“Large, relaxed cafe.  Very baby friendly. Plenty of space for prams, plenty of high chairs, toy corner with dolls house and toys, baby changing, toddler toilet, toddler menu. I spent much of my maternity leave in here as it’s probably the best on Gloucester Rd for groups of parents and babies to meet”. Elinor, Bristol

The new Pier at Weston-super-Mare is now open after the fire that destroyed it in 1998. It is a very impressive sight indeed and houses many attractions, though not much for the under 5’s.  If you have older children, the attractions include a crazy fun house, go-karts, dodgems,  and a 4D cinema.

As parents we can’t shield our children from all these things but we can help by separating fact from fiction.  By talking about growing up, relationships and sex, and by being open and honest, we can help children understand an increasingly confusing world. And the good news is that talking about relationships and sex does not encourage children to experiment. Instead it gives them the confidence to delay their first sexual experience and practise safer sex when they’re older.

Top Tips to get you started

NHS Bristol talked to parents in 2009 who asked for top tips, a website and face to face support. All of these are now available and you can find information, advice and resources on the website: www.4ypbristol.co.uk/for-parents

1. Start early: The sooner you start, the easier it will be. It also means that you talk to your children before other people can give them conflicting or confusing information. Even if your child is older, they still appreciate the opportunity to talk. You could use storylines on TV or your own experiences of sex education to introduce the subject.
2. Be open and honest: Children and teenagers get lots of information from their friends, other adults and the media and these messages can be wrong or incomplete. It’s so important that you answer questions truthfully to help separate fact from fiction. If you don’t know the answer, or don’t know how to answer don’t worry. Tell your child you will find out and will talk to them about it when you have found the answer. But you must remember to talk to them as soon as you can.
3. Start the conversation: Try making it an everyday subject to be talked about in the car, over lunch or while washing up. This will help put your child at ease. For example, you could use events, like a family member getting pregnant, as a way to talk about babies and how they are made.
4. Mums or Dads: Mums are often left to ‘do the talk’ but it is important that dads, or a male family member, get involved too. The make-up of families can be very different but male and female role models are important as children form their ideas about women and men from the adults around them.It’s also good to teach girls and boys about each other’s bodies so that there is no mystery around what happens to the opposite sex. For example, boys need to understand periods and girls need to understand wet dreams.
5. Talk about emotions and feelings: It’s really important that you talk about values and emotions with your child rather than just giving medical facts about the body and how it works. This will help them understand good and bad relationships, what’s appropriate behaviour and the importance of love and respect in deciding whether to have sex or not.
6. Always listen: By always listening to what your child is saying or asking, you help them feel good about themselves. By paying them attention, you show them that they are important and that what they have to say is worth listening to. It’s always good to ask your child what they know about a subject to get a better understanding of what they know, or think they know.
7. Talk, talk, talk! It’s good for parents and carers to keep talking openly and honestly about growing up, relationships and sex as their children develop. For young children in particular, it can take a while for the information you give them to make sense so you may have to repeat something a few times before they understand. Also, if the conversation continues throughout their growing up, they’ll be more likely to come to you with questions or problems.
8. Don’t just leave it to schools: It’s easy to expect schools to provide all sex education but it’s not a matter of one or the other. Schools and parents and carers have a vital job to do in ensuring that young people get everything they need to prepare themselves for healthy and fulfilled relationships.It’s a good idea to talk to your child’s school about what they’ll be teaching and when. You can understand what your role at home might be and talk to your child about what they learnt in case they have any questions.
9. Learn more: No one expects you to be an expert. There are lots of resources available to help give you the confidence to talk to your children about the tricky topics of body parts, puberty sexuality, and sex.Check out the resources section of the 4YP NHS website for more advice and help: http://www.4ypbristol.co.uk/for-parents-resources.

Children and young people experience domestic violence, both intentionally as part of a pattern of controlling behaviour, and incidentally, through witnessing or being aware of violence against another family member, or through intervening to protect an abused person. Living in a home where domestic abuse occurs has a profound and negative effect on children’s lives and victims often try extremely hard to stop their children from being hurt by the violence and abuse which they are experiencing. Here are some ideas to help you talk to your child about domestic violence.

