a shocking nationwide loss of over £14.5 million a year[2].

Cow & Gate Growing Up Milk, who commissioned the survey to highlight the hard to get nutrients required to support toddler growth and development, found 21 per cent of parents’ bundles of joy caused more damage in the home than the family pet1! With 86 per cent of children spending up to 30 minutes per day1 chewing or sucking on household items like remote controls, which came top of the carnage list of items most commonly damaged1.

In light of additional research reporting that the typical UK toddler is more likely to have eaten a burger than broccoli[3], the new poll shows that a supper of crayons, keys and toys is commonplace for our little ones.

Released to coincide with Cow & Gate’s new TV advert, the survey also reveals that inquisitive taste buds are not limited to the household, with creepy crawlies also appearing on this unusual menu of toddler fare, with a quarter of children chowing down on between five and fifteen insects, worms and slugs in their first five years1. It’s not just the celebrities participating in Bushtucker Trials it seems!

Whilst “mouthing” is not to be discouraged, Doctor Leanne Olivier, nutritionist and spokesperson for Cow & Gate, comments: “It’s common for little ones to put weird and wacky things in their mouths, from cushions to remote controls, but they won’t find the essential nutrients they need to support their amazing growth there! A healthy balanced diet including just two beakers of Growing Up Milk[4] each day is a simple way to provide little ones with the hard to get nutrition that they need.”

Dr Richard Woolfson, child psychologist for Growing Up Milk, adds: “The results of this survey confirm that “mouthing” is very common amongst toddlers. It’s simply another form of exploration and discovery. Mouthing lets curious and inquisitive toddlers learn about the object’s texture, resistance, taste and structure. That’s why you need to watch closely – your toddler will happily mouth anything they get their hands on, big or small, safe or hazardous.”

Toddler Tasting Tactics – Some bitesize facts:

· The top ten items that toddlers most commonly put in their mouths are: toys (17%), crayons and pencils (16%), remote control (13%), keys (11%), camera, phone and iPod (10%), soft toys (9%), plastic plates and bowls (6%), items of clothing (5%), security blanket (4%) and jewellery (3%)1

· Over a quarter (28%) of toddlers have eaten more than five insects, worms and slugs in their first five years1

· 30 per cent of toddlers mark their territory and display the first signs of ownership by sucking on their beloved security blankets, soft toys and toys1

· More than half of parents (57%) say that their toddler has damaged something in the home as a result of “mouthing” 1

· 7 per cent of frustrated parents state that their toddler frequently causes damage in the home, causing destruction more than four times a month1

 

Top tips to make kid’s bath time FUN without breaking the bank

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As research from Megaflo, the hot water expert has shown, more than 93% of parents believe that bath-time is one of the most important parts of a child’s day to help them relax, learn and have fun.  With the cold weather now upon us, bath time will be more important than ever.  We all remember there being nothing better than splashing about in the bath tub when we were little; so from bubbles to shampoo mohawks and bath crayons – here are a few top tips to bring the old favourites back and make your child’s bath time as fun and memorable as yours, without breaking the bank.

 

1.         Sail away!

Bath time just isn’t the same without a boat to play with.  Keep all of your clean, empty cartons and bottles as these make great play time accomplices for all of those budding pirates!  You can even create some pre-bath fun, by using use crayons and felt pens to help them make their dream vessel a masterpiece!  Remember – no holes… otherwise the boat will become a submarine! (Follow these instructions to make your creation. http://www.ehow.com/how_8161908_make-boats-out-plastic-bottles.html)

 

2.         Paint by bubbles!

A new era of children’s toys is upon us with bath crayons and bath paint pallets galore!  For the same effect and to save a few pounds, why not get a plastic egg carton and mix some shaving foam with food colouring… you have your very own clean-easy bath colour palette fit for any little artist.  Just be on hand to check that inquisitive little fingers don’t decide to try to swallow their creations..!

