As 2012 approaches, we can reveal that a family ticket to the 2012 London Olympics will cost in the region of £25,200 - but the good news is that kids go free!  Well, nothing's been finalised yet, but former Labour MP and possible future London Mayoral candidate Oona King has come out with a pledge to allow London's schoolchildren free entrance to the Olympics.  Current Mayor Boris Johnson has promised 100,000 tickets to 'young people' and believes that City Hall's contribution of £625 million to the Olympic fund entitles him to 50,000 free tickets.  So assuming that an adult ticket can be secured for somewhere in the region of £100, a family of four should get in for £25,200, with two, worth £12,500 each, being provided free to the children.  That's after every family has already contributed £20 a year for 12 years (£240 in total) in their council tax.

Of course, we're all delighted that the 2012 Olympics are coming to London.  We are promised that this will rejuvenate an interest in sport in this country which can only be a good thing for national health overall.  However, we do remain slightly sceptical that the Olympic arenas hosting popular sports will be packed with executives, whilst minority interest sports will be left for the children to enjoy.  Don't complain if the much talked of Olympic legacy will be to generate a generation of minority sport fanatics!

You may not have your own pets, but at some point you and your children are likely to come into contact with other people's pets.  Even if you don't own a dog or cat, here are a few ground rules to set out for your children to ensure they are safe and calm around other people's animals.

Don't...

1. Don't encourage small children, not familiar with animals, to handle pets by themselves without supervision
2. Don't allow them to hit or shout at an animal.  Teach them respect and show them how to speak to the animals in a calm and sensible voice.
3. Don't allow children to disturb dogs or cats (or indeed any animals) when they are sleeping, feeding, or playing alone.  Animals need quiet time too, so they should be left alone sometimes.
4. Don't let animals lick children's faces (or indeed let children lick or kiss animals' faces.)  Just think about what they lick to keep clean!
5. Don't let children feed pets with their food ie. sweets, chocolate etc!

Do...

1. Double check that the animals you visit have been wormed and checked over for fleas.  It may be embarrassing to ask, but it's worth it to know for sure!
2. Insist on washing children's hands ofter playing with or handling animals, especially if cleaning out cages!
3. Show your child how to approach, speak to and address with animals.  Don't just tell them... show them so they can see for themselves.
4. Explain that animals may not want to do what the children want them to do and have an opinion of their own.

There are lots of things you can do to reduce the pain and stress of having your baby's jabs done.  Firstly, you should know that if you are nervous or anxious, the babies will pick up on it and it could make them more agitated and fretful.  If you are calm, softly spoken and make baby feel secure, they will be more inclined to settle and will feel less pain.

So, to avoid your anxiety, here are a few tips:

1. Plan ahead.  Make sure you have easy to remove clothing that is not too hot.
2. Get there early so you are not in a rush and arrive calm instead of all flustered.
3. Take along a favourite toy or teddy so you can have a nice play in the waiting room before going in.  This will relax you both!  Laugh as much as you can and have some fun together.
4. Keep smiling at your baby and have lots of cuddles before you go in.  This will reassure them.
5. Remind yourself that every baby in the country has to go through the jabs experience, so take heart, you are not alone.
6. Make sure you remind yourself too, that you are a good parent for going through with the jobs even though they are uncomfortable for both you and baby!  It could save your baby from illness and you from lots of worry by avoiding getting illnesses.
7. When you go in, keep chatting normally to the nurse.  Have lots of tickles, giggles and chat while the nurse prepares.
8. Have some Calpol ready for after the jab to dull the pain and swollen area where it's gone in.

Good luck!

When you are out and about or running round a school playground, a public drinking fountain can be a welcome sight, a place to rehydrate and for free!  But how safe is it to drink from the same fountain that hundreds of others have drunk from?  Would you share a water bottle with strangers in the park?  I doubt it!

Are you likely to pick-up germs, bacteria and disease from all the other people who have used the fountain before?  The answer seems to be unproven!  There is plenty of evidence to suggest that germs and bacteria are all over drinking fountains. Some research suggested there were less germs on toilets and door handles than drinking fountains, because they are cleaned and disinfected more often.  So there are more micro organisms on water fountains!  Shocking.

