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You are here: Kidszine parenting website featuring advice, news and tips
By admin, on January 17th, 2012
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If you are looking to take a trip to a true winter wonderland that has jaw dropping landscapes and is in tune with nature like nowhere else, Finland in the place for you. This gem of Northern Europe and the contrasts between freezing winters, golden summers, endless countryside and buzzing cosmopolitan cities is truly something to behold.
Tourism to Finland is booming, and millions of travellers have now discovered for themselves the magic this country emanates. The extraordinary natural beauty of Finland can be enjoyed in many ways, but undoubtedly one of the most exciting is to take a Husky sled ride. Imagine being whisked across the snow and ice, wrapped up against the elements, and taking in the full grandeur of the landscape.
This same landscape invariably lends itself to a plethora of winter sports including cross country and downhill skiing, snowboarding, sledging, ice skating and many more. The resorts that cater to these sports are compact, comfortable and have much to appeal to travellers of all ages, whether you want to participate in a winter sport or simply relax and have a coffee while admiring the view.
One of nature’s most colourful spectacles can be seen from Finland, the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis. Experiencing the best that mother nature has to offer first hand is an experience that shouldn’t be missed. Cosy up and watch the most phenomenal light show on earth in all its spectacular glory.
Every year in Finnish Lapland, a thousand truckloads of snow are used to create the world’s only ice village. Snuggle up in a sleeping bag within an ice hotel, and eat in the ice restaurant and bar. This village is lovingly created from scratch and is truly one of those extraordinary places that you have to see to believe.
There is a new video online that is a veritable montage of everything that this magical wonderland has to offer. It can be seen on the visit Finland website and gives the prospective visitor a taste of everything that there is on offer for the tourist. You see snowmobiles speeding across the glistening ground, the husky rides, a taste of the wildlife, and all under the banner of ‘take me to wonderland’.
There is so much to see and do in Finland that once you have been, you will want to return time and time again. A trip to Finland will create those memories that last a lifetime, so make sure you make the effort to visit this northern Europe wonderland.
By admin, on January 17th, 2012
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One of the hardest questions a parent is likely to be confronted with is when your child asks for a taste of your wine or beer. All their lives you have led by example, eating or drinking things first to show them its okay, now, to them, you are committing the ultimate act of hypocrisy, in their eyes at least, for sitting supping this fascinating liquid without letting them have a taste.
For obvious reasons, kids and alcohol don’t go together, their bodies are still developing to start with, and their tolerance will be a lot lower than an adults. This means nothing to them however; they just see you as mean for not letting them drink ‘like all their friends do’. A do as I say and not as I do attitude can cause a lot of problems, and result in quite a stand off if you don’t keep the conversation flowing.
A clever and unique video has been released by drinkaware.co.uk to highlight the importance of keeping the conversation going with a child when they ask about alcohol. It begins with a young girl sitting eating her dinner at the table, there is a bottle of wine clearly visible, and the girl is fidgeting and keeps looking at the wine as she pushes he food around the player.
She finally asks is she can have some, and the scene pauses, and three options appear along the bottom of the screen. What you select determines how the next bit of the video plays out, and how she reacts to your answers. Every set of options includes an end of conversation box, click this, and a warning appears that tells you the worst thing a parent can say about alcohol is nothing at all, the issue needs addressing not ignoring.
By clicking on the all the no options, the girls invariable storms off in a huff, if you answer yes to the first question she asks how much she can have. This is effectively a conversation carried out through interaction that could be happening in thousands of homes around the country.
This video leads you down various avenues according to your responses, such as how much will it take her to get drunk, and her friends say hangovers aren’t that bad. No parent will ever stop their kids from experimenting, it’s all part of growing up, but by treating them as adults and taking to them reasonably, you can avoid any serious incidents.
By admin, on January 17th, 2012
Taking your children on a family holiday can sometimes seem like quite a daunting task but being simply being prepared and spending a little bit of time looking around your accommodation there are a number of ways in which you can protect your holiday from bumps, scratches or general accidents while on holiday.
Before you leave home:
Ensure that you have valid travel insurance booked and check any exclusion such as water sports and other general activities.
Apply for and receive EHIC cards for the family. This will allow for some of your treatment to be covered should you be hospitalised while travelling in a European country. All members of your family, providing they are entitled to UK passports, will be eligible for one of these and you should carry these with you while in a European country just in case.
