Uni Essentials Packing Checklist: Everything You Need to Take to University

 

So your little darling is off to uni! It seems like only yesterday it was me lugging a giant desktop tower and a questionable duvet to halls. Now it's your turn to navigate the treacherous waters of packing lists and student accommodation. Fear not, I’ve compiled the ultimate guide to ensure they’ve got everything they need (and maybe a few things they don’t!). Let's dive into the essential checklist to make sure they're prepared for university life.

Back to School Tips: How to Transition Your Child into the School Routine

It’s that time of year again guys (fellow dishevelled parents) - the one that started with week 1 promises of keeping to the usual ‘routine’, planning healthy snack boxes, making sure you keep up with the reading, timetables and minimal screen time. Fast-forward six weeks and you’re picking crisp packets off the sofa while your child is still in PJs at 11am, having gone to bed at… well, let’s not talk about that.

 Disclosure: Paid Partnership

Yes, it’s the end of the summer holidays and you’ve got a miracle to perform in transitioning your child back into the school routine and back into their school uniform. Let’s get started shall we?

What is EYFS?

What is the EYFS? If you have children, or work alongside children, then the chances are you have seen the letters ‘EYFS’ quite a few times already – perhaps in reference to EYFS play, EYFS activities or even EYFS outcomes…but what is EYFS??

To give its most literal meaning, EYFS stands for the Early Years Foundation Stage – the period of time from birth to 5 years old. During this time, there are certain developmental milestones that children are expected to achieve. All adults who work with children in England are expected to follow these standards for learning, development and care, so that by the end of the EYFS children are meeting their ‘Early Learning Goals’ (ELGs) and are therefore ‘school ready’.

Music and Movement for Preschoolers and Babies

Did you know that movement helps us to hear music in detail and enhances our understanding not just of rhythm, but also of pitch and tune?  Experts believe that it can also be good for the brain, especially parts that deal with spatial and temporal reasoning. Learning to play an instrument may even increase your child's ability to do maths (Livingstone, 2005).

In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of music for young children, discuss music classes for babies and provide you with some musical activity ideas for babies and preschoolers.

Kegel8 Ultra Pelvic Toner and Biofeedback Trainer review

If there is one thing that unites most Mothers across the country it’s this: Pelvic floor problems.

That’s not to say that everyone who has carried a baby and / or given birth will struggle, but for the majority of post-partum females there will be a change in the pelvic floor muscle compared to pre-pregnancy which can sometimes have life-long implications. This can range from minor inconveniences such as a difference in strength/tone which can cause back ache, to more life changing issues such as prolapse, incontinence or an inability to use internal menstrual products effectively.

There is no doubt that pregnancy changes the female body forever, but the lack of routine aftercare for new mothers in the UK is in stark contrast to other countries who put women’s health more at the forefront.
 

Kegel8 aims to change this, by providing women with access to technology such as their Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner and Kegel8 Biofeedback Pelvic Trainer. I have been testing these two devices for the last few months in order to provide an honest review on their efficacy and usability. Read on to find out my thoughts.

School readiness – preparing your child for Reception Class

School readiness…its something you’ll probably hear quite a lot if you have a child who is preparing to start Reception Class in September, but what does it actually mean??

How can we, as parents, make sure that we are helping and not hindering when preparing our 4 year olds for big school?

Most of my Teaching career was spent teaching Reception, and so this is something I thought long and hard about when passing on information to Parents. What would I hope, as their Teacher, they could do already? What sort of things would I discuss in the Parents meetings for new starters? Where would my expectations be bearing in mind I don’t yet know the children or what level they are at?

Unlike parenting high school children, where you may find yourself embarking on a Tutor Hunt - Its not what you might expect….

When Arthur was still 2 yrs old - I spent almost my entire Christmas Eve sat on his bedroom floor trying to help him get to sleep as he was afraid of Father Xmas visiting our house!! I had a bit of time to kill, so I wrote this poem... I'm hoping that we don't have a repeat of  it this year, but I am absolutely certain I wont be the only one if so....