However, this does not mean that the water is infected.  The nature of the water fountain shooting an arc of water means that the water itself should not be contaminated even if the pump is itself covered in germs.  So if the water is clean, it remains clean even if it comes through a mucky water fountain.  Evidence to prove this fact seems sparse either to confirm the water is safe or to say it is not safe.

I suppose we should take comfort from the fact that there is not an abundance of studies proving they are contaminated.  And, indeed, that we never hear of swathes of disease or outbreaks because of water fountains being unclean.

So, should we drink from water fountains and let our little ones drink from them?  Yes, probably, but only if they are able to drink from the arc of water and not need to suck, lick or get too close to the spout itself!  If they are too little to manage this, use the fountain to top up a water bottle or cup.

This week, all over the country, children and parents are choosing to walk to nursery, pre-school and school rather than drive.  In an effort to encourage children to be active, and reduce the use of cars at peak hours, Walk To School Week has been hailed another resounding success with thousands of children using their feet rather than a vehicle to get to school.

The campaign is arranged by the charity Living Streets with funding from the Department of Transport.  It asks  parents, teachers and everyone travelling to and from school  not to use their car for this one week.   It is reported that 50% of children who wouldn't normally walk to school, have walked this week.

Walking to school:

• reduces air pollution
• reduces traffic
• improves children's activity levels
• helps increase fitness
• is social (you'll spot your friends on the way!)
• ...is good fun!

WOW is the scheme that encourages children to Walk Once a Week.  If they do so, they get a little metal badge designed by children in the national badge competition.

The Walk To School campaign history:-

• 1995: Five primary schools in Hertfordshire participated
• 1996: The campaign went national and was included in Child Safety Week
• 2000: The first ever International Walk To School Week was launched
• 2003: Walk To School Week is supported by over 33 countries
• 2005: The focus was on health
• 2006: The focus was on independence of children
• 2007: The focus was on the environment
• 2010: 2 million children have taken part!

The next event is the Walk To School month...in October!

According to The Lancet, more than half of the babies born in the UK and other wealthy nations will live until they are over 100 years old, so researchers have claimed.  They also state that as adults, their lives will not be riddled with serious diseases and ailments, but that their lives will be of a good quality.  The data has been gathered from over 30 different countries and has shown that since 1950 the chance of living past 80 years old has increased for both sexes.  We are twice as likely to survive beyond 80 than people in the 1950s.

The key to this dramatic increase in life expectancy is due to our lifestyle and our healthy way of living,  helped by medical advances and better nutrition.  Improved living conditions are also a contributing factor.

Child mortality figures also contribute to the trend of longevity.  In the early part of the 20th century child mortality rates were worryingly high and this is only a few decades ago.  Couple this with old people living longer and you can see why the average person's life span will tend to be longer!

The researchers based in Denmark at the Danish Aging Research Centre studied life expectancy throughout the high-income world.  They see no reason why life expectancy won't just keep improving as the years go by!

It does, however, pose problems in that with aging population (however active and seemingly fit) will put extra strain on social and medical services.

Some doctors are sceptical, because if you look at the top ten causes of death, obesity is 2nd or 3rd on the list.  This is a self-induced form of early death and something that allegedly between half and one third of us suffer from... so things could get much worse.  So, we may end up going backwards with life expectancy rather than forwards once  obesity factors are accounted for.

That we are living longer is a nice idea, but we shouldn't take it for granted - we need to take responsibility and make sure we don't end up sliding backwards!  Introduce your babies to a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle, and there's a good chance that they will live to celebrate their 100th birthday!

It has been claimed that if 90% of American women breast fed their new babies for at least six months, that the lives of 900 babies would be saved every year.  According to the research published in the Pediatrics journal, breastfeeding for these vital first six months could avoid health problems and actually save billions of dollars inmedical expenses.

The leading author of the paper, said the link has been "vastly under-estimated".  When you add up the medical costs associated with the ten most frequent childhood ailments and the cost associated with treating them, plus the hours away from work that parents have to take in order to look after their sick child.

The composition of breast milk is very complex and ideally suited to the needs of new babies.  It contains antibodies (that help fight infection), it affects insulin levels in the blood (which means babies are less likely to develop diabetes) and breastfed babies are less likely to develop obesity.