Once you arrive at your accommodation:
Move any furniture around to ensure that sharp edges are facing walls, that furniture is not a slip or trip hazard and that you have covered up any potentially dangerous areas or even had the furniture moved completely.
Tape up any sharp corners on furniture or perhaps ask at your hotel reception for them to do this for you or perhaps provide an alternative piece of furniture.
Move blind cords or other long wires that could be a hazard and try to think about anything that could potentially be grabbed by your child and present a choking hazard.
Use plug protectors to cover any plug sockets and you can pack some of these in your suitcase to save yourself the hassle of having to find them while in another country.
Check underneath the beds for any pieces of dirt or debris that your child could end up eating or playing with.
Pack some cable ties or something similar so that you may close any doors that do not have locks and ensure that you lock any doors that can be locked and put their keys in a designated place.
Look out for hazards or climbing items near windows and doors to ensure that your children are not able to climb up and open windows or doors by themselves.
Do not leave your child unsupervised if you would not leave them unsupervised in that room at home. Remember that bathrooms can be terribly hazardous places with hot water, razors, electrical items, heaters and other items being ways for your child to injure themselves. Also remember to keep the toilet lid closed at all times and pack a child lock for that if possible from home.
Basically you should be looking out for any of the hazards that could present themselves like they would at home. Nothing dangerous should be left within reach of your child and they should never be left alone or unsupervised regardless of the reason why. As long as you prepare in advance and use some common sense you should be able to have a wonderfully relaxing family holiday after spending just a short amount of time ensuring that your accommodation is child proof.
Article courtesy of Netflights
By Alan, on January 10th, 2012
 Too many children today are not taking enough exercise, and spending hours in their rooms playing on computer games has led to an epidemic of obesity among kids in theUK. It is important that parents don’t just tell children to get some exercise or take part in sports, but do their bit to encourage them too. Swimming is an ideal activity for families as everyone can join in and it is something that children will learn to enjoy once they get more confident around the water.
Of course, it is also important that young ones are very carefully supervised around swimming pools, which is another reason why it is a good idea for parents to join in too and not just leave them to it. If kids behave themselves then there is no reason to think that swimming pools can be dangerous, but as all parents know, children cannot always be trusted to do what they are told.
Parents not only have a responsibility to watch their children around the swimming pool but to teach them the right way to behave around any water. Many swimming pools have posters forbidding people from diving in the shallow end, running around the edge of the pool and other activities which could easily end in disaster; parents should highlight these unacceptable behaviours to their own children to make sure that they and others are kept safe.
Siblings will often fight with each other. On dry land, this is an annoyance but near a swimming pool this could end up being dangerous. Pushing and fighting could see a child who cannot swim fall into the deep end or hit their head as they tumble; make sure your children understand exactly why that kind of behaviour will not be tolerated when you go to your local pool.
Teaching a child to swim is one of the most important skills you can give to your kids, but even when young ones have moved beyond needing armbands they will still need close supervision until they are confident swimmers. It can be difficult to keep a close eye on your youngest while your older children are clamouring for your attention to, but make sure you do not take your eyes off them for a second.
There are practical things to teach your children about safety in swimming pools too. As well as basics like not running around the edge, make sure that they always shower before going into the water and keep an eye for little fingers and toes wandering into the drains at the edge. Kids are always attracted by intriguing holes, but they can easily get trapped or hurt if they play with these drains.
Swimming should always be fun otherwise children will soon get tired of going and go back to playing their computer games. However, your family’s safety is much more important than doing what the kid want so that they have a good time.If your children really enjoy their swimming sessions but you are having trouble keeping them under control, you could always try threatening to stop their pool visits to see if that makes them behave.
By Alan, on January 9th, 2012
 New Year resolutions social media and Channel 4 We all enter a new year armed with various resolutions; get a better job, eat healthier, give up smoking etc, but in reality sticking to these can be an absolute nightmare. In a recent poll held for Channel 4, it was revealed that 95% of us make a new years resolution, and whilst saving money and getting fit are the most popular, over 50% abandon their resolution after only a month.
More than 50% of those surveyed said that sharing a resolution with other was motivating, so those 95% who made one should be interested in the new Channel 4 initiative that uses the power of both peer support and social media to help people to achieve their resolutions.
New Year Revolution http://revolution.channel4.com/ is a 31-day challenge that features fun and provocative daily missions from Channel 4’s new TV presenters including and the trainers at Fat Fighters. The public can choose from 3 New Year revolutions: ‘get fit’, ‘save money’ and ‘try something new’, then every day for the 31 days of January a specific mission is set by the relevant TV presenter, e.g. Mrs Moneypenny from Supercrimpers if you choose the ‘save money’ revolution.
