I love a new initiative run by Oust, the descaling solution, called ‘We Can Save It’ to help Brits save money this winter following the pandemic. This follows new research revealing that Brits are expected to spend £2.5 billion scrapping and replacing household goods over the festive period*, as retail sales drive Brits into consumption. 29% of Brits said products being replaced could be…
We have known for decades that the bodies and brains of mothers are transformed by the dramatic hormonal changes of pregnancy and childbirth.
Now, new research is showing that men are also biologically transformed by the experience of becoming a father. They have a strong hormonal response including increased oxytocin, oestrogen, prolactin and glucocorticoids which creates a natural protectiveness…
As a mum, we often put pressure on ourselves to be the all seeing, all omnipotent parent that is acutely aware of everything their child is doing. We want to be one of those wonder mums that you see in festive Hallmark movies and we crave to have the perfect relationship with our offspring. However, being a parent is much tougher than any glossy TV movie would have you believe. Your love for your…
Counselling Psychologist, Dr Susie Dawson, offers her five best tips on how to help prevent post-Halloween nightmares, in collaboration with Happy Beds.
The aftermath of Halloween and the new lockdown may mean that children will take longer to get to sleep, or wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares, due to watching too many scary films on the weekend, or even due to just hearing the…
Back in March when lockdown started, families had to adapt to new ways of living and working and they have since experienced an unprecedented 24-weeks of juggling childcare, home-schooling and work. The demand on parents and primary caregivers skyrocketed and feelings of stress and anxiety were compounded.
For many, managing the day-to-day needs of a family has required more energy and more…
I am glad I am not alone in believing that emotional intelligence should be the main skill to develop to do well in life. According to new research, six in 10 parents would rather their children grew up with strong social skills than high academic qualifications.A study of 2,000 mums and dads of children aged three-10 found 90 per cent consider empathy to be a key social attribute that their…
Most teenagers are keen to learn to drive as soon as possible. It gives them a little more freedom, but also more options when it comes to looking for work and higher education opportunities. As a parent, knowing that your child can drive safely can give you peace of mind, and make letting them go out into the world a little easier, as you know it will be easy for them to come home. But, learning…
Naming a human being is a huge responsibility and the pressure dramatically increases if it’s your own baby. In his play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare famously wrote, ‘What’s in a name?’. Well, a lot! A person’s name is an important part of their identity.
If you’re expecting soon, there is a lot of stress that comes with becoming new parents. Are you struggling to find the…
What’s the recipe for successful parenting in thetwenty-first century? I have always tried to make sense of this without a definite answer. I often feel as a mum I have failed in my goal of having the perfect family, a caring child and a happy life according to what media showcases as happiness. But when children reach the teenage years, we are confronted with so many dilemmas and…
Being a parent of a child on the autism spectrum is tough enough and bedtime can be even more challenging than usual. It is quite common for autistic children to experience sleeping difficulties including falling and staying asleep as well as bedwetting.
It is essential for those parents to introduce sleeping routines and ensure they get the right amount of sleep so that they can do well in school…