Statistics

43% of American women breastfeed their babies to start with.  12% breast feed for as long as 6 months.

In Britain, the statistics are even less impressive.  76% of new mums breastfeed at the start and only 2% go up to six months.  It seems that as soon as they encounter problems, they are advised to get a bottle and feed with a formula rather than getting the support and help required to overcome problems and continue feeding naturally.

In Austrailia about 18% of new mothers are still feeding at six months.

The World Health Organisation recommends that ALL babies are breastfed until six months.

Embarassed

Many mothers, especially young mothers feel uncomfortable feeding especially when out and about.  But, it needn't be so.  There are so many tops designed for "easy access" and a muslin thrown over a shoulder while feeding can give ample cover and thus protect the modesty of any mum.  Once mums are confident at feeding, then doing it in public becomes second nature and should be encouraged!

Bond

Breastfeeding is also a wonderful way to bond with your child in a unique and special way. A few moments of calm, spent close to each other while having a lovely warm cuddle.

After all, breast feeding is the most natural and beautiful thing in the world for a new mum to do!

The weather is warmer, the kids want to go out, but what can you do and why bother doing physical activity when you can just stay indoors?  It's important to encourage youngsters to get active and get used to the idea of doing physical activity.  Here are a few reasons why its important to do activities with children of all ages, because it helps them to:

1. Be happy and have fun
2. Sleep well at night
3. Pay attention and learn at school
4. Keep fit
5. Grow strong and  healthy
6. Make new friends and try new things
7. Become less stressed and anxious
8. Control their behaviour
9. Express themselves

How much exercise you do depends on you, but the advice is that it should be about an hour a day.  Sound a lot?  It's not really when you look at what's included:-

1. Walking to school
2. Swimming lessons
3. Sports and dancing
4. Physical games e.g. skipping rope, trampolining
5. Climbing, physical play at a park

How can you help?

• Undertake activities together: try and do a family walk in the woods, or a family cycle ride every now and then
• Set tasks and challenges for your children to achieve, eg. run on the spot for 2 minutes, run between 2 chairs 10 times, throw and catch a ball 5 times
• Use your imagination: try doing some funny running or walking; run like a penguin with your legs together, waddle like a duck, gallop like a horse etc
• Try something unusual: let your children choose something new, eg. yoga, rugby, tumble time
• Help your child with basic skills so they feel confident and happy to build on those skills eg. ball throwing, skipping, running and jumping
• Praise and give lots of positive feedback
• Get some simple equipment to help them eg. scooters, skipping ropes, hula hoops, skittles

So, get outside and have some fun!

If you live in England or Wales, you have access to fantastic medical resources in NHS Direct and NHS Direct Wales - particularly useful for families with new babies and are uncertain as to whether a cough, splutter or wheeze is normal or the sign of an important medical condition!

NHS Direct was announced in 1997, and rolled out between 1998 and 2000, giving faster access to direct medical advice.  Most enquiries are made by telephone (0845 4647), calls are switched to dedicatedcall centres staffed by trained medical staff.  They will ask questions relating to the symptoms, and then advise on what action you should take.  They will advise whether you should make an appointment with your doctor; if they perceive there to be a serious risk, they might advice you to seek urgent medical attention in a hospital or even to dial the emergency services.

The NHS Direct website contains a lot of valuable health advice and information, as well as a symptom checker to help you to diagnose your symptoms online.

Scotland is served by NHS 24 and Wales by NHS Direct Wales, Northern Ireland has its own NHS service but doesn't appear to offer a similar direct telephone service.

NHS Direct will give you immediate assistance and will funnel you to the correct service.  Given that most of us don't have medical training, it is reassuring to know that help in assessing any medical situation is just a phone call away.

It's always alarming when your baby is unwell, especially if they are really tiny, but what signs should you look out for to determine whether calling the doctor is the right course of action?

Every baby is different and responds differently. For brand new parents it hard to know what is normal and what is not... here are some signs to look out for which might indicate you baby needs medical help. But remember, a baby's state can deteriorate quickly, so if you are concerned in any way, don't hang around, call for medical advice immediately if your baby or child...

