The high street shops and online stores alike are saturated with birthday gifts divided into categories of recipients that are entirely of the store’s own design, usually with surplus stock from Christmas.

If you are very much someone who, when choosing that special gift for that cherished maternal figure in your life, wants to treat them to something special, something with a touch of luxury and something that little bit different, then continue reading.

Experience Days

Your mum and your grandma more than likely have enough ‘smellies’ and other toiletries to open their own branch of Boots and, although grateful, such a gift is unlikely to blow their proverbial socks off.

Gift sets that, essentially, consist entirely of products that are still being sold separately but have been wrapped together in pastel-coloured cardboard are now double the price are all well and good. However, to ensure your cherished mum or nan’s birthday will be truly one for them to remember by treating them to a red-letter experience day.

From afternoon tea in a castle or luxury hotel or an overnight stay in the Cotswolds to more energetic and daring adventure days such as a hot-air balloon ride, a helicopter tour, or even paragliding, there truly is a red-letter experience day to suit anyone and everyone.

Indulgent Beauty Treatments

There is a multitude of amazing benefits to treating a loved one to a gift voucher for a plethora of different beauty treatments from a prestigious and luxurious beauty salon, such as a beauty salon Oxford.

Maybe your mother or grandmother prefers a relaxing spa day or swim and sauna, or perhaps they would like to experience an indulgent and multi-beneficial face, neck, or body massage. There are lots of benefits to a professional and well-executed massage, which include but are categorically in no way limited to:

• A significant reduction in stress and anxiety levels
• The banishment of various aches and pains
• A substantial boost in energy
• Improved blood circulation around the body
• The lowering of blood pressure and overall heart rate

Personalised Hamper

Undeniably, the best birthday gift, especially for a beloved member of your family, is a present that has clearly been thought about carefully and suits the personality, likes, and desires of the recipient.

With that being said, why not create your own birthday hamper to gift your mother or grandmother and, what is more, why not personalise the hamper by filling it with treats and gifts that you know for a fact that they will utterly adore.

Invest in a quality bottle of wine, a selection of decadent cheeses and corresponding pickles and chutneys, and some luxury chocolate liqueurs to form part of the basket contents. Next, choose some beautiful and strong-smelling candles and wax melts in scents that you know they will love and pair them with a simple and modern in design wax burner. Finish off the hamper with ribbons to create the perfect birthday gift.

 

Night feeds are one of the biggest challenges many new parents face. After sleeping through the night without a second thought for many years, waking to tend to a baby can feel like a shock to the system.

While waking up at three in the morning is never pleasant, there are steps you can take to make the experience more comfortable. Find out how to make night feeds much easier.

Treat Yourself to the Husband Pillow

It doesn’t matter if you are breast or bottle-feeding your newborn, make night feeds feel more comfortable with a supportive Husband Pillow. Moms and dads will experience more support when feeding their little ones, and it can help place a baby in the proper position. Also, you can add or remove the memory foam blend stuffing to create your preferred firmness. Find the perfect size and color for your needs at husbandpillow.com.

Prep for a Night Feed

Before sliding into bed for a well-deserved sleep, spend a few minutes prepping for a night feed. Rather than stumbling in the dark searching for items, gather them in advance to make the experience feel much easier.

Simplify a night feed by keeping a storage box of:

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Diaper cream
• Bibs
• Muslin cloths
• Nipple cream

Don’t forget to place a bottle of water and a snack on your nightstand. The more organized you are before a night feed, the sooner you can go back to sleep.

Create a Quiet, Dark Environment

It can take time for babies to differentiate between night and day. When your newborn wakes for a feed, try to maintain a quiet, dark environment to help your little one stay in a restful state.

Avoid talking, engaging, or playing with your baby, and skip diaper changes if they’re not necessary. It will help your baby fall back asleep with ease after feeding, which can help your baby adjust to a strict sleep routine.

Avoid Blue Light During a Feed

Most devices emit blue light that can make it difficult for a person to sleep, and they can also disturb a tired baby. If you want to help your baby fall back asleep with ease after a feed, and you don’t want to spend the rest of the night tossing and turning, you must avoid the temptation to use your smartphone or tablet. Instead, focus on the nursing experience, which will keep your mind and body relaxed.

Night feeds will not always feel easy, but there are ways to simplify them. Keep the lights off, avoid engaging with your baby, prep the night before, and buy supportive products to stay comfortable. It can help you and your newborn fall back asleep with ease.

Remember, night feeds may feel hard now, but they will likely become a thing of the past in a few months, as babies aren’t little for long. Enjoy holding your son or daughter, look for ways to make the process more enjoyable, and improve your comfort.

 

When you have kids, their lives and education can take a big part of your time and money away from traveling. However, if you’re willing to have a less than traditional lifestyle, you can still ensure that your kids have a great formal education while also giving them a lot of life lessons from being on the road and traveling with your family.

Now, while this can be possible, it isn’t always easy. So if this is something you’ve been considering trying, here are three tips for homeschooling your kids while traveling the world.

Take Advantage Of Wi-Fi When You Can

When you were a kid, you likely didn’t use the Internet as part of your education each day. But now, kids use the Internet for almost all parts of their school day. Because of this, traveling can make it hard to stay connected to an online school or to access curriculum if you’re on the road. Knowing this, you’ll have to take advantage of Wi-Fi when you can.

