Family

Advice, tips and lifetsyle features aimed at parents, children and families.

Back to school on a budget

Back To School Shopping: 9 Essentials For Under £50

Last week, schools across the country broke up for summer. So, you might think it’s a bit premature to start thinking about the new academic year in September already.

However, everyone knows shopping for back to school items can be a chore - and if you want to save yourself a headache in late August then getting your essentials early is the way to go.

And with the cost of...

Being a parent is incredibly rewarding but can also be incredibly hard

Playdate’s Guide to Self Care for Single Parents

Being a parent is incredibly rewarding but can also be incredibly hard. Often, the stresses of parenting can be amplified when you are a single parent, particularly if you have your children with you most or all of the time. It can feel almost impossible to get a moment by yourself to go to the toilet, let alone a couple of hours to pop to the gym, meet up with friends or take up a new hobby...

Alton Towers is the UK's best value theme park

Alton Towers named UK’s best value theme park

Large cottage accommodation provider Big Domain has crunched the data to find out which of the UK’s theme parks offer the best value for money by comparing the number of rides, cost of entry, parking fees, TripAdvisor ratings and Instagrammability. Here are the places that made the top 10 for cheap thrills this summer:

Alton Towers, Staffordshire

Coming in first is Alton...

Juggling summer holidays with the kids and working can be a stressful time

Expert solutions to reduce burnout for working mums over the summer holidays

Summertime might bring certain challenges for working mothers who need to deal with children at home as well as their professional life. Planning ahead, sticking to a work-life ratio, and considering how to approach hybrid work are some of the expert-recommended solutions to reduce burnout and elevated stress levels.

June 22, 2022. 53% of women report increased levels of stress while...

Divorce Prevention: Weathering the Storm

To have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part; these are the traditional vows said on that glorious, life-changing day, and yet keeping to them genuinely seems to be a struggle for many.

In the US, for example, nearly half of all marriages end in divorce or separation, and in the UK, it isn’t much better, with...

Italy is currently the most popular foreign country for Brits to get married

Italy is the most popular wedding destination for Brits

Italy is currently the most popular foreign country for Brits to get married in according to new research from the personal finance comparison site, finder.com .

It is closely followed by Ireland, with both countries proving to be significantly more sought-after than other countries. The data shows that Ireland is twice as popular as the Mediterranean destinations of Spain (4th) or...

young children can learn more vocabulary from conversation at the dinner table

Talking to children away from TV or screens is vital to their development

Reading aloud to young children is great for their literacy, but studies show that young children can learn more vocabulary from conversation at the dinner table, according to The Family Dinner Project .

They say, children who eat dinner with their families have better skills for developing literacy than those who don’t eat with their families.

Kate Stephens, Devon County...

‘Abide With Me’ is the song most likely to be played at a funeral

The Ten Most Popular Funeral Songs

‘Abide With Me’ is the song most likely to be played at a funeral, according to SunLife’s Cost of Dying report .

SunLife’s report reveals that the hymn is one of the most popular choices, closely followed by ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra, and ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.

However, if we were to choose our own funeral song, Monty Python’s ‘Always...

How to Prepare for Your First Baby - Practical Tips and Advice

Are you preparing for the arrival of your first baby? It’s an exciting time in life and one that you can never repeat, as your first child is a time of excitement, joy, wonder, and let’s not forget, also some stress and anxiety. This is exactly why first-time parents often seek out tips and advice that can help them cruise through the pregnancy stage and better prepare them for when the baby...

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