• Is unresponsive: you know what they are normally like, so if they seem unresponsive to a favourite game or toy then they may be ill.
• Has a persistent high temperature: if they seem warm and the temperature won't reduce despite cooling them.
• Refuses feeds: if your baby is still feeding and refuses one feed and then refuses a second feed.
• Vomits: if they vomit up their feed twice in a row or the vomit seems discoloured in any way (ie is greenish or has blood in it).
• Has diarrhoea; if it is blood stained or persistent.
• Shows signs of lethargy: very tired all the time and weary.
• Has a rash: any kind of rash.
• Is irritable or restless: if they won't settle or relax or sleep.
• Has breathing difficulty: if they are struggling to breathe or are breathing in an unusual way.
• Is coughing: unusual or painful coughing
• Has a bulging fontanelle: if there is a bulge at the forehead.

You know your baby best.  If in doubt, call the doctor or NHS Direct!

Research has found that babies put into incubators when first born are less likely to develop depression as adults - something known as the incubator effect!

The findings suggest that babies put into an incubator when they are born are three times less likely to develop anxiety or depression in later life.  The results surprised the researchers, who expected to find that infants taken away from their mother so early, and placed in the incubator for long periods of time, would be more inclined to feel anxious and experience mental health problems when adults.   Separation at birth has always been considered a major contributing factor to behavioural problems in adolescence and adulthood.

The long term study took  a sample of 1,200 children, in Quebec, from 1986 through to 2006.  Full results were published in the medical journal, Psychiatric Research.  It may be due to the incubator having an impact on brain cell development or perhaps that poorly babies were given more close attention and care.

Interesting findings!

New, and slightly worrying research, suggests that having a healthy diet containinging plenty of fibre has a detrimental effect on your chances of having a baby. This is something women trying for a baby will be horrified to hear.

Wholemeal bread, brown pasta and brown rice when eaten in large quantities seem to effect the hormone levels of women and therefore may impact on fertility levels.  The more wholemeal food women ate, the lower the levels of vital hormones that influence the reproduction process.

The research was carried out in America, using a sample of 250 women of childbearing age, over a two year period.  They made two important discoveries when looking at the women and their fibre intake:

• Hormone levels were less in those with a high fibre diet
• There was an increase in something called anovulation (which is when a women goes through her menstrual cycle but her ovaries fail to release an egg)

Anovulation is known to occur when hormone levels drop due to anxiety, stress or extreme exercise.

This is the first time that a healthy diet has been deemed to impact on a person in a negative way.  Serious claims!

We are all so conscious of dangers when we take children out: cars on the road, tripping on pavements, falling from a swing.  However there are 400 children admitted to hospital every WEEK with injuries following accidents in the home.  This is a staggering number - especially when this is just those under the age of five!

What we have to remember is that children and toddlers and babies are constantly growing and experimenting and exploring.  The way they learn is to watch and copy us.  So, we need only take a look through their eyes to see what they might see and then we'll realise how accidents - that are totally avoidable - can happen.  And, we'll see how easy it is to prevent those accidents taking place.

Tablets and pills - many toddlers can take off the child-resistant caps on bottles of pills. The child-resistant caps make it more difficult to open, but are not impenetrable for a child.  A simple adult painkiller could poison a child.  They see you take a few, and it helps your headache.  If they get hold of them, they take a few and it could be disastrous.  Toddlers may think they are sweets, that they taste nice, that Daddy has them so why shouldn't I, that they make them grow strong.  So, keep bottles of pills well out of reach. 

Lighters and matches - children can ignite lighters by accident and can cause a match to inflame by just playing with them  They don't realise the danger they could cause.  There are 6,000 house fires every year caused by children under ten!  When they look at a match or lighter, children see the flash of light, the spark, it's like magic.  Keep the matches and lighters out of reach.

Stairs - About 800 under fives are taken to hospital each WEEK having fallen down stairs.  They develop the climbing skills need to get up stairs very quickly... almost without you noticing they could suddenly be able to get up a few steps. It can be dreadfully dangerous if they fall down.  Kids think its fun to go up, it's a challenge and everyone else does it so why shouldn't I?  Well, if they do they might fall and hurt themselves, get a stair gate and remember to use it!

