Top Ten Tips for Sensory Issues and Fussy Eating Phases

Originally posted in 2014, this is one of the posts I get asked about most often. Since I wrote it, I've found out a lot more about the sensory issues that can affect children and have come to realise that, regardless of where, if at all, they land on the autism spectrum, or what other issues they may have, they can still feel anxious around food, so it's really important not to make it worse. As I mentioned, this post was originally written some time ago, before I was as aware of sensory issues as I am now. I've updated it a bit, but, whether it turns out to be part of a wider issue, or simply a phase, I hope these tips, from myself and other bloggers, will help.

The Importance of Movement in Children and a Competition with Reima

The title of this post may sound like an obvious statement, but, as with all parenting essentials, it's surprisingly easy to take your eye of the ball (sorry about the pun) and find that physical activity has gone by the wayside. Particularly as the nights draw in and the weather turns colder and wetter, you may find the family as a whole favouring the warmer indoors and getting less exercise as a result. Obviously, it's less safe for children to be outside when the evenings are dark, so how can we make sure movement and fitness are part of life and not something we have to remind ourselves to do? 

Choking Hazards and Children - Prevention Better than Cure

When my daughter was small, she choked on a Hula Hoop crisp. It was at our local playgroup and, whilst I was just a few feet away, it was the quick-thinking mum who was nearest who picked her up and slapped her back. She was instantly sick and disaster was very much averted. I was a member of the St John's Ambulance Brigade from the age of 12, so I was trained in first aid from an early age. I have always been relatively confident in emergency situations, but not everyone is, or would be able to remember under pressure. It's also very distressing for the child, and the parent, so this post is about preventing choking situations occurring in the first place.

20 Ways to Encourage Children to be More Active

We all know how important it is to encourage our children to be active, and the summer sunshine makes it all the more obvious, but not all children appreciate it. This might be open to a bit of a 'nature versus nurture' debate, but, in my opinion, all children are different and this aspect is no exception. There are some children who would prefer to be indoors, probably, shock, horror, on their playstations. So, I've made a list of 20 ways to encourage your child to get outside and be more active. I've tried to include different age groups in this, as it does get harder as they get older, but some ideas will overlap anyway. 

Snooker, a Cheap and Fun All Weather Family Activity

I don't know about you, but we really struggle sometimes to think of new ideas for places to go on rainy days. Sometimes, even in the summer, it seems to rain for days and days and boredom sets in for everybody. I think, as a family, it's important to try to get out of the house as much as possible, in order to get away from all the distractions. Everyone relaxes more outside the home; the grown ups can't think about housework, DIY and other chores and the screentime thing doesn't have to be an issue with the children, so everyone wins. This doesn't have to be a 'dad and lad' activity, but for us it definitely was, as part of the 'Please bring the boy back when he's tired' initiative. Thus, the boys took the photos. *sigh*

Alternative Chocolate-Free Easter Gift Ideas

It's not uncommon these days to find people who are lactose, or dairy, intolerant, but there are also other reasons not to buy chocolate eggs for Easter. Maybe there are other health issues that might make chocolate a bad idea, or perhaps you would prefer to avoid it, simply to promote a better diet, or just because chocolate eggs can be a bit samey and unimaginative. Whatever the reason, there are lots of other options, which will last a lot longer and are more interesting too. I originally planned this gift guide for children, but there are a few ideas that would be suitable for adults too. This post is totally unsponsored, but does contain some affilate links to products I liked on Amazon.

Gift Ideas for Pre-Teen Boys

It is widely accepted that men are considerably harder to buy for than ladies. There are many shiny, sparkly, or fragrant options for girly gifts that do not really have an equal in the man department. If your man has a hobby, fair enough, you have options, but even then it can get a little repetitive after a few years! It has recently come to my attention that man-gift-trouble starts a lot earlier than I previously realised. When L was turning 11, a few weeks ago, I suddenly realised I had been thrust into the 'what to buy a (small) man' dilemma much earlier than anticipated and I had few ideas for this tricky age. Fortunately, though, some great brands came to my rescue with some ideas I hadn't even thought of! Items were sent free for us to play with, opinions are always our own.

How to Make Quality Party Bags for a Fraction of the Cost

For an 11 year old's birthday party, the preparations can be tricky. A long way past the many cartoon characters and children's favourites that adorn the majority of party supplies, they still want to have fun and enjoy themselves. When I went shopping for party bags and supplies, I was disappointed at the high cost, limited range available to buy. In the end, I went my own way, with a design for home made party bags, which I think have a lot more appeal and work out around £1 each, although you could probably reduce this further, by shopping in advance and grabbing some bargains, instead of leaving it until the day before, like me! 

10 Lies I've Told my Children (republished)

When your little bundles of joy first arrive in the world, you probably make the same promises that most new parents do. To love them, protect them, be patient, be kind and an overall perfect parent. It can't be that hard, surely? Look how small and cute they are! There's no way you will ever want or need to do anything else other than gaze at your new amazing creation. Then it happens. They grow. They learn to talk and move around, at speed, in directions you'd rather they didn't. They learn to memorise adverts and the toy pages of the Argos catalogue. Those first few moments of solitude before they discovered the full capacity of their lungs are a lifetime away as you think up ever-more inventive ways to outwit the little angels.

