Blimey. You’ve had a hideous day and a worse journey home. You left a teensy bit later than you should have, and the Victoria Line has translated ‘teensy’ into ‘20 minutes late to pick your toddler up from nursery’. It’s all gone Horribly Wrong.
 
Well, thank heavens for small mercies – at least your darling doesn’t attend the Phoenix House Montessori nursery school in Stamford Hill, London, who according to The Observer recently hiked their late-collection fees to an adrenalin-pumping £5 per minute.
 
The nursery claims the fines are necessary to focus the minds of habitual latecomers - and while they certainly hit the northern end of the scale, they’re by no means unusual. There’s a growing trend amongst childcare providers to push late-collection charges to small-fortune levels, in order to dissuade parents from using them as a free waiting-room.  Surprisingly though, most parents surveyed by the Observer thought the charges were fair enough. They’re a ‘necessary evil’, reasoned one, which prevented other less tardy parents having to shoulder the cost.

Posted in category: Parenting by claire | Email This Post |  Print This Post |

I was heart broken to see Mathilde’s reaction to the wasp which stung her on her foot last summer when she was 2 years old. A rude interruption of pain whilst quietly looking at a book. Luckily, I have a strange element of calm when something like this happens and after settling and comforting her, I waited to see if we were going to find out if our beloved daughter was allergic to bee or wasp stings - luckily for us she isn’t! A dose of Piriton and the promise of a treat soon had her up and about again. She still remembers her "waps" sting a year later!

The time is upon us again when the summer days bring food and drink outside which attracts the inevitable wasp invasion. Here are 5 ways to deal with a sting.

1- Keep calm. Bee and wasp stings are painful but are rarely harmful. It’s quite a shock for both the child and the parent, but it’s good to remain calm so as not to frighten the poor little mite any further. Whilst I do not advocate animal cruelty, the wasp should get what it deserves for harming your little angel and a swift swat and splat should reassure your little one that the "naughty wasp" will not be back!

2- Hold it high. Raise the affected part of the body high and, if you can, apply an icepack to reduce swelling. Seek medical advice if the symptoms persist and immediate attention if your child shows signs of breathing difficulties.

3- Find the sting. A bee will leave it’s sting behind and then then fly off to die for it’s sins. Scrape the sting off sideways with your nail. Don’t use tweezers as there is the chance you will inject more of the poison into the wound and therefore cause more pain - your little one wont appreciate this.

4- Be Aware. The summer eating activities attract wasps - lollies and ice cream and your beer at the local pub garden table will all smell delicious to the annoying fellows. Wear shoes out doors. A tube of antisan or something similar for when you are about and about wouldn’t go amiss.

5- Take emergancy action - a sting to the throat or mouth- even for a child that is not allergic, can sometimes cause swelling and block the airways. Give your child an ice cube to suck or some very cold water. Any signs of swelling or breathing difficulties should action a 999 call.

Posted in category: Parenting by claire | Email This Post |  Print This Post | Add comment
Tags: dealing with wasp stings, summer, wasp stings

How many more toys does your little one need? Before you answer, consider that toys do much more than entertain. They educate, stimulate the development of perception and cognition, and may help build muscle strength and control. And, of course, amusement shouldn’t be scoffed at, either. A happy baby is a healthy baby!

The range of educational toys that also entertain little ones is endless. Baby Einstein books are everywhere. Others encourage exploring shapes and sounds. That musical toy that you hear as just a noisemaker is actually helping the baby associate a chosen movement with the creation of a particular sound. Fitting shaped blocks through the right size hole may seem like just a game. But at the same time the baby is amusing him or herself it’s learning that some things fit and others don’t. That ability connects later to learning the alphabet and words where some things ‘fit’ and others don’t.

Don’t overlook the need for a sheer physical outlet, as well. As any parent can testify, babies and toddlers have lots of energy that just can’t be suppressed. They touch, they explore, they push and prod. That’s helping them develop muscle control, fine-tuning hand and eye coordination, and more. Even dolls are more than just ‘playthings’. If they talk, the baby is learning about human sounds and what they mean. If they’re dressing the doll, the baby learns in a different way how some things fit and others don’t. They also learn that some things can break or tear. Valuable lessons while they enjoy the process!

Posted in category: Parenting, Products by claire | Email This Post |  Print This Post | Add comment

Reading is a lifelong skill, as well as a valuable way for children to learn, so reading with your children and getting them interested in books from an early age offers them a great start in life. Here are some practical ideas for encouraging a reading habit.

Research has found that children who are used to books and reading before they start school are able to cope with the demands of literacy teaching much better than children who’ve not been brought up to read books. Reading is also an activity that brings parents and children together – it’s interactive, enjoyable, promotes bonding and is something both parents can be actively involved in.

Children learn by example, so the more you can be seen to be reading (and enjoying it!), the more likely your children are to pick up books and read.

Babies and Toddlers

It’s never too soon to get your child interested in books! Babies may be too young to read, but they’re certainly capable of looking at pictures and touching books. They love seeing bright colours, interesting shapes, books that have different textures to touch or sounds to listen to.

There’s a great variety of books for babies on the market, with many having additional touch-and-feel or listen-to elements. Books for babies are wonderfully creative and colourful and come in all shapes and sizes, so there’s plenty of choice out there for you and lots of interesting ideas to introduce to your baby. Clip mini books onto the side of the pram, highchair or pushchair and make plenty of time to read to your baby.

Your baby will enjoy listening to your voice and you’ll soon be able to identify their favourite stories, via listening to them babble, seeing them smile or other reactions. Once you’ve hit on what they like, read them again and again. It may seem repetitive to you, but repeating phrases and tales will help the early stages of learning and slowly build up children’s knowledge of language. Books for babies and toddler inevitably use simple words that will be understand more easily than books aimed at older children.

You can make it even more interesting for both you and your child by using funny voices, different tones or getting into character. Remember to show your baby and toddler the pictures too, rather than simply reading the story to them. The pictures can be as stimulating to their imagination as much as the words. The books we have selected for the book suggestion are a mixture of classic and modern books, which are all beautifully illustated or constructed and widely available.

Book Suggestions

The Very Hungry Caterpillar [Board Book] - Eric Carle
Dear Zoo - Rod Cambell
Kipper Story Collection: "Kipper", "Kipper’s Birthday", "Kipper’s Toybox", "Kipper’s Snowy Day" - Mick Inkpen
Each Peach Pear Plum (Viking Kestrel Picture Books) - Janet Ahlberg

Under Five-Year-Olds

Children aged three to five years old are developing at quite a pace and books can be a fun way of encouraging their learning even more. They’ll enjoy being involved, choosing which book to read, turning the pages, talking about the pictures, guessing what might happen next and following the words with their fingers.

As their language skills progress, they’ll be able to join in more with the actual reading, learning new words and developing their overall understanding. It’s still great to make it as active and fun as possible, by each taking characters, using funny voices, acting out scenes or using toys to act out parts of stories.

Hopefully, by getting your child interested in books from a young age, they’ll be more likely to develop a healthy attitude to reading and remain a keen reader throughout their life.

Book Suggestions

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen
Peace at Last
- Jill Murphy
Moon Rabbit
- by Natalie Russell
Lost and Found
- Oliver Jeffers
A Squash and a Squeeze
- Julia Donaldson

Posted in category: Parenting by claire | Email This Post |  Print This Post | 1 comment
Tags: childrens books