If you're someone who experiences sugar cravings you'll know how hard it is to give up the sweet stuff. But you're not alone.

A poll by sugar-free ice cream brand Wheyhey found almost half of us (49 percent ) in the UK are addicted to sweet foods. Of the 2,000 interviewed,  more than three-quarters have tried to quit sugar but only 3 percent have managed to kick sugary treats.

The NHS recommends 30g of added sugar a day, which should account for no more than 5 percent of the calories we consume. However, according to one NHS report, the average Brit eats 700g of sugar a week, or 100g a day. We asked clinical nutritionist Suzie Sawyer and nutritional expert Rob Hobson what causes this addiction and how to put an end to our sugar cravings.

Why do I crave sugar?

Sugar carvings are essentially down to blood sugar balance, or imbalance. If we eat too many sugary, refined foods or have an abundance of stimulants such as caffeine or alcohol, glucose levels in the blood spike. This causes a spike in insulin response to move the glucose out of the bloodstream. And this results in a much lower dip in blood sugar than a normal response. Hence – at the bottom of the curve – more cravings will be felt as well as energy dips. This tricks the brain into believing it needs more, hence those sugar cravings. This is what happens when you eat too much sugar.

'Regions in the brain responsible for pleasure and reward can also play a role in the foods that we crave,' adds Rob Hobson. 'To some degree, we are hard-wired to seek out foods that stimulate feel-good centres in the brain,' he says. 'Mostly those high in sugar and fat.'

Causes of sugar cravings

As well as blood sugar, hormones can play a part in why we crave sugary foods. 'While it’s not quite clear why some teenage girls crave carbohydrate foods (such as those high in sugar) during certain times during their menstrual cycle it may be due to a drop in the happy hormone serotonin,' says Rob. 'Carbohydrates help with the uptake of an amino acid into the brain which is used to make serotonin,' he explains.

'Microbiome imbalance can also impact on sugar cravings, as many of the opportunistic (potentially bad) bacteria in our gut feed on sugar, which enables them to multiply, resulting in dysbiosis (imbalance) in our gut microbiome,' says Adrienne Benjamin, nutritionist for ProVen Probiotics. 'This can lead to a positive feedback loop where the more sugar we eat, the more of these bacteria are present in our gut and the more we crave sugar to feed them,' she says.

Then there is tiredness and fatigue, which can cause us to seek energy-boosting foods that will provide us with a quick fix. 'Lack of sleep can affect our internal body clock, which affects the hormones that regulate appetite (ghrelin and leptin). This makes it more difficult to resist cravings,' says Adrienne.

'Feeling tired also dampens your mood, leaving you less motivated to eat well,' adds Rob. 'This could have you reaching for comfort foods. However, this effect only lasts for a short while. And it can leave you feeling worse once the initial rush wears off,' he warns.

Our mental health may spark sugar cravings, too. 'Cravings are often linked to our emotions. In times of stress or low mood we're more prone to seek out foods that offer comfort,' says Rob.' This might be because we associate these foods with happy memories and nostalgia. Plus, the stress hormone cortisol can increase appetite and your motivation to eat,' he explains.

Further culprits for your sugar cravings include 'not eating enough calories, habit – such as that chocolate bar every day or eating as soon as you arrive home after work – and seeking reward,' says Adrienne. 'Also, eating imbalanced meals that include too much carbohydrate compared with protein and/or fat. And eating too many salty processed foods triggers sugar cravings as a rebound response to high salt levels,' she adds. So, if you want to reduce sugar cravings, reducing the salt in your diet is also key.

How do you stop sugar cravings?

'The key to reducing sugar cravings is understanding what's triggering them and to focus on balancing blood sugar to manage physical cravings,' says Adrienne. 'Eat fruit with fat or protein to reduce the impact on blood sugar, plus whole nutrient-dense foods to replace processed and sugar-laden food.' Nutrient-dense foods include fruit, veg, wholegrains, eggs and oily fish such as salmon and sardines.

Another effective way to stop sugar cravings is 'to eat plenty of protein at each meal,' advises Suzie. 'Eat eggs, meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, fish, beans or high-protein grains such as quinoa. When we eat protein, it stimulates the opposing hormone to insulin (glucagon) thereby balancing blood sugar response and reducing cravings,' she explains. 'Whenever you feel sugar cravings coming on, reach for a protein snack such as some nuts or seeds. Or an oatcake with hummus, cottage cheese or nut butter, or some natural yoghurt,' recommends Suzie. 'It’s amazing how quickly urges dissipate and tastebuds adapt.'

If chocolate is your weakness a little bit of what you fancy can actually ease your sugar cravings. But it must be the right sort. 'Eating small portions of "healthier" dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) can help if you're craving chocolate, as this contains both magnesium and antioxidants,' says Adrienne.

'Another thing you may want to consider is taking chromium,' suggests Rob. 'This mineral helps to regulate blood sugar levels. Some people find that it helps them get a better grip on sugar cravings,' he says. Try Healthspan Chromium (£14.95 for 360 tablets). One more supplement worth trying is a probiotic. 'A probiotic can help balance your gut and support digestion and absorption of nutrients from food,' says Adrienne. Try ProVen Probiotics Four Pillars of Nutrition (£21.95 for a 30-day supply).

Now you know what may be causing your sugar cravings, find out how to quit sugar easily and painlessly, take a look at some of these healthy sugar substitutes that will get you consuming less refined sugar, or follow our sugar-free diet plan.

A low sodium diet could be life-saving for people with conditions like high blood pressure.

The low sodium diet is recommended for people with heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney disease. While sodium is a mineral that can be found naturally in many everyday foods, it is also a main element of salt, which is made of sodium and chloride. Although some of the sodium in our daily diet comes from our natural food sources and table salt, the main source of hidden salts are processed products, takeaway food and meals in cafes and restaurants.

If you are someone who has high blood pressure, kidney disease or is at risk of heart disease, adapting to a low sodium diet can have drastic results on your health. Studies have shown that a low sodium diet has been proven to lower blood pressure. Registered nutritionist Katharine Jenner says: “The biggest benefit is keeping your blood pressure from rising to dangerously high levels, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks. However small everyday benefits you might see are less bloating, fewer headaches and being less dehydrated.”

What is the low sodium diet?

A low sodium diet limits the amount of sodium, or salt, you eat. While some sodium is important for the body - it helps to maintain the balance of water and minerals - too much of it can lead to issues like increased blood pressure. This in turn increases your risk of heart disease or a stroke.

According to the World Health Organisation, most people consume on average 9 to 12g of salt per day. This is around twice the recommended daily allowance, as the NHS recommends it should be no more than 6g, around one teaspoon.

While some of the sodium in our diet comes from natural food sources or the table salt we use, the majority of it comes from pre-packaged or processed foods. It's also usually high in the meals we order in cafes and restaurants. This is because it is used for flavourings, as a binding agent and as a preservative.

So if you’re looking to follow a low sodium diet, the best way to do so is to reduce your intake of processed food as much as possible.

Katharine Jenner, who is the director of Action on Salt, says: "A low sodium, or salt, diet is an approach to lower blood pressure, bloating and headaches, and involves avoiding foods with high salt. These include packaged foods where salt is added, like sauces, ready meals and crisps and where salt is used in the manufacturing process like bacon, sausages and cheese.”

One of the main problems is that some food labels list salt and others sodium, meaning you have to keep an eye out for both. Bear in mind, however, that salt is equal to two and a half times the same amount of sodium. So if a label only has sodium listed, work out the amount of salt by multiplying it by two and a half. For example, 1.2g sodium is equal to 3g salt.

What’s the difference between low salt and low sodium?

The terms 'low salt' and 'low sodium' are often used interchangeably. This is because salt is made of the minerals sodium and chloride. So anyone following a low salt or low sodium diet will be following the same plan.

Registered dietician Katharine Jenner explains: "Salt is made of sodium and chloride. So theoretically, ‘low salt’ is just 'low sodium chloride’. The term 'low sodium’ can actually be used for anything low in sodium, so sodium bicarb or sodium nitrate for example. However, in reality in the UK, food manufacturers extrapolate ‘salt’ from ‘sodium’. So, they are the same - except in the case of ‘low sodium table salt’, which has much of the sodium replaced with potassium chloride. So ‘low sodium’ is a much more logical name."

Also bear in mind - that sodium is what’s found in our food, especially in processed foods, while salt is what we add to our food. There are also different types of salt…

• Table salt – stripped of its minerals to give it that fine texture. Additives may also be added to prevent clumping.
• Sea salt – harvested from evaporated seawater. Sea salt contains minerals such as zinc, potassium, and iron, giving it a more complex taste.
• Rock salt – chunkier in size compared to table salt. Often used to preserve meat.

