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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!
Mark Williams from Fathers Reaching Out. In 2004 Mark experienced depression and suffered for years until he had a breakdown. He founded International Fathers’ Mental Health Day and #Howareyoudad campaign which makes sure that the whole family is getting support. Claire connected with Mark on Twitter when researching Dads and Post Natal Depression (PND) and we thought that it would be really interesting to get to know him a bit better.
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. There is a wealth of information out there to support babies, toddler and pre-school children, but once they are over the age of 5 the information tends to be more limited and is often focused on school related topics.
Just because our children are getting older, it doesn’t mean that parenting gets easier or that you will have all the answers to the new phases and stages that your child might be going through. It can be challenging and sometimes make you feel like you are having to use guess work to get through it.
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Maybe now more than ever we are experiencing what is like to be together, day in, day out and I think that we can all agree that some days can be lovely and others can be more challenging than we would like.
As we are all spending more time together, sibling rivalry seems to be a topic which many families are having to deal with on a daily basis. Sibling rivalry is a is a natural part of family life, the frustration of siblings can be a real issue, but (if it helps), this is a normal stage of children’s development where they are learning skills such as resilience and tolerance…..along with how to negotiate and problem solve! ;-)
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreTwins 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.
Read MoreTwins 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.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten 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.
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