Before I receive an onslaught of abuse for mentioning the C word …. It’s not Christmas! Although there are less than 100 days left until Christmas and I have actually already started buying presents, Christmas isn’t what this blog post is about. I have sat with this blog post half written for a few days, unsure if some people will be upset or offended by it, especially as my blog posts are usually light-hearted and I have always blogged for pleasure so this is a step away with more of a rant.

I recently had to go for some blood tests (for my friends and family reading this, please don’t panic) and I was in the doctors surgery with my eldest daughter sat next to me and the baby on my lap when the doctor calmly sat there and said my symptoms seemed typical of one of the three C’s. Colitis, Coeliacs Disease and Cancer. Momentarily the silence was deafening, had he really just said Cancer? Immediately I questioned his rationale for this sweeping diagnosis, not for me but for the 7 year old sitting next to me who is acutely aware of the word “cancer” and what that word can mean. 

I know that there are a lot of children that have to deal with serious illness both for themselves and their families and whilst she maybe 7 years old she is still my baby, she didn’t need to deal with that, not then, not yet … not ever. The flicker of panic in her eyes made me squeeze her hand a little bit tighter as the doctor then stated it was highly unlikely it was cancer as I would have lost a significant amount of weight (and the snugness of my trousers tells me this isn’t the case), so it was dismissed as quickly as it was suggested. 

I started this blog post being unsure whether I would upset or offend anyone, as I know there are thousands of people that have had to deal with this very situation but it was me that was upset, not for myself but for my daughter, who was momentarily plunged into the suggestion that her mum had cancer. Was the doctor right to do this in front of her? Surely he could have said there are a number of possibilities but we will do the tests and go from there? Was it really necessary to say that in front of the children?

This post isn’t an attack on my local GP, as I genuinely believe that they do a fantastic job. Thankfully the results came back clear for all of the suggested conditions, none of the “three C’s”. 

So when I say, don’t mention the C word, I think I am actually quite happy to use the word Christmas!

My eldest daughter has loved the water from a young age, happily splashing around at bath times but when the subject of swimming lessons came up, she always baulked at the idea, to the point of getting ridiculously upset and as a result, teaching her to swim has been a long and somewhat laborious process. So with the little one, when the opportunity came up to go to local Water Babies classes, I literally jumped at the chance to say yes.

There are obviously lots of different baby swimming classes available but having started 10 years ago in 2002, Water Babies is the UK's leading baby swim school, teaching a core skill to hundreds of babies & children every week which can potentially save their life. The website tells you that Water Babies course is very different to traditional swimming lessons.  For a start, because they only use warm water pools, babies can join classes from birth. (I wish I had known this a year ago!).

So we enrolled on the course and I was dissapointed that it was on a morning I would be unable to take her, but my mum stepped in and was delighted to get the opportunity to take the little one swimming. Admitedly on the morning of the first lesson, she was awake at 5 am (my mom not the little lady) fretting about how she was going to dry them both off after the lessons but off the went in the "happy nappy" swim shorts supplied by Water Babies. We chose the location at the Forest of Arden Hotel, where once upon a time I was a member of the gym (when I had both the spare time and money for the indulgence of a gym with spa facilities, but I digress), so I know what a fabulous location it is.

Nanny tells me that the Water Babies team were super friendly and welcoming (and hugely complimentary about the little one) but she was tired as the lesson is right when her natural sleep time is (again, my daughter, not Nanny), so we need to "encourage" an early sleep on Wednesdays in future! We have some exercises to try and get her used to having her face in the water, so bath times are huge splashing sessions which seem to get me more wet than the children at the moment. Although I am not joining the lessons each week, I am definately enjoying the benefits right in my own bathroom! Cant wait for more .....

I absolutely love this photo (courtesy of Water Babies Aylesbury) and cant wait to get a picture of our own little Water Baby!