Christmas Eve Poem for Parents

'Twas the night before Xmas and all through the house, 

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse....

10 Questions to ask when choosing a Primary School

Are you currently looking around Primary Schools for next September ready for your child to start in Reception class, or, Foundation stage 2? Are you wondering what questions you should ask when choosing a new school? What things you should be looking for when looking around a new school or classroom?

 I found it really hard to approach this task with my 'parent hat' on, rather than my 'Teacher hat'. As many of you will know, I am a Primary School Teacher who specialised in the Early Years (EYFS) and I am extremely passionate about active, free-flow, play based learning. 

I have compiled a list of questions to ask when trying to choose a primary school below, some of which I asked when looking around the schools...some that I wish I had asked! Anyway, here is the benefit of my hindsight, carefully set out for you to use when researching schools for yourself... and once you've chosen, you can pop back and read my post all about school readiness and how to help our children prepare for Reception class. 

Post Natal Depression - What you need to know about PND

The thing with PND (post - natal depression, post-partum depression or post pregnancy depression) is that it gets to you even when you think it shouldn’t. You can almost feel it creeping up on you, like an unwanted period when you’re trying to conceive, and yet you stay in utter denial that this is actually happening because...well, why should it?

 

Why should you feel depressed when you have absolutely no reason to be? Why should you feel depressed when you’ve got everything you ever wanted and you’re supposed to be so utterly, deliriously happy with life?

THAT’S the thing. PND doesn’t discriminate.

First Day of School Poem

It's here. Now’s the time. I tell myself I’ll be fine

Its your first day of school, a new book, a new line

But one day you were here every day of the week,

playing with toys, reading books, hide and seek

Now those little legs skip on the pavement to class, as your hand fits in mine - but I hold it like glass...

A Poem for your First Day of School ...

Preparing for Twins: What do I need?

Congratulations! You're expecting twins! But what products do you actually need when preparing for the birth of multiples?  How can you make sure you have everything covered when you have one pair of hands and 2 (or more) babies?

This blog post will make your life so much easier, by arming you with the info and the items you really need to buy when expecting twins...and yes, this guidance comes straight from my own twin sister, who also gave birth to twins herself...shes a twin with twins, and she knows her stuff. Let's dive in...

Back to school uniform ideas for home and school

When I was at primary school, we didn’t have a school uniform and so your everyday clothes for home were also your clothes for school. These days, you’d be hard pushed to find a school which doesn’t have a uniform requirement, and so finding the best quality and also affordable school uniform items which will last is really important.

 

Disclosure: Paid partnership

 In this blog post, I will be showcasing some back to school uniform options from Very, BUT I will also be showing you how to utilise these pieces outside of school, mixing and matching them with everyday wear to make the most of your child’s wardrobe and maximise use of clothing so that your budget goes further and your washing pile gets smaller…

How to encourage children to do chores at home

The key to encouraging your child to take part in daily chores is to start early, and make it fun!

 

    

                                                            This is a collaborative post

Chores should not be seen as a ‘chore’ by children. It works on the same principle of play based learning in the foundation stage - for a child to learn, take part willingly and also remember the skills you have taught them, then it needs to be playful and fun and it must be purposeful.

Save money and make memories with family experiences

Last year, we moved house to our ‘forever home’, which, aside from a massive increase in our mortgage and bills, came with the realisation of just how much STUFF we have. Unpacking boxes and attempting to find a place for all our belongings is really hard when you’re a sentimental old bean like me - it’s difficult to throw things away! (I’m no Marie Kondo) With a new baby, we seem to have acquired even more items to keep and store and I started to dread Xmas and birthdays and the imminent arrival of even more ‘things’. We decided therefore, to have a focus this year on ‘doing’ things together as a family, using the gift of time rather than collecting more belongings. Consumables were ok, but we really wanted to plan days out, visits to new places and some nice meals or treats to enjoy now that the world seems to be getting back to some level of normality!

