The working mum’s guide to managing sleep deprivation, work and a new baby
Posted inParenting tips

The working mum’s guide to managing sleep deprivation, work and a new baby

The joy of a new baby is certainly special and something that all new parents experience. However, sleep deprivation is also part of having a new baby and new parents notoriously get very little sleep, if any at all. It can be hard enough when you’re on maternity leave and staying home with your baby, but if you still have a sleep battle on your hands when you return to work,MIT can be quite gruelling.

Fortunately, there are some strategies and tips to help working mums get some sleep when to keep your sanity.

Parents blow up to £150 a year replacing lost school uniform because they don’t use name tags and labels
Posted inChildren & Relationships Parenting tips

Parents blow up to £150 a year replacing lost school uniform because they don’t use name tags and labels

Every parent of a child in nursery or school knows the pain of losing clothing or uniform that is never returned (especially when they are new or expensive items!). If this is a reality for you and your children you and your fellow school run mums are not alone!

How to make returning to work after maternity leave tear-free
Posted inA mix Careers Coach Blog Parenting tips Work and career tips and advice

How to make returning to work after maternity leave tear-free

If I had a tenner for all the stories I’ve heard working mums share about crying the first day they left young Johnny at nursery or with a childminder…

No one said it was going to be easy, but if you want to have your cake and eat it as a working mum, you need to dust yourself off and prepare yourself emotionally, mentally and financially because there may be a few hiccups along the way.

5 ways working mums with new babies can get more sleep when you return to work
Posted inFamily life Mothers' rights at work Parenting tips What's in the news? Work and career tips and advice

5 ways working mums with new babies can get more sleep when you return to work

The joy of a new baby is certainly special and something that all new parents experience. However, not getting enough sleep is also part of having a new baby and new parents notoriously get very little sleep, if any at all.

For new mums on maternity leave, it can be gruelling enough, but if you’re self-employed or have to go back to work before your child is sleeping through the night it can be tough.

How to make playing outside safer for your children
Posted inFamily life Parenting tips Things to do with the kids

How to make playing outside safer for your children

If you’re a baby boomer then you‘ll remember the good old days when you played outside all day and complained vehemently when you were told to go inside for the night… these days, our children are stuck indoors in front of a TV, or behind a computer screen or video game of some sort…

Struggling with homework? Find out how to make homework less of a challenge for your children and less stressful for you
Posted inParenting tips

Struggling with homework? Find out how to make homework less of a challenge for your children and less stressful for you

Are you a working mum who is struggling to make homework fun for your children, and keep them motivated? Do you feel like your child takes two, three and even four times longer than their peers?

Here are three key issues and what busy working mums can do about it:

Are you stressing your kids out with too many activities outside school?
Posted inChildren & Relationships Parenting tips

Are you stressing your kids out with too many activities outside school?

We all know at least one mum who gets a thrill out of sharing the number of activities her children are involved in. Ballet, piano lessons, ballroom dancing, pottery…it’s a wonder their child has time for school. But how do you get the balance right?

It is important to engage children in a variety of activities to stimulate their mind and body, but it’s also important to avoid over-scheduling them with too many activities in their daily lives. So just how do you get that all-important balance?

6 ways to make reading fun for kids when time is limited
Posted inParenting tips

6 ways to make reading fun for kids when time is limited

Learning to read can be a challenging adventure for some children. All the pressure and expectations from the teachers and parents can sometimes put a dampener on the excitement for your child. This loss of excitement can make children lose the desire to read at all.

5 ways to keep your children from getting sick
Posted inA mix Family life Parenting tips

5 ways to keep your children from getting sick

Juggling work and childcare can be quite a challenge at the best of times, but add the never-ending need to take a day off because your child is sick…again!…and even the most understanding and flexible of employers will start to raise an eyebrow.

Fussy eaters – when children won’t eat what the rest of the family are eating
Posted inFamily life Parenting tips

Fussy eaters – when children won’t eat what the rest of the family are eating

Hands up those of us who have had fussy eaters in the family at one time or another?

Of the many people I work with, mums and dads often come to see me because they want their babies/children to enjoy a good healthy relationship with food. It is a very fortunate parent whose baby/child/teenager eats most things and they are, sadly, in the minority.

How playing board games can help your children get back into the swing of things
Posted inFamily life Parenting tips

How playing board games can help your children get back into the swing of things

As the school summer holidays come to an end, it’s getting harder to fill the final days.
Have you tried playing board games? They are a great way to not only have some fun as a family, but to save some money, too!

Selecting a game for the family be a little tricky if you have kids at different developmental stages, so start by choosing a board game that your youngest child play – newborns excluded.

Is your child starting school in September? Or moving to secondary school? Top tips on preparing them and you for the big change
Posted inA mix Children & Relationships Parenting tips

Is your child starting school in September? Or moving to secondary school? Top tips on preparing them and you for the big change

Starting school is a big step for every child, especially if the surroundings are completely new to them – ie a new school where they didn’t attend the nursery school, or a secondary school that has no ties to the primary school or prep they used to attend.

This can be exciting and frightening all at once – and that’s just not your feelings, by the way!

To help make the transition as easy as possible, we’ve compiled a few tips:

Has the Olympics given your children sporting fever? Well, it could cost you £27,000 to fund their pre-Olympic career!
Posted inParenting tips What's in the news?

Has the Olympics given your children sporting fever? Well, it could cost you £27,000 to fund their pre-Olympic career!

The recent medal wins of Team GB in the London 2012 Olympics has got the nation abuzz with excitement and pride.