Face Away Buggies ‘Stressful’ For Babies

Children made to face away from their carers are more likely to end up anxious adults, the first ever study on the effects of buggies has revealed.

The away-facing babies in the research were "emotionally impoverished", laughed less, talked less and suffered more stress than those facing their parent.

Almost 3,000 parent-infant pairs were studied as part of the research by Dundee University for the Talk To Your Baby early language campaign of the National Literacy Trust.

In one experiment, 20 babies were pushed for a mile, half the journey spent in an away-facing buggy and the other in a toward-facing one.

A quarter of parents using face-to-face buggies talked to their baby - more than twice as many as those using away-facing buggies.

Babies facing towards the buggy-pusher enjoyed a reduced heart rate and were twice as likely to fall asleep.

Only one baby in the group of 20 laughed during the away-facing journey, while half laughed during the face-to-face journey.

Dr Suzanne Zeedyk, from Dundee University's School of Psychology, said: "If babies are spending significant amounts of time in a baby buggy, that undermines their ability to communicate easily with their parent.

"Our data suggests that for many babies today, life in a buggy is emotionally impoverished and possibly stressful. Stressed babies grow into anxious adults."

Lynsey Thomas: Avoiding The Office Gossip

I was the office weirdo for not wanting to share my entire life, but now I have the freedom of privacy.

If I have discovered one thing about working from home over the last four years, it is that it is definitely easier to keep your private life private. When I was working in an office I had to use survival techniques such as loitering in a meeting room, toilet or corridor to take any personal calls. Sometimes I even went as far as the duck-under-desk-with-mobile-in-hand routine - because, as we all know, no one can hear you down there.

Personal calls in the office create disproportionate stress. Usually the caller is asking a simple question, such as "What do you want for tea?" or "Where shall we meet tonight?" but somehow we believe that the answers "steak and kidney pie" and "The Dog and Duck" will give the game away and that all our colleagues will jump to the conclusion that we have done no work for the entire day.

So, instead of swiftly answering said question, finishing the call and turning back to our PCs, we concoct ridiculous codes to convey messages to our loved ones, codes that the sharpest of minds could never crack. So, the dinnertime response becomes "That favoured product that is frequently purchased on a Thursday", while The Dog and Duck is replaced by "Our meeting shall be held at the venue which allows easiest access to all the vendors who will be in attendance". Ridiculous, I know, but true.

Reading any sort of non-work-related literature between 9am and 5pm is also definitely overstepping the mark, and don't even think about looking at your holiday snaps in your lunchbreak. A former colleague of mine used to sell cosmetics in her spare time and the women of the office used to gather in the toilet after work to study her catalogue. Quite why they had to convene in the toilet is beyond me but somehow it seemed necessary.

Other annoying office-personal life crossovers relate to extra curricular activities; have you ever tried to get changed at work before going on a night out? The natural assumption of anyone witnessing someone changing their attire at 5pm will be that they are off on a "hot date", and said individual will be subjected to 20 minutes of "friendly banter" and "harmless ribbing". If you are actually heading off on a hot date then it's safe to assume that your confidence will be shot to bits after this hungry pack have finished with you. When I was young, free and single, I distinctly remember my love life being of great amusement to everyone and it was definitely a sporting event to ply me with copious amounts of alcohol before sending me out to meet some poor unsuspecting male on a Friday night.

If you go shopping at lunchtime then you will need to show off your purchases to the entire team. Haircuts will be judged - as will your weight. Marriages, divorces, deaths and births are fair game. If you are a private person by nature then it's best to assume that you will be the office weirdo for not wanting to share the details of your entire life with what pretty much amounts to a bunch of strangers.

Nowadays, of course, I refrain from convening in toilets and getting drunk before dinner, but I also enjoy the freedom of working from home. It is much easier to phone the bank or book a doctor's appointment these days and doesn't affect my work at all. Somehow the autonomy of home working makes me believe that I really can (and do) manage my own time, and not having that office feeling of being watched over like a child also makes me a lot more confident.

In fact, I like my current circumstances so much that I rather minxingly enjoy calling my husband at work and trying to get him to tell me that he loves me. Rest assured, he "concurs with my understanding of the current arrangement".

Article by Lynsey Thomas The Guardian

Work From Home Mom Puts Baby In The Picture

EVEN THE most organised women find themselves under pressure following the birth of their first child. Jane O'Neill's first child, Molly, was born in 2003 and immediately presents started arriving from family and friends in her home country of England. She was also overwhelmed by the generosity of her husband Shane's family.

"Presents came in for months and months. Not only did I receive gifts from friends and family, but also people whom I didn't even know. One of my mum's tennis friends knitted a beautiful cardigan, it was just amazing the kindness and generosity of people."

O'Neill worked in events management for the International Rugby Board (IRB) prior to Molly's birth. By nature an organised person, her mind immediately switched to thanking friends and family for their gifts.

