1. Seeing the world through a child’s eyes is a good way for parents to be more aware of the possible danger points and make their home safe. Get down on your hands and knees and look out for low-down hazards and anything that can be opened easily, like the drawers and cupboards in your home office. You will often spot things that you wouldn’t even notice when standing.

2. Electrical sockets are the most obvious dangers as we’re all well aware of how youngsters like to push things, including their fingers, through holes and gaps, so your childproofing should include fitting blank covers into empty sockets and that’s still the case even if your sockets still have on/off switches.

3. Did you know that a baby’s skin is 15 times thinner than an adult? Scalding could result in your baby or toddler being scarred for life. Make sure that you keep all hot drinks away from any edges that are within easy reach of your little one and when you nip off for a coffee break never carry a hot drink and child at the same time.

4. Electrical leads and cords from computer equipment could cause serious injury to your child if they slip or trip over them. Be sure to tuck them away securely or attach them to the skirting boards.

5. Sharp edges such as those on tables, desks and chairs can be a real danger and could cause serious injuries if your child hits their head. A young toddler can also use a table to pull themselves up from seating or a crawling position, so ensure nothing that could harm your child is left on the table.

A baby’s curiosity is what can lead to both minor and serious accidents.  Before you begin to work from home, it’s important to assess your environment and take a few minutes to make it safe both for you and your child. It might take time out of your day but it could save heartache in the long run.

Lindam has created an interactive house to highlight the potential hazards that may be present in the family home and showcase how and where their award-winning safety products can be used. Log on to www.lindam.com and take the virtual tour. You can also find further information and product advice on safeguarding your home.

All Lindam safety products are available to buy at Argos (www.argos.co.uk)

Find out what Lindam is up to for Child Safety Week on Facebook. Search: Lindam UK

For more information on Child Safety Week log on to: www.childsafetyweek.org.

The book looks to address how, “from every angle, our daughters are bombarded by messages about looks and sexuality which they are too young to understand. Even primary school girls feel pressured to conform to a thin, ‘sexy’ ideal, leading to self-destructive behaviour, ranging from eating disorders and self-harm to anxiety and low self-esteem. But while girls are fast-tracked though childhood, parents are being drowned out by the internet, retailers, the media and peer pressure. We are left feeling panicky and helpless.”

The key things to take from the book are in the sections on confidence building and helping your child grow their own (positive) identity. Every mum will find something useful in this book makes you think about the TV your children watch, the toys they play with and their role models, and gives you practical ideas to help your children grow up with a positive self image. Well worth investing in for any mum … or dad!
Where Has My Little Girl Gone?: How to Protect Your Daughter from Growing Up Too Soon can be purchased via Amazon priced at £7.99.

It is National Smile Month so we’ve been working extra hard on tooth brushing at home. J, aged 5, is king of tooth brushing right now, mainly thanks to some samples of Firefly toothbrushes which come with a flashing light timer. It is ideal for teaching little ones how long they need to brush for. Even K, 2, is getting the hang of mummy brushing for a full minute – and we’re working up to 2 minutes as he gets more teeth! At £2.49, they are really worth it. Find them in Lloyds Pharmacy

To be eligible to enter, the business must have been trading for less than three years and be privately owned. The closing date for entries is 03 September 2010 and finalists will be announced early November. For details of how to enter and a full list of categories visit: www.startupsawards.co.uk.

I’ve written about Ecover before: their PR company sent me a trug full of goodies to compare to their chemical counterparts. Well, I haven’t been sent a whole trug full this time: in fact the package they sent through was surprisingly compact – but that’s the whole point of their new concentrated laundry liquids. Because the liquid is concentrated it takes 54% less packaging than the regular Ecover laundry liquid.  This has follow on benefits too as it takes fewer lorries to deliver the goods. I’ve tried the liquid on the last few washes and it is great. I think it smells better than the regular Ecover laundry liquid and is certainly as effective at getting clothes clean. My only issue is that I need to focus more on using the right amount – no more adding a quick slug and hoping! It is only available at Waitrose and Ocado right now, but will certainly make your shopping bag lighter if you can get hold of it.

More green ideas

Do you use eco friendly office stationary? I’ve just had a box of promotional postcards printed on 100% recycled paper from www.alocalprinter.com and I’m pleased how good they look. If you want to move over to green office products, I’ve been in touch with Euroffice in the last couple of weeks and have got a great discount for Family Friendly Working readers. If you use the following link to buy greener office products and stationery you can get 15% off. That’s an added incentive to have an eco-friendly home office. Buy your office supplies here.

Award winning website, Remote Employment, Google’s No 1 job site for flexible and home based jobs, launched The Remote Worker Awards, in association with BT Business, to highlight how home working and remote working benefits the British public and their working life.

Amanda said: “It’s great to have our dining room back!  Being able to keep the house for the family has been an enormous benefit and I love being able to work in the office and watch my children playing in the garden.”

Vivid Green Director, Neil Johnston said: “The design works really well with lots of light from the large windows and glazed door and a good view of the garden and house.  Also, the installation is a good example of the benefit a garden building offers to separate work from home.”

Based in Hertfordshire, Vivid Green installs its timber framed buildings throughout the UK.  Built to housing standards, each one benefits from a high level of insulation, under floor heating and low maintenance materials and components.  The company has a full order book and is now supplying buildings to schools, nurseries and residential centres with the option of rainwater harvesting and renewable energy.

