Below are links to some of the sites we believe are useful and relevant for young parents researching child care, comfort and safety.
Child Accident Prevention Trust
Accidental injury is one of the leading causes of death among children and young people and puts more babies and children in hospital than any other cause. One of the key themes of our First Aid classes is prevention. We aim to build awareness of the main causes of accidents involving babies and children and the steps to prevent them. Our trainers see far too many preventable accidents in their roles as nurses in Emergency and Paediatric care and enjoy the chance to educate parents about the most common and avoidable ones. We recommend the Child Accident Prevention Trust (capt) web site to support this. It is a national charity committed to reducing the number of children and young people who are killed, disabled or seriously injured as a result of accidents. Their friendly website is packed with information to support this commitment. Statistics on accidents, downloadable information sheets, quizzes and activity sheets to help teach children and online safety games.
Childalert
This site is a great resource for common sense advice on Child Safety in the Home and in the Community. It is for parents as well as professionals looking after children. Childalert covers safety advice in the home and when out and about. The site also sells a full range of safety products and can come to your home to do a childproofing safety audit to identify potential risks.
Think Road Safety
This government site is a great resource to get you to think more about road safety, whether you walk, drive or ride. The site has a magazine you can download, interactive games for children and up to date safety information. In 2004 in the UK, 166 children were killed in road accidents and 3,739 were seriously injured. More than twice as many boys as girls are killed or seriously injured in pedestrian and cycle accidents . As a parent or carer you can help reduce the risks your child faces on the roads by teaching road safety and making sure you use the right size and correctly fitted child car seat every trip.
NHS Direct
Access to official NHS health advice. It has an on line health encyclopedia which explains the most common conditions, or you can search for your child’s symptoms to see the likely causes and which self care treatment is appropriate.
Baby Concierge
This lovely company helps first time parents identify the products that they will need after the birth of their baby as well as those they won’t! It cuts through the confusion and offers impartial advice on anything you could possibly need from the big items such as prams, cots and car seats to the little stuff such as baby blankets, bottles and muslin squares. A private consultation in either one of their London showrooms (Ladbroke Grove or Angel, Islington locations) will allow you to view products, discuss options, and then choose when you wish to have them delivered. They charge a £120 consultation fee which is partly refundable against purchases and the cost of all products is in line with recommended retail prices (no more expensive than John Lewis).
Baby2Body
For those of you who do not want to lose your body during pregnancy, or want to find it again during pregnancy or afterwards, this fun and fabulous fitness company can help. There are options for everyone. A DVD to use at home, Baby2Body fitness classes and also a Stroller Club that meets at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre to complete a walking circuit and body exercises. Sign up to their newsletters for information and on line and monthly offers. All instruction focuses on exercises for pre and post natal women and aim to both educate and motivate. They get results but they are also great fun.
Bestbear
Bestbear.co.uk is a unique and independent service, vetting and listing recommended childcare and nanny agencies in London and throughout the UK. They offer researched information on all areas of parenting and childcare, a comprehensive database of nurseries, plus an ‘ask the experts’ service for specialist advice. Best Bear also offers a parents classified ads service and a searchable database of childcarers’ CVs, together with a nanny reference checking service.
Baby Works
The BabyWorks is a Bespoke Babycare Consultancy that focuses on nurturing new babies and parents. It is run by two fabulous women called Ali and Laura and they really do look at each new parents individual situation to help them find the services they need. Ali and Laura hand pick all of the professionals they work with. These include: Night Nurses, Maternity Nurses, Weaning consultants, Sleep Doctors and of course First Aid trainers. Guess who they chose to provide that service?
For Sanity’s Sake
This is a community website for those with bumps, babies and toddlers and it’s free to join. It provides a daily calendar of activities and events taking place at any time of day, on any day in the area of Richmond, Ham, Kew, St Margarets, Twickenham, Teddington and the Hamptons. There area also listings of courses for children and local services (e.g. schools, restaurants) and members feedback on their experiences to help others in their choices. For Sanity’s Sake has online social interest ‘groups’ and offline meet-ups, plus a weekly newsletter to keep you updated with what’s coming up in the next week and special discounts for members to use with local businesses. It’s a fantastic remedy for cabin fever!
Greatvine
Greatvine is an excellent resource with expert advice on a range of topics including parenting, health & wellbeing, writing and business.
