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We’d just like  to say a big thank you for following and supporting us this year and we hope you will continue to pop back in the coming year to see what else Family Friendly Working has to offer you.

Here is a recap of the free eCourses you can access to start or boost your business for 2012:

ACE Blogger (closing 31st December 2011)

How I Make Money Online

Mumpreneur in a Month

Become a Mum Blogger

How To Create and Sell an eBook

* Remember that small children have limits.

If you are shopping with toddlers, be alert to their needs: are they tired, hungry, overexcited by the noise and confusion, or simply in need of some fresh air or a reassuring hug?

I don’t think it’s fair to expect toddlers to go from sitting in the car seat to sitting in their buggy for hours on end, so make sure you take breaks in your shopping to let them get rid of some of their energy and have some physical fun.

Lots of shopping centres have places for them to let off steam – or while you have a coffee let them move about while you supervise them.

I used to pop into the Early Learning Centre for a quick 20 minutes while they had a play to give us all a break!!

* A great idea is to get your child to wear something with pockets before you leave the house. Once you are at the shops fill their pockets with something healthy like raisins or grapes. Toddlers love to sit in the shopping trolley or their buggy independently digging out the raisins or grapes and you are able to zip around happily picking up what you need.

* Bring a small container with their favourite snack or a sandwich as a stand by as a hungry toddler is a grumpy toddler!

* Babies and small children can also become dehydrated in the dry air of shopping centres, so be sure to take frequent nursing or juice or water breaks.

* Make shopping fun – play games in the shops and look for things and get your toddler engaged in counting the reindeer or looking for snowmen.

* Keep their hands busy with a toy or a book to occupy their minds.

*Remember that children are naturally curious and this is how they learn about the world around them. Make the trip a learning time and sing Christmas songs or Nursery Rhymes and talk about colours or shapes or see how many circles they can find along the way.

If they want to examine an attractive item in a shop, don’t automatically tell them off or shout at them. Instead, help them to hold the item safely, or let them know that it can be looked at but not touched. You might say something like “This is breakable, so let’s just look at it together.”  Share your toddler’s enthusiasm and interest at this exciting time of Christmas with all its sparkle and magic and see the world from their perspective of curiosity.

* Choose a time when you know your little one will have a nap and make sure they are in the buggy so you can shop while they are asleep.

* How about sharing your kids with friends – they go shopping for a couple of hours on their own while you look after their children and then you swap. You get far more done and you have a break and a bit of “me” time while your kids are having fun too.

* Toddlers can begin to be included in some of the shopping decisions so involve your toddler with questions such as “Which of these toys do you think Sophie would like to play with?” This can turn a boring, frustrating experience into a more pleasurable one, for everyone.

* Being surrounded by a crowd of adults can be a really intimidating business to small children, especially when shops are busy so using a backpack can be one way of bringing toddlers up to a height where they are more contented. It can also prevent the common, frightening experience of losing a toddler in a crowd.

A slightly older child can be a great help in shopping, if you approach it all in a spirit of fun and good humour. Ask them to go and get something for you while you supervise them as they love to be helpful and feel part of the shopping trip. Then praise them for their independence and help.

* Avoid the crowds.

Shopping just before dinner, when shops are crowded, and parents and children are tired and hungry, can be very stressful. Try shopping in the morning or early afternoon on weekdays, or move dinner up and shop during the quiet early-evening time between 6 and 7 pm. When you avoid the stress of crowded shops, busy car parks and long check-out lines, you have more energy and patience.

* Be prepared for the challenging check out.

With colourful, enticing sweets and treats on display be ready as these can  throw your little one into a temper tantrum as you are both probably tired out and fed up waiting and they will become demanding and fractious.  Be prepared and bring a favourite healthful snack from home which is an easy alternative to keeping them content.

* If you reach your limit…

If you reach the limit of your patience and energy, try to remain calm, centred and grounded and press your internal “pause button” and dig deep to find your positive ways of handling anger and fatigue. You might try saying, “I’m starting to lose my patience. I think I need a break from shopping for a bit. Let’s go outside for a few minutes so we can both get some fresh air” Even a few moments of fresh air away from the crowds can make a big difference for both of you

* If your children reach their limit…

If, your toddler has simply reached the end of their tether – respect that. Shopping can wait; an exhausted, hungry, or overly-excited child can’t!

Remember that all children behave as well as they are treated. A child who is regularly given your time, undivided attention, patience, and understanding will have more tolerance for a shopping trip – and any other challenging situation – than the child who must face stressful situations without your understanding and  emotional support.

* Look for ways to positively praise your toddler for their good behaviour.

* And remember to make sure you have had enough to eat and drink before you go out to keep your energy up!

* You get what you focus on…………. If you think the shopping trip will be stressful, frustrating and tiring ….. guess what …. it will be….. . so get playful and creative yourself and remember to do this before you go out.

Imagine the trip going really well …. see what you see , hear what you hear and feel how good you feel when the trip has gone really well. Turn the pictures up brighter and bring them closer to you and relax.

Toddlers will pick up on your mood so make sure you’re in a good mood first and they will follow you example.

* Another tip is to remember a time when a shopping trip has gone really well and to go back and remember it in great detail. See the things you did and remember the things you said and how you said them. Remember the frame of mind you were in and remember how you felt and then simply copy what you did that day as it clearly worked!

