Tag Archives: parenting

The Rise of The Mumpreneur: Two Thirds Of Mums Consider Launching a Business From Home

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  • Two thirds of mums (65 per cent) with children under ten years of age are considering starting a business from home in the next three years
  • One in six (16 per cent)are motivated by the childcare costs attached to traditional nine-to-five jobs
  • Nearly half of mums (49 per cent) believe that they would be financially better off if they started a business from home

 

New research from Direct Line for Business (DL4B) gorgeousbabyreveals that nearly two thirds of mums (65 per cent)1 with children under the age of ten are considering starting a business from home in the next three years. One in five (20 per cent) mums with children under ten years of age would consider starting a business from home to spend more time with their children.

 

A sixth (16 per cent) of mothers are doing so because of the prohibitive childcare costs associated with working a traditional nine-to-five job. With recent figures putting full-time annual childcare costs at £11,7002 for two children, it is understandable that almost half of the mothers (49 per cent) surveyed believe that they would be better off financially, if they started a business from home.

 

One in seven mums (14 per cent) are motivated to start a business from home by the flexibility of being their own boss, while one in eight (12 per cent) have always had the ambition to start their own business. Only one per cent is motivated by the fact that they do not like their current job.

 

UK mums’ top 5 reasons for starting a business from home

1

 Allow me to spend more time with my children

20%

2

 Cost of child care if I worked away from home

16%

3

 Flexibility of being my own boss

14%

4

 Lifelong ambition to start my own business

12%

5

 Don’t/didn’t like my current job

1%

Source:  Direct Line for Business

 

What do you think?
 

How Much Are Mum’s Worth?

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Mum is Worth £100k Per YearmumInfograph thanks to prezzybox.com

Go The F**K To Sleep Book | Parenting

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Forget National Book Week. This is the book of the year! After a long day, sometimes you just need your child to go to sleep. This funny, tongue in cheek book and hilarious book pokes fun at that. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t actually read this out loud to you child.

Go The F**K To Sleep Book

It’s realistic, sarcastic and will become a parent’s best friend. It talks about everyday family situations and has excuses of why they can’t sleep, such as ‘mummy I’m thirsty’ or ‘there’s a monster in my cupboard’! We’ve all heard them, and this book helps to soothe an excited child to sleep, as well as humour the annoyed parent.

Written by Adam Mansbach who writes from personal experience of a sleep disturbed toddler, his honest nature and funny colourful illustrations drawn by Ricardo Cortes instantly puts the reader at ease as they sift through the different ways to get their little monkey to sleep.

Costing only £10.95 from www.prezzybox.com

Features:

A bedtime book for parents who live in the real world
Captures the familiar and unspoken tribulations of putting your child to bed
Colourfully illustrated and hilariously funny, this is a breath of fresh air for parents new, old and expectant
(*You should probably not read this to your children.)

The Current State-of-Mind of Working Mums Today

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GUILT-RIDDEN, TORN BETWEEN TWO ROLES AND OVER-LOOKED -The current state-of-mind of working mums today

* Over three quarters (80%) of women feel guilty about going back to work and worry about leaving their child in the care of others compared with just 39% of men.
* Childcare responsibilities still fall on the mother’s shoulders, even when both parents are working.
* A fifth of dads (20%) say they wished they hadn’t gone back to work after having a family, saying they wished they could have looked after their child while over a third (37%) of men say they work full time with NO flexibility at all.

competitionNew research into the state of mind of working parents in the UK has found that we are a nation divided with women battling to find a healthy work-life balance, taking on the majority of childcare responsibilities while not at work. The research, undertaken for The Work & Family Show which is due to take place for the first time on 21st and 22nd February, found that over three quarters of women (80%) feel guilty about going back to work after having a family. Men, on the other hand, are relatively confident about returning to their jobs with just 39% feeling guilty about leaving their children in childcare.

The biggest concern for more than 35% of women was not having the help or understanding from their employer when dealing with the difficult transition from working woman to working mum. They also worried that their employers would be discriminatory towards them, entrusting them with responsibility and fewer big projects.

One mum who struggled to return to work after having a baby is 31 year old Leah McGrath. She returned to her role as an HR Service Manager at a large agra-pharmaceutical company after a year at home with her daughter. The plan was for Leah to do a job share but this fell through and she found herself fitting in a full time job into her contracted three days a week. She says: “I was finding it such a struggle, commuting three hours, three days a week, and trying my best to be a good mum. I was getting ill all the time; whenever there was a virus going around, I would catch it as I was so run down and my little girl’s behaviour was becoming very challenging. After a while I realised there must be more to life and resigned. It was extremely scary but I am so pleased I did.” Leah has since re-trained as a yoga teacher, running her own Yogabellies franchise, teaching pre-natal, post-natal and baby massage classes in her lo cal wellbeing and community centres. She has managed to get a healthy work-life balance and work flexibly but only by leaving her past career behind her.

