Category Archives: Parenting

Feb 27 2018

How to design a toddler-friendly garden

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For many parents, keeping their children safe is a priority above anything else which is the reason why so many families prefer to keep their children indoors. However, over-protective parents’ fears and anxieties may be preventing little ones from experiencing the benefits of outdoor play. According to a survey, parents’ anxieties are causing kids to avoid playing in the streets and parks. The poll indicates that 53% of parents fear the danger posed by traffic while others are afraid that their little one may be snatched up by a stranger.

Experts say that in order to stay healthy and to ensure their growth and progress, children should be allowed to play outdoors every day. Parents of young children can give their child a safe space to play in by designing a child-friendly garden. Of course it is possible to be over-anxious about your child’s safety but by creating a pleasant and safe outdoor space, your child can avoid being in danger while engaging in active play. Here’s how you can design a toddler-friendly garden for your little one.

Create a safe space where your toddler can explore freely

Toddlers are naturally curious, which is why it is important to ensure that your garden is free from anything that can cause your child harm. Clear your backyard of sharp stones, gardening tools, and electrical cords. You should also make sure your garden is free of heavy objects that may topple over and potentially injure your child. Consider laying down some turf where your toddler can crawl freely. Whether you choose real or artificial grass, a lawn provides a soft landing space for a baby that’s just starting to crawl or a child who’s just learning to walk.

Design a garden that stimulates the senses

Stimulating a child’s senses can help with your little one’s overall development. Plant a mix of colourful and fragrant kid-friendly flowers such as sweet peas, nasturtium, marigolds, and snapdragons. These flowers have soft petals that won’t hurt or scratch little hands. Install a bubbling outdoor water fountain so your child can hear the soothing sound of running water. Try stimulating your child’s taste buds by growing a variety of herbs or a pot of berries but avoid planting anything that your child may be allergic to.

Create an active play space

To encourage your child to play, create an active play space using some DIY or ready-made play equipment. A sunken or embedded trampoline is a safer option than a regular trampoline, guaranteeing hours of fun for your little one. You can also include a playhouse, a tepee, or a sandbox in your garden play area. Just make sure to watch your toddler while he or she is playing and to keep your child hydrated at all times.

Designing a safe and inviting outdoor space for your toddler can benefit your child’s overall health and development. Follow these tips to create a toddler-friendly garden that your child will enjoy.

 

Jan 11 2018

Easy ways to make reading more fun for your child

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There’s considerable pressure on parents to maintain a consistent reading schedule with their children. But what should be a fun bonding exercise between parent and child, is often far more stressful. If your child is particularity overtired or overexcited come bedtime, getting them to lie beside you whilst your voice lulls them to sleep, quickly becomes the stuff of fantasy.

I like to think we’ve perfected the story-time routine though, and although much of our success is down to sheer persistence, I do have some additional tips that have really worked for us that I thought might be helpful.

Create a fun (but relaxing) sleeping environment for your child

It’s hard to strike the right balance. You want their room to be an extension of them; somewhere to store their toys, and spark imaginative play (so your living room gets the odd break!), but you also need it to be calming come 8pm.

Good storage is absolutely key to ensuring their room is able to serve this dual purpose, and kids bedroom storage is actually far easier than you might think. Good quality shelving and hanging storage gets toys and books off the floor & makes a feature of them, whilst midsleepers provide essential under-bed drawers, cupboards, and even additional play space for your child.

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If you’re OCD about clutter, you can also get a cabin bed with tent for kids to hide away all the day’s clutter and toys that might distract from settling down at story-time.

Be silly

Forget the image you’ll see in magazines, story-time is actually more noisy than tranquil - and this is no bad thing. Once you’ve come to terms with this, you can really start to get the best out of your time with your child.

I honestly believe there is no one better at reading to children than my other half. I’ve even considered renting him out to Waterstones for kids events. He really gets into character, and has a different voice for each. I instantly know when story-time is in progress as the squeals & laughter are instantly recognisable.

The trick is to not take yourself too seriously. If you stumble over a word make a joke of it, and don’t be afraid to ad-lib. Another tip is use props from their room to bring characters to life (whack a jumper over your head if you’re a witch or a hag for example). Children are more likely to follow the story & recall it afterwards if you make reading more fun for your child and really get into it with them.

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Challenge your child regularly

Although there’s a strong temptation to stick to tried and tested titles, vary your child’s library regularly and add in books recommended for your child’s age group (or indeed above). These will hopefully follow your child’s interests and what they’ve been learning in class, and should spark conversation between you both about anything that’s excited or concerned them.

