LittleLegends.biz

Source:Triobike.com

Having been brought up in Oxford where everyone cycles, I was interested to come across the Triobike. It is a three-in-one bicycle, pram and carrier-bike that allows you to push two children around in a pram with a bit of pedal power. The idea of a carrier-bike is not new, but the ability to detach the child-carrying part certainly is.

The triobike is suitable for carrying two children under nine and comes fitted with seatbelts. Whilst it might look a bit precarious according to the makers it is very safe.

I am not sure the design will appeal to everyone but it will not surprise me if I see a triobike in action next time I am in Oxford.

Source:Nosefrida USA

My baby has a cold and has been snuffling all night. The poor mite is finding it hard to breathe and there is not much I can do to help… or so I thought. I have just come across a Swedish invention called the Nosefrida that might be just the ticket:

The site says:

Nosefrida is a plastic tube with a filter that the parent uses with their own mouths to get the mucous out of their children’s noses.

There is a filter in place so the parent will not come into contact with the snot but this is not a gadget for the squeamish!

At the moment $15 seems a small price to pay for a good night’s sleep

I don’t know whether it is because I have boys, but it is almost impossible to squeeze a word out of my children about school. I have tried asking open-ended questions such as “How was your day at school?” only to be answered “Fine.” If I perservere, my sons just tell me to stop asking questions!

However, Be A Good Dad has some great tips so I want to share them with you:

*Yes or No questions. Stuff like, was your best friend there today? Did you go outside today? A lot of times they will just answer with a simple yes or no but if it was entertaining or horrible they will start talking.
*Ask about things that you know happen every day. For Geetle and Pookie this includes, what did you have for snack and what was your job today?
*Ask if their friend/enemy was at school. If their best friend or enemy was at school, then there is probably a story about them waiting to be told.
*Look in their book bag. You will find letters from the teacher, class projects, homework, and stuff your kid found on the playground. Grab any of it and start asking questions about what it is?
*Be shocked/amazed/horrified with them. Don’t just sit there and say “Mmm hmm” every once in a while. Get involved with the conversation. Act like you care about what happened while your kid was in school.

This article made me wonder what is the current acceptable age for parents to let their children do activities on their own eg walking to school, going to the local shops, playing outside?

I remember walking to school by myself aged 10 or 11. When I was not much older than that I would also pick up my younger brother from his school, walk him home and give him a snack until Mum came home about an hour later. I also spent many evenings hanging out on the street with other local children, playing games and riding bikes.

My parents gave me a huge amount of freedom and I would consider myself to be very responsible (even then). Now I wonder whether I will be able to give my children the same level of independence. I certainly hope so.

Parents are very paranoid these days and even more so following the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Will tracking devices on kids now become the norm?

Most parents decide when to let their children take the next step towards independence on an individual basis. This is wise because some kids are bound to be more mature than others. Also, a gradual withdrawal of supervision is possible in some situations. Take crossing a road as an example:

1) You cross together
2) You ask your child to help you cross the road
3) You watch from a distance as your child crosses on their own
4) Finally you let your child cross the road unsupervised.

It is usual for parents to struggle with giving their children independence, and it is always necessary for them to consider the risks, but at some stage every child must learn to look after themselves.

For those of you who live across the pond (in the States), you may be interested to know that there is a similar project to Little Legends but for the US. It is called Parentography and their catchphrase is “Connecting Families on the Go”. Just like our site, you can:

* search for child friendly services, restaurants, hotels, activities, playgrounds and attractions
* rate or review any of the entries
* sign up and connect with other parents

I wish them all the best and hope that we can strike up a conversation with them and share some great ideas about how to develop our sites further.

Moleskine City Notebooks
from Mojo

These look like a great idea. [thanks Tom for the link]. The same notebooks that Picasso, Hemingway and others used has now morphed into a DIY city guide.

Each notebook features a key map, which gives you a brief overview of the city of your choice, along with 36 pages of zone maps, which provide large scale maps the city centre. A 96 page tab—separated personal archive keeps hotels, shops, addresses, places of interest and facilities neatly organised. A further 76 blank pages let you jot down thoughts, stories and memories.

Various things struck me about them.

First, they’re perfect for people like me and Vicky (when we’re out and about) for jotting down places or comments we think should go in LittleLegends. They’ve only got London in the UK at the moment, but perhaps that’ll change.