What are the benefits of a low sodium diet?

• 1. Lowers blood pressure - Research by the Royal College of Physicians has shown that high blood pressure is the biggest risk factor for global disease because it can lead to heart disease and strokes.The good news is, that following a low salt diet can have pretty fast results in reducing your blood pressure. >This 2019 study found even a modest reduction in salt intake over a prolonged period led to a fall in blood pressure.
• 2. Slows kidney disease - One of the roles of the kidneys is to remove excess sodium from your body. So people with kidney disease have to be particularly careful about the amount of salt they eat. Although researchers agree that more work is needed in this area, this JASN study found that restricting sodium should be encouraged in patients with chronic kidney disease in order to reduce its progression.
• 3. Reduces bloating - Diets that are high in salt can also lead to bloating. This is because it encourages your body to hold onto fluids you eat and drink. In a 2019 medical trial 412 participants were put on a high-fibre, DASH or low-fibre or Western diet. On their assigned diet, participants then ate three sodium levels, low, medium or high, in 30-day periods, with 5-day breaks between each period. Researchers found that regardless of the diet, a high sodium intake increased the risk of bloating.
• 4. Fewer headaches - Patients with high blood pressure may also find that they suffer from headaches. Although medics aren't sure of the exact cause, research suggests it's likely to be because higher salt levels cause the blood vessels in the head to expand.Research has found that by lowering blood pressure, patients may experience fewer headaches as an added bonus. A 2016 study by Johns Hopkins University of 975 men and women aged 60-80 for example, found that a reduced sodium intake (although recommended for blood pressure control) had the added benefit of reducing headaches.
• 5. Reduces dehydration - Studies have shown that having a higher intake of salt can lead to dehydration. In this study which looked at young adults’ drinking habits, researchers found that although participants with a higher salt intake drank more than those with a lower salt intake, they still had lower hydration levels. It recommended reducing the consumption of salt among young adults.

Low sodium foods

• Fruits – Apples, bananas, oranges, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, figs, pomegranates, passion fruit, kiwis, avocados
• Vegetables – Potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, sweet potatoes, peas, sweetcorn, beans
• Meat - Beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck
• Fish - Salmon, tuna, cod, haddock, plaice, seabass, white fish
• Shellfish – Prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, scallops
• Wholegrains – Wholegrain bread, brown rice, couscous, buckwheat, quinoa, bulgar wheat, whole oats
• Legumes (with no added salt) – Beans, lentils, chickpeas
• Dairy - Milk, low salt cheese, yoghurt, unsalted margarine/butter, cream, ice cream
• Eggs
• Nuts (unsalted) - Cashews, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pistachios, etc
• Seeds – Pumpkin, chia, sunflower, poppy, sesame, etc

Try to buy fresh, unprocessed food where possible. When buying tinned food look for products that have no added salt.

High sodium foods to avoid

• Fast food and takeaways - Burger, fries, pizzas, fried chicken, curries
• Snacks - Crisps, tortillas, salted and dry-roasted nuts, crackers, olives, pickles
• Pre-packaged meals - Pizzas, pasta
• Processed meat - Bacon, sausages, ham, salami, chorizo
• Salty fish - Anchovies, smoked fish, salt fish, prawns
• Canned food - Vegetables, beans, pulses, soup
• Sauces - Pasta sauces, salad dressings, ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, yeast extract
• Gravy and stock cubes

When thinking about high sodium foods to avoid, the best place to start is with processed and pre-packaged food. This is where the majority of salt in our diet comes from. Also, it is worth being aware of 'hidden' salt in canned goods and sauces.

How to lower your sodium intake

While it may feel daunting at first to have to reduce the salt in your salt diet, there are plenty of easy tips for lowering your sodium intake. These range from checking the packaging of the food you buy in the supermarket, to thinking carefully about the choices you make when ordering dinner in a restaurant. Cooking from scratch and finding different ways to season food can also help.

Katharine says: “About 75 per cent of the salt that we eat comes in the packaged foods that we buy, and in the meals we order out of the home in cafes and restaurants or via deliveries. So rather than just stopping adding salt to your food when cooking, you really have to look at choosing less salty options from those on the menu and on the shelves.”

• 1. Read food labels - It sounds obvious, but always check the nutrition labels on the packaging of the food. In the UK there is a helpful traffic light system, where foods which are high in salt will be red and low in salt will be green. Compare labels for products you buy regularly and try to make healthier swaps where possible.
• 2. Download the FoodSwitch app - Action on Salt has a free app called FoodSwitch UK – which tells you how much salt is in your packaged food and offers you less salty alternatives.
• 3. Don’t automatically add salt - The NHS recommends tasting your food first, whether you’re cooking yourself or eating out. Often people add salt out of habit when it is not actually needed.
• 4. Find different ways to season your food - There are plenty of other tasty ways to season your food, rather than using salt. Use black pepper on fish, fresh herbs in pasta and ginger and chilli in stir frys.
• 5. Avoid added salt in tinned foodWhen you are buying tinned food, such as beans or vegetables, opt for those without added salt. Once you’ve added them to the meal you are preparing you won’t notice the difference.
• 6. Cut back on the fast food - While we all love the odd fast food treat, there’s no denying that they are usually packed with salt. Try to reduce the amount you eat and if you do order one look for healthy alternatives, such as a salad rather than fries.
• 7. Eat less processed meat - Processed meat is often high in salt, as it is used for flavouring and preserving. Try to cut back on the number of sausages, burgers, salami and chorizo you eat. If you do buy bacon, opt for reduced-salt unsmoked back bacon.
• 8. Check the menu for healthier options - Food in restaurants and takeaways often have high levels of salt. Think carefully about the toppings, sauces and sides you order, which can all add up. For example, on a pizza opt for vegetable or chicken toppings, rather than pepperoni or bacon and for a Chinese or Indian meal choose plain rice which has less salt than pilau or egg fried rice.
• 9. Go easy on the sauce - Lots of sauces and salad dressings have high salt content so check the labels on products like mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and soy sauce. Try making your own salad dressings at home or ask for them to be served on the side of your meal at a restaurant.
• 10. Adapt the English breakfast - Try to make the traditional English breakfast healthier by opting for poached egg or mushrooms on toast. If you do have meat, choose bacon or sausage, rather than both.
• 11. Choose healthy snacks - Crisps and salted nuts are so easy to snack on, but also quickly ramp up your daily salt intake. Try replacing them with unsalted nuts or crackers or chopped up vegetables like carrots and peppers.

How long does it take to reduce sodium levels?

It doesn’t actually take very long to reduce sodium levels and people who follow a low sodium diet often see a reduction in their blood pressure within a matter of weeks. The amount by which it lowers will be dependent on a number of factors, including how much salt you previously consumed in your diet and how much you have reduced your salt intake by.

This review of 33 studies lasting five weeks or longer found that in people aged 50-59, who had a reduction in daily sodium intake of around 3g of salt would, after a few weeks, lower systolic blood pressure (the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats) by an average of 5 millimetres of mercury (mmHg)> and by 7 mmHg in those with high blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure (which measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats) was lowered by about half as much. The review also estimated that a reduction in salt intake by a whole Western population of this kind would reduce the incidence of stroke by 22% and of ischaemic heart disease by 16 per cent.

Registered dietician Katharine Jenner says: “You can do this instantly, and you can see the effects very quickly. Blood pressure can be reduced within weeks. Your taste buds take a bit of time to adjust to less salt if you do it too quickly, but they will – so give them time. Much as if you slowly reduce the amount of sugar added to your tea, after a couple of weeks you won’t enjoy tea with sugar in it anymore.”

Low sodium diet: a nutritionist’s verdict

Katharine told us: “If you have raised or high blood pressure, a low sodium diet could literally be a lifesaver. Low sodium diets might seem a bit specific to others, but moving away from high salt diets means you are more likely to have less processed and takeaway foods. This means your diet is likely to be richer in more nutritious ingredients and that can only be a good thing. As with all diets, it is small and lasting changes that you can stick to that make a difference. So give it a go and see if you can make it stick. I used to have a high salt diet, without realising it, and now I can finally appreciate what real food is meant to taste like – and it’s delicious!”

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Getting enough iron in foods is crucial, but how do you figure out how much is on your plate?

Iron is a mineral that plays lots of different roles in the body, from maintaining a healthy immune system to transporting oxygen around the body. If you’re not getting enough foods high in iron, you might feel tired and low in energy. According to dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton, iron is vital for many parts of a healthy, functioning body. She told GoodtoKnow, "Iron is an essential component of haemoglobin, which is the carrier for oxygen in our blood. Iron also supports muscle function, immune function and cognitive function. Low iron levels can lead to breathlessness, fatigue, poor concentration and a higher risk of picking up colds and infections. "

Iron deficiency can also put you at risk of anaemia, which can cause brittle nails, hair loss, heart palpitations, skin irritation, sores and ulcers.