Ben Black, Director of MyFamilyCare.co.uk who, together with Clarion Events, are organising The Work & Family Show says: “Due to the lack of support from their employers on returning to work, women often feel forced to give up the careers they have trained and worked so hard for in order to fit in their new role of motherhood. However, it shouldn’t be like this. Staff need to be supported as they return to work and deal with the challenges that being a working parent can bring. Employers who respond to their needs will be rewarded with engaged, productive and loyal employees.”

The research also asked fathers how they felt about the transition from working man to working dad. More than a third (37%) said they returned to work and received no flexibility at all. One in five, meanwhile, said they wished they had never gone back to work at all, wishing they could take on the full-time role of child carer.

Ben Black continues: “So many big companies like Barclays, Discovery Channel and Rolls Royce have made big improvements to their policies to help their parents who work, but these results show there’s a huge deficit. Women shouldn’t feel restricted in work when they become a mother and a man’s role in bringing up a child has evolved so much in the past 30 years and it’s time that businesses recognise this too.”

The Work & Family Show has been born out of the high demand from families in need of help when returning to work or starting up their own business. Jenny Willott, Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, will introduce the show while inspirational experts and employers on the lookout for motivated staff will be on hand to give working parents and career break women access to practical advice. Organised by Clarion Events and My Family Care, it takes place on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February 2014 at the ExCeL London. Tickets are available from www.theworkandfamilyshow.co.uk from just £12, and people coming to the neighbouring Baby Show will have free entrance*.

Opening times:
Friday 21st February: 9.30am – 5pm (trade and press entry from 8.30am on Friday for a networking breakfast)
Saturday 22nd February: 10am – 5pm
**Ends**

*Free entry will be for everyone who has a paid-for ticket to The Baby Show

We have six tickets to the Work and Family Show to giveaway

Dads deserve a rest this Fathers Day as survey shows they spend over 50 hours a week helping out at home

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– Dads spend 53.5 hours a week helping households run smoothly

– Value of a Dad’s domestic contribution is £24,000 per year

– Fathers in the West Midlands and Scotland do the most washing up at 3.5 hours a week.

Who said men don’t help out around the house?  Apparently dads spend seven and a half hours a day helping households run smoothly according to a study from Legal & General Life Insurance, This equals an impressive 53.5 hours a week.

The total includes time spent cooking, cleaning and looking after children. If families had to pay for this work by employing cleaners or child minders they would have to find an extra £23,971 a year showing Dads are helping cut down on household bills. The figure is up 13% from when the survey was last carried out in 2011, when a father’s help was worth £21,306.  As a contrast the survey also showed the day to day cost of raising a child has risen to £8,580 per year since 2011, meaning parents now spend £154,440 on each child by the age of 18.

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Dads who live in the North East are the most valuable to their households contributing £33,925 a year in domestic duties. Dads in the South West spend the least amount of time with their children at 18.5 hours a week.  Fathers in the West Midlands and Scotland top the tables for washing up spending 3.5 hours a week doing the dishes.  Dads across the UK do between 5-7 hours of cooking each week.

Despite the heavy costs of bringing up a child the research showed that many parents do not have adequate protection in place should they or their partner become ill or die.  Only 31% of parents have a will putting their children at risk of financial insecurity should the worst happen.  Similarly only 29% of parents have critical illness cover in place and a mere 14% have income protection.

 

Shared parenting should not be confused with parental rights

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Some interesting information pinged into the Frost Magazine inbox from the Law Society. Did you know that shared parenting should not be confused with parental rights?

Shared parenting legislation, aimed at strengthening relationships between parents and children after separation, could detract from children’s wellbeing, the Law Society is warning.

Responding to a Government consultation, published today, in which ministers are proposing different ways to establish the notion of “shared parenting” after separation, Law Society President John Wotton said: “Introducing a legislative presumption of shared parenting could lead to unrealistic expectations from fathers, with a huge rise in fathers asking the courts for ‘equal time’. This could undermine the Government’s drive towards mediation and out of court settlements. The Government should avoid any implication in the statute of any right to equal time with a child, or any prescription of appropriate amounts of time.

The primary focus should be on the rights and welfare of the children, not those of parents. The principle that the welfare of the child is the court’s paramount consideration should be maintained.”

John Wotton pointed out that: “The current legislation does not favour one parent over another, but seeks to ensure that arrangements following breakdown are based on the best interests of the child.

“It is in a child’s best interest to have a meaningful relationship with both parents where it is safe to do so. The benefit of ongoing involvement with both parents is already a factor in the court’s decision-making process.