How I Halved the Cost of a School Packed Lunch

Everyone begins the school year with the best of intentions. Get up earlier, put clothes out the night before, locate all the shoes in good time, remember to read the newsletter, etc, etc. Not all of them will last the term, but there was one aspect of the school day that I really wanted to change this year. The lunch box. My initial thought was to try to reduce the amount of packaging we were using, but there was also an unexpected benefit too. The amount we spent drastically reduced. Happily, even a slightly fussy eater is tucking in just as enthusiastically as he was before and it really doesn't take much longer to prepare, either.

7 Things that Always Happen on a Family Road Trip, and How to Avoid Them

For some reason, us parents often have very short memories. We are also gluttons for punishment and so it is that, every now and again, we decide to gleefully pile all the children into the car and take off on an impromtu road trip to visit pastures new. Forgetting, of course, that most children don't actually travel very well and car journeys are often frought with drama and despair, as your car is quickly reduced to somewhere between a zoo and a warzone. So, I've written this list to remind you of why you promised yourself you wouldn't travel that far trapped in a metal box with your kids ever again, and how to avoid some of the horrors that await you if you do.

10 Tips on Teenage Boys; A Guest Post by Mandi

This guest post is brought to you by Mandi, from Hex Mum Blog who has a wealth of experience in the parenting stakes. She is the perfect candidate to give me, and perhaps some other parents of young boys, a bit of a heads-up on what to expect in the not too distant future! As much as it would be lovely if they stayed cute and cuddly forever, there is a strong possibility that may not be the case, so get prepared with Mandi's musings on the teenage species. If you enjoy her brilliant observations, I'm sure she would be thrilled if you popped over to her blog, or gave her a wave on Twitter.

Finding a Great Dentist for Nervous Children

L, who is 9, has been struggling with severe dental phobia for most of his life and I made it my mission this year to finally tackle it, before his adult teeth started to suffer. It is actually really hard to take your little boy somewhere that you know fills him with fear and dread, to the point where even the word 'dentist' causes physical distress and tears, so I hadn't been as strict as I should have been with his six monthly check ups. I did take him, but not as often as I should. No one knows where the phobia came from, I had never expressed fear of the dentist and had taken him since he was a toddler, but it gradually got worse over time.

7 Circumstances that will Brighten Your Day As A Parent

1. Waking Up to Find it Isn't 5am.

Nothing beats that blissful feeling when you open your eyes for the first time that morning and see actual daylight. It changes your whole perception of life, filling you with an exuberance that could conquer the world. You may even go so far as to make actual breakfast, instead of settling for yesterday's pizza leavings. Whatever age your baby stops waking at night, there is nothing more joyful than the inner triumph of having acheived a 'normal' person's sleep. Celebrate the moment. I don't care what anybody says; if it isn't daylight, it isn't morning. Fact.

Living with Asthma from a Young Age - How to Help

This guest post is written by my daughter Jade, who would like to tell you about her experiences as an Asthma sufferer. She was first diagnosed at the age of 2 and has lots of advice to help young people cope with asthma, based on her own experience. If you know a young asthma sufferer, you might find this post helpful, because no one knows this illness better than someone who has battled it for 20 years. Asthma is dangerous and prolific and it costs lives. Many people are affected by it and the charity Asthma UK is campaigning for Change to improve the lives of the millions of sufferers in this country. Please click the links to find out how you can help. Over to Jade, who I'd like to thank for writing such a lovely post!

Bringing Up Teenagers

There is no right or wrong...

This is not a how-to guide. I honestly don't think it would matter how many teenagers you brought up, you will never become an expert. Everyone is different, including children and young adults. You will not get it right all the time. Fact. You might as well accept it now. There is no room for perfection in any aspect of parenthood, but luckily, children don't actually care about perfection, they care about happiness and security. The good news is, you can give them that without being an expert, you just need to walk a mile in their stinky trainers now and again.

Shared Parental Leave

Shared Parental Leave is a new initiative being launched by the government in April this year. Following the birth of a baby, it allows parents a lot more flexibility to care for their new offspring together. This is something I wholeheartedly agree with. In principle. I think the idea that parents can be equally involved in the care of their child is long overdue and will go some way towards reflecting the 21st century position in this country; where it's near impossible for the average family to survive on one income and it's by no means unheard of for the woman to earn more than the man.

An Alarming Experience - Family Fire Safety

Last night, our dishwasher caught fire. We are still not entirely sure how it happened, but I can tell you that it was very, very scary. Thankfully, we are all ok, a little smoke inhalation, but painfully aware that it could have been a whole lot worse. With that in mind, I wanted to share the experience with you, because I really, really can't stress this enough...

What it is to Fail

I started writing this during the summer holidays, but it took a long time to get it right, as I couldn't seem to put into words what I was trying to say. It's a little out of date now, but I thought I'd publish it as it's written, I hope it makes sense! I can't be the only one who looks forward to the summer holidays surely? I know most of us suffer from over exposure to our kids at some stage or another, but I have to say I love having them home. I love the relaxed atmosphere, doing things at our own speed and having time to actually enjoy each others company. Today I spent an hour lying on my back in a tent in the garden, playing 'I spy' with a seven year old.