
7 rules for chic, child-friendly decor
A veneer of microplastics lay waste to a handcrafted Moroccan rug. Baskets overflowing with construction vehicles in DayGlo hues obscure meticulously arranged shelves. Skyscrapers created from magnetic tiles tower over occasional side tables. Children and decor are like oil and water — only a pack of wolves could wreak more havoc with your interior design schemes.
The paraphernalia of childhood is, quite simply, not chic. Sure, you can start with pastel-shaded wooden toys and industrially designed playthings, but the primary-coloured polymers are, at some point, coming for you.
After seven years writing about my experiences with my children, I know far better than to tell any other person in service to the next generation what to do. However, if you are feeling that they have
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The Guardian
7 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Kid rotting': why parents are letting their children go wild this summer
Name: Summer kid rotting. Age: The name is new, but long school summer holidays started spreading in the 1840s, thanks to the US educational reformer Horace Mann. Appearance: Laidback and a little messy. What's this Kid Rot then? Does Kid Rock have a brother? No, it's a 2025 way of describing 'letting your kids do nothing in the summer holidays', also known as a 'wild summer'. American parents are fighting back against (or giving up on) expensive, overscheduled summers of camps and activities for their offspring. 'What if, some are daring to wonder, my kid does nothing?' the New York Times reported. A return to the old ways, huh? When I was young, we were sent out with a penknife, a tin of pipe tobacco and a bottle of dandelion and burdock on the day school broke up. It was strongly suggested we should not return home until 1 September. No, you weren't. No, OK, we weren't. We spent six weeks bored out of our minds, watching TV and fighting. We'd have loved expensive, overscheduled summers! Well, some US parents are sick of paying through the nose to keep their kids out of trouble – one interviewed by the NYT spent $40,000 (£30,000) on occupying her three children for eight weeks. Inflation is making summer camps unaffordable for many: a survey found 30% of parents go into debt or defer payments. And while the situation isn't as bad in the UK, it's still a struggle for parents: research last year found UK summer childcare costs £1,000 a kid on average. Ouch! And kids don't even seem to enjoy organised summer stuff much: 'It was a fight every day to get them to go,' one parent told the NYT. 'He cried every single day at drop-off,' a journalist at the Cut said of her son's summer camp. Maybe a bit of boredom isn't so bad. Being bored is being rebranded as the better option for pushy parents. 'I tell them their kid will be more 'ahead' with their own experimentation,' a US educational consultant reassures her anxious clients. But 'their experimentation' will be whatever the algorithm decides – kids will be glued to YouTube, won't they? Yes, screen time is a concern, and if the little darlings manage to enable in-app purchases, your iPad could prove a more expensive babysitter than the fanciest camp. If they're going to be screen rotting all day every day, parents could at least put them to work - give them a bitcoin and a day-trading account and see how much money they can make by September. A bitcoin is currently worth 81 grand – you'd get a lot of fancy summer camps for that. Do say: 'We're having a wild summer.' Don't say: 'Yeah, we're going large at Glasto, microdosing in Mykonos, then an ayahuasca retreat in Peru. What are the kids doing? No idea.'


BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Rotherham families to benefit from £2m support plan
Families in Rotherham are set to benefit from a new £2m plan aimed at improving support for children and parents before problems reach crisis a meeting on Monday, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council's cabinet approved the next phase of its Family Help Strategy, which is part of a national push to offer earlier, more joined-up help to struggling money will be used to bring services like social care, education, health and the police closer together, to try and stop families from falling through the on the transformation will begin immediately, with updates expected in the autumn, the council said. The changes aim to make it easier for families to get the right help at the right time, whether that is support with parenting, mental health, school attendance or other challenges, the Local Democracy Service plan includes the creation of multi-agency teams made up of social workers, education staff, health professionals and others who will work together to offer tailored, practical support before problems escalate. Families will also be more involved in shaping their own support, with a stronger role for extended family networks and a focus on building resilience at the meeting, Victoria Cusworth, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "The funding is targeted at service transformation activity [and] increasing direct delivery of family help."This is about enabling families to access the right help at the right time, and from the right people, reducing the need for statutory intervention and giving children the best possible start in life." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North


Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Popular baby toy sold on Amazon is recalled over ‘serious risk of entrapment' – parents told ‘stop using it immediately'
Anyone who has bought the product needs to "contact the distributor" PARENT ALERT Popular baby toy sold on Amazon is recalled over 'serious risk of entrapment' – parents told 'stop using it immediately' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A POPULAR baby toy has been urgently removed from Amazon over fears that it could present a chocking hazard or cause serious injury. The Office for Product Safety & Standards said parents should stop using the MiniDream Tummy Time Activity Pillow for Babies immediately. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The MiniDream Tummy Time Activity Pillow has been removed from Amazon Credit: Amazon 2 The rounded pillows are designed to support babies when lying on their front Credit: Amazon The rounded pillows, which resemble a travel pillow, are designed to support babies when lying on their front by providing support for their arms and shoulders. MiniDream's model comes with four detachable toys, including a soft plush bunny, a star-shaped silicone teether, a crescent moon and a mirror. The toys on the reversible pillow are attached via small fabric loops. However, the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) found that the loops were big enough for a child's finger to fit in - raising fears of serious finger injuries. More seriously, the product also comes in plastic packaging thicker than is legally allowed, meaning it could be a serious choking risk to a baby. The OPSS found that the product, which is made in China, presented a 'serious' risk of 'entrapment'. The OPSS' s report said: "The product presents a risk of entrapment, as the pillow, pillowcase and detachable moon toy include fabric loops sewn into the side of one of the seams. "The loops are large enough that a young child could easily insert their finger into them and twist, causing injuries. "Additionally, the plastic packaging bag has a thickness lower than the minimum permissible, presenting an asphyxiation hazard. "The product does not meet the requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011." Watch the moment mum's £3 B&M's glass mug EXPLODES two days after she bought it - as she says it 'could've blown up in my face The product retailed for £21.99 but is no longer listed on Amazon's website following its recall. OPSS instructed those who have purchased the toy to stop using the product immediately, and to seek a refund from the point of purchase. Other recent product recalls While the laws around toys are stringent, products still make it to market that present a danger to children. The Nail Art Studio kit, by the brand Girls Creator, is a nail art set that includes nail varnish, a battery-operated nail dryer and a range of nail accessories. However, a warning was issued after a product safety report found a risk of suffocation for children. Another recent example was the Joycat Baby Float, sold on Amazon. The blue and yellow sea-themed swim seat, intended for babies and toddlers, was blocked from entering the country at the border. The float was branded a safety risk after authorities found that its attachable canopy could lift the float from the water in windy conditions, putting children in danger. The report also raised concerns that the float's colours do not provide enough contrast with the water, making it harder to spot in an emergency.