Second, and more interestingly, they might be something to look at as LittleLegends grows. What if we could export a quick hardcopy booklet for a city (London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Little Missenden …)? It might just be a printout in the first stages, but would you find it useful to have a quick guide to the city based on what other people have suggested? Best rated shops, shops you recommend, places to go etc?

Do let us know your ideas!

For those of you who have followed this battle (that has been posted about earlier on this blog here, here and here) you may be interested to know that Gina and Mumsnet have now settled the case. Gina Ford has decided to drop her claim on the basis that Mumsnet pay some money towards her costs and prevent any further comments about her on their site.

The founder of Mumsnet, Justine Roberts, said:

We are very relieved that the issue is over, it was a commercial decision to settle because although we were told that we had a case, we could not afford to take it to court.

Whether or not you like Gina Ford, the unfortunate result of this happening is that many websites will now take steps to remove any comments they have doubts about, rather than risk an expensive legal wrangle. It is a sad day for anyone who believes in freedom of speech.

Believe it or not staying at Youth Hostels is a very affordable way to travel the UK with families. Comfortable rooms with en suite bathrooms and breakfast are available from around £18.50 per adult and £13.50 for kids. That is pretty good and cheaper than many B&Bs.

Youth Hostels that are particularly family friendly include:

1) Bellever, Devon – a former farm near the Bellever forest and Dart River. Miniature pony centre nearby.

2) Oxford – a centrally based Youth Hostel, ideal for exploring this beautiful city of dreaming spires.

3) Sandown, Isle of Wight – walking distance from the beach and lots of family attractions nearby

4) Derwentwater, Cumbria - mansion situated next to Derwentwater with stunning views. Large outdoor area for kids to play in

5) Golant, Cornwall - this youth hostel overlooks the Fowey estuary and is close to the Eden Project and Bodmin Moor

6) Bristol – another city youth hostel based on the quayside. You can walk to most attractions from here.

7) Lee Valley, Hertfordshire – believe it or not they have waterside log cabins here. Lots of watersports on offer.
Arundel, West Sussex – another youth hostel that is close to the beach. Attractions such as an outdoor swimming pool and castle nearby.

9) Poppit Sands, Pembrokeshire – close to beach with lots of activities on offer nearby such as horse riding, fishing and cycling.

10) Danywenalt, Powys – a former farmhouse with lovely views. Some great walks and pony trekking close by.

Thanks to Families South West for pointing these out.

I was beginning to wonder where all the UK parent blog activity is. Us Brits are definitely some way behind the USA in terms of blogging. Anyway, I have recently discovered some more UK blogs, thanks to following one of the links on Mother at Large.

If you are reading this because I have linked to you, please have a look at the main website and let me know what you think! All feedback is appreciated

What is the attraction to parents of joining online communities or regularly reading parenting blogs? There are so many parenting sites online that it is interesting to consider why some sites have a much higher readership than others. I suggest the following reasons:

1) First impressions count, so the design of your site will have an effect on whether or not readers hang around for longer than 5 seconds. Easy navigation is essential and the reader will usually want to find out quickly about the author, aim and background of the site. This is why “about” pages are so popular. Personally, I am always attracted by people’s photos because it makes the websites less anonymous.

2) Fresh, entertaining and regular content will catch the reader’s initial interest and keep them coming back for more

3) In the case of blogs, an insight into the character of the writer is very important. The style of writing will give the reader an idea of the writer’s personality and whether or not they are someone who interests them. With websites, forums will help to give readers a flavour of the type of member who belongs to the site and readers can then decide whether or not they would like to strike up a conversation with them or join them.

4) Readers often want to gain an immediate idea of what the purpose of the site is eg is it a personal blog or a place for working mums to network? This way a reader can quickly judge if it is the type of site they are looking for

5) Parenting sites and blogs are most often visited when readers are looking for information, advice and entertainment related to family issues. Parents usually agree that the experts on family issues are other parents who have had to deal with similar situations.

6) Finally, many parents are stuck at home with the kids and the amount they go out is restricted. By joining a community or commenting on a blog, readers can air their points of view and make their voice heard.

Online communities are all about striking up conversations and connecting with other like-minded people across the net. Therefore, unless a reader can relate to your site in some small way within the first few seconds of visiting it, they will probably click another button and be gone for good.