How much iron do I need?

Women aged 19-50 should aim to get 14.8mg of iron a day from foods high in iron – more if they’re pregnant. Dr Carrie explained, "Women have higher requirements than men as we lose some iron each month as a consequence of the menstrual cycle." Adult men and women over 50 need 8.7mg a day. It’s also important for kids to get enough iron as they grow. Young infants need 1.7mg a day, while adolescents need between 11.3mg a day (for boys) and 14.8mg a day (for girls).

Dr Carrie explained that often women and girls are deficient in the essential mineral. "Around one in ten women & teenage girls have iron deficiency while 10-24% have low iron stores. More than half of teenage girls and almost a third of women aged 19-64 years don’t get enough iron in their diet," she said. So it's important to check that you, and your teens, are getting enough.

How much iron is there in foods?

Don’t worry – it’s easy to meet your target if you include enough foods high in iron in your daily diet. Just make sure you throw some of these iron-rich foods into your trolley on your next weekly shop. Many of us typically associate red meat as a food high in iron, however there's plenty of options for veggies and vegans as well.

• Liver - It might not be to everyone’s taste, but liver is one of the best sources of iron around – a 100g serving of beef liver contains 6.5mg of iron, which is almost half of your recommended daily intake. Other organ meats like kidneys, brain and heart are also good sources of iron in foods.
• Fish - Shellfish like clams, oysters and mussels can be extremely rich sources of iron in foods – a 100g serving of clams may contain up to 28mg of iron – that’s almost twice your recommended daily intake! Other types of fish also contain iron – tinned tuna has 1mg of iron per 100g, while boiled prawns provide 1.1mg per 100g.
• Red meat - The type of iron found in meat and animal products is called heme iron. Heme iron is easier for the body to absorb than non-heme iron, which is the kind found in plant-based foods. This means that red meat is a rich, bioavailable source of foods high in iron. 100g of beef rump steak contains 3.6mg of iron per 100g.

Sources of iron for vegetarians and vegans

But what if you're vegan or vegetarian? Dr Carrie told us, "Red meat and other animal/fish products are the best source of iron by a mile so, if you don’t eat these foods, you’ll need to take extra care to source alternatives, or you could consider taking a daily iron or combined multi-mineral supplement."

She added, "For vegetarians, eggs are a good choice - they contain around 1g of iron per serving (recommended is 14g per day). Vegans and vegetarians can also eat plenty of beans, pulses and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale – having a glass of pure orange juice with your main meal will boost absorption."

• Quinoa - A single cup of cooked quinoa contains 2.8mg of iron – that’s more than you’ll find in 100g of beef mince! Pairing vegetarian high-iron foods with foods high in vitamin C like red peppers, sweet potatoes and tomatoes can help to boost iron absorption.
• Spinach - Dark green leafy vegetables are another good option for those looking for vegan foods high in iron. 100g of boiled spinach provides 1.6mg of non-heme iron. Broccoli is another iron-rich vegetable, providing 1mg of iron per 100g serving. It’s also high in vitamin C, which can help the body to absorb non-heme iron.
• Beans and lentils - Legumes are another great source of iron for people who follow a plant-based diet. One cup of cooked lentils provides 6.6mg of iron – more than a third of your daily requirement. Chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans and even baked beans are also good sources of iron in foods, containing up to 2mg of iron per 100g. And, don’t forget about tofu. Made from soya beans, this plant-based superfood typically packs more iron than the average serving of red meat.
• Dried fruit, nuts and seeds - A handful of dried fruit, nuts and seeds makes a great high-iron snack. Figs contain 3.9mg of iron per 100g, while hazelnuts pack 3.2mg and sesame seeds provide 10.4mg – that’s more than you’d find in the same amount of beef liver.
• Oats - A cup of cooked oats contains around 3.4mg of iron, making your daily bowl of porridge bowl a great start to your day when it comes to hitting your daily target. Top with a handful of chopped dried fruit, nuts and seeds or a spoonful of peanut butter for an added iron boost.

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More women are getting pregnant in their 40s, empowered by changes to traditional timelines and advances in fertility treatment. According to the Office For National Statistics, there are now twice as many women giving birth past their 30s as there are those having children as teenagers, in England and Wales.

While the path may not be as straightforward for those in their 40s, experts emphasise that it is still very possible to have a safe and healthy pregnancy at this age. What’s more, from greater stability to better knowledge, there are many advantages to mothering a newborn at a later stage.

But what’s it really like to welcome a child in this decade? We’ve spoken to five women about their firsthand experiences of conceiving, carrying and giving birth to a little one at this stage of life, and what they wish they’d known before embarking on their journey.

‘Try not to let the constant talk of being “high risk” worry you’

Jasmine Headley, 44, PR agency director based in Leeds

I had my first son, Milo, when I was 35. I had always wanted two children, but getting pregnant again in my 30s just didn’t happen for us, despite trying. I’d finally started to come to peace with having just one - processing a lot of guilt about him not having a sibling - when, in early January 2022, I found out I was pregnant with Jude. It was a massive surprise, because I was in my 40s by this point, although a very happy one. In fact, he was actually due on my 42nd birthday, but arrived ten days early.

Looking back, I’m really lucky that - while it took a long time - I got pregnant naturally in my 40s. I know this doesn’t happen for a lot of people, and there’s a lot of disappointment every time you discover you’re not pregnant. Both the times I’ve fallen pregnant have been when I’ve stopped trying. So my advice to other women would be to try and relax as much as you can. Although, that’s easier said than done!

Also, when it comes to pregnancy in your 40s, try not to let all the talk of being “high risk” worry you. It was mentioned every time I saw a midwife or doctor, and can be quite hard to deal with - especially if you’re already a bit of a worrier. I was put under consultant care, and had extra appointments with them alongside my usual midwife ones. Doctors also asked me to take aspirin every day.

After my first scan and blood tests, I was also told that the chance of my baby having Down’s syndrome was one in 85, because of my age. Eventually, the results came back showing that he didn’t have it, but it was a really stressful time. I had a c-section - which I had asked for due to having a bad birth with my first son - and it was a brilliant experience.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m in my 40s, or if it’s because Jude is my second child, but I’ve definitely felt more relaxed and confident parenting this time round. I’ve also completely gone with my instinct and not followed all the ever-changing advice about every aspect of parenting, which has felt really freeing. On top of this, given that I’d wanted a second for so long, he really does feel like a little miracle and I count my blessings every day.

However, I’m definitely more tired this time round, which I do think is to do with age. It can also be a bit lonely at times, since all your close friends’ kids tend to be older. When I had Milo, there was always someone to go to baby classes with and to talk to about early motherhood, along with other little ones for him to socialise with. I haven’t had that as much this time round, although I’ve been lucky enough to meet a couple of brilliant mum friends and reconnect with some old ones.

‘You know what is important in your 40s - and when saying “no” is best’

Judy Bartkowiak, 68, child and teen therapist based in Berkshire

I was in a different headspace with each of my four children. Looking back, with my first, I was nervous and easily influenced by medics and friends, with no confidence to use my own intuition. When my second and third children arrived, I was much more relaxed. By the time I was about to give birth to my fourth child at 44, a son called Paul, I knew I wanted a home birth. It was wonderful and I think as a family we really benefited from being together. Although the other kids - then aged eight, 11 and 12 years - complained about my screaming and said they had to turn the TV up!

Pregnancy and giving birth definitely felt easier in my 40s. This was partly because it’s a familiar process for your body, and mentally and emotionally you’re already prepared. Being older, you know how to pace yourself and can easily decide what is important and what isn’t - including when to say “no” and having boundaries. You also don’t bother about being the “perfect” mum because you know that's nonsense.

Parenting a newborn was likewise more of a doddle in my 40s. I was more mature in many ways. My career was well established, so I wasn’t worried about the whole work-life balance thing. As a couple, my partner and I knew how to work really well as a team. The older children were also pretty self-reliant, getting their own breakfast and doing their homework, if I was busy with the baby. Fortunately, as parents we stayed very fit and healthy, so as a family we still enjoyed doing lots of sporty hobbies with the kids.

I’ve noticed that, having had a baby in our 40s, we are much “younger” in our thinking than our friends of the same age. I think having a 24-year-old around in your 60s is a great way to stay connected to young people and be challenged when we say daft “old people” stuff. To other women about to welcome a newborn in this decade, I’d urge you to trust your intuition, know your values, but be open to rethinking your views, be prepared to feel a failure - which goes with motherhood of any age - and maintain existing friendships as well as embrace new ones.

