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Finding childcare is always stressful, no matter what your circumstances. So, any way to make this daunting task a bit easier is very welcome, particularly if it is affordable!

Mother of three, Georgiana Walsh, has recently written a book to tackle this subject called How to Find Childcare You Will Love

Individual chapters are dedicated to each type of childcare with simple tables and guides to make deciding what is right for a family as easy as possible. Inside you will find:
- Examples of questions to ask each type of childcare to help find the right one for your family.
- Advice for parents who have children with special needs.
- Tips for settling a child in with their childcare and for working well with them to ensure a lasting and happy childcare solution.
- Safety and developmental advice to help parents and childcarers work at making sure your child is safe, happy and thriving.
- A guide to changing needs to help parents make the right childcare decisions over the years.
- A chapter to help parents look at your own needs and feelings, towards both parenting and childcare; a family is not happy unless everyone within it is.

I am pleased to be able to offer readers a 25% discount on a copy of the book (or any NannySuccess.com product) – just enter the code NB2 at NannySuccess.com checkout

If you have made the exciting decision to take the kids to London but you are looking for a bit of extra information, you will find the following tips useful:

Getting Around
1. Tube
Very few of the London Underground Tube stops have lifts. – there are mostly long escalators. If possible, avoid taking buggies on the underground. Papooses can be handy.
2. Buses
London Bus Drivers are notoriously unhelpful and sometimes they will not allow buggies on crowded buses and they have been known to drive off without waiting for you to fold it!
3. Taxis
For Safety reasons it is always advisable to take a Black Cab because they are licensed. Most mini-cab companies, although cheaper, are unlicensed. One exception is Addison Lee which is very reputable but busy, so book in advance.
4. Foot
London is a large city but it is a great place to walk around. It is very flat and there are fairly wide pavements everywhere. If you do choose to walk, you might be surprised how close some of the better known places are eg Covent Garden, Leicester Square (pronounced Lester Square), and Trafalgar Square.

Safety
1. Appearance
Try your best not to look like a tourist. Backpacks, shorts, trainers with white socks and large cameras are a dead giveaway.
2. Plan Your Route in Advance
If possible, avoid opening a map on a street corner and staring at it for ages. You will be better off planning your journey and asking if you get lost. If you do
3. Stay Close
London is an extremely busy city and it is easy for children to become lost. Keep your eye on excitable young children and stick together as a family.
4. Pick Pockets
Most of the major tourist attractions, such as Harrods, will be hunting grounds for pick pockets. The best way to avoid losing your wallet is to have a shoulder bag with a zip. Carry it trapped under your arm as much as possible. If you do stop in a restaurant, put your foot through the handles so no one can take it without you noticing.

Supplies
1. Nappies/Diapers, medicines etc
The largest chain of chemists is called Boots. Wherever you are staying you will find one near you. They will have everything you need from Calpol (liquid paracetemol for kids) to Baby Wipes.
2. Food
It can be costly buying sandwiches and drinks at cafes so you might choose to buy your food in advance. The largest supermarkets are Sainsburys and Tescos. The larger superstores are based slightly outside the centre and have car parking. However, if you do not have a car you will find mini supermarkets like Tesco Express on Oxford Street and the like.

London Culture
1. No Speaking on Tube
Generally you will find that people do not speak to each other on public transport and avoid eye contact. If Londoners are travelling together they talk quietly and frown on anyone who does otherwise.
2. Quick Walking
Everyone walks extremely quickly and they are usually in a rush to get wherever they are going, so people might seem aggressive.
3. Willing to Help
Whilst people may not seem very friendly, if you need any help you will usually find people are more than willing to point you in the right direction.

Where to go
1. Restaurants
There are the usual fast food chains as well as family friendly places such as Pizza Express and The Rainforest Cafe. However, if you do a bit more research you will discover some childfriendly local pubs and restaurants.
2. Museums
Probably the best museum for kids is the Science Museum. They might also enjoy the London Eye, which is next to the Aquarium and there are other favourites like Madam Tussauds , the London Dungeon and Hamleys Toy Shop.
3. Parks
One of the best things about taking kids to London is that no matter where you are there will be a park nearby. There are great playgrounds at Holland Park and Kensington Gardens (Princess Diana Memorial Playground). Battersea Park has an adventure playground and London Zoo is right next to both and Regent’s Park have zoos.
4. Day Trips
There are lots of places to see just outside London. You might want to consider visiting Legoland, Diggerland or if you fancy a bit more culture you could try Windsor Castle , Leeds Castle (which is actually in Kent!) or RHS Wisley Gardens.

Find out where you are staying and then use this site to find the best museums, days out, childfriendly restaurants and more near you. Feel free to share your own experiences as well.

London is a great city for kids and a place to be enjoyed. There is no need to worry unnecessarily and if you plan ahead you will have a wonderful trip that the whole family will remember. You will find that no matter what your interests or aims there will be something for everyone.

The AA, the UK’s largest motoring organisation, carried out a survey of 1,300 parents to find out the best ways of avoiding family meltdown on long car journeys. What they discovered is that after one hour and forty five minutes or approximately 93 miles parents begin to reach breaking point with their children.

So, what can you do to avoid the stresses of holiday journeys? Well, there are several easy steps to take:

1. Check tyre pressure, oil and coolant levels BEFORE you go and top up the windscreen wash
2. Drive during children’s nap times or after their bedtime if you don’t mind driving at night
3. Take plenty of drinks and snacks (but not too many sugary ones so the kids stay calm)
4. Take some great sing along cds as well as story cds
5. Plan your route before you go
6. Keep some toys to one side to present when you are well into your journey
7. Make sure you have sun screens for the backseats
8. Finally, as you might expect having read the above, take breaks every 1 hour and 45 minutes!