When they’re ready, get them to help you out with the reading. What will start out slow at first, should give them greater oratory confidence in the classroom and beyond.

Ask questions

When you’ve finished a story, ask them questions about the story and the individual characters. Encourage them to take the story beyond the page and into next day’s play-time. Creativity will greatly aid concentration, independent thinking and memory - all essential for cognitive development, and fully transferable skills that will help them throughout their school life.

Don’t ever threaten to take it away

We’ve all been there; your child has refused the dinner you’ve spent an hour cooking, had a paddy and screamed that they “don’t love you anymore”. As a quick punitive measure, it’s easy to restrict their access to the things they love - and story-time is often one of the first things to come to mind. But don’t.

Story-time isn’t a treat and should be a regular feature of your nightly routine. It’s also a great way of putting the night’s frustrations to bed. Get it right, and you can quickly turn a tantrum into the parent/child bonding experience you’ve no doubt envisioned.

 

 

 

 

Nov 23 2017

Making the right choices when planning your IVF trip abroad

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Advice prepared by Dr Caroline Phillips, Fertility Clinics Abroad

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Last year we teamed up with Fertility Network UK to look at the main drivers behind fertility tourism from the UK. You can find a link to our research here. We have some of the best health care in the world, both privately and through the NHS and yet many couples are turning their backs on the UK when it comes to having IVF.

We asked 250 couples who had undergone or were undergoing treatment to share their experiences. What they said painted a worrying picture of the state of affairs. 76% of respondents were leaving the UK because of the high cost of private fertility treatment, with three quarters saying it was twice as expensive as they were able to pay. People were generaly willing to pay between £1000 and £5000 for IVF using their own eggs, yet this treatment is often in excess of £10k in the UK when additional expenses are taken into account.

We also found many people were disappointed at the standard of care provided by some NHS funded fertility clinics. The majorty felt standards were either passable or substandard, with 44% believing it was average and 25% saying it was poor. Only 3% of respondents felt it was excellent. Most people were aggrieved that access to NHS fertility treatment was a postcode lottery, with 35% saying waiting lists were too long.

What is abundently clear from our research, is fertility tourism is a trend that is on the rise and probably here to stay – for those of you who are considering going abroad for treatment, we’ve put together some top tips to help you make the right choices before taking the plunge.

Do your homework

Like anything in life, careful preparation is key to success and this is especially the case when planning your IVF trip abroad. Always consult with your GP and/or fertility specialist in the first instance and seek out advice from recognised bodies such as Fertility Network UK when you can. Desktop research is also an easy and affordable way of gathering useful information. Check out the forums on Mums.net or Fertility Friends or ask someone you know who has been abroad for IVF. What were their experiences?

Which country?

The country you choose could be down to something as simple as personal preference or as critical as IVF age legislation. One of the more common considerations is anonymity. In the UK, the identity of egg and sperm donors is not protected by law, which can have far reaching consequences in the future. If this is a concern to you, you should look at countries where egg donations are anonymous, such as Spain, the Czech Republic and Greece.

Other considerations may include the cost of living, expense of travel or accommodation costs. Different countries also have different age limits for IVF treatment, or there may be specific laws on the number of embryos that can be transferred. These could be a deal breakers before you even step on the plane, so make sure you do your research.

Choosing the right clinic

Choosing a clinic can be a daunting prospect, so having ‘must have’ check list can be a useful tool. Jot down your must haves and use these to help you make your choice – if the clinic isn’t ticking the right boxes, then you can discount it from your list.

Some useful starting questions include:

- How long is their waiting list?

- How flexible is the clinic to your specific needs?

- Do they offer help with translation and travel?

- Are they accessible?

- Do they offer complementary therapies?

- Do they offer guarantees or shared risk plans?

What does success mean?

Success rates are often the major determining factor for people choosing a clinic, but be warned – you need to be careful when interpreting what success actually means. For example, some clinics base their success rates on transferring more than one embryo into the womb. This can not only result in multiple pregnancies, it presents a higher risk to the patient. Always ask for a clinic’s ‘success rate per embryo transferred’ to give you a more accurate picture. If in any doubt, always seek advice from a professional before setting your heart on a clinic that promises the world.

Keeping a lid on costs

Treatment costs tend to be fairly transparent but watch out for any “hidden” extras. For example, is the first consultation deductible from the final treatment cost? Is sedation included in the price for egg collection? Is sperm or embryo freezing included? Are there any guarantees e.g. pay for two cycles and get third free. We have developed a useful new calculator tool to help you determine the full cost of your treatment.

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