‘I decided to pursue motherhood solo when I turned 40 single’

Emma Halliday, 43, empowerment coach based in West Yorkshire

As I was approaching 35, I felt that the 'proverbial clock' was ticking, and I recalled reading an article some years before about women who used donor sperm from a facility in Denmark to become mothers. Their story came flooding back and I made a promise to myself that if I got to 40 and was still single, then I would do that too. As that time approached, I made the move back to my hometown, prepared family and friends for my decision, and spoke with a fertility clinic. I decided to enjoy my 40th birthday with a big party and then started down the path of becoming a solo mum by choice.

I was told with no sugar-coating by my fertility consultant that I had a 13% to 17% chance the IVF would work the first time. We had discussed having three rounds as that would bring it to around 45% success, but I was very fortunate that it worked the first time. Sadly, there are a number of women I know who had to go through more rounds or were not successful at all, and I would recommend those hoping to become mothers one day to book in a ‘fertility MOT’.

In November 2022, I welcomed my son aged 41. My pregnancy had been smooth - no sickness, barely any fatigue and no weird cravings. I was also advised to take aspirin each day, which is recommended for women over a certain age. The one thing that did bug me slightly was being pushed to have an induction, because of my age and due to my son going past his due date. I kept declining until I finally agreed on a date, and he came the day before.

I've certainly got my sh*t together now I'm older and got things like clubbing out of my system. Although I am still a lover of festivals, adventure and travelling, and hope to expose my son to that as much as possible one day. I have more money now than I did when I was younger, which is important as nursery fees do sting. I would also say I am calmer because I've worked on myself a lot, and I feel like the parenting judgement out there doesn’t affect me like I think it would have if I was younger.

As I am a solo mum by choice, there were a lot of struggles I had anticipated. For instance, only having one income, not having as much free time and having to do all the child admin on my own. What I didn't anticipate was the “I'm an older mum maths”: when he starts university I'll be 59, if he has kids when he's 30 I'll be 71, what if something happens to me because of my age?

Above all, I am so glad I have my child - who is about to turn two - and that I gave birth when I did. In my early 30s I wouldn't have been ready for a child, and I know a lot of women who have had their first or additional children in their 40s - so it doesn't feel weird to me. I’ve also created a life that works best for me - working full-time, studying part-time and launching my business as an empowerment coach, so that I have the flexibility needed to be a solo parent.

‘I’m a better parent in this decade than I would have been in my 30s’

Em Tweedie, 45, personal trainer based in Wokingham

I never wanted children in my 20s or 30s - but I’d been with my husband for 20 years when he told me he really wanted a family. I’d just turned 42 at this point, and also finally felt ready to have a child, and so we tried to get pregnant. After six months of trying, we decided to go down the IVF route, because time was of the essence as I approached 43.

We took an IVF multi-cycle programme with Access Fertility which gave us two fresh cycles and unlimited frozen cycles. The first two fresh cycles failed, and we discovered that I had cervical stenosis, a condition that meant my cervix closed after every period and which may have made it hard for me to get pregnant, even in my 20s or 30s. But we had two frozen embryos left and the first of those two was successful. Our son arrived a month before I turned 45.

My advice to other women regarding fertility at this age would be to try not to leave it too late if you do want to have children. I was naive about how significantly your chances are reduced once you’re in your 40s. However, I’m convinced that a healthy lifestyle - including sensible eating and good fitness levels - makes everything easier when it comes to conceiving and coping with nine months of pregnancy. I had an elective c-section and recovered quickly.

I believe I was treated differently compared to women giving birth before their 40s - but only in a positive way. I was closely monitored by a consultant at the hospital and had extra scans to check everything was okay with the baby. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at about 34 weeks, despite having a very healthy lifestyle, which was purely as a result of my age.

Having a child in my 40s has, in my opinion, also made me a better parent. Financially, we’re in a better position, which reduces a lot of stress and means I don’t have to work as many hours as I would if I was younger - allowing me to spend extra time with my son. I also believe I’m a more relaxed mum for being older too. Now he’s 21 months, it feels like the best decision I ever made, and I’m so glad my husband twisted my arm.

‘After years of feeling not good enough, I was in awe of my body’

Charlotte Gooch, 48, businesswoman based in London

I had always wanted children from an early age. My sister married her childhood boyfriend in her late 20s, and went on to have two children in her early 30s - both of whom I adore. Throughout my own 20s and 30s, I was enjoying a very successful career working in London and spending time in New York, and I just assumed I would eventually fulfill the ‘traditional fairytale’ of finding the ‘right man’ to settle down with and have kids.

However, I had an idea in my head that if I hadn’t found someone right by the age of 40 to start a family with, then I would try to have a baby on my own. In early 2015, I started doing some research and attended some seminars at the London Women’s Clinic, and also had a ‘fertility MOT’ to understand more about my options for becoming a single mother. I was told that while physically I was fine, my ovarian egg reserve was low, that it was likely IVF would be the best route and that I should ‘get a move on’ if I wanted to do it.

In tandem to this, I was reviewing my fitness routine, and joined Ultimate Performance London City in May 2015. I was clear with my trainer Dominik Szweda that I wanted to get strong and healthy in preparation for beginning IVF. I gave up alcohol, improved my nutrition and started a weight-based training programme. After a year, my muscle mass was up, my weight was down by 15kg and I felt great. In 2016 - just after my 40th birthday - I discussed my plans with my family and decided to go for it.

People don’t speak much about IVF, but it's a huge emotional and physical commitment. I used donor sperm from the London Sperm Bank, and selected a tall, sporty, music-loving lawyer. He included in his profile his belief that everyone should have a child if they wished. When it came to my egg retrieval - which I had gone to alone - I only got two eggs. It felt devastating, particularly because the woman in the next cubicle got 20 and I could hear her celebrating with her partner.

However, that one egg was fertilised and implanted, and a pregnancy test two weeks later revealed I was pregnant. I trained throughout this time, which went smoothly. My obstetrician advised me to have a c-section at 37 weeks, and my son was born in January 2017. I recovered well and six weeks later I was back at the gym, which I credit to having trained before and during pregnancy.

It’s a cliché, but knowledge is power, and I’d encourage other women to not only find out about their own fertility, but to ask themselves what they really want from life. If you truly want a baby, don’t wait for the right man or time. Another reflection I’ve had is how often I was reminded by healthcare professionals that I was 40 - I get that age is a factor in the process, but at a certain point it felt unhelpful and stigmatising. As though it was my fault for “leaving it too late” or being too career-focused to find a partner.

I tried to add to my family with four more rounds of IVF during lockdown, when I was 44, all of which were sadly unsuccessful. The failure to give my son a sibling still hurts me. Further still, being a mum is hard work - and doing it independently is even harder - while working full time and trying to stay healthy.

However, I feel super positive about giving birth in my 40s. I loved being pregnant - after years of stressing over my body not being good enough, I’m now frankly in awe of it. I was financially secure and established in my career to be able to create flexible opportunities for myself, and I also had the confidence and knowledge to better advocate for myself, which I don’t think I would have been able to do in my 30s.

Your 40s is an exciting time of life, in which you can enjoy the confidence gained in previous decades and enjoy the fruits of challenges overcome in previous decades - whether career or family. However, with your diary likely balancing many things, it is also important to be aware of your health at this age.

That’s because recent research by Stanford University has shown that humans dramatically age in two bursts - the first being aged 44. This stage, the scientists suggested, correlated with a spike in certain health issues. For women, in particular, this is a decade when physiological changes mean certain conditions are more likely.

“As women enter their 40s, ageing can accelerate - particularly due to hormones,” says GP Dr Asia Ahmed. “The onset of perimenopause, which typically begins during this decade, leads to fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone levels.” Which can have an impact on everything from skin elasticity to bone density and cardiovascular health.

To break it down for you, we’ve called on leading doctors to share their expert insight on what women might expect when it comes to factors impacting their mental and physical wellbeing during this time. If you are concerned about any aspect of your health, it is important to speak to a healthcare professional.

Additionally, make sure to follow the latest NHS guidance - including going for your routine Health Check, available from the age of 40 - and take steps to look after your body, such as diet and exercise. “Adopting healthy lifestyle habits and seeking medical advice will help manage these changes effectively,” adds Dr Ahmed.

How does ageing accelerate in your 40s?

1. Skin ageing can speed up

“As we age our skin starts to lose its collagen, which accelerates for women in our mid to late-40s,” explains Dr Leah Totton, a medical and cosmetic doctor. “Collagen is a crucial protein that acts as the building block for your skin, giving it firmness and elasticity, and is responsible for keeping your skin smooth and plump. The most significant dip in collagen level comes around the fifth year of menopause when it drops by 30%.”