In between feeds and nappy changes and trying to find time to have a shower, Jane O'Neill set about looking for personalised baby cards on which she could express her gratitude for the presents she had received.

O'Neill, who lives in Firhouse, went online trying to find a personalised baby company that would incorporate her daughter's picture into the greeting, but she found very little of note on offer.
So she and her husband Shane bought a digital camera and made the cards themselves.

"We wanted to make this card very personal to show our gratitude, and thought it would be great if we had a picture of our new little girl on the card.

"Several hours and clicks later with our newly bought digital print camera we finally had our picture. Molly was five weeks old, and we had propped her up on the sofa surrounded by teddies and a blanket. It was a lovely picture and we felt very proud of our darling daughter, as most new parents do."

O'Neill sent the card to friends and family, and the response she received from them was extremely positive.

Recipients said the picture of Molly brought the card to life and it meant that more distant relatives who might not meet her for some time in person were able to see her little face peering out of the card.

Relatives made the effort to phone O'Neill to talk about the card, and she was so amazed at the feedback that she decided to set up her own service. A new business idea was conceived and http://www.babycards.ie/ was launched in 2004.

As a new mother, O'Neill was finding time very precious so she made sure the website was quick and easy to use.

Customers create their own cards online by selecting a design from the templates provided, upload their photo and select the image print area using a cropping tool. They can then view an instant online proof of the card. Cards are then produced in Dublin and posted out.

O'Neill went to work in the business part-time after her maternity leave, and spent much of this period researching new products and developing the website.

In June 2005 O'Neill's second child, Jack, was born and the website took a back seat for a while.
O'Neill enjoyed her work and was keen to return on a part-time basis after her maternity leave on her second child. However, she set up a separate office from her husband and became a work-at-home mother to avoid the six-mile commute from Firhouse to Harold's Cross.

The mother of two says she thoroughly enjoyed working in events management at the IRB. She had come to Ireland with a sports degree and had a great time working in a relatively new field here.

However, when she had her daughter she experienced a "dramatic change in life" and felt the need for a new career. Since then she has never had a moment's regret at giving up her office life.

"While it has been busy bringing up two young children [Molly now aged 4½ and Jack nearly 3] and starting a new business, it has been very rewarding. Getting rid of the commute made life much easier.

"If Jack is sick one day I can make it up another day. You don't have to feel guilty. I enjoyed my work in events management, but time is so precious when you have children. I am so glad to be able to do this."

O'Neill says she is especially proud of having a product of her own. She also enjoys making life a little easier for new parents who are struggling to keep up with their little one's routines.
"When a parent sends out the cards, they feel organised and on top of things. It has been brilliant to produce a product that other mums and dads can benefit from. Once you take the leap, you can't go back. I never imagined I would get involved in anything like this," she says.

Article by Olivia Kelleher of The Irish Times

Mom of Five Turns Model at 58

Dublin woman announced as the winner of the Dove Pro Age – Face of Ireland competition with Dunnes Stores

Following a national hunt across Ireland, Dubliner Breid Morris has been chosen to be the new Face of Dove Pro Age. Breid, age 58, from Portmarnock was selected from over 1,500 entries, to front a new ad campaign by Dove Pro Age later this year.

A mother of five, Breid stood out from the rest of the entries because of her natural beauty and positive approach to aging. The panel of judges included former model and beauty journalist Laura Bermingham, model scouts from 1st Option and representatives from Unilever Ireland.
Laura Bermingham explained her choice: “Breid is a true classic beauty and she radiates confidence which is so rare in women of her age who spend their whole lives trying to look like they did in their 30s. Dove Pro Age encourages women to embrace their age as they enter the best years of their lives and for us judges; Breid was a true representation of this.”
On receiving her new title, Breid Morris said “I am truly honoured and delighted to be chosen as the new Face of Dove Pro Age. I have always dreamed of a career on stage but never imagined that now, at nearly 59, it would finally come true!”

Runners-up were Bernadette Riley, 46 from Terenure and Mary Mooney, 58 from Cobh, Co Cork. Mary was nominated by her daughter having survived breast cancer six years ago. Now back to full health, she looks and feels amazing.
In addition to appearing in the ads, Breid has also won a one year modelling contract with 1st Option Models in Dublin, one year’s supply of Dove Pro Age products and a trip to the Dove Spa in London with her friend plus spending money.

Dove believes there is something to be said about women who look great, but also look their age. Through Pro Age, Dove seeks to inspire more women who are entering what could be the most exciting stage of their lives to see the potential that lies within their skin and themselves.
Beauty has no age limit!

Breid pictured with Laura Birmingham below:

How To Avoid The Flu

Well it's certainly a lot colder where I am, and its getting near that time again for winter colds and flu. I thought this lens on how to avoid the flu was interesting, and offered some simple practical advice on how to avoid the flu. Good luck!

http://www.squidoo.com/avoidtheflu