Going on holiday is an exciting time for everyone, especially if the sun is shining and the pool is warm and inviting. The pool can be fun and a great way to enjoy some family fun.

There are some things to think about when you are around the pool with children. It is so easy to think that because you are holiday nothing bad can happen but it’s when we relax and loosen up that accidents can occur.

·        Never let your children go swimming alone. Even if they are a confident swimmer, if they get into difficulty and they are alone in the water, there is no-one there to help them. Keep younger children within an arms reach of you so if they get tired or panic you are nearby.

·        Get your children to understand that they shouldn’t run around the pool area. It can become really slippery and painful if they fall!

·        Talk over the depths of the pool with them so they know which is the shallow end and deep end. Remind them not to jump or dive in the shallow end. Head injuries and spinal injuries are often the cause from unsafe diving.

·        Remind them not to jump on each other or hold each other under the water. It can be frightening and dangerous.

·        Never leave your child unattended near water.  Enjoy your family holiday by the pool and let your children enjoy playing and having fun in the water but remember the safety rules so you all return home happy and healthy!

The thought of a family holiday may have you dreaming of sitting beside a turquoise marine pool with clear blue skies and the children all playing happily. If only our dreams could come true, the reality is almost always a little different and the stress free holiday can turn into a nightmare!By the time we get to holiday time, we’re normally exhausted and the children are over excited. Planning in advance is always a good idea.

·         As tempting as booking a cheaper last minute holiday may be, it is always a good idea to know the name of your hotel and which resort you will be staying in. Many last minute deals tell you your destination airport but may not give you your hotel or resort until you arrive, which can be great but if you have children, ending up in a resort without any family entertainment, family friendly restaurants and miles away from anywhere may not be the recipe for a good holiday.

·         When you are packing, fill up your case and hand luggage with plenty of crayons, games and books. They can entertain them on the plane and also help out for quieter moments in restaurants and in the hotel room.

·         Don’t forget their favourite teddy, dolly or rag. When you are running out the door it can be easy to forget their treasured friend or comforter.

·         Look up the resort and find out what facilities and local attractions are available. Talk about the holiday as a family and find out what everyone would like to do so that everyone gets to choose an activity. Even if it is as simple as a day at the beach, it will mean that it becomes everyone’s holiday. 

Check out your hotel for a children’s club. Many run some great activities and thy can help your child make friends and also give you some free time. Also check out if the hotel have early dining for the children or entertainment where the children are encouraged to join in.

Choose your destination, resort and hotel wisely and carefully and you could get a stress free relaxing holiday!

Is it time to wean?  The recommended age to start weaning your baby is from six months, up until this time they will have been getting all their nutrients from breastfeeding or formula milk. They will still need milk as part of their diet until they reach at least 18 months old, or maybe even older.  From around six months old  

• You may find your baby starts to take an interest in what you are eating.
• They may start to demand more feeds.
• They may also start waking more throughout the night or earlier in the morning due to hunger.
• They could start to be putting things in their mouths.

What should their first meal be? Baby rice mixed with a little breast milk or their normal formula milk is a good food to start with as it is fairly bland. You could always give a mouthful or two of food to start and then top it up with their normal milk feed. You may find they ‘play’ with the food by pushing it around their mouths using their tongues and actually look as though they are not eating anything. Don’t worry, it takes time for them to get used to the texture and taste. 

• Mix a small amount of pear puree or other fruit puree to get them used to different tastes.
• Introduce some vegetable puree. Many babies prefer the sweeter vegetables such as carrot, sweet potato, squash.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment, if they don’t eat vast amounts don’t panic, they will be getting their nutrients from their milk.

Don’t panic, just make meal times fun. If you’re feeling relaxed, your baby will relax too!

by: Lynn Powers 

by: Elizabeth Pantley

Are your mornings rushed, chaotic and disorganized? Then it’s time to get control and make morning a good start to a wonderful day! When your morning activities run smoothly, and you’re out the door on time it can make your whole day feel better. To create a peaceful morning routine, follow these steps:

Start your morning - at night!