The public will be able to follow their progress as each daily mission completed will end up on a personalised online ‘Wall of Achievement’. There is potential for internet stardom too as some users will be featured on the New Year Revolution homepage if they are the first to complete a revolution or upload great content.
The challenge is fully integrated into Twitter and Facebook which allows your social networks to see what you’re up to and offer encouragement. Users will be encouraged with videos clips from each presenter and will be able to tweet and post a message on Facebook about their completed mission, as well as uploading clips to YouTube.
Celebrity New Year Resolutions
Kourtney Kardashian
“To push the limits a little more when it comes to fashion design.” Her personal — and perhaps more challenging — goal: “Be nicer to Scott!”
Rizzle Kicks
“Stop being a prick”
Kelly Osbourne
“Every year I’ve had a New Year’s resolution, I haven’t stuck to it. I’d say, ‘I’m not going to eat this’ — or ‘I’m going I’m going to be vegetarian.’ Then it was vegan, and that made me sick! For me it’s about staying positive and focusing on the now and not the past. You can’t change what happened — I try to take a lesson learned and turn it into a positive.”
Natasha Bedingfield
“I’m very excited because I’m hopefully going to get my driver’s license — that’s been a resolution every year! So finally this is the year, and for my birthday I’m getting a car!”
Jessica Biel
The New Year’s Eve star admits, “I’d like to learn another language. But I say that every year — I’ve said that for about 12 years now!”
Delta Goodrem
“I am really looking forward to the next year. [I want] good health and happiness, and enjoy playing music and being around my friends.”
By Alan, on January 6th, 2012
 Magic Blackout Blind travel and sleep solutions for children A new and innovative product intended for use both in children’s nurseries and when you are travelling with children on holiday has been launched. It is called the Magic Blackout Blind and is the quick and easy way to black out windows anywhere in seconds. For more information on this brilliant product visit www.magicblackoutblind.co.uk
The Magic Blackout Blind is effectively a temporary black out covering for windows that can be used with or without blinds and curtains to completely block out light. This is turn helps everyone, not just little ones, to get a good night’s sleep.
The blind comes on a convenient and lightweight roll, which makes is ideal for when you are travelling or on holiday. Every roll contains ten perforated black sheets that you can easily cut to size with scissors. The black sheets ‘magically’ cling to windows by static, thus leaving no marks behind on the glass.
It will stop bright sunlight coming through your windows and help you sleep better. Magic Blackout Blind is useful if you have young children because it will help stop them waking up at dawn and help parents get an hour or two extra sleep in bed.
It is incredibly simple to fit; you tear off a sheet and place it on the window. You can quickly and easily remove it when not required. You can also reuse it.
Each sheet measures 60cm by 80cm or 24 inches by 32 inches. A roll of 10 sheets costs £35.99.
For more information visit www.magicblackoutblind.co.uk
By Alan, on January 6th, 2012
 Unfortunately, learning in the classroom is not always the most productive environment for a child and many children will often daydream. A common solution the teacher uses to bring a child back to paying attention is to punish them by asking a question that they know they don’t know the answer to because they have not been listening. This embarrasses the child and can put them in a negative emotional state.
Most teachers say that daydreaming is a very negative process when children are trying to learn, however by punishing children who daydream we are also preventing the use of their imagination and this can be something that sticks, even when they are outside of the classroom.
Children who daydream might have a better ability to focus on the big picture and this is something that can be very valuable when looking at long-term success. Many of the great leaders of the past 100 years have been visionaries and this is something that can come from bringing a daydream into reality.
An example would be President Kennedy, who did not know how a man would be sent to the moon but his vision motivated a nation to make it possible. Similar things can be said about the dreams of Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King.
Many people hold the belief that if you capture a child’s imagination knowledge will be something that they want to acquire anyway. If you fascinate a child by what you are teaching, then worrying about the daydreaming is going to be a thing of the past. Inspiring children encourages them to accomplish, and they will do this by acquiring the knowledge and skills that they need to achieve their goals.
This goes far beyond children, and a man or woman who dreams is a person who can attain anything. If you are someone with a big dream then nothing else is going to matter to you and you are going to pursue this dream until you succeed. Therefore, when teaching children, it makes sense to start by appealing to their imaginations.
