Wellbeing

Janey Lee Grace’s Family Matters

The latest news and holistic views to keep your clan in tip-top health

Money matters

Janey Lee Grace says forget the gizmos and have some fun for free…

I really do believe that if our basic needs are met we can stop being miserable and actually choose to be happy, and this is not about how rich we are in monetary terms. Recently, when the eagerly awaited baby girl of Beyonce and Jay Z arrived, one newspaper used the headline ‘Blinging up Baby’ to reported on the designer goods bestowed on their little bundle of joy.

Most of us know that despite our hankering for the latest cashmere babygro or three wheel lightweigh all-singing, all-dancing stroller, what all babies really need is warm clothing, a safe place to snuggle up asleep, breast milk and lots of love.

The Children’s Society recently published its Good Childhood Report 2012 which worryingly found that one in 10 children over the age of eight is unhappy. It seems that not owning the latest gadget or the clothes that they feel enable them to fit in with peers. Apparently without these possessions, children are three times as likely to be unhappy with their appearance. But surely this is ‘subjective’, as the survey also showed that the quality of children’s relationships with their families is of paramount importance.

As parents and guardians, I reckon we need to choose happiness. Let’s just spend time with our kids, be a family that has fun together, jump in puddles with them – so hard that your legs get splashed too! – and just live for the moment!

DID YOU KNOW?

Drinking alcohol between the seventh and 12th week of pregnancy puts unborn babies at the highest risk of foetal alcohol syndrome, according to a study by the University of California

FRESH IS BEST

Breast feeding is considered to be healthier and more nutritious than formula but what to do when you want to return to work? Mothers in Indonesia, who can be expected to return to work just 12 weeks after giving birth, have got a novel idea to ensure their offspring have the freshest breast milk – a milk courier. They simply express enough milk before work and then again during lunchtime to give to a courier who delivers the bottle straight to the child minder’s front door.

Cream it away

If your little one sufferers from mild eczema it’s vital not to put anything on the skin that will aggravate it further. That’s why we love this beautifully-scented, all-natural, Soothe-Me Happy Skin Cream, £13.99. It’s rich in calendula and evening primrose oils to soothe, and lavender and rose to help heal.

Fact file

“The Medical Research Council found breast-fed babies cry more and are harder to soothe but it also found formula-fed babies may be quieter but they can gain weight too quickly”

Goo goo, gaa gaa

When your baby reaches six months it’s important to enunciate your words because your little one switches their gaze from your eyes to your lips. This is in order to learn and then imitate the sounds and words you make. By their first birthdays, babies start shifting back to look you in the eye again – unless they hear the unfamiliar sounds of a foreign language.

Article by

Janey Lee Grace

is a holistic lifestyle expert. She is the author of Look Great Naturally – Without Ditching the Lipstick (£8.99, Hay House)

Discover more

Article by

Janey Lee Grace

is a holistic lifestyle expert. She is the author of Look Great Naturally – Without Ditching the Lipstick (£8.99, Hay House)

Discover more