As part of this, you’ll want to be sure that you download as many lessons as your kids will need and any materials they will have to review when you have access to Wi-Fi. Also, if your child is using a tutor or online teacher for one or more parts of their homeschool education, you’ll need to plan those lessons around when you will be in an area with reliable Wi-Fi, so make sure you’re keeping in good communication or have a good routine set up for this to work out.

Work In Local Activities And Culture

One of the best parts of homeschooling your children while traveling the world with them is that you’re not forced into giving them a traditional education. Rather, you can use some of the experiences you have while traveling to help teach your kids in a more hands-on way. So if you’re going to be visiting some place with a beach or be up in the mountains, use the local activities and culture of that area to help give your kids a more well-rounded education that they won’t soon forget.

Start Small At First

Homeschooling in general can be a very overwhelming task to take on. But when you add traveling the world with your family to the mix, it can quickly become a lot to put on your plate as a parent and educator.

To help ensure that you find success with this and don’t get burnt out, it’s wise to start out small at first. Try traveling close to home where you can have access to all the tools and materials that you need. Then, as you learn how to work through the homeschooling part, you can then start traveling more and more and to further, remote locations.

If you’re wanting to homeschool your kids while you travel with your family, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you figure out how to make this work.

 

Moving your baby into their own room can be a big step, both for your little one and for you. But for the sake of both parties and their ability to get sound sleep at night, it’s important that everyone has their own sleep space.

To help you, you may want to get a baby monitor so you can keep an eye on things going on in their room. But for helping your little one, here are three tips for moving your baby into their own room.

Look For Signs That They’re Ready

For helping facilitate most changes in your baby’s life, there really are some opportune times to start introducing the change, and moving into their own room is no different.

According to Korin Miller, a contributor to The Bump, there are some signs you should be on the lookout for to see if your baby is ready to make this move and if moving them into their own room makes sense for your lifestyle. Generally, if your baby is moving more, like rolling from their belly to their back, this could be a sign that they’re also ready to move into a bigger bed and into their own room. Also, if less nighttime feedings are requested or required, it could be a good idea to start transitioning with the move.

Start With Naps First

Once you’ve got the baby’s room all set up and ready for them, it’s a good idea to go about this transition slowly, if you can.

To do this, Dr. Dan Brennan, a contributor to WebMD.com, suggests that you start with naps first. This can get your baby used to sleeping in a crib in their own room when there’s less at stake for you, meaning you could be losing precious night sleep while your little one gets used to sleeping in a room alone. But by getting them used to the idea during their daytime naps, nights should come easier, too.

Keep All Other Routines The Same

Any kind of change in a baby’s life and routine can be unsettling. Knowing this, Louisa Fitzgerald, a contributor to VeryWellFamily.com, recommends that you try to keep all other routines and rituals the same in your baby’s life when you’re trying to move them into their own room. Especially around sleep times, it’s best not to cause too much of a disruption to what they’re used to, as this can make adjusting much harder for your little one.

If you’re thinking about moving your child from sleeping in your room to sleeping in their own room and in their own crib, consider using the tips mentioned above to help make this transition easier on everyone involved.

Eating disorders can develop when a person becomes obsessed with their body shape, weight, and appearance, and they start to use unhealthy methods to lose weight or prevent weight gain. This can include restricting their food intake, purging food from their bodies, and/or exercising excessively. Eating disorders can cause significant physical and mental health complications, and in some cases they can be fatal.

If you believe that your teenager may have an eating disorder, there are several ways in which you can support them to increase the likelihood that they make a full recovery and lead a happy, healthy life.

What causes eating disorders in teenagers?

While most anorexia sufferers are young females with early signs of the condition emerging at the age of 16-17, eating disorders can be brought on by several factors and can affect anyone of any age or gender. However, some teenagers may be vulnerable than others if they have an existing mental health issue like anxiety or depression, a close family member who exhibits disordered eating, or have experienced bullying, trauma, or abuse. There is a lot of societal and media pressure on girls and women to be thin and fit a specific body type. If they take part in a hobby or sport where being slim is viewed as important (e.g., dancing or athletics) this may also be a contributing factor.

Speak to them

Your first step is to offer your child the opportunity to talk to you about anything that is upsetting them. They may decline the offer, but you can still encourage them to speak to another adult they trust. The important thing is that they know you are available to listen.

Find professional help

Eating disorders require professional treatment, so if you have concerns about your child, it is important to find it as soon as possible. The sooner they get the help they need, the quicker their recovery is likely to be. Your first port of call is your family doctor who will be able to provide a referral to a specialist center such as edentreatment.com for assessment and treatment.

Do not judge or criticize their behavior

From the outside, eating disorders can be confusing and frustrating, and this is especially true when our child, who we love and believe is beautiful inside and out, is struggling to see their own beauty. However, it is important not to minimize their issues or criticize their behavior. Let them know that their feelings are important to you.

Learn more about eating disorders

Eating disorders are complicated and can be confusing, so make it your business to find out what you can about their diagnosis as well as their personal triggers, concerns, and behaviors. This will put you in a better position to provide support and show your child that you are there for them.

Stop talking about diets, body shape, or weight

For many people, talking about the foods we eat, weight loss or gain, body shape, and diets is everyday trivial, conversation, but for children and adults with eating disorders this kind of talk can be distressing and triggering.

Be patient

Eating disorders are not cured overnight, and your child will likely fall back into old eating habits on their road to recovery. The best thing you can do for them is remain positive and patient, reassuring them that they are on the right path and you are there for them.