The family way (From Halesowen News)

The family way

7:00am Saturday 21st February 2009 in Lifestyle

Lisa Salmon looks at the weird, wonderful and sometimes weary world of parenting.

NEWS FOR PARENTS :: A top consumer watchdog has applauded a high street retailer for ditching Playboy stationery, claiming pornography was becoming a feature of the playground.

Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus, spoke out after WHSmith discontinued pencil cases and folders bearing the famous bunny ears logo.

Mayo said stocking the Playboy items was part of a wider sexualisation of children and represented the continuing loss of youngsters' innocence.

:: Two Strictly Come Dancing stars are to help children waltz, jive and cha cha cha their way to better health.

Professional dancers Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova have recorded a DVD to help teachers and classroom assistants teach ballroom and Latin steps to youngsters.

More than 2,500 students aged five to 18 will learn to dance as part of a pilot project in 26 primary and secondary schools across England which will be launched later this month.

If a bit of glamour and glitz is what it takes to get kids to exercise, hopefully there'll be lots more who Come Dancing.

:: Children as young as 10 are being offered £15 shopping vouchers to quit smoking under an incentive scheme run by the NHS.

The scheme, in Brighton and Hove, is targeted at pregnant women and under-18s. The incentive for the under 18's to stop smoking is a £15 voucher for WHSmith, Argos, Boots or the Body Shop.

Kate Lawson, head of health promotion at NHS Brighton and Hove, said the youngest person to turn to the scheme was a 10-year-old, but such cases are "unusual".

"Evidence shows that motivating a young person with a small cash incentive is the push they need to ask for help," she said.

Sadly, the incentive that smoking can kill probably doesn't seem nearly as important as a shopping voucher to a 10-year-old.

:: Children have seen their pocket money rise at nearly four times the rate of inflation during the past 21 years, research shows.

The average child received £6.13 pocket money a week last year, 419% more than the £1.18 they got in 1987, according to Halifax.

The group said the rise was nearly four times the rate of inflation during the same period, leaving children today better off in real terms than the previous generation.

The Halifax compared its latest pocket money survey with the first one in 1987, when girls were most likely to save their money for holidays, while boys were saving to spend on sports.

Last year, 49% of children said they weren't saving for anything in particular, but they were most likely to spend their money on sweets, chocolates and crisps, suggesting they are resorting to pester power to have other items bought for them.

So children's pocket money has shot up and they expect parents to buy the expensive items they want? Sounds like parents are losing out big time.

ASK THE EXPERT Q: "I'd like to take my five-year-old to a museum or art gallery, but thought he might be a bit too young. Will there be anything to interest young children at such places?"

A: Dea Birkett, director of Kids in Museums, which promotes family-friendly policies in museums and galleries, says: "You're never too young to visit a museum.

"When my daughter was a few weeks old, I used to place her in front of large paintings with high contrast, in the hope she'd spot shapes and colours.

"In fact, she was easier to take to museums when she was 16-weeks-old than 16-years-old - teenagers are far trickier to please than toddlers.

"Art galleries are especially interesting for small kids, but it's always good to do a bit of research about what they offer. Some have 'baby painting', and I used to think that meant adults painted pictures of babies, but it's the babies that do the painting. They're placed in front of a work of art and given a piece of paper and pot of paints.

"By five, you may need a few more activities. A good tip is to go to the museum shop at the start of your visit, and ask your child to pick out a postcard.

"Then spend the first part of your visit hunting for the object on the card. When it's found, they can either draw their own picture of it on the back or, if old enough, write a few words.

"It's a cheap way to make sure everyone's happy - and it even works with teenagers."

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK: abs-kids.co.uk Set up by 16-year-old Abbi Morrall, herself a bullying victim, Abs-Kids aims to help children who are being bullied through relating various bullying experiences, providing plenty of information, videos and an online question facility. There's help for parents, advice on how to cope with bullying, and even an ABS diary where victims can log bullying incidents.

THREE WAYS TO... cope with a child's travel sickness 1. Don't let your child eat, but encourage them to suck on something ginger or peppermint flavoured, which can sometimes help ease nausea.

2. Get your child to wear travel sickness acupressure wristbands.

3. Drive slowly round bends, and open the windows a little.

WHEN IS MY CHILD READY... to sleep with a pillow?

Pillows aren't recommended for children under the age of two as there's thought to be a danger of suffocation. Some believe that giving a child a pillow when they're over two years doesn't make them more comfortable, but if you want to introduce one, it's best to wait until your toddler moves from a cot to a bed. Make sure the pillow's small, and avoid feather pillows, which are too soft and can set off allergies.

READER TIP Don't begin a time-out until your child's calm and quiet, and if he starts to cry, wait until he's quiet again. Don't let him leave time-out unless he's calm.