Dr Totton continues: “The decline in collagen leads to common signs of ageing - such as wrinkles, fine lines and sagging skin. The main areas which sag include the cheeks, corners of the mouth, jowls and jawline.” As such, she recommends wearing a high-factor SPF daily sunscreen for your face to prevent premature ageing, avoiding smoking and speaking to a specialist doctor for personalised advice.

2. Hair may feel different

“Hair thinning is linked to hormonal changes for women, which begin in perimenopause,” notes Dr Tunc Tiryaki, founder of the London Regenerative Institute. “Oestrogen supports hair growth and follicle health, so as levels decline during this time, hair may grow more slowly and become thinner. The ratio of the male hormones called androgens, to oestrogen, increases - which contributes to hair loss or thinning, especially along the top of the scalp.” This is called female-pattern baldness.

What’s more, Dr Tiryaki points out: “Additionally, hair turns grey as melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing the pigment in the hair called melanin, become less active. This process is largely influenced by genetic factors, but accelerates with age as the number of active melanocytes declines.”

3. There’s a risk of weight gain

Women in their 40s may experience a slowed metabolism. “As women age, their basal metabolic rate (BMR) decreases,” says Dr Tiryaki. “Muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat even at rest, begins to decline naturally. As this decreases, fewer calories are needed to maintain basic bodily functions, which can contribute to weight gain.”

This may also lead to other shifts. “Hormonal changes, particularly the decline in oestrogen, alter fat distribution in the body,” continues Dr Tiryaki. “Fat tends to accumulate more in the abdomen and around internal organs - called visceral fat - rather than in the hips and thighs. This increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions like insulin resistance, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels.”

4. Hormonal fluctuations are likely

“Most women in their 40s experience perimenopausal symptoms,” says Dr Louise Newson, a GP and menopause specialist. “Perimenopause is the time when periods usually change - which can be heavier or lighter, or more or less frequent, The hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels fluctuate and decline, with symptoms including low mood, memory problems, anxiety, muscle and joint pains, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, hot flushes and fatigue.”

Dr Newson continues: “It’s important for women to recognise these symptoms early and seek the right treatment. For instance, taking the right dose and type of hormones - called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - improves symptoms as well as future health.” Indeed, hormonal imbalances can increase the risk of conditions such as osteoporosis, diabetes, dementia and cardiovascular disease.

5. Look after your bone health

“Bone density decreases as women age, especially during perimenopause and menopause,” explains Dr Tiryaki. “The decline in oestrogen, which plays a crucial role in maintaining bone health, accelerates bone resorption - the process by which bone tissue is broken down.” This loss of bone density, he notes, can be especially apparent with a loss of definition in the face, including the temples, cheekbones, eye sockets and jawline.

However, it can happen throughout the body. “Women in their 40s are at higher risk of developing osteopenia - the name for early-stage bone loss - and later osteoporosis if proper care isn’t taken,” adds Dr Tiryaki. “Strength training, as well as getting enough calcium and vitamin D, can help mitigate this.”

6. Take note of brain function

“We wouldn't necessarily expect a decline in cognitive health in a woman's 40s, and any change in cognitive function and memory should be investigated,” says Dr Adam Staten, a GP and clinical director at One Day Tests. “This could be caused by thyroid disease, deficiencies in certain nutrients or may represent the 'brain fog' that some women experience during perimenopause.

“Stress, depression and anxiety are also common causes of apparent cognitive problems in younger people.” If you are struggling with things like concentration, decision-making and memory, it is important to speak to your doctor. A healthy lifestyle - such as diet and movement - can also have a protective effect for the brain.

7. Heart health issues may arise

“There aren't any inevitable heart problems that develop in a woman's 40s but it is often around this age that lifestyle factors begin to take effect,” notes Dr Staten. “People are often first diagnosed with high blood pressure in their 40s. While it is common for it to rise as we age and high blood pressure can run in families, when it occurs in this decade it is often contributed to by lifestyle factors - such as a high salt intake, a sedentary life and being overweight.

“Ischemic heart disease is also not very common in women of this age, but might be present in those who have a strong family history of heart disease at a young age or who have a history of smoking.” Additionally, Dr Ahmed - a digital clinician at Medichecks - points out that menopause where oestrogen levels fall - can likewise raise the risk of cardiovascular issues in women.

8. Your smile may change in appearance

“Teeth are likely to change as we age, and in some cases, people’s jaw shapes can alter over time which can cause the teeth to become more crowded,” says Dr Nyree Whitley, a dentist and chief clinical officer at mydentist.

“Similarly, you may find that your enamel can get worn down as you get older, causing tooth sensitivity, which may be due to chewing, grinding your teeth or drinking acidic drinks over the years.” It is important to maintain good oral health - including regular tooth-brushing and flossing - and speak to your dentist to receive tailored advice.

9. Be aware of your vision and hearing

“Hearing problems do not usually develop in this age group unless there is a history of a lot of noise exposure over the years, for example people who work in very noisy environments or have spent a lot of time in nightclubs or concerts,” notes Dr Staten. If you are concerned, you should speak to your doctor for personalised advice.

Dr Staten continues: “Vision problems can also begin at this age as the lens of the eye loses some of its elasticity, so it is usually between the ages of 40 and 60 that people start to need reading glasses.” You should speak to an optician if you are concerned about changes in your sight, so it can be addressed as early as possible.

10. Sleep patterns may change

“When it comes to sleep quality, it’s common that women in their 40s will notice this declining with age,” says Dr Ahmed. “This is because hormonal changes during perimenopause can lead to insomnia and fragmented sleep.” Studies show that sleep efficiency decreases by about 3% per decade in adults over 40, and unfortunately women are usually affected more.

Dr Staten adds: “Much of it is due to the fact that this is often a very busy and stressful time in life. Women of this age are often balancing a career and family, and may also by this point have responsibilities for caring for their own ageing parents. All these things can disrupt sleep and sleep is a habit - once you fall out of the habit of good sleep, it can be difficult to regain it.”

11. Having a baby becomes trickier

Women wanting to become mothers for the first time, or again, in their 40s may need to consider a range of routes. “Fertility often declines in the 40s as the quality and number of eggs diminish,” notes Dr Newson. “Ovulation becomes less consistent, and women may find it more difficult to conceive.”

Dr Newson points out: “Although pregnancy may still be possible, the chances decrease significantly during this decade, and the risk of complications rises. Women trying to conceive at this stage should consult a healthcare provider about fertility options​."

12. Mental health may suffer

“A woman’s wellbeing in her 40s can be negatively impacted by hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause,” notes Dr Newson. “Declining hormone levels can be associated with mood disturbances - including anxiety, depression, and irritability. Many women also experience brain fog, memory issues and difficulty concentrating. These changes can affect daily life and work performance.

“Addressing mental health symptoms through lifestyle changes, support networks and treatments - including HRT - can help. It's important to remember that antidepressants won't improve your symptoms if they're caused by a drop in hormones - if you suspect you could be perimenopausal or menopausal, make sure to discuss this with your doctor.”

We spoke to the following experts

Puberty and menopause are two huge health milestones, where our bodies go through some of the most challenging and significant changes. These transitions mark the beginning and the end of our reproductive cycles and for most people can be something of a hormonal roller coaster. To add in a bit of extra stress, in many households, teenagers and their mums will be going through these changes at the same time.

Women usually start the shift to perimenopause during their mid-to late 40s and then reach menopause a few years later. The NHS says the average age for puberty to start in girls is 11 and age 12 for boys. If you had your children in your 30s, as many women in the UK do, this means a decade or so later, hormones could be raging among a large proportion of your household.

Mood swings, anxiety and low self-esteem, plus the bodily changes associated with both puberty and menopause, mean that while both the child and parent are going through similar issues, they might struggle to support each other. We spoke to some mums to find out their tips for coping with this complex time in their lives.

Coping when menopause and puberty clash

1. Communicate

Puberty is a time when teenagers can be notoriously reluctant to communicate. If you combine this with peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms like mood swings and anxiety then it can cause resentment and anger to build, on both sides. As with all challenging times as a parent, sitting down to have a rational and honest conversation will help avoid conflict.

Mum Emily Beckloff says: “My daughter started her periods just after mine stopped, which, quite irrationally, made me feel very old and sad.” Beckloff’s experience is really common, but speaking to your child about these feelings will hopefully help them understand what you’re going through.

Menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson says there are ways to avoid tense times at home: “Open communication is crucial here. By discussing what you're both going through, you can foster mutual understanding and patience. Explain that while hormones might be causing emotional ups and downs for both of you, it’s important to remain respectful and supportive.”

