Little Terra can help you protect your children's eyes from UV

The low setting autumn sun can cause discomfort for eyes and while a good deal of emphasis is placed on protecting children’s tender skin from the rays, it is also extremely important for parents to consider investing in eye protection for their youngsters.

Specialist children's buyer Carolyn Budding, of the retailer Little Terra, has built up a range of high protection sunglasses ideal for all seasons, which are as enticing for children as they are reassuring for their parents.

Carolyn said: “At Little Terra, our children’s sunglasses and ski goggles have been carefully selected to filter UV rays and shield young eyes, supporting youngsters in spring and summer, through autumn and also, with some brands, through the ski season.

“Sun rays come from all directions, even in autumn, and so the most efficient method of protecting the eyes is to wear good quality sunglasses, and to also wear a protective hat.

“A wide-brimmed hat can protect eyes from any rays coming from above or below the sunglasses – and choosing wraparound sunglasses rather than standard design frames offers further protection.

“Design features such as soft temple ends and soft silicone nose and brow pieces embedded in the frame also make for a more comfortable fit.

“Some products also feature an adjustable neoprene strap to make sure the glasses fit securely and don't get pulled off.”

Little Terra has produced a free downloadable guide to help with the purchase of children's sunglasses and goggles. Find out more at www.littleterra.co.uk/Protecteyes

www.littleterra.co.uk

Martial arts governing body blasts child cage fighting and demands ban

Questions raised over insurance cover for child cage fights

The National Association of Karate and Martial Art Schools (NAKMAS) has called for a ban on child cage fighting, involving children as young as five, warning that it carries high physical, mental and emotional risks.

NAKMAS has questioned whether any insurance provider in the UK covers the practice.

NAKMAS has criticised child cage fighting after a recent news report showed young children, estimated to be eight years of age, taking part in the practice in front of an adult audience. Neither child was wearing any protective clothing during the fight.

Joe Ellis, chair of NAKMAS, says:  “Cage fighting for children is a time bomb waiting to happen. Cage fighting is far too risky for children, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have evidence that young children are also involved in full contact karate and the risks involved in this practice are identical to that of cage fighting.

"The fact that some adults find it entertaining to watch children beat each other up is disturbing. The practice needs banning in the UK and the organisers brought to their senses.

“Children are not developed emotionally or physically for cage or full contact karate and NAKMAS will be writing to all local authorities asking them to consider banning the practise on local authority owned premises.

“Whilst NAKMAS is heavily involved in equality for all at national, regional and local level, and does not want any age group to be restricted from learning a combat or martial arts sport, cage fighting is too high risk for children.”

No protection

NAKMAS is also urging premises owners to refuse access to such activities and points out that there are unlikely to be insurance providers in the UK providing cage fighting insurance for children.

Joe Ellis says: “Combat tournaments of any kind require risk assessments to be carried out and insurance in place to protect participants and the organisers. In the event of any legal action brought against the organiser of the event, it is also likely that the facility providers, would be litigated against in the event of negligence or injury claim arising.

“NAKMAS provides welfare, child protection procedures, health and safety policies, equality and disability policies to all affiliate clubs as well as extensive insurance and legal protection for its members. I would like to see proof that the organisers of these so-called cage fighters have adequate policies and procedures in place for provide this type of protection.”

To find out more about NAKMAS visit www.nakmas.org.uk

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Marks & Spencer Launches Online Maternity Bra Advice Tool

Iconic British retailer Marks & Spencer today launches an online advice tool which gives pregnant women advice on maternity bras and breast health, tailored to their exact stage of pregnancy.

The tool is available online within the Lingerie area of www.marksandspencer.com and features advice from Julia Mercer, Lingerie Technical Manager at M&S. It allows users to select how many weeks’ pregnant they are and generates an advice guide specifically for that stage of pregnancy.

Julia says: “Women should get their breasts measured every six months in order to ensure that they’re wearing the correct size bra, but during pregnancy regular visits to a bra fitter are more essential than ever.

“With all the changes occurring in your body there won’t ever be a time when it’s more important to be comfortable.

“This new tool will help pregnant ladies identify the stages at which they should get fitted and understand the importance of doing so.”

Research by Mintel suggests maternity bras are an essential purchase for mums-to-be, who appreciate their importance and the health implications of wearing an ill-fitting bra, especially during pregnancy.

As one of the UK’s most popular and trusted underwear retailers Marks & Spencer hopes that the online advice tool will give women everything they need to make an informed decision when purchasing their maternity underwear.

Recent Survey Shows Young Children Have Access To Parents Phones, Extra Care Must Be Taken Says Firstnumber

A survey undertaken by Nielsen has found that in the US almost a third of apps on parents phones have been downloaded by their children. The survey also confirmed although many people consider their phones to be private, 13% of the US app downloaders surveyed by Nielsen stated their spouse and/or partner had downloaded apps on their phone, while 6% said friends were responsible for some of their downloads. 8% of all respondents identified that their children has installed apps on their phone.

From the data provided through the survey, it was discovered that the youngest child downloading apps was nine years old. It was also discovered on average that 30% of all apps installed on the respondents phones were installed by their children.

Cheap call providers Firstnumber advises parents to take extreme care when handing phones to children. This is of particular importance when full access to the internet and applications can be accessed at the click of a button.

Smartphones and apps that adorn user friendly and intuitive interfaces have created large appeal amongst the younger generation, and are very simple to use. As a result, younger children are accessing app stores and downloading games and other applications with greater ease and frequency.

The spokesperson from cheap international calls provider Firstnumber elaborates:  “If parents can lay the right foundations and ensure that the appropriate parental security settings have been put in place prior to their child's usage of a smartphone, this gives some guarantee towards the safe experience of the device by youngsters. Secondly, by making sure that any app account login details are kept out of the control of children, this will enable full control for parents over spending levels and the kind of apps which are being downloaded.”


FACTFILE:
Firstnumber.co.uk is an online phone directory offering direct dial access codes that reduce the cost of making international calls from a UK landline.

GYKO gives power back to parents

As any parent will tell you, they always seem to have items that their children have outgrown or no longer need that they would like to see go to a good home. Often time and not knowing who to pass items on to has stopped parents de cluttering and finding new homes for unwanted kit.

Now a new community based website www.mygyko.com offers a solution to just the problem.

The ethos behind the GYKO site is to build on existing local community spirit. The site provides parents with a simple easy to use, safe and friendly way of trading the items their children have now outgrown with other families living in their area.

What is unique about the website is that it puts parents with children at the same school, sports club or uniformed organisation(s) in touch with one another and allows them to buy, sell, swap or give away items.
The GYKO siteenables the informal school gate agreements that often exist between small circles of friends to be widened up to a larger community.

By conducting transactions via the school and sports club you don’t have to advertise your address to strangers who then collect items from your home. Nor do you have to incur postage charges.

Parents who are looking for ways to earn some extra cash will find this an ideal place to sell outgrown uniforms and sport kits that are filling up their cupboards and garages. Whilst parents who are shopping on a budget for school items may well find costly items such as blazers, football boots at a fraction of the cost of similar brand new items or in some cases parents may be getting items for free- the website offers an option of giving items away to others as well.

The site is free to use for both the parents listing items and the parents acquiring items.

GYKO is a site that puts community and parents first as opposed to profit and commercialism – something that can only be beneficial to everyone.

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