Knives and utensils in the kitchen - It's so easy to forget that little ones can one day reach kitchen surfaces.    Make sure all knives, and heavy utensils are well back just in case they reach up and something comes crashing down.

Hot Drinks - tea and coffee can scald and burn a baby's skin.  Don't put hot drinks on low tables or on unstable surfaces.  Tea and coffee is made with boiling water and stays hot for a long time.  If they they go to try your tea without you seeing, and pour it over themselves by accident - it could scar your child for life!

It's not all gloom and doom!  But being very aware of potential dangers is vital in order for you and your child to have a relaxed home!  If you make just a few changes to the way you do things and if you just keep one step ahead if you can... you'll be okay!

A few final tips:

1. Fit a smoke alarm and TEST it frequently.
2. Keep all medicines, cleaning fluids in a locked cupboard out of a child's reach.
3. Fit stair gates and safety guards round fires.
4. Keep hot drinks on tables that are out of reach.  Don't drink hot tea with your baby in your arms.
5. Keep saucepan handles, electric flexes etc well out of reach.

New Year is a time for reflection, so let's pause for a moment and think of those less fortunate than ourselves, and look in particular at UNICEF's international campaigns for children.  UNICEF is a world organisation acting to promote the interests of children and try to improve the world into which they have been born.

UNICEF operates in developed and developing countries across the world, and have different campaigns in each country.  At an international level, they have five areas of focus:-

• Child survival and development: children across the world suffer huge inequality, UNICEF would like all children to be offered access to medicine and basic healthcare, water, nutritious food and adequate sanitation
• Basic education and gender equality: UNICEF state that education is a fundamental human right, they are pushing for rights-based education for girls and boys throughout the world.  A rights-based education will help alleviate deep-rooted inequalities that persist in many societies, both developed and developing
• HIV/AIDS and children: A child dies of AIDS every two minutes, hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 15 need treatment for AIDS, AIDS is preventable and treatable; UNICEF wants to prevent new cases of AIDS, prevent mother-to-child transmission, provide treatment to children suffering AIDS and provide protection, care and support for children orphaned by AIDS
• Child protection: Millions of children throughout the world are subjected to violence, exploitation and abuse, including terrible forms of child labour; UNICEF advocates creating a protective environment, in partnership with national governments, to protect children from the worst abuses as they grow up
• Policy advocacy and partnerships: UNICEF works with policy makers, national governments, lawmakers and the media worldwide, they wish to research issues affecting children and work with policy makers to push for regulatory frameworks to enhance the lives of children across the globe

Let's spare a thought for those growing up in the same world that we grew up in, but in unimaginable circumstances.  Let's support the work of UNICEF and other children's charities in the hope that one day, their ambitious but respectable goals might be reached.  Find out more on UNICEF's international focus areas.

Santa should swap his mince pies and glass of brandy (or rum or wine) for a couple of Rudolf's carrots say public health experts at the British Medical Journal.  He should opt for a bike or even walk and get rid of the sleigh and reindeer!  We are told that the current image of Santa promotes laziness, drink-driving and speeding!

Dr Nathan Grills from Australia, claims that Santa offers a poor role model and should instead be promoting healthy living!  His studies reveal that the persona of Santa is very influential and the most recognisable character in childhood.  Because we suggest he drinks alcoholic beverages, this implies he is a drink driver and that clearly sets a bad example!  Similarly the mince pies are a high fat, high sugar cake product - countries where Santa is popular are also the countries where childhood obesity is greatest.  He adds that there's no seat belt on the sleigh and that Santa promotes fast driving!

Grills dressed-up as Santa to meet some children (lucky kids!) who offered hugs and kisses - even though some had runny noses, coughs and sneezes!  Yes, you've guessed it, he claimed Santa was a source of spreading infection too!

So, what do you make of that?!  I wonder if we should cancel Christmas all together because obviously the spread of germs, childhood obesity and drink-driving is all because of Santa!

Or perhaps we should look at the positive aspects, such as his spirit of geneorosity and impressive work ethhic, and teach our children what to eat, how to behave and a bit about road safely!  We wish Santa, and the festive and cheery Mr Grills from Australia, a MERRY CHRISTMAS!