CALLING ALL FAB MUMS! Search for five real mums to become web celebs on new blog

A national search to find five ordinary mums to become online reality stars of the new social support network site FiveFabMums.com has been launched today. The website will follow the lives of the chosen five for a year as they experience the ups and downs of modern day motherhood, and will launch on Mother’s’ Day, 2nd March 2008.

Sponsored by Tixylix, FiveFabMums.com will be the first website of its kind to give real mums the opportunity to blog their everyday experiences. The five chosen women will blog family life through video diaries, photos and web chat. From teething troubles, nappy nightmares and toddler tantrums to first steps, cute cuddles and teatime triumphs, motherhood will be shown in all its glory for all mums to share.

Having a child is a life-changing experience and adjusting to this new life can be hard; friends, work colleagues and a social life can sometimes feel very far away. FiveFabMums.com recognises that modern mums are increasingly turning to the online community, and aims to provide mums with a place to go for support, advice, friendship and fun without having to leave home.

As well as sharing the highs and lows of the chosen mums other mums can contact the Five Fab Mums with questions and can take part in web interviews. Tips and advice on everyday parenting problems by GPs and midwives also mean that good advice is just a click away. All mums can also use the photo fun section and can adapt fun photos of their little ones to share with friends and family.

To become one of the Five Fab Mums you can apply online at www.tixylix.co.uk by 21st December 2007. Applicants will be shortlisted and notified if successful by 31st December and invited for an all expenses paid trip to London for the final audition weekend on 5th & 6th of January 2008.

Each of the Five Fab Mums will be given a state of the art digital video camera to help them create their blog, and each mum will receive £100 a month paid into their Child’s Trust Fund as a thank you for participating.

Trying to conceive? Try a “conception moon” (that’s a honeymoon for would-be parents)

A new survey from Clearblue suggests that over three-quarters of couples surveyed have taken a “conception moon” to help them become pregnant, with four out of ten of those couples successfully conceiving.

New phrases I hadn’t come across before are babymoons — time alone just before a family is started — and conception moons — breaks set up with the explicit purpose of conceiving.

It’s fairly obvious what the main activity on a conception moon is, but planning it should be done carefully so as to coincide with the woman’s most fertile time of the month.

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Parents should seek compensation over child benefit data loss, online portal claims

After the recent fiasco regarding the loss of two CDs containing the personal details of twenty-five million people either claiming or receiving child benefits, a leading UK parents’ portal has recommended that concerned parents seek compensation from the British Government, for breach of the 1998 Data Protection Act.

“The Data Protection Act clearly states that a data controller must protect private individuals’ data from falling into the wrong hands,” said Steve Masters, editor of UK Parents Lounge.

More important is the advice already officially given to all parents:

1. Check the bank account into which child benefit is paid. Any transaction which seems unusual should be reported. There’s little a fraudster could do to the actual bank account with just its account number and sort code.

2. Check mail, as fraudsters could attempt to set up new credit agreements (for example, for a mobile phone or credit card) in your name.

3. Be vigilant with letters or phone calls claiming to come from your bank.

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Mums look to online advice to avoid the judgement of others

According to new research by child medicine manufacturer Tixylix, modern mums are jumping online to find advice and support on parenting issues because they feel less judged than in other, more traditional environments.

Just two percent of mums surveyed said they felt judged by online peers, compared to one-quarter who felt judged by their neighbours and other mums at the school gate.

Unsurprisingly, at least for its fair share of (possibly untrue) anecdotal evidence, 26% of those who responded said that their mother-in-law was the most judgemental about parenting issues.

It’s not all online meetings though, with events like coffee mornings regularly attended by 54% of mums. Then again, one in five mums regularly log on to parenting sites when they need advice in a hurry.

Parenting expert Dr Jenny Leonard said, “The findings reflect a growing trend for modern mums to seek advice and support from a wider range or sources than ever before. The internet in particular allows mums to feel connected to the outside world and to seek answers to parenting questions
quickly and also without feeling embarrassed or judged.”

Mother wins right to keep baby a secret from father, court rules

A mother has won the right to keep the birth of her baby, conceived on a one night stand, a secret from the biological father.

Though the county court ruled that the 20-year-old had to tell both her parents and the father, the Court of Appeal ruled that the mother had “the ultimate veto” over who was told about the birth.

Naturally, fathers’ groups were unhappy, saying that the child was now treated as the property of the mother, “to be disposed of as she sees fit.

The mother said that she wanted the 19-week-old baby to be adopted.

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Dads lack of confidence in bringing up baby shows up as not taking responsibility

An interesting new survey from SMA Nutrition suggests that some fathers who come across as being unwilling to help with the upbringing of their babies and young children are actually unconfident about their abilities.

The study finds half of new dads admitting that they don’t always make the effort to get home from work in time for their baby’s bath and bed routine, while 43% say they rarely or never get up in the night to comfort their crying baby.

Other ‘confessions’ to sidestepping parental duties include not always changing their baby’’s nappy (68%) and a tendency to spend time playing with baby rather than on practical childcare tasks (45%). More than a third (36%) have taken their parents’’ side on the ‘best way to parent’ while 35% say they have felt relieved that work commitments have meant an overnight hotel stay as it ensures a good night’s sleep.

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75% of British mums find organising child’s party stressful

According to recent research from the children’s party organisers Les Enfants, three-quarters of UK mums find organising a child’s party stressful, while 26% feel pressured to arrange bigger and better parties each year.

Of the respondents, full-time working mothers find party organising most stressful and feel the most pressure to throw better parties each year, in comparison to stay-at-home mums or mums who work part time. Full-time working mums are also more likely to spend more on parties and they’’re least in favour of party bags.

The survey revealed that the average cost of a child’’s party is in the region of £200. Given that 64% of respondents said they hold birthday parties every year and 70% had more than one child, the costs start to add up. Most parents (44.9%) spend between £100 and £200 per party while 35.8% spend less than £100. However, 11% spend up to £300, just under 5% spend up to £500 and almost 3% are willing to fork out up to £1000 per party.

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