A real key to smoothing out your morning is to prepare as much as you can the night before. This means choosing the day’s clothing, packing lunches, gathering homework, signing permission slips and setting the table for breakfast.

Post a calendar.

Buy the biggest wall calendar you can find and hang it in a central location. Write down events and appointments for everyone. Use different colours marking pens to code items for easy reading. Keep the calendar up to date and you’ll be more organized!

Use a morning list.

Sit down and analyze a typical morning. Make a list of everything that needs to be done. Create a poster-sized list of the standard morning activities listed in the order to be done:If you have a child who gets easily distracted and ignores the morning chart - don’t give up! Just make a small mini-size chart, laminate it, put it on a chain and let your child wear it as his “morning necklace”! Your part is to make a few gentle reminders, “How are you doing on your chart this morning?”

Check out sleep time.

If your child has trouble getting up in the morning and sticking to his schedule take a look at what time he or she goes to bed. Without adequate sleep a child won’t be able to follow a morning routine successfully.

Fix problems with a family meeting.

If problems persist take the time to sit down with your children and talk about it. Let everyone have a turn talking, and then work to arrive at solutions that will benefit everyone.

Praise successes.

Remember, your words of praise will encourage your children to continue to meet their goals!

Being a parent can be a worry at the best of times but when your baby or child appears unwell it can be difficult to assess just how sick they are. Do they need to see a doctor, do they need medicine or are we just panicking about something that will simply get better by itself.

Trust your instinct – you know your child better than anyone and if you are at all concerned then it is always better to seek professional help by visiting your G.P. If you’re unsure whether to go to the surgery or ask for a home visit, phone and talk to the receptionist or to your G.P. You can explain their symptoms and your situation. Wrapping a sick child up and going by car is totally different than if your only option is getting to the surgery by bus!

Sometimes there should be no grey areas of whether you need to seek help

Urgent symptoms

• A very high temperature of over 39 degrees especially if it’s accompanied by a rash
• Drowsy, hard to wake and disorientated
• Fits or if your baby turns blue, pale or seems floppy
• Breathing difficulties, rapid breathing or grunting
• High temperature but the hands and feet feel clammy
• A purple or red rash anywhere on the body.

If in doubt, always seek advice, even if it turns out to be nothing. Don’t be afraid of seeming like an over protective parent, better to be safe than sorry!

feed. It usually begins in their first few weeks after birth and can continue up to around the age of 7 months when most reflux will have decreased. 

Reflux is caused when abdominal pressure overcomes the baby’s weak oesophageal sphincter (this is the muscle valve between the oesophagus and the stomach). Milk can easily bypass this muscle when they are lying down. 

To try to reduce the problems of reflux there are a few things you can do 

• Try feeding your baby smaller amounts. If the stomach is filled to capacity regurgitation is more likely to happen.
• Don’t put any pressure on their tummy, even a tight nappy can add pressure!
• Wait between feeds at least around 2 hours to ensure Reflux is the repeated, effortless regurgitation of small amounts of milk after each the stomach can empty itself.
• Winding your baby during feeds can help. Try not to interrupt their feeds but if they pause to look around, stop and wind them.
• Don’t jig them about after meals but try holding them in an upright position and when you put your baby in an infant seat put something under their bottom so they are more stretched out.

