Do You Know Your Rights As A Working Parent?

I remember heading back to work after maternity leave the first time around and not knowing what my rights were as a working parent. This time when I head back in 2019 I will be more clued up.

The end of maternity or paternity leave is a daunting enough time without the stress and uncertainty of worrying about your entitlements.

Do you know your rights as a working parent?

Working with Babythingz, a leading supplier of cosytoes and footmuffs, we are here to map out your rights as a parent heading back to the workplace. To make this transitional time as easy as possible.

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Potty Training with Little Budgie’s Done A Fudgie

Baby girl is now 26 months old. She is very switched on and has shown that she is nearly ready for toilet training. A few weeks back we reviewed the Step’n’ Potty from Bumbo, but she wasn’t quite ready for potty training then. When we saw the health visitor for her 2 year check up, she gave us some advice on potty training, but said to leave it for a couple of months due the change in her life of having a little sister next week. She said that with having a newborn in the house would be a big adjustment without having potty training as well in her life. So we will be back on the potty training in the Summer.

For now though we have been reading this great little book called Little Budgie’s Done A Fudgie by Simon Harris. It’s all about a little bird taking his first steps out of a nappy onto the potty.

Little Budgie's Done A Fudgie

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6 Easter Activities For Dads

*This is a guest post from DaddiLife on Easter Activities for Dads.

Holidays like Easter are the perfect opportunity for dads to further the bond with their children. Regardless of whether you have an infant on a weaning schedule or a couple of toddlers who need something to keep them occupied and engaged, these activities will create Easter moments that your children can remember fondly for the rest of their lives.

DaddiLife - Easter Activities for Dads

1. Colouring Easter Eggs

Colouring Easter Eggs is probably one of the first activities that comes to mind when you think of Easter, and there’s a good reason for it! Not only is it a fun way for your kids to stimulate their creativity and help with brain development, but it’s cheap and easy too. 

Premade egg decorating kits are available for low prices in many stores and include stickers, egg stands, non-toxic dye tablets, egg dippers and drying trays — everything you need to create some beautiful eggs! Alternatively if you have the spare ingredients at home, why not embrace your own crafts with the kids to make your very own eggs! Just make sure to lay out some newspaper or a disposable tablecloth to avoid staining tables and countertops. 

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Product Review: Step ‘n’ Potty From Bumbo

Potty training – yes it’s nearly that time. For weeks baby girl has been showing the signs that she’s ready. Examples being taking her clothes off, saying wee wee, hiding behind the sofa to have a pooh and having a dry nappy for periods of time. In fact when she had a horrible virus last year, my GP wanted a wee sample from her and I actually got her to have a wee in the potty, so I know she could probably do it!

To get us ready for potty training, we have been very lucky to receive the Bumbo Step ‘n’ Potty to review and help us on the journey. The Step ‘n’ Potty is 3 products in one. Firstly you have the potty, but that also converts to a toilet training seat. In fact the seat fits most adult toilets. Then you have the base of the potty that is also a step stool, that can be used to reach the toilet. Having a step stool is most useful in the kitchen or in the bathroom for little ones to reach the sink to wash their hands. So when potty training is done, you can still make use of the Step ‘n’ Potty for many years.

Bumbo Step 'n' Potty

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How to introduce colour into early years teaching

The importance of colour in early years.

Babies begin to learn from the second that they are born. But stimulating a child’s mind and helping them develop their awareness are crucial to ensuring that they absorb as much as possible in the early years.

Where does colour come into learning and development? Infinite Playgrounds, designers and creators of playground canopies, investigate:

Colour and early years development

When a baby is born, they can only see in monochrome. Until around eight months when their colour vision is fully developed, an infant is unable to distinguish the difference between colours. However, by ages three or four, a child can recognise basic shades — and frequent exposure can help strengthen this skill.

Why do children need to learn about colour?

When a baby reaches eight months, it can be beneficial for them to be surrounded by different colours. This can help them make colour connections early on in life and experts have said that showing patterns to a baby is important, as it provides visual and cognitive stimulation.

Being able to identify the primary colours is important, but so is naming shades. Learning these allows children to recognise significant visual hues — such as red as a code for danger. It is useful outside of the curriculum too — for example; knowing the difference between a red and a blue coloured tap.

When a child is confident in naming colours, they become more able to read and write maturely. Describing an object without saying its colour is difficult! Similarly, colour is an important part of descriptive techniques, so learning about colour also helps exercising their imaginations when creating a story.

The Importance of colour in early years Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

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How To Be a Frugal Parent Without Missing Out

If you’re planning to have children, you need to know what to expect. While most parents talk about the reduced sleeping hours – and you will truly have to function on two or three hours a night in the beginning – not everybody is completely honest about the costs inherent to raising a child. Bringing up a child in the UK costs more than the average home, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

Ultimately, as a parent, you need to be prepared for a cost of over £230,000, which includes childcare and education until the age of 21. If you compare in terms of household budget, proportionally a British household will spend nearly 40% of their net incomes on raising a child. Of course, the more children you have, the more expensive it’ll be – although, thankfully, one household with two children spends less than two households with one child each.

Unsurprisingly, the costs vary depending on where you live in the UK. However, you’ll still be paying well over £200,000 to bring up a child everywhere in the country.

In other words, there’s no secret to cut down the expenses. But there are ways to maximise frugal living to make sure that you don’t break the bank!

Frugal Parenting Without Missing Out

Each child costs a quarter of a million

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