 

3.         Bath time Punk-Rockers!

One of the best ways to avoid the hair-washing tears is to get your little ones to design their own shampoo mohawk.  Create different soapy styles and faces – no doubt you’ll be creating one for yourself too!  Everyone’s a winner.  Remember to try and find a mild but soapy shampoo, for extra volume but minimal tears…

 

4.         Deep sea aquarium!

All children love aquariums and creatures of the deep sea.  Why not create your own right at home in your bath tub?  It will also make some good pre-bath entertainment.  Simply draw and decorate your fish, mermaids, crabs and other sea-side goodies, laminate them with sticky-back plastic and throw them in.  The kids will have hours of fun searching for them in amongst all the bubbles.  Why not create some treasure to go with your pirate ship as well?

 

5.         Trusty Rubber Duck never fails!

We all remember using a lovely rubber duck to play with in the tub and with the latest trend for bright and colourful Hippie, Pirate, Union Jack, Princess and Alien ducks, there is sure to be one to please every child!  What’s more – these ducks last a lifetime and look great as an ornament in your bathroom.  Why not build up a family of ducks and let their imaginations run wild!

 

Megaflo has teamed up with Pump Aid, the charity dedicated to providing clean water and good sanitation to sub-Saharan Africa, to support a phenomenal Malawi Schools project.  The £62k project, co-funded by Megaflo, will provide pupils and staff across 21 schools in the Mchinji District, Central Region of Malawi, with access to clean water and basic sanitation through the installation of 80 toilets and 10 pumps.

 

For more information, please visit www.megaflo.com.

Your Relationship After Children?

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YOUR RELATIONSHIP AFTER CHILDREN?

· Research lifts the lid (and duvet) on the effect having kids has on British couples

Research released by parenting website, yano.co.uk reveals what goes on with British couples’ lives ‘after children’. The survey asked questions about the changing relationships, rows, sex and attraction between couples and provided insights into a subject that mums and dads normally ‘keep mum’ about.

When it comes to spending time together, one in ten parents make room for a weekly ‘Date Night’ but nearly half (46%) only get to spend one kid-free night a month together, with 3% only able to get alone time once a YEAR.

Perhaps as a result, 63% of parents say their sex life has deteriorated since having children. 41% had sex every other day before kids – this goes down to just 10% having sex every other day after having children. 28% have sex only once a month post-children, 5% once a year and 7% revealed they now NEVER have sex! This is perhaps unsurprising when you hear 37% of parents questioned admitted that they are less attracted to their partner after having children – a feeling that is more common for women (42%).

More than a third of parents questioned say they argue more with their partner since having children, with 6% having separated from their partner before their child was born. The most common rows for all parents revolve around parenting style (61%), financial pressures (53%) and who should be doing the chores (41%).

There are also some clear differences between men and women’s viewpoints. Women feel, more so than men, that their partner needs to take more responsibility helping with their child or children. Women are also more likely to complain to their spouse about chores and sex, whilst men are more likely to argue with their partners about parenting styles.

Patrick Wanis PhD, Celebrity Life Coach and Relationship Therapist says that much of the tension between modern parents stems from one major problem; we are effectively sacrificing the relationship for the sake of the children, doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Wanis says that, although it sounds counter-intuitive, the best thing parents can do for their children are to put their marriage first. ‘That means regular date nights, still sharing hopes and dreams, still wanting the best for each other, still taking time to enjoy each other’s company as adults and friends. Children thrive in a household of open love and affection between the parents. But when parents neglect each other, the children eventually suffer as the marriage falls apart.’

TV psychologist Jo Hemmings says ‘When you make that transition from lover to mother or father, everything changes. The way society views you to your priorities to the amount of freedom you have. Many new parents report that while they have gained a huge amount in terms of love and fulfilment, a part of them still feels lost, and is wondering where the ‘real’ them is buried underneath the bustle and juggling of parenthood.’

The survey also revealed some regional stats from across the UK. Northern Irish are more keen under the covers after the birth of a child, with over half of them confessing to having sex once a week, compared to just a quarter of couples in London. Scots are also keen to rekindle their love lives after having children, with almost a quarter of couples (22%) admitting they have sex every other day. Geordies top the poll when confessing they feel less attraction to their partners after the birth of a child, with over three-quarters of couples admitting they felt this way. But love is blind in Scotland, with only 25% of Scots feeling less attracted to their partners after a child’s birth.