 

Disclosure: Paid Partnership

When covid lockdowns hit the UK, Arthur had just turned 5 and Charlotte was 2. Along with millions of other children, they’ve missed out on so much over the last 3 years. We all did our best to keep life at home fun and happy, with lots of play experiences, but now is the time to try and make the most of getting out and about! Especially now that the warm weather is approaching…we are hoping that Easter will bring us our first germ free school holiday of this year so that we can really enjoy ourselves.

Can Teaching Babies Sign Language Delay Them Learning to Speak?

As a parent, you want to do everything possible to promote your child's development and ensure they reach their milestones on time. One question that often comes up is whether teaching babies sign language can delay their ability to speak.

 

 In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of baby sign language and Makaton, and how it can actually help promote speech and language development in babies and toddlers.

How to raise kids' self-esteem

Create Your Own Confidence is a brand-new fun and colourful activity book by psychotherapist Becky Goddard-Hill.

The book looks at a variety of issues impacting kids’ confidence and each topic includes an activity for kids to try out and is backed up by science and research. It is full of simple, practical ideas to help children to feel confident, strong and happy. They can try out out power posing, create a control wheel or set mini goals.
 

Here Becky shares an extract from the book…

Pregnancy after PND

Post natal depression, and/or post natal anxiety are no small matter. When you’re in it you can’t see through the fog to trust there is ever going to be an end. When you’re out of it, you never want to go back there. It’s easy to decide in those moments that any future pregnancies are off the cards, simply because the risk of spiralling back feels too great…

  

...but what if that tiny little flicker somewhere inside that clings onto the possibility of another baby never goes out? What if that small flame turns into a roaring fire of determination to do it all again and all of the risks feel worth it for the sake of a new life… because here you are, and you made it through. Should you reside yourself to the fact that PND is your destiny? Are you certain to suffer again? Will you definitely get PND again after your pregnancy??

When is the best time to put a TV in your child’s bedroom?

Whether or not to have televisions in children’s bedrooms is a contentious issue for both adults and children alike. There are those who sit firmly in the ‘no’ camp, and those who often grew up with a TV in their room and see it as no big deal.

                                                  Disclosure: This is a collaborative post

In a time where virtual nannies  have become an actual ‘thing’, online games on tablets, phones, Nintendos and PlayStations are at an all time high in order to ease the burden on parents who are trying to ‘do it all’, does having a television in a bedroom add to this?

The WHO (world health organisation) recommends no screen time for children under 1, no more than an hour a day for 2-4yr olds, recommending that children sit less and play more  with a focus on good quality sleep, with experts recommending switching off screens at least an hour before bed 

Advice for New Stepdads: Tips for Step-parent survival

Being a Stepdad can be challenging - but there are ways to make it easier... 

Our latest guest post from Author, and Step-Dad, Daniel Grabowski, outlines some tips for step-parent survival...

 

Any parent will tell you that raising a child isn’t easy. Step-parenting comes with its own set of difficulties. Like sitting down to watch a film that started twenty minutes ago or picking up a novel and starting at chapter seven, you’re going to need to hit the ground running.

I’ve been a step-dad for almost five years at this point and while I don’t claim to have all the answers, I feel what I have to say here will be beneficial for new step-parents. Particularly those considering becoming one...

New Baby Essentials gift guide

Are you having a new baby soon, or know of someone who is? It can be hard to work out just what to buy as a gift for a new mum or a newborn baby - making sure your gift is useful or meaningful is key, as you don't want to be adding to the amount of 'stuff' that new parents seem to acquire once a baby comes along! Some parents may be starting out with nothing, and so helping out by purchasing the 'essentials' rather than something more luxurious may be your preference. You may wish to treat the parent to a useful gift, rather than the baby...after all, they have likely spent 9 months growing a baby (and all that goes along with that!), to then be faced with labour, birth and sleepless nights. Whatever your prefer, this new baby essentials gift guide has a range of ideas for every budget and preference...

 

Disclosure: Paid partnership - some of these items are affiliate links or gifted items for the purpose of an honest review. 

From purchasing the newborn essentials, to making sure you have new mother and baby well-being covered, this blog post gives some suggestions and honest feedback on a range of products for both parent and baby...