If you don’t fancy stopping at a motorway cafe, you can always find a childfriendly pub that is en-route by searching our site

The good news is we are now over half way through the school holidays. The bad news is the weather doesn’t look as if it is going to get any better. So, why not use Little Legends to help you find days out and softplay centres near you.

Here are some tips to help you get through the last weeks:

1. Get out of the house as much as possible.
2. Meet up with other friends with kids. Then you have company and the kids will be entertained.
3. Arrange some projects to keep the kids occupied eg making cards, baking cakes
4. Exercise, exercise, exercise! Try to exhaust them any way you can eg let them run about under a sprinkler
5. Make the most of any help you can, be it grandparents, au pairs etc

You could even do a mini project about places for kids near you. If your kids are old enough, you can let them take a photo and ask them what they think of the place. I tried this with my kids and they loved it – especially when they saw their photos up on the computer – like this review for Bantham Beach in Devon.

Finally, make sure you put the kids to bed in good time so that you have some me-time every night

If you are expecting a baby it is easy to be swept away by all the excitement and end up buying a whole load of equipment that you do not really need. In my view, there are only a limited number of essentials you need:

1. Car Seat
2. Cot and bedding (the baby will outgrow a moses basket in a few short months so try to borrow one if possible)
3. Sterliser and bottles (if doing any amount of bottle feeding)
4. Sling/Papoose
5. Pushchair (in my experience the “travel systems” are not necessary. If you live in a city you are unlikely to use anything other than an umbrella style buggy from six months onwards. The only disadvantage of these umbrella style buggies is that the baby is not facing you)
6. Changing mat – one to stay put at home and one for travelling – plus nappies/wipes etc
7. Baby monitor
8. Muslin squares (these are for all those dribbles!)
9. A HANDFUL of babygrows, vests and cardigans plus a hat, mittens and an all-in-one snowsuit (if this is your first baby you will probably be given loads of clothes as people just can’t resist them)
10. Baby Blanket

At a later stage you may also want to buy extra items such as a bouncy chair and a play mat.

Save yourself a lot of money by borrowing as much as you can. You can then see what you really use and save some money for a few special items that you like.

There is an invaluable post over on Little Mummy giving ten money savings tips for new mums. I have summarised it here:

1. Accept Hand-Me-Downs – then you only have to buy the extras you need

2. Don’t Go On A Spending Spree – you are likely to be bought many gifts for your first child

3. Bargain Hunt – search online eg ebay, freecycle, babywear exchange

4. Baby Basics – buy babygros etc from supermarkets

5. One Pram Only – and remember that most people do not need a “travel system”

6. Baby Food – make your own

7. Milk – breastfeed if you want to, but if bottle feeding use powerded milk rather than ready-made

8. Cheap Days Out – remember museums and galleries are free

9. Ask people to knit some clothes for your little one

10. Sterilizer – buy a cheap microwave one

So what do you do when you have children to look after and you are coming down with a bug yourself? Unless you are very lucky your children are unlikely to make allowances, so some tips for getting through the day are as follows:

1. Go to bed whenever your children do
2. Drink lots of clear fluids to flush out your system
3. Stay warm and eat warm food to minimise energy expenditure
4. Hit the chemist (or your first aid cabinet) for medicine to relieve your symptoms
5. Take it easy and try not to do too much (easier said than done!)
6. Let your kids watch some TV to give you some peace and quiet
7. Eat healthily to absorb those vital vitamins and minerals
8. If possible, ask your spouse / relative / friend to help out
9. Feed your children something quick and easy eg fish fingers
10. Bring the kids into your bedroom with lots of toys so you can stay in bed

The most important thing is to concentrate on getting better and not try to be a martyr. Know your limits rather than struggling on regardless or you may make yourself feel worse.

Yesterday, following the announcement that 77 parenting experts will be appointed across the UK to tackle bad behaviour by giving parents special training, Tony Blair held a seminar on parenting. The Guardian reports that the following parenting tips were suggested:

· Ignore certain kinds of minor misbehaviour – concentrate on intervening when necessary

· Try “time out” – children could be told to spend some time in their room or on a “naughty step”, or just to think about what they have done

· Don’t make drastic threats you will not deliver

· Make discipline specific – if you come home late from school by half an hour, you do not get your mobile for two days

· Make time to read with your children without the distraction of TV and mobiles

Maybe it is just me, but it seems a bit odd that the Prime Minister is giving out parenting tips. Is he really the right person to be doing this?

Source:Jeff Belmonte@flickr

1. Buy from a reputable seller
2. Always read and follow the instructions on the box
3. Use fireworks on a hard surface in a clear, open area.
4. Have water handy eg a bucket or a hose
5. Light only one firework at a time
6. The lighter should use an extended lighting device and wear eye protection
7. Never try to relight a dud firework
8. Always point fireworks away from people
9. In windy conditions, make sure the wind is blowing away from the spectators.
10. Dispose of fireworks by soaking in water

For more safety information visit fireworksafety.co.uk and fireworksafety.com

If you want to be able to sit and relax in the company of young kids you need to know they are safe. Some ideas for child-proofing your home include:

1. Put covers over electrical sockets
2. Fit window locks
3. Invest in a stairgate
4. Attach cupboard catches or locks
5. Use a “finger shield” to prevent doors closing on little fingers
6. Turn saucepan handles towards and the back of the cooker and use the back rings
7. Keep medicines, alcohol and cleaning products out of reach
8. Avoid using tablecloths to prevent toddlers pulling things down on top of themselves
9. Move furniture away from windows to prevent kids climbing up and out
10. Never pass a hot drink over a child’s head and keep hot drinks out of reach

To find suitable products or for a safety consultation, you might find the following links useful:
Child Safety Store
Safe Tots
Fingersafe
Child Alert