Beckloff says this is something she did: “Our teens are unusually lovely, and I’ve always made keeping communication open a priority, which I think helps all of us. For me I’ve really welcomed the opportunity to talk with our teens about how to deal with annoying situations or behaviour in a kind and empathetic way.”

2. Laugh about it

We know pubescent teenagers can be quite sensitive, especially when it comes to things like spots, hair growth or otherwise, but keeping things light will help everyone.

Beckloff says keeping a sense of humour really helped her and her family: “They've been really understanding and patient, even though they get frustrated listening to me repeat myself. In between moments of exasperation, we’ve had some good laughs about my hot flashes, ridiculous choice of words (because I can’t remember the word I’m looking for), and my obsession with having a portable fan in every corner of the house!”

3. Share how you’re feeling

As we said above, you and your child will probably be experiencing similar symptoms so why not talk to each other about it? Dr Newson says: “Acknowledging that you’re both in challenging phases of life can bring you closer together. Also talking together about ways of seeking help and treatment may be useful.”

Mum of three, Lucy Baker, who blogs as Geriatric Mum, says, while getting to grips with her symptoms has been tough, it has also been nice to go through it with her teenage daughter. “I can read the signs in her so clearly so I know what she needs and when. I feel more in tune with her than I ever have, which is actually quite beautiful. I am not sure she would describe it as that, but I feel like our moods match and so we know how to look after each other,” she says.

Dr Newson says it’s important teenagers know about menopause, especially as it was something of a taboo subject for many women growing up in the 1970s and 80s. “We now openly talk about menopause and hormones which really helps and have conversations with each other and more importantly with their friends and other people. My older two daughters, who are 21 and 20, are constantly talking to their friends’ mothers about the important role of hormones and often educating them about how safe and effective HRT is,” she says.

4. Accept it’s not going to be easy

Many of us are used to trying to put a brave face on things when life is so busy. But it’s important to accept that this is going to be a tough stage of your life. Baker says it took her some time to work out what was happening to her body and it affected her relationship with her kids.

“I have, at times, lost my sense of humour and my usually relaxed, carefree attitude to life and this comes at a cost,” she says. “I have stormed out of the house, driven to a local place and sat in the car and cried in the past, and my daughter brings that up occasionally. I clearly remember once being in the car and having a tete-a-tete with my eldest and telling her to get out of the and driving off! I look back with a sense of humour now at how quickly I lost my temper (it was done safely btw) but at the time, I was full of anger and I actually couldn’t cope. I was taking everything personally and feeling like her typical teen behaviour was too much to bear.”

Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley says telling your kids what you’re struggling with really helps. “When I’ve had a menopausal moment, I own it and my kids understand that they need to take on some of the remembering responsibilities, that they can’t always rely on me! This has really not helped them become much more responsible, but taken the pressure off me, too and it is definitely something that I recommend to other mums, who struggle with the yukky brain fog and memory loss,” she says.

Share your feelings and struggles with your partner and friends. There will be times when it will feel overwhelming so having a good support network around you is important.

5. Look after yourself

This follows on from the point above. It is not going to be an easy time so it’s important you look after yourself mentally and physcially - and to have some space from your teenager. This could mean carving out time every week to exercise or do something just for you, or going out with your partner or friends. Speak to your GP about the treatment options open to you so you can manage your symptoms, and tell your work if you need time off or to make changes to the way you work.

Mum of two and menopause trainer and therapist Louisa Hussey went through early menopause at age 37. She has a 13-year-old stepson and seven-year-old daughter, who was born via an egg donor. She says: “We as working mums are knackered from trying to do everything, and society dictates we must. However, I reject all of that - take something off your plate, cross off half of your to-do list and take time away from everyone regularly!”

Ketley agrees that time away from your family can be really beneficial: “This really helps when your tween or teen is hormonal. It helps you have more empathy for them, while reducing those hormonal clashes with each other. I think it’s good to make your tween/teen aware if you’re having a particularly bad day, as most will have some level of understanding, as they are going through similar.”

6. Embrace the changes

Menopause is no walk in the park but seeing the positive side to finishing your periods and moving into the next phase of life is something a lot of the mums we spoke to believed was important. Baker says: “The main thing I want to share here is it has helped me to understand myself and work on my understanding of life and being a woman and a mother. I love to talk and share and I work hard on making sure my children, and the people around me know it is ok to talk – no matter how bad or ridiculous you think something is. This process has made me a better, more grounded person and a better talker.”

Hussey says one of the positives for her “is that it's forced me to choose an easy life. I don't argue over homework at all. If they put up a fight, then that's that. I am not prepared to argue or battle anything that will exhaust me. So I guess I'm a pretty chilled parent now!”

Speak to your GP if you’re worried about any of your symptoms or want to discuss treatment options. You can also seek advice through The Menopause Charity or Menopause Matters.

We spoke to the following experts

Joolz, one of the fastest-growing premium stroller brands in the world known for its oh-so-stylish yet functional designs, is launching its latest masterpiece - the Joolz Hub² today - and I got my hands on one of the very first models, hot off the production line.

Joolz developed this new urban pushchair - which launches officially on 1st October - with the input of 5,000 parents and designed it specifically for modern, city-living families who need a compact yet versatile buggy.

It’s been a while since I was in the market for either a newborn pram or a lightweight travel stroller, but I’ve just had the pleasure of getting an early look at the brand-new Joolz Hub², and if you’re an urban parent, I think you'll fall head-over-heels for this one. Having got my hands on one of the very first review models of the Joolz Hub², I can honestly say it's one of the best pushchairs I've laid eyes on in ages, for a few key reasons.

Firstly, at just 9kg, it's incredibly lightweight and therefore easy to manoeuvre which, as any parent knows, is high on the list of must-have features in the perfect pram or pushchair. Secondly, the lie-flat seat is suitable from birth so you're good to go with this from day one, plus the ventilated cot can actually be used for overnight sleeping, so you won't even need to pack a travel cot with you when you're visiting the grandparents or enjoying a family getaway.

I'm usually a bit sceptical when a brand tells me they've designed the perfect pushchair but in this case, I think it's a fair claim. The Joolz Hub² is a solid choice for any parent looking for comfort and convenience in a pram from the newborn stage through to toddlerhood. It ticks all the boxes for parents looking for comfort and convenience in one stylish package.

The Hub² had me at hello - or at least the moment I unboxed it, in mere seconds by the way - thanks to its compact and stylish design. At just 52cm wide, it’s a dream for navigating narrow shop aisles, weaving through crowds, and nipping in and out of tight spaces. I can already see how it will make popping in and out of cafés and shops so much more manageable – it's been parked in my tiny office for almost a week now and navigating my way around it has been no hassle. It glides wherever you want it to with just the lightest one-handed touch on the handlebar, without you having to make any serious effort. It also feels incredibly light when you’re pushing it, which is a huge plus when you’re daunted by the thought of leaving the house with a new baby and all the stuff that has to come with you. The pram is one thing that won't weight you down.

Here are 5 reasons why I love the new Joolz Hub² pushchair

You really can control it with one hand

What really sets the Hub² apart is its amazing one-handed manoeuvrability. I took it for a quick spin and was blown away by how nimble it was. Whether you’re squeezing through narrow aisles or navigating crowded streets, this stroller handles like a dream. You can steer it with one hand, which leaves the other free for important things like holding your coffee or chatting on the phone. And thanks to the 4-wheel suspension, the ride is super smooth – even over bumpy pavements. It’s not just you who’ll appreciate that; your little one will have a much gentler ride, too.

It's as comfy as can be

Joolz hasn’t held back when it comes to keeping your baby comfy. From birth, you’ve got the option of a spacious, ventilated cot that’s safe for overnight sleeping. It’s lined with fabric that feels lovely and soft, and the mattress is breathable, so you relax knowing your newborn is as snug as can be. And, as your baby grows, you can switch to the reclinable padded seat, which is not only incredibly supportive but can also be used in both parent-facing and world-facing positions. I love how easily you can swap between the two if – great if your little one suddenly wants to gaze up at you or take in more of the world around them. The seat also lies flat, so it’s perfect for naps on the go, and with the adjustable leg rest, it grows with your child up to 4 years or 22kg.

It's made for unpredictable weather

The extendable canopy on the Joolz Hub² is water-repellent and offers UPF 50+ protection, making it ideal for shielding your baby from the elements - essential when the weather can be so unpredictable. There’s even closable ventilation to help keep your baby cool on warmer days, and with the canopy fully extended, your little one is nestled in a cocoon-like space that feels wonderfully protective - perfect for autumn days and winter weather.