Do We Have Too Much To Do?
New Research Shows Modern Lifestyle To Blame
For Accidents Involving Children

Lindam Launches Safety Day To Raise Awareness

Do you think we are more or less safety conscious than our parents? In a so called "nanny state" you would think that modern parents are more safety savvy than our parents or grandparents but research compiled by Lindam shows that this may actually not be the case.

Lindam, the UK’s number one home safety brand * has today revealed that hectic lifestyles are to blame for accidents involving children, according to parents. A poll of 2,000 parents highlighted that seven out of ten mums are being forced to regularly leave their children playing unsupervised while carrying out household chores.  The report also found that a staggering 40 per cent of parents admitted that their child had been injured around the house whilst they were busy cooking, cleaning and juggling aspects of domestic life.  The survey has been run in conjunction with the first Lindam Safety Day to highlight the difference a minute can make when it comes to reducing childhood accidents.

And with more accidents happening in the home than anywhere else the majority of parents also said that it’s impossible to keep an eye on their children permanently to prevent accidents, which is why Lindam want to highlight to parents the number of accidents that can take place. 

THE TOP 10 MOST COMMON CHILD ACCIDENTS

1. Tripped in the garden
2. Fallen off the sofa
3. Fallen off the bed
4. Slipped on a floor
5. Hit head on a sharp corner
6. Shut fingers in a door
7. Injured when fighting with sibling
8. Fallen down the stairs
9. Smashed glass
10. Burnt on the cooker

A third of children have fallen off the sofa or tripped in the garden and an unlucky fifth has slipped on a floor, shut their fingers in a door or hit their head on a sharp corner.  One in six has fallen down the stairs and the same number has been hurt from a fight with siblings.  The report found that the most common time for an accident to occur was while mums were busy cooking the evening meal and that the living room, garden and bedroom were the most popular places for these accidents to occur.  However, whilst mums are not able to keep a constant eye on their children they do their best and are present for sixty per cent of accidents that their children experience.  If they are distracted then it’s most likely to be whilst dealing with older siblings or being on the phone.

We were kindly given the opportunity to test a selection of the brand new Lindam Xtra GuardT range, that provides parents like us with revolutionary and innovative products that are designed to ensure your child will be kept safe around the home. All products feature a double layer of security providing tamper resilience and double locking protection, so as our regular readers will know, with a curious one year old investigating everything, this range has been an absolute god send to us! It took a little while to get the table bumpers to stick (but its still undecided if this was operator error - blamed squarely on my other half's shoulders of course).

THE TOP 10 MUM DISTRACTIONS WHILE CHILD HAD ACCIDENT

1. Cooking
2. Being on the phone
3. Other children misbehaving or requiring time
4. Working from home
5. Cleaning
6. Hoovering
7. Ironing
8. In the shower
9. Hanging out the washing
10. Getting dressed

Hectic lifestyles are certainly evident with a tired 80 per cent of mums admitting they have to leave their child in front of the television sometimes so they can get on with things properly. Indeed, eight out of ten also say they often leave their child to play unsupervised around the home so they can get on with jobs around the house with only one in five saying that they’d never dream of letting their youngest out of sight.

Claire Rayner spokeswoman for Lindam said: “Many accidents experienced by young children in the home come about because mum is understandably not able to keep a constant watch. She can’t be in several places at once and the results show that, it only take a minute for an accident to happen. It’s therefore about using safety products to make the home as accident-proof as possible and allow Mums at least some peace of mind. It’s so easy and quick to put in place some very simple safety equipment such as stair gates, corner cushions and cupboard locks to ensure that parents can rest a little easier knowing that their children are protected.

“We have launched our first Safety Day as we are committed to reducing childhood accidents in the home and we feel it’s these small but important steps that can go a long way to reducing the amount of childhood accidents in the home

Having read this information and slowly digesting it, its frightening to think of the times I have just thought I would "quickly" do something while the little one is playing but that a minute is all it takes! Being a mum isnt always snuggles and smiles, its about promising to protect your little ones from every day dangers and with a helping hand from Lindam, we are able to fulfill that promise.