“There is no doubt, unfortunately, that once a court has made an order for access, and a father finds that the access is being thwarted by the mother, there is no currently effective remedy for the father. The Law Society therefore welcomes the Government’s intention to find more effective sanctions to enforce breaches of court orders regarding care arrangements.”

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.’

THE ERA OF iPARENTING

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New mums turn to the internet for parenting advice

 

New mums are more likely to log on than go to their own mums for parenting advice, according to a new report released today.

 

A resounding eight in 10 mums (80%) turn to Google, parenting forums or Facebook before asking their own mums for advice (44%), according to the research commissioned by Growingupmilkinfo.com, a new website for parents providing information about toddler growth and development.

 

Psychologist Doctor Richard Woolfson comments: “The internet continues to be a growing influence with popular forums likes Mumsnet and Netmums being a key advice resource for new mums, whilst a third of mums (33%) head to Google for parenting advice. This is good because it means parents have immediate access to valuable advice, exactly when they need it.

 

“Unfortunately, that also means the traditional source of parenting support – from grandma and grandpa – is less popular. This is partly due to the younger generations moving further away from where they grew up so parents and grandparents are less likely to live around the corner than they used to.”

 

The Online Generation

Mothers over the age of 35 were most likely (71%) to rely on the internet for support and advice. However, the social network savvy under 25s were the biggest Facebook users for parenting queries (15% versus 9% national average).

 

Dr Woolfson continues: “Thirty years ago your family probably would have lived in the next street but now they might live on the other side of the country or even the other side of the world. Yet I still tell new parents to ask granny and grandpa for their advice. You don’t have to take it but there’s no harm in listening.”

 

Our Regional Differences

  • Southampton mums are the most reliant on friends and family for advice with three in four (75%) relying on their expertise, compared to less than half in Newcastle (44%)
  • Welsh mums are the least dependent on forums, with less than a third (29% versus 38% national average) relying on this source, compared to almost half (47%) the mums in Plymouth
  • Mums in the capital are twice as likely to tap video sharing site YouTube for tips and advice (10% versus 5% national average) while the opposite could be said of mums in the Scottish capital with one in five Edinburgh mums going it alone, asking advice from no one
  • Facebook is heavily used by mums in Brighton with more than a fifth (21%) seeking advice from Facebook friends, higher than any other city in the UK

 

Nutritionist Amanda Ursell comments: “With nearly eight out of 10 parents unaware that toddlers have different nutritional needs to adults, it is clear more needs to be done to help parents understand what nutrition they need to fuel their toddlers’ amazing growth and development. The toddler years are often overlooked but, thanks to the internet, a greater level of information is more widely available from a variety of sources including other mums, a wider network of friends, experts, brands, Governments and researchers.”

 

‘New’ Wives Tales

But new mums shouldn’t be too hasty to dismiss the wise adages of past generations, as experts confirm some of the ‘old wives’ tales’ are grounded in real facts. Nutritionist Amanda Ursell explains the truth behind some popular old sayings:

 

  • An apple a day keeps the doctor away. According to Amanda Ursell, “apples are great because they give us both soluble and insoluble fibre, as well as some vitamin C and a host of super nutrients. Obviously though, toddlers need to get a balanced diet that combines all major food groups. Between the ages of one to three, toddlers undergo an extraordinary period of growth and development and their nutrition needs are at least double an adult’s, relative to their size.”

 

  • Grow big and strong, like Popeye, by eating your spinach. “Spinach is a rich source of iron but it also includes a substance which makes it hard for the body to absorb this essential nutrient. Toddlers need a lot of iron – four times the amount of an adult for their size – but this can be from a range of sources. Good sources of iron include red meat, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs and hummus. One easy way to give toddlers some of the key nutrients they need is to use fortified foods and drinks, such as Growing Up Milk.”

 

  • Carrots help you see in the dark. “This was really a piece of World War II propaganda and it isn’t actually true but it’s certainly true that carrots can be part of a healthy balanced diet. They provide one of your 5-a-day and are a good source of beta-carotene, which is converted in your body to vitamin A – an essential vitamin.”

 

  • Take cod liver oil for your joints. “Cod liver oil is rich in vitamin D, which is needed for the growth and development of bones. However, it isn’t recommended for children these days. Other sources of vitamin D that children can eat include fortified foods like breakfast cereals or Growing Up Milk, as well as foods like egg yolks or oily fish.”

 

Growing Up Milk is made from cows’ milk enriched with key nutrients that toddlers need like vitamins A, C and D, iron and calcium. Giving your Little One-der two 150ml beakers of Growing Up Milk each day is an easy way to help provide them with the extra nutrients they need, as part of a healthy balanced diet.