Ann-Marie McKimm, founder of Yano and mother of two, says, “It was great to get such honest views from our respondents as these issues are not often discussed. Following the sad news about the split of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes this week, it is interesting to note that tension over how to raise a child comes out as the top reason for arguments in relationships and is clearly an issue that affects many couples. Given this result and the differences revealed in men and women’s views, I feel that it is important to open up discussions on these problems”.

Yano encourages fresh thinking on parenting, incorporating enlightening food for thought; informative discussions; regular news stories; a digest of interesting parenting stories from across the globe; Q and A discussion panels and advice and comment from leading experts in their chosen fields.

Visit Yano for further information and a full article on ‘Will Your Relationship Survive Children.’

Bigoodi, Pampering For Children in West London.

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Bigoodi, the UK’s number one children’s destination launched recently. It’s a family run store in fashionable King’s Road.

Bigoodi is a vibrant new concept store for London where children enjoy pampering and styling by the professional enthusiastic staff whilst parents enjoy a unique retail experience. This destination has been designed with care and takes its influence largely from the trendy and exclusive boutiques of le Marais in Paris. The welcoming period frontage and fun chairs invite children (and their parents) into a world of enjoyment. In addition the colourful playroom hosts parties for special occasions, (catering for 2 to 15 year olds).

This independent, family owned boutique is located at 52 New Kings Road, in the heart of
Parsons Green, London. It is clear, that everything has been designed with children in mind;
chairs resemble grand American cars, sleek airplanes or princess thrones and flat screen TV’s
showing reel classic cartoons.

Bigoodi (a play on the French word for ‘hair roller’) has been created by Clemence de Crecy, a
local mother of two young boys; “As a mother of two young children I know how hard it is to find
the right hairdresser. All too often it can end in tears as regular salons are not designed or
equipped to look after the specific needs of children. Dedicated children’s hairdressing has been
hugely successful in the USA and Italy for a long time now, but here in the UK we have been slow
to catch on. It will be the kind of place where children feel secure, welcome, and cared for, and
hopefully somewhere they look forward to return to. Contented children make for contented
parents and there will also be a few fun extras just for adults to ensure they enjoy their visit too.”
The children’s sector appears to be booming with major brands still opening in London.
Bigoodi will also offer various types of children’s party, including ‘Ballerina’ parties for girls with
hairdressing, manicures and pedicures, light make up and ‘Kapla’ parties for boys centered
around the popular French building game. Full sets of invitations will be printed out and
distributed in advance for the birthday boy or girl to offer them to their best friends in the
playground. Birthday boy or girl is always coming for free!

Parents will also be well looked after, and will be able to enjoy a spot of peace and quiet while
the professional stylists look after their little ones. Children’s fashion and lifestyle brands will be
invited to display their ranges in the shop, providing some carefully chosen top quality shopping
opportunities. The collection will change every 3 months, so there will something new to explore
on each visit.

52 New Kings Road, London SW6 4LS
Telephone 020 7736 47 68

Traditional Roles Changing For Men.

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Father’s day has been and gone but one thing is becoming clear: the times there are a changin’.
Online marketplace notonthehighstreet.com reveals the evolution of ‘Dad’ with nationwide survey.

A survey of over 1,000 respondents has found that modern day fathers are more likely to be seen in the kitchen preparing the evening meal, or with a duster and hoover sprucing up the house, in comparison to the ‘traditional’ idea of fathers whose primary role was seen to be working and other stereotypical male roles. The nationwide survey showing that while 77% of respondents recall the traditional primary role of the father from their own childhoods to be concerned with earning the keep, 70% now view the modern day father’s primary role to be cooking.