It's effortless to fold

One of my favourite features is how easy it is to fold. You can collapse the Joolz Hub² with a simple one-handed move - you really can, I've tested that thoroughly - and it stands upright on its own, which is super handy if you'll be storing it in a tiny hallway when it's not in use. It’s fairly easy to carry, too, thanks to an integrated shoulder strap, which could be helpful when you’re out and about on public transport or dashing up a flight of stairs.

The parent-friendly design

Joolz obviously considered the needs of parents as much as babies when they designed the Hub² because the adjustable handlebar is a standout feature, with four different height positions for the perfect fit, and it's sooo easy to adjust. The 20L basket is a decent size too – there’s room for a change bag plus a small bag of grocery shopping so you don't need to worry about lugging extra bags around with you.

And finally...

If you’re constantly nipping between nursery, playdates and trips to the shops, the Joolz Hub² is likely to be right up your street. From its light and compact design to the fact it's so easy to steer with one hand - and even easier to fold - everything about this makes it a dream to use in a busy, urban setting.

After getting my hands on it, I can honestly say the Joolz Hub² delivers on all fronts. So if you’re a city slicker looking for a stylish pushchair that's suitable from birth and which makes travelling with a little one that little bit less stressful, get your order in for a Joolz Hub² quick-smart.

Related features:

• Joolz Aer stroller review
• The Babyzen YoYo stroller is loved by celebs
• Molly Mae Hague opts for the iCandy Peach 7 pram - and we approve

Video of the week:

Even the happy shrieks of my child make me want to beg for quiet. Psychotherapist and mum of three, Anna Mathur, talks about noise sensitivity in parenting and explains why it's totally 'normal'.

My kids are playing in the garden, running, shouting, squealing. And instead of a feeling of warmth and gratitude at the happy noises of my kids, my body is tensing and I’m having to stop myself asking for quiet. I feel a wave of shaming guilt. ‘You’re a mum. They’re your kids. You should be happy they’re playing nicely’. This feeling isn’t rare for me. The riding of a hot wheels car over a radiator vent find me wanting to beg for silence. And don’t even start me on the noise of meltdowns, fighting in the backseat of the car, or the squeaky playing of a whistle given in a party bag. If this resonates in any way, you’re not alone.

So, as a Psychotherapist, I did what I always do. I applied my understanding of Psychology to my own experience hoping that I might have some insight that will help others. Read on to find out why you feel like this along with ten quick tips to help ease the feeling.

What is noise sensitivity in parenting?

It's when you feel overwhelmed by the every day - or out-of-the-ordinary - noises that being around children means. It's feeling sensitive to the steady stream of questions, their humming, laughing, whinging or singing.
When I shared a poll on social media about whether others experienced noise sensitivity out of the 2,363 respondents, 2,295 people related. So, we can conclude, that noise sensitivity is common and is not a statement of a lack of love, tolerance or gratitude for your child.

Side note: If you experience this type of sensitivity all the time, you might have misophonia - abnormally strong reactions to everyday sounds that may usually go unnoticed. Noise sensitivity can also be a sensory symptom of autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. If this is the case, this article will help, but in addition, you may need a referral to an ear specialist to explore any physiological causes, and to discuss a care plan with your healthcare practitioner/Doctor which may include CBT or other therapies.

When is noise sensitivity likely to occur?

Noise sensitivity signals that nervous system is feeling overwhelmed, or you’re depleted in some way. Therefore your brain is struggling to determine what noise is ‘safe’ or ‘threatening’. It might be that you are experiencing an overwhelming level of sensory input, and your brain and body are craving space and quiet as the antidote, but either those things aren’t available, or you are continuing to overload yourself with noise and information by choice (constant music playing a scrolling). You may find you are more sensitive to noise when:

• You’re experiencing hormonal shifts such as PMS, perimenopause or menopause
• Sleep quality is reduced by drinking alcohol, sleep deprivation, insomnia, unsettled kids!
• You have increased levels of stress hormones
• You are feeling overwhelmed
• You are feeling run down or unwell

Basically, the crux of the matter is that you haven’t morphed into a raging, intolerant, unloving person, you’re just feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated and therefore your brain is registering new stimulus as threatening and triggering the nervous system stress response further, finding you wanting to fight or flee. Knowing this fact is so pivotal. When we stop getting frustrated with ourselves, and find some clarity, we are freed up to do things that help.

What can I do to reduce noise sensitivity?

Well, as we know, the main antidote to overwhelm is rest, refuelling, recovery, re-grounding. The opportunities are few and far between, often needing to be planned or negotiated. It may well be that the things that will help increase your capacity to process the noises around you are the very things that are tricky to find in early motherhood – space, rest and quiet! But don’t fear, I have some tips for you that will help regardless as to whether you can access these things in the moment or not.

First and foremost, it is vital that you find some compassion for yourself. When you lurch into self-criticism and self-talk that sounds like ‘you should be more patient’, then you’re less likely to seek supportive tools and resources that will help give your nervous system what it needs to feel safer and less triggered. My book ‘Raising a Happier Mother’ is packed with ways to address the overwhelm that comes with parenting, that don’t include stepping away from it.

I know it’s hard to prioritize rest and space when you are constantly in demand, but think about how you might make this happen for yourself, even if it’s in a small way. Noise sensitivity over your usual tolerance level shows that your body is in a state of overwhelm and stress.

Here are some small ways to refuel:

1. Close your eyes for ten minutes to gift yourself some sensory deprivation.
2. Listen to a guided meditation or some calming music.
3. Give yourself some tech-free time each day.
4. Take a quick (or long) walk round the block, alone if possible.
5. Verbalize your feelings to someone, even if they can’t help.
6. Go to bed early and read instead of scrolling.
7. Use a single earplug, or Loop earplugs.
8. Breathe mindfully. Inhale for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 6.
9. Cut out alcohol and lessen caffeine to nurture your nervous system and increase quality of rest.
10. Offer yourself kindness. These moments of overwhelm are physiological and not about love!

So, next time you find your body bracing at the noise around you, firstly remember that it’s not reflective of who you are or how you love, but most likely a symptom of depletion or overwhelm. Softening the guilt and shame will allow you to find a small (or large) way to meet the depletion or overwhelm. You’re not a bad mum, you’re a tired one.

📱 @earsurgeonjoe to learn more about your 👂 health

📺 The Overwhelm and Burnout sofa session on my website

🎤 The Therapy Edit podcast episode ‘On why the loud parenting chaos feels stressful’

If you liked this then check out Anna's other great, and insightful articles. The most recent on mum rage will make you feel seen, and the 5 most common grandparenting fails will make you realise it's not just you. Plus her heartaching piece on regretting motherhood shares five brilliant ways to respond to that feeling.

Your child refusing to go to school could be connected to intense emotions rather than being decision-based, which means getting them to school isn't as simple as some might think, right?

I’m Carly, Social Media Editor for GoodtoKnow, and a Mum of 3. This year I made a heart-breaking decision to deregister my eldest from secondary school, only six months after starting.

The reason? Emotional Based School Avoidance, or EBSA for short. Education expert Dr Britto wrote an EBSA article for us earlier this year, she shared how most parents want to see their children skipping into school, so they can ultimately get through life and be happy, but that when a child is clearly struggling with going in each day, it can leave the adults at a loss with what to do to help.

I felt this deeply; there are just so many layers to EBSA, some of which I still don’t fully know how to peel off and address. Mostly due to associated stigma, unhelpful comments from other parents, a sense of grief about what should have been, and frustrations with a system that isn’t equipped to help parents of EBSA children to the extent it needs to.

Why was my teen avoiding school?

According to the government statistics published in March 2024, 20.3% of children in the UK are reported to be persistently absent from school. It would be easy to think it’s because of lockdowns, or that parenting has become ‘soft’ (a judgement I have inadvertently experienced), yet in reality, as the world becomes more aware, it’s because we are finally listening to what our children need.

And once you realise, there’s no going back or carrying on regardless – no matter how easy others make it sound. This is my experience with Emotional Based School Avoidance…

My eldest has always been quite the solitary child, even in reception. She would happily sit on her own during break times, something which would continue throughout her primary school years. Fast forward to around year 4/ 5 however, and the masking she was no doubt hiding began to surface. Angry outbursts for one, mostly after school had finished, and something completely new yet equally – if not more – difficult to manage; school ‘refusal’. Or, a more apt description, school avoidance.

PE seemed to be the main trigger, then along came mandatory swimming lessons and it reached a whole new level. If I managed to talk her into taking the journey to school, I soon learned that it did not necessarily lead to school attendance success. There were still two hurdles to get over, and either one could topple the mission at any time;

1) Getting her out of the car, or 2) - if stage 1 was a success – getting her into the school itself, both of which often resulted in my daughter back in the car being driven back to her safe space i.e home.