Paula Wynne, Founder of Remote Employment and organiser of the Remote Worker Awards, said: “It’s enlightening to see the wide variety of talented people who embrace flexible working options and as a future employer, Amanda will champion flexible working in The Midlands.”

For more information on the 2010 Remote Worker Awards, browse www.remoteworkerawards.com.

If you’re a freelancer who works at home full time or most of the time, give yourself a pat on the back. You’re doing the planet a great service. By working at home you’re reducing the use of fuels and limiting the amount of pollution generated by modern means of transportation.

However, there is still a lot more you can do to help protect the environment. In this post, we’ll show you ten ways to make your home office more environmentally friendly and an even better place to work.

Let’s start by reviewing the three Rs of eco-friendliness.

The 3Rs of Eco-friendliness

The three Rs of eco-friendliness are:

• § Reduce — Reduce the number of stuff you use and consume, as well as the amount of trash and pollution you produce.
• § Reuse — Reuse whatever you can before tossing it out.
• § Recycle — Participate in your city’s recycling program by segregating your garbage, or further reduce your garbage by recycling things instead of throwing them away.

Now that we’ve reviewed the basic eco-friendly concepts let’s move on to specific tips to help you make your office green. Here are the ten specific ways you can have a greener home office:

1. Use low VOC paint.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are chemicals that cause paint and other materials to have a strong, migraine-inducing odor. However, the smells are only part of the problem. These vapors can also have negative effects on our health, especially when you’re exposed indoors. So make sure to use low- or no-VOC paints for your home office.

2. Rest your feet on natural flooring.

Instead of a carpet, which requires a lot of energy and effort to keep clean, why not use natural tile, wood (more on sustainable wood below), or plain paint on your flooring. If you’re using rugs, look for those made of natural materials, like hemp or bamboo.

At this point I was going to politely send you over to the site itself to read the rest of the article, but, at time of writing it wasn’t working. So, you can try following this link for the original article, or read the rest of the tips below if you can’t get the site to work either. Ooops.

3. Choose “green” lighting.

Use natural light from a window, as much as possible. And, replace all your bulbs with CFL bulbs. Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) use up less energy, last longer, and produce less pollution than incandescent bulbs. They also give a warm, pleasant light.

4. Make sure your office furniture is eco-friendly.

For home office furniture, be creative and shop in thrift stores and garage sales for reusable or recyclable furniture. If you must buy something new, make sure it’s sustainable furniture — made from fast-growing woods, upholstered with organic fabrics, finished with non-toxic chemicals and paints, and locally made. Look for furniture made with wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

5. Be wise with paper.

Home offices use a lot of paper. Reduce the impact of your paper use by buying paper made with 100 percent post-consumer waste, chlorine-free, and FSC certified. That said, use paper only when you need it, and do use both sides of each sheet. By the way, you can even find paper that isn’t made from trees. You may enjoy this list of green and beautiful stationery.

Whichever type of paper you choose, make sure to put it in the recycling bin when you do dispose of it.

6. Be environment-conscious when you print.

Printer manufacturers are becoming eco-conscious as well. For example, you’ll find specific printers from HP, Dell and Samsung that claim to be eco-friendly. In general, you want a printer that’s Energy Star compliant, has a power save mode, and ink save mode. If your printer does duplex printing, then reusing sheets of paper becomes so much easier.

Refill ink cartridges rather than buying new ones. Or, dispose of your printer cartridges through companies that recycle them, such as Waste Farmers. Funding Factory buys used printer cartridges and raises money for non-profits and schools. Ewaste recycles printers and other computer equipment.

7. Be stingy… with energy.

Challenge yourself to keep reducing your electricity bill. This is good for the earth — and your wallet. Use solar-powered gadgets. Invest in smart power strips, which detect when a piece of equipment is not in use and cut power to it automatically. Otherwise, your office equipment keeps sucking up electricity even when you’re not using it.

8. Keep your air clean, fresh, and chemical free.

Add some green to your office, literally, by bringing some plants indoors. Plants absorb toxins in the air and look pretty, to boot. Use a programmable thermostat, set on a low temperature, to regulate your use of the heater in winter. Another winter tip: humidify your air naturally by hanging wet laundry indoors. In warmer months, open your windows and use an electric fan for as long as you can bear it before switching on the air conditioner.

9. Clean your home office naturally.

Cleaning supplies can also bring plenty of VOCs and other harmful toxins into your home office. Fortunately, green cleaning supplies are becoming fashionable and increasingly available. Look for cleaning supplies that don’t contain chlorine and other bleaches and are bio-degradable. Or, learn how to use nature’s cleaners: vinegar, water, baking soda, and borax.

10. If you must leave the house…

It’s inevitable; you’ll have to leave the house sometime. If so, consider walking, biking or taking the bus or subway to your destination instead of automatically reaching for your car keys. And, if a car is in order, find somebody who can carpool with you.

How Green Is Your Home Office?

Going green is a gradual process. If you begin taking baby steps to green your home office now, you’ll soon find yourself wanting to green your entire home and your whole lifestyle. If you’d like to learn more about going green, visit our sister blog, EcoSimply.com.

In the meantime, do tell: how green is your home office?