Further results from the survey showed the following:

* When growing up, respondents remember their father’s taking on roles such as working, painting and decorating, DIY, gardening and taking the bins out.
* When asked which roles the modern day father is known for, the top three primary roles were cooking (70%), shopping (61%) and cleaning (58%)
* Results showed that modern day fathers are 48% less likely to discipline their children in comparison to the generation of fathers before them.
* Results also found that the modern day father is much more likely to take an active, fun parental role with their children. It was found that fathers are now 49% more likely to spend time playing with their children and 48% more likely to take their children to school.

Kirsten Dunst Not Ready To Be 30.

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Kirsten Dunst has revealed that she has the same fears as all the other women reaching the big 3-0, finding someone to have kids with.

Dunst turns 30 next year and says she is terrified she will not find a man to have kids with.

The Spider-Man star told Lucky magazine she want to settle down, but fears that she won’t find the right man in time. Proving that even the rich and famous are slaves to their biological clock.

Dunst said: ‘I thought when I reached 30 I’d have a lot more figured out. Until you have a kid, you’re just looking for your partner. And guys have a Peter Pan vibe. They’re 35 and they act like they’re 25.’

‘That’s what scares me about being in my 30s – not finding someone to have kids with. I can’t wait to re-live life in a little kid’s way,’

‘I’m so ready for that lifestyle – get a little place upstate and have them go to school up there.’ She told Lucky.

It's Christmas time- there's no need to be afraid.

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I’ve just seen an ad for Littlewoods, or copses as they should be known. It’s your usual fare. Loads of cute kids on stage at a school and the proud parents beaming from the fold-up chairs below. It’s not a nativity of course, god forbid, it’s a singing tribute to how wonderful mums are. Nice? Well not really no, because the song- and there’s even a rap in there to keep it ‘street’, is all about how mum is wonderful for buying just about every consumer electrical gizmo you could imagine that doesn’t begin with an ‘i’.

There’s a laptop and an HTC Android phone. The first kid proudly holds up his X-Box Kinect unit like it’s the ‘fragrances that are also useful in scrabble’ shop’s entire stock of Myrrh.

It ends with a little girl, her ruby cheeks poking out from between the just-closed curtains, reminding us that the mark of a wonderful mum is the quality, measured in expenditure, of her gifts. And that we should, therefore, measure our own maternal love by that scale alone.
The add stops short of having Santa flying overhead trailing a banner from his sleigh that reads, “MONEY = LOVE, don’t forget kids!” But that mantra is sewn, inextricably, into the underpants of every precious, seasonal second.

I’m not against Christmas, contrary to the view of the parent of a child that approached me once and asked if I was Santa’s sister because his mum has said I was ‘Aunty Christmas.’ I love Christmas. I come over all Jimmy Stewart as soon as Summer’s over and I can’t hear the opening bars of ‘Silent Night’ without bursting into tears and wanting to join the Sally Army. I just hate this unnecessary and inexplicable extortion every year.

I don’t have kids, and I’m sure some of you are thinking, “If your wife’s as tight as you are, you never will!” But my sister does. My sister is a single mum with two sons. The eldest is 22 now so his festive focus has fully relocated from under the tree to under the table but his kid brother is 14. Old enough to want everything but too young to care what it costs.

When his mates are all tweeting photos of their new PS3 on their new ipads and running round to his house in their new trainers to make sure he got it because he hasn’t ‘RT’d’ yet, he’s going to hide his market versions- the ‘iPhone’ and the ‘Games Centre Play Console- with 7 game cartridges included!’ And look at my poor sister like she’s picking the last of Santa’s gonads from between her teeth just because she couldn’t get herself into deep enough debt to avoid the emotional scarring a shit present can have on a teenager.

He won’t really because he’s a good kid. He’ll do what I used to do and pretend it’s just as good as the thing you really wanted then find a way to hide it long enough to casually mention you played with it so much it broke, and suffering the inevitable comeback, “That doesn’t just apply to toys you know!”

I still remember desperately faking happiness when the ‘Evil Knievel action figure with interchangeable costumes and multi-trick stunt bike’ I’d asked for turned out to be a small plastic moulded ‘figure-on-bike’ with a big glued seam running down the middle that you revved up and watched career in a short curve into the nearest skirting board. Not to mention picking the stitching from the fourth stripe on my ‘same as Adidas’ trainers before I got to school only to be told by my jeering fellow students, as I knelt down for assembly, that they had different coloured soles- not from genuine Adidas trainers but from each other.