Children living with domestic violence feel:

• Powerless: because they can’t stop the violence
• Confused: because it doesn’t make sense
• Angry: because it shouldn’t be happening
• Guilty: because they think they’ve done something wrong
• Sad: because it’s a loss
• Afraid: because they may be hurt, they may lose someone they love, others may find out
• Alone: because they think it’s happening only to them

Ten tips for parenting during and after domestic abuse:

1. Give your child time to talk and listen to them
2. Reassure your child it is not their fault and that abusive behaviour is wrong
3. Keep adult issues to adults
4. Show unconditional love
5. Be clear about what you expect from your children. For example instead of saying ‘stop screaming’, you could say ‘slow down, try telling me what you want to say, I am listening’.
6. Praise good behaviour
7. Focus on the behaviour. Make it clear it is the behaviour you don’t like, not your child
8. Try to keep emotion out of discipline
9. Offer an opportunity for children to make choices. This will encourage your child to problem solve and feel in control of their lives
10. Keep your expectations realistic. Try and put yourself in their shoes and think about what it is they are trying to say by behaving the way they are

Remember: you can be a good role model. Children can learn to survive from watching their non abusive parent manage with difficulties.

It’s a lot scarier for children when no one ever talks to them about the violence.

Where to get help:

 

Most injuries can actually be prevented and many are caused simply by a lack of awareness. For example if you were asked what causes the most cases of serious childhood poisoning you’d probably guess bleach. In fact it is paracetamol!

The German Saturday School Bristol was set up by members of the Bristol German playgroup to support bilingual children in the development of their German language following the guidelines laid down by the Association of German Saturday Schools.

Their main aim is to make children who are brought up with the German language enthusiastic about this language and interested in using it. Therefore they will do their very best to make each and every lesson exciting, stimulating, rewarding and definitely fun. Several groups are offered for children between 3 and 10 years old. (It is important to note that this school is primarily for children who are brought up bilingually and have already acquired a certain level of knowledge of the language, not those who would like to learn German as a foreign language). Classes for adults who want to learn German as a foreign language or practise their existing knowledge are held eight times a term from 10am-12am on Saturday mornings.

Please note that rooms are only rented from the Barton Hill Settlement on Saturday mornings and the school cannot therefore be contacted during the week.

Does your child have a lot of nightmares or seriously disturbed sleep? Have they suffered because of separated or divorced parents? Do they display inappropriate behaviour, or become excessively angry? Or are they excessively shy or nervous?

If your child is experiencing any of the above and this is greatly affecting their life, it may be that Therapeutic Play can help. Parents and carers often worry when a child has a problem that causes them to be sad, disruptive, rebellious, unable to cope or inattentive. You may be concerned about your child’s development, eating or sleeping patterns and how they are getting along with family, friends and at school. Every child is unique and special but sometimes they experience problems with feelings or behaviours that cause disruption to their lives and the lives of those around them. Therapeutic play is a well established discipline based upon a number of psychological theories. The Therapeutic Play Specialist creates a safe, confidential and caring environment which allows the child to play with as few limits as possible but as many as necessary (for safety). In this way, healing can occur on many levels following our natural inner trend towards health.Play operates on impulses from outside our awareness - the unconscious. It is a child’s natural means of communication. Through the sessions, the child is given strategies to cope with difficulties they face in life and which they themselves cannot change. It provides a more positive view of their future life.

A fantastic new aquarium in the centre of Bristol where you will find yourself transported to the ‘underwater gardens’ of the Mediterranean or the beauty of tropical waters - home to everything from seahorses and puffer fish to living corals and tropical sharks.

Other displays at the aquarium reveal the diversity of the aquatic world from the naturally themed mangrove, tropical rainforest and fast-moving river habitats to open-top tanks, caves, wooden walkways and bridges. The centrepiece of the aquarium is the spectacular coral reef housed within a gigantic ocean display. The reef is home to exotic species like angelfish, zebra sharks, black tip reef sharks and hundreds of of other beautiful fish. You can also enjoy the closest of undersea encounters in an underwater walk-through tunnel through the reef, from inside a glass cavern and via a massive acrylic viewing window.

Open Daily from 10am. We close at 5pm Weekdays & 6pm Wknds and School Holidays. Closed on Christmas Day only.

No. 1 The Old Wesley Chapel, Wesley Road, Whitecroft, GL15 4RE.

Charlotte is a Bristol based designer (and mum). Her range includes beautiful and comfortable maternity wear, breastfeeding clothes and essentials. She also has a lovely range of baby and toddler wear, as well as nursery products and gifts. Sold by mail order, via the website or by prior appointment.