If you give a child an idea of the big picture then they are going to go down the path which will allow them to achieve this dream and succeed in their education and ultimately their future lives.
For those parents who are looking to get their children to read more, it is important to inspire them. Choosing books that your child will get lost in is essential as it promotes a healthy and pleasurable relationship between child and book and will make them value reading in the future. This will also develop a child’s ability to read fluently and this is one of the most valuable skills they can take into their future life, and allow them to achieve their dreams and succeed in their education.
By Alan, on December 30th, 2011
 For many years, it has been thought that wrapping a baby up tightly in cloth, also known as swaddling, would stop the baby’s self-expression’ and hinder the child from learning how to control their movements. Now this practice, that is as old as the nativity itself is, according to new figures, back in vogue for the first time in nearly half a century.
Some childcare experts now believe that wrapping a child in this way mimics the pressure that a baby feels while in the womb, and creates a increased sensation of security. The demand for this trend is so high that sales of swaddling clothes has shot up by more than 61% in the past year alone, so new research has revealed.
Swaddling is an age old practice where new born babies were wrapped tightly within a cloth, thus restricting their movements, and is recorded as far back as 4000BC, to the Ancient Greek and Roman times. When new theories regarding baby development took hold in the 1960′s it virtually disappeared as mothers were urged to dress their baby is clothes that allowed movement as they grew, such as babygrows.
A study in the British Medical Journal that was published in 2009 also deemed it potentially dangerous and reported that 25% of babies who succumbed to cot death had been swaddles at the time. The problem here is that cot deaths are so rare, the sample they used for the study was very small, and the NHS branded the risk as coming from an unreliable study.
The trend has returned with such gusto that Debenhams, the major high street retail chain, now have a separate section on their website for swaddling clothes. This contains a varied selection of both blankets and other wraps that can be used to swaddle new born babies as well as keep them warm.
By Alan, on December 29th, 2011
 Amby Natures Nest 20 years of helping babies and parents sleep The award winning Amby Natures Nest, recommended and trusted by parents around the world, are celebrating two decades of helping both babies and their parents to get the sleep they need. Everything that is great about Amby Natures Nest can be found on their website at www.amby.co.uk
Research has proved that 1.2m adults who have children under the age of 18 months are regularly being kept awake during the night. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation are regarded as unavoidable and new, bleary eyed parents, don’t need to be told that they need more sleep, and the only way this can happen is if both the child and the adult sleeps well at the same time.
The testimonies the company receives via email and telephone heaps praise upon the Amby Natures Nest and how much easier those difficult first months have been thanks to their babies being comfortable and settled while they sleep and as a result much happier when awake.
The womb like environment of the Nest holds baby in a cradled position providing optimal reassurance and maximum comfort and the natural movement of the Nest ensures a restful sleep.
The Amby Natures Nest is suitable from birth up to 12 months and is a day and night bed. It also comes with its own travel bag.
The Natures Nest is quick and easy to assemble and is very compact once dissembled.
Baby can sleep in his own bed whilst travelling or visiting friends and relatives.
By Alan, on December 29th, 2011
 One of the biggest decisions you can possibly make is to become a foster parent, and there are few things you really need to know before taking the plunge. One of the first things to consider is how the rest of the family, including any children, feel about it, and fostering can also make a massive difference to the relationship with your spouse.
They need to get used to the idea well in advance and prepare themselves to accept a new member to the family. Secondly, communication is vital, for a while you will be lost in a strange world where you, the fostered children, social workers and birth families co-exist. Don’t be hard on yourself and try to rush things, just take it easy and go with the flow.
Raising a foster child is both a huge challenge and responsibility, this child may have faced numerous problems that are known only to them and this may reflect in their behaviour. The first thing you need to do is let the child understand that they are now in a safe place, just don’t push it and try and get them to open up to you straight away. Trust has to be earned and can take a long time.
If you aren’t a patient person forget fostering. That may sound harsh but foster children, through no fault of their own, can be very difficult to handle. You don’t know these children like you do your own, and you need to have boatloads of patience if the child is difficult to understand. When it comes to discipline, any kind of physical punishment is a no-no, many come from violent backgrounds and this will have a negative impact.
The child may arrive in your home suffering from trauma and you must be both patient and loving during their time of mourning. This could come from a number of issues; such as the death of their birth parents or being taken away from foster parents they had grown to love. Being a foster parent is one of the most rewarding things you can do, and as long as you are prepared you can make a massive difference to a child’s life.
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