That was nearly 30 years ago. The pressure’s ten times worse now.

Why? Where did this law that you have to spend a couple of hundred quid on gifts come from?
Not the Nativity, that’s for sure. Its been sacked by Littlewoods in favour of ‘Grange Hill does the Ludovico Technique.’ (Google anyone?) And I’m sure Jesus would be spinning in his shroud, if he was still dead, at the thought of his birthday being hijacked by everyone else. Imagine if everyone got presents on your birthday. It’d certainly take the sheen off it I’ll bet, and that’s my point really. Birthdays are personal and they only involve one person.
Mark Twain said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” I agree with the first part, although the day I heard my mum say, “by the time I realized it wasn’t wind it was too late,” doesn’t even make my top 100, but you get my point. Presents on birthdays make sense! Let’s just do that shall we?

Here’s what I think we should do: Everyone, at the same time, stand up and say, “There won’t be any presents this Christmas.” Then enjoy a huge sigh of relief and start, for the first time in a long time, to really look forward to the holidays.

It’s important that everyone does it at the same time and sticks to it, which will be hard to organize and even harder to check, and there will be mass disappointment for every child in England but it will pass when they all realize they’re in the same boat and they’re not missing out.

Now imagine the Christmases that will follow. Everyone can just work until the holidays start and then enjoy time with their friends and families. Boyfriends and husbands won’t have to reduce themselves to asking the teenage assistant behind the perfume counter for suggestions because they’ve forgotten what their wife’s favorite is called and EVERYTHING just smells of perfume!

It can feel like a real holiday for a change and, once it’s all over, there won’t be a national depression as everyone spends January skint, cold and about as festive as Scrooge’s warts. Better still, single parents or families that have little or no income won’t have to worry that their kids will hate them and/or get bullied at school. Loan sharks, feeding on the poor and vulnerable in in the less affluent areas of the country, will have to find other ways to ‘help people out till pay day’.

A weight of unnecessary obligation would be lifted from everyone and we would all be no less festive for it.

As for Christmas morning? Imagine getting up (whenever you like- you’re on holiday remember) and strolling downstairs to greet your family with a hearty breakfast and a mulled wine and hugs all round. Elders can talk to youngsters while the crisp winter morning air draws the first flame from the Yule log. Christians can take a moment for silent reflection while the rest of us slap a bit of Slade on and work up an appetite for the largest and best meal of the year. Happy in the knowledge that it’s cost you no more than all the good will and genuine Christmas cheer you can muster.

Sounds great to me.

Beyonce gets animated.

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WOW! WOW! WUBBZY! “WUBB IDOL” DVD FEATURING BEYONCÉ KNOWLES AS SHINE IN STORES NATIONWIDE

19 July 2010

Lights! Camera! Wubbzy! WUBB IDOL, the animated preschool movie hit from the Emmy® Award-winning Nick Jr. TV show, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, takes center stage as it comes onto DVD on 19 July from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Multi-award-winning international pop sensation Beyoncé Knowles makes her voiceover debut in WUBB IDOL – her first-ever children’s project – as Shine, the lead singer of the most awesome girl group, The Wubb Girlz! The standout DVD features a new original song composed and performed by Ms. Knowles titled, “Sing-a-Song.”

“Wubb Idol” hit a high note when broadcasted in the US on Nickelodeon when the TV movie capped off a weeklong “Wubb Girlz” spectacular, capturing the imagination of audiences all across America and reaching a combined 6.5 million total viewers. The series can currently be seen on Nick Jr 2 in the UK and is most loved by kid’s aged 4-6 years old.

DVD PRODUCT DETAILS

Title: WOW WOW WUBBZY! WUB IDOL

Release Date: 19 July 2010

Certificate: TBC

Running Time: 1hr 26mins

Format: DVD

Price: £9.99 SRP

Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Genre Kids