So now enjoy you can really enjoy retail therapy!

Sue Atkins is a Parenting Expert, Broadcaster, Speaker and Author of the Amazon best selling book “Raising Happy Children for Dummies” one in the famous black and yellow series and the highly acclaimed Parenting Made Easy CDs. She has just launched her 1st Parenting Made Easy app for iPhones and iPads.

JellyboxUK is proud to announce the launch of it’s baby gift box store, offering contemporary baby gifts which can be delivered direct to your loved one all wrapped up in a beautiful keepsake box.

One of our real favourite themed boxes is the gorgeous The Grace Gift Box, which contains a 100% organic cotton long sleeved sleep-suit, matching top knot hat, Strawberry star cotton bib and super soft leather strawberry shoes with suede soles.

Customers can ‘mix and match’ the products to create their own gift box to suit their budget, or for speed simply choose one of the themed gift boxes.

Perfect for people looking to select a gift for a colleague, a relative who lives further afield or the ‘woops…left-shopping-until-the-last-minute’ amongst us, JellyboxUK offers a unique selection of the highest quality contemporary gifts that are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face. And you can rest assured that your gift will arrive promptly, exquisitely packaged the JellyboxUK way.

Why not see for yourself, take a look at our themed gift box selection below, The Little Pony Gift Box, or The Bella Gift Box:

Little Pony Gift Box

Suitable for a little boy or girl, the Pony Gift box includes an organic long sleeve sleep-suit, a soft textured book titled ‘Sir Prance a lot’ and Trotter, the noisy pony. All beautifully delivered in keepsake box with magnetic clasp. £43.93. Suitable from birth.

The Bella Gift Box

100% cotton strawberry baby grow (0-3 months), matching strawberry hat and pink and white lamb rattle. £23.50

JellyboxUK is a family owned business, and prides itself on sourcing quality, practical and contemporary gifts that withstand the rough and tumble of daily baby life. The keepsake box can be re-used to store baby’s first items through his early days, such as photos, books or small toys. JellyboxUK. Let the memory live on.

1. Safety info and instructions: retain and store in a single safe place at home for future use. This also allows you to safely pass toys on to new owners.
2. Small packaging and plastic bags: please keep away from children at all times. These will need to go directly into your bin if they cannot be recycled.
3. Boxes: retain packaging if it doubles up as storage and keep big boxes to tidy away presents over Christmas.
4. Cardboard and moulded pulp: break down for kerbside recycling.
5. Plastic windows: separate from card boxes and pop the cardboard out for recycling.
6. Plan ahead: have separate recycling and rubbish bags ready for the present opening.
7. Wire ties: these cannot be recycled but can be reused by adults, for instance as garden ties.
8. Plastic: blisters/windows marked PET or PETE can be recycled but check your local authority service first online.
9. A tip tip: additional materials can be recycled at municipal recycling facilities and local tips – check local facilities online.
10. Recycle now: for information on what you can recycle in your area visit www.recyclenow.com. This will help you decide which bits of toy packaging to separate out from the others such as cardboard, plain paper, printed wrapping paper, metal and various plastics.

For more info visit: www.mumpreneurshop.com

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS TREAT FOR MUMS AND DADS! WIN Christmas Gifts for your family, your friends and YOU!

www.SupportiveBusinessMums.co.uk has put together a fabulous online Christmas Gift Guide complete with ideal Christmas Gift Ideas for all the family, reviews and recommendations, great small gift business features and best of all… Christmas Gift Give Aways with gifts up to £100 each plus exclusive offers and discount codes! We are featured on here too!

Supportive Business Mums was founded by Ces Loftus, a designer, brand buzz creator and work from home mum. Ces says : “Christmas Shopping can be stressful as well as time consuming and costly. I have put together a great selection of ideal gift ideas, all from small businesses as opposed to the high street and offering some great discounts and special offers too. We have some awesome prizes up for grabs and all you have to do is visit the online features, click through to the sites you are interested in, then comment on the Christmas Guide Blog to say which products are on your Christmas Wish List! You double your chances of winning by sharing the Gift Guide page on twitter and facebook. An early Christmas treat ready to make your life easier and save you some money!”

Do you want to win a gorgeous gift for yourself and have gifts for family and friends sorted too?

Quick, get over to http://www.supportivebusinessmums.co.uk/christmas-gift-guide/ there are so many fabulous gifts including, clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, bath and beauty products, pamper products, candles and homewares, art, personalised gifts, cards and paper, books, novelties, stocking fillers and toys to be won!

If you have a small business selling products suitable for Christmas Gifts and would like a free feature on our guide then contact Ces Loftus by email at ces@creativelyminded.co.uk

NOW GO and WIN yourself something fabulous! Good Luck Everyone!

http://www.supportivebusinessmums.co.uk/christmas-gift-guide/

In return they will list your company on their Christmas page as well as every visitor who downloads your eBook, MP3 or voucher will have a chance to test your products and hopefully come back for more!

Visit Relax Kids  for more details and to enter this fantastic promotional opportunity.

Exhibition details and other marketing opportunities are now available along with very competitive costings.

For more information please contact Katy Taylor or visit  thelondonbabyandtoddlershow.co.uk

For more info visit: http://www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk/