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You can also check out all of our practical videos on our YouTube Channel here - these include nappy changing, making up a bottle, topping and tailing and so much more!

Back to school (or not?) - how do we begin to start this process?

Written by Anna Turner, Childcare Consultant. During this time of lockdown, I have had many conversations with parents, friends and colleagues about how school will be for our children when they go back – both on an emotional and physical level. We are entering the unknown when it comes to fully understanding what the long-term effects will be for children who have been forced into different routines before being re-introduced to what could be a very different environment – one where safety, health and hygiene is now paramount, where they may not allowed to play with the same friends, join in with class assemblies, or even hug their best friends.

School, LockdownRebekah Frankcom26 May 2020parenting, families, parenting tips, lockdown, mental wellbeing, back to school?, wellbeing, reception, year one, year 6, play, child development

Being a Teenage Twin

Written by Amy Frankcom. Being a teen twin is strange. I have never known any different, of course, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to not have somebody constantly with you wherever you go, to share special days with. Even though I’ve spent nearly 14 years being a twin, I still struggle to explain what it’s like having one.

Tweens and Teens, TwinsRebekah Frankcom22 May 2020teenagers, siblings, twins, teenblog, Twins Trust

Family Crisis Support at Twins Trust

Twins Trust Family Crisis Support (formerly Helping Hands) is there to equip families of twins, triplets and more with the skills they need to get back on their feet at a really difficult time in their life.

The parents and carers who come to us are already doing at least two or three times the care of parents of singletons, and are usually experiencing social isolation, finding it harder to leave the house for appointments and social groups. To then add a bereavement, serious physical or mental illness, or other extreme circumstances on top can easily tip a family into crisis. Family Crisis Support exists to try and build these parents’ coping skills to a place where they can be confident and capable parents.

Other, TwinsRebekah Frankcom21 May 2020parenting, families, covid19, corona virus, quarantine, lockdown, family crisis support, twins trust, twins, triplets, quads, multiple births, family support

Getting to know... Sharon Darke, Bereavement Support Coordinator at Twins Trust

Twins Trust’s Bereavement Support Group offers a safe space for parents to talk to someone that has sadly been through the same experience of bereavement following the death of one or more of their children. Sharon is the first point of contact for parents and carers who get in touch. We met up with Sharon at the Twins Trust Volunteer day in March and talked to her about the important role that the group plays for bereaved parents.

Bereavement, Getting to know, TwinsRebekah Frankcom20 May 2020Bereavement, bereavement support, twins, triplets, quads, twins trust, support group

The worries are real - how to help anxiety in our children

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. In March this year I was delivering a seminar as part of the Twins Trust annual Volunteer Day. It was on the topic of anxiety in children but little did I know that when I delivered this talk that we would be heading into a pandemic and that anxiety in not only our children, but also in adults would increase dramatically over the following weeks.

Anxiety is a word that very few people want to associate with children as we want our children to be carefree, happy and certainly don’t want them to worry or have anxiety over anything. We need to be aware that anxiety can span over a significant range from mild worry which can be absolutely natural such as doing an exam or going to a new place for the first time, through to something that can be extremely worrying and can have impact on both physical and mental wellbeing.

Eating as a family

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. In recent weeks there are has certainly been much more opportunity for us all to have family mealtimes. For many families this has been a really positive thing to have come out of this difficult situation, having more time to cook, but also being able to sit at the table all together.

As it is National Weaning week this week, we have decided to have a look at the things that you can do with each age group to enhance the family mealtime experience.

Food and weaning, LockdownRebekah Frankcom6 May 2020parenting, families, parenting tips, lockdown, family mealtimes, weaning, eat together, cooking, mealtime, babies, toddlers, teenagers

The Power of Infant Massage

Written by Sophie Osgood, Spoonful of Nana. Hello, my name is Sophie Osgood, I went to Norland College, leaving in 2007 and nannied until I had my daughter in 2018. During this time, I experienced baby massage within a few of my nanny roles, I could see the connection between parent and baby and fell in love with the teachings.

I found the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM) by chance and after reading their ethos I was totally hooked. In 2012 I trained to become a Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) which is where my business ‘Spoonful of Nana’ was born.

Babies, HealthRebekah Frankcom29 April 2020parenting, families, development, parenting tips, baby massage, infant massage, IAIM, secure attachments, touch, take time

Is social media antisocial...?

Written by Amy Frankcom. During this time of lockdown it is not surprising that many teenagers are turning to social media both as a form of escapism and to keep in touch with their friends, but is it making them anti-social?

As part of her online school work Amy participated in a BBC Bitesize lesson all about creating an argument and this was the result of the exercise she did creating an argument against the statement that ‘social media is ‘antisocial’.

Tweens and Teens, LockdownRebekah Frankcom25 April 2020parenting, families, social media, teenagers, anti social, covid19, corona virus, quarantine, lockdown, BBC Bitesize, home schooling, online learning

Is your child’s behaviour during lockdown telling you something?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Any behaviours that we see in either children or adults are a bi-product of the emotions and feelings that the individual is feeling at this time. As adults we are tend to have greater control over managing our behaviour, however when we are at heightened times of stress or anxiety we often struggle to do this and can to react in different ways, saying things that we don’t mean, getting cross with people or feeling sad or upset when we don’t really know why. I am sure that lots of adults have been feeling a range of emotions over the last few weeks and will continue to over the coming months; this is the same for our children but their triggers might just be different.

Behaviour, LockdownRebekah Frankcom21 April 2020parenting, families, development, parenting tips, behaviour, lockdown, emotions, routine

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