Reflux can only be a problem if you find your baby is not gaining weight due to regurgitating large amounts or is choking. If you are concerned in any way speak to your health visitor or doctor who will be able to assess your baby, the problem shouldn’t last forever. If you are out and about take plenty of spare clothing and cloths you can drape over yourself and remember by 7 months it should be resolved.

by: Rony Pollock

Associating fun and play with learning is a fundamental aspect of every child’s growth. It All Starts at Home. The home front is crucial to a child’s development. This is where a child learns about colours, shapes, and sounds, what Yes and No mean, and that asking “why” can almost always generate an explanation. Playing is every child’s first priority. Playtime may only seem to provide pure entertainment, but it is also an integral part of your child’s mental and emotional growth and it provides the provide the following benefits

·         Personality development

·         Awareness of their potentials

·         Promote independent thinking

·         An avenue for creative thinking and problem solving

 ·         Improvement their motor skills

·         Enhance their ability to think and communicate

Toys that Fit Infants – The keywords are soft, safe, and colourful. Vividly colures rattles and squeaky toys will stimulate their sense of touch, sight, and hearing.

1 to 2 years – This is a stage where children start learning how to manoeuvre the things in their hands. They are also beginning to discover that some things are paired together. Toddlers will enjoy building blocks and toys that will allow them to identify and match shapes.

2 to 3 years – Children are beginning to get more creative at this age. They like role playing with other kids or by themselves. Puzzles, Play Cubes, and educational toys that stir their imagination are the best options.

4 to 5 years – Kids are into creative thinking and decision-making by this age. Educational toys that can help enhance these developments include puzzle games and constructions toys.

As children grow older, they become more independent in their choices of what toys to play with. They usually forego free play for games that involve rules and friends. They learn to be competitive. This is the time where parents’ guidance is most crucial. But if you’ve established the foundation by providing your child with educational toys early on, then you may have a child who’s well-developed emotionally and smart to boot.

We are all probably aware of environmentally ‘good’ products and trying our best to eat organic and look after ourselves, this includes our skin. We know our skin is affected by the amount of water we drink, the food we eat and the creams and potions we use but how should we look after our baby’s skin?

Babies have thinner skin which is much more delicate than ours, so therefore it is not really in need of beautiful baby smelling soaps, shampoos, bubble baths and scented wipes. Although the packing and clever marketing strategies will have us thinking that we should be buying the entire range.

Is it healthy to overload their fresh new and delicate skin with a mixture of chemicals even if they are organic and claim to contain raw and natural ingredients?

Some experts are now claiming that all a new born baby needs to keep their skin clean is simply water, cotton wool and a baby comb. They advise using fragrance free detergents and fabric conditioners for washing their clothes.

Every year there is an increase in the amount of babies, children and adults suffering from conditions such as

·         Skin allergies

·         Eczema

AsthmaThe experts now think that it is time to get back to basics to allow your baby to develop their own natural barrier without any chemical intervention.

After one month they recommend

·         Fragrance free baby wipes

·         An emollient based moisturizer

·         No shampoo, just wash in warm water

Sounds simple, maybe it is worth a try? Although as an adult I do still love the smell of baby talc but think that if it is better for my baby, the environment and saves money then maybe it is worth getting back to basics?

Author: Dionna Sanchez 

A mother has a lot of responsibility. We want to do our jobs right and take care of our families right. But somehow we lost our sense of laughter along the way. 

I realized this a few weeks ago.  Let’s take a little quiz…. see how you rate. 

1) Do you get upset with your children when they’ve had a massive pillow fight in their bedroom and left a huge mess?  Or do you jump in and join them? 

2) Do you send your children outside on the quest to “find someone to play with?” — or do you go in the backyard and swing with them? 

3) Do you sigh in exasperation as you find your child has not done something you’ve asked them to do for the umpteenth time instead of telling them you will tickle the stuffing’s out of them if they don’t take care of it within 5 minutes?? 

Children love when we find the time to abandon our agenda and spend time laughing and enjoying life with them. It shows that we value them above our projects and “to-do’s.” Finding the fun in life is also very good for us, it reminds us to “lighten up.” And face it - we need to do that sometimes!. 

Valuable lessons can be taught in the fun moments as well as the serious moments in life. Remind your self to look at the positive side of life.  

We need to have more fun.  Let that be your challenge for this week.