No matter how much communication was had with the school, and how many ‘adaptations’ (I say this term loosely) were made – the school’s hands still ended up being tied as swimming was “part of the curriculum”. Even if them saying she had to go swimming resulted in school avoidance, it was still a non-negotiable. Until a doctor's note was obtained stating that she was not to go swimming, proving that parents can still hold power when needed.

This helped, although there was still avoidance on some days. We made it to the end of primary school, with the usual leavers’ tears shed by myself and my daughter, yet - with them – there was a sense of hope that the next chapter would be different.

Which lasted a whole four days from the day she started year 7, leading to two weeks of avoidance, then several weeks back in due to having external support finally in place. This had been a fight in itself after the school declared that ‘all year 7’s struggle in the first week’ when I raised serious SEN concerns just 2 days in, plus they would not initially add her to the SEN register due to her ASD being undiagnosed (yet very much present); with a diagnosis not being possible due to her primary school declaring that no struggles existed after they first referred (you couldn’t write it, oh ha I just did).

Secondary school finally made adjustments the best they could; fast forward by several weeks when the external support ended however, and she was off again. Despite school trying various, ineffective techniques such as telling us to “‘just get her in”- something which seemed to work until she became inconsolable once there, yet school were pushing for myself and her dad to leave (we didn’t, she was taken home).

As frustrated as her dad and I felt, it became clear that this was not just refusal; it was a cry for help. She had gone from a school of just 100 pupils, to a school of 1000, and it was too much. The noise, the hustle and bustle, the sensory demands, the social expectations, plus the overwhelm of homework which ‘could not’ be reduced. An extra frustration in this is that my daughter is extremely clever- classed as ‘hyper-intelligent’ by a professor during an assessment, yet the volume and pressure led to avoidance.

Pointers and questions to consider if you are experiencing EBSA:

1. If your child refuses school, it will more than likely go much deeper than others may suggest. While there is a long way to got before the support that’s needed is in place, it’s still worthwhile getting support via your GP and your child’s school who will need to refer
   
2. If you know other parents whose child avoids school, how can you support them (without any judgement)? A listening ear, a cuppa and/ or a hug might be just what they need. Trust me, they will need all three more than you think.

We are now attempting part-time homeschooling, along with tutoring in core subjects, while we navigate a more long-term solution.

It’s felt like an impossible situation, but the more I learn about EBSA- and the more parents I speak to who experience it - the more I understand we are not alone, and that we are simply doing the best for our children. The pay off? I no longer have to watch my firstborn walk into school looking defeated and broken. If EBSA affects your child, and you as a parent as a result, you are not alone 💚

We have lots more school content, check out Teachers reveal the best ways to get your children back-to-school ready – and why you should never pack their bags for them and Confessions from parents about what they’re most looking forward to once the kids go back to school as well as tips for how to support your child on A-level exam results day, we've got it all covered.

With the line between home and the workplace becoming increasingly blurred, is it time we finally ditch the idea of work-life balance and focus on something more realistic?

At a time when three in four mums with dependent children are working in the UK, striving for work-life balance feels like a massive group project that we’re all trying to score top marks on.

Despite the harsh reality of matrescence (the process of becoming a mother) proving otherwise, the idea that we can achieve work-life balance is still bandied about like it’s an easily achievable goal.

Add term time breaks to the mix and you could find yourself pushed to the brink, attempting to suppress a fit of mum rage while desperately trying to stay on top of the school holiday hustle. Though let’s hope not.

It’s no wonder 60% of working mums said they’d prefer to work fewer hours in favour of spending more time with their children. Or that 249,124 mothers with children aged four or under have left the workforce because of a lack of childcare support from their employer.

It’s about time we slow our pace and let go of the idea of work-life balance for good. Instead, we’re looking at how the work-life juggle can help us to live a little more meaningfully, one day at a time.

The work/life balance myth

Cambridge Dictionary defines work-life balance as ‘the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy’. With working women typically taking on most of the cleaning and childcare responsibilities in the home, the idea of work-life balance is often attached to mums by default.

This likely dates back to the 1980s when it’s thought the term was first coined, however, life for working mums looks very different today than it did in decades past. “Work-life balance is harder to maintain than ever, because work hours look very different to how they did a generation ago where you’d leave your computer at work,” says Anna Mathur, a psychotherapist, mum of three and bestselling author.

“We didn't have mobiles. Things were so much more boundaried between work and home, so there was a real stepping away from work. Now, with the flexibility that digital life offers us, the boundaries are so blurred. And unless we have a lot of discipline — which is really hard to do when you're tired, overwhelmed and stressed — it's so much harder to hold boundaries.”

Even with a set of rigid protocols in place, circumstances outside your control can easily burst your work-life bubble, leaving you with no recourse to a convenient solution. Mum of two, Zoe, learned this the hard way when she moved back home to Edinburgh from London.

“One thing we’ve found surprising is that we can’t get our oldest into an after-school club. There’s just no availability which means we have to work around it. If my husband can pick her up at 3pm then he has to do a couple of hours of work after the kids go to sleep, which takes away the possibility of having an evening.”

What needs to change and how

We all live unique lives, meaning there’s no one size fits all solution, and the answer will differ depending on who you ask. Remember when we spoke about aiming for the work-life juggle over work-life balance? Kelly Taylor, a working mum of two who you may know on social media as Kids and the Commute suggests mentally overhauling the idea of ‘balance’ to better suit the needs of yourself and your family.

“When we think about balance, we think about some kind of 50/50 split. I don't think that exists, or at least I've never experienced it. For me, every day is different — sometimes it's more work focused, and other times it's more parent focused.

“You have to be honest with yourself about what you're taking on and also what you are physically capable of doing. I know that a lot of times when I got burnt out, it was directly connected to times when I was trying to be everything to everyone all at the time, and you simply can't. You've got to pick a lane which I know isn't always a popular opinion.”

Anna suggests that one of the first crucial steps is to stand firm on the dos and don’ts that will help you get the most out of your day. “Where are your boundaries?,’ she asks. “Are you just ploughing them down all the time, despite the fact you said you weren't going to check emails after 5pm? It’s always worth reassessing and addressing this, because that's what helps you reassert boundaries and also evaluate your relationships. You might start to notice, ‘Actually I'm quite lonely and I’m not seeing friends as much anymore’.

“Another important thing to remember is that how you start your morning really sets the tone for the day. If you’re waking up, rolling over and checking your emails, your head is then at work. So every time you do something work related, imagine that you're literally stepping into an office, because that is what is happening mentally, regardless of where you are physically.”

For mum of two Michelle, being strict with boundaries has been transformational in allowing her to manage the juggle. “I try to make sure that when I’m home with the kids my laptop is off. If I have work to do then I’ll wait until they go to sleep. If I’m working from home with them I’ll set activities for them and take regular breaks during the day. Sometimes it means taking a two-hour lunch instead of one hour and then maybe making the time up later. My manager is very chill and understanding!”

No doubt it’ll take time for you to ease into a routine that works for you and your family, so while you’re figuring things out remember to give yourself some grace. The chances are you’ve got too much on your plate, and you’re trying your best to figure it out, which is something that so many mums can relate to.

“Way too much is asked of us all of the time, and it doesn't mean that if you're finding it hard at the beginning you will always find it hard,” says Kelly. “You've got to take the pressure off yourself and be realistic about what you're able to do in that particular moment."

The early years of motherhood can feel the hardest, remember you're not alone if you hate playing with your kid, struggle with toy rotation or if you don't want mum friends.... you do you. And know that no matter your choices or style, we promise you're not alone in it.

We recently got our hands on this year's festive must-have for footie fans; the Match Attax 24/25 Advent Calendar. It's safe to say our 11-year-old tester (and a total baller) was absolutely thrilled. 

From the moment the Match Attax 24/25 Advent Calendar arrived, she couldn’t hide her excitement, immediately declaring it her “product of the year” among the many toys she’s had the chance to review during 2024. High praise indeed!

What's inside the caldendar?

As our tester opened the calendar, her face lit up at the sight of each of the 120 Match Attax cards tucked inside, including 24 festive Squadzone cards featuring stars like Joshua Kimmich, Randal Kolo Muani, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the legendary Fernando Torres. We let her dive straight in as she was reviewing this rather than using it to count down the days until Christmas, and she was eager to see who she would discover behind each door. Opening each door was like a mini treasure hunt, and her excitement only grew with every new card she revealed.

There's also a daily quiz

One of the standout features is the exclusive Gold Edge card guaranteed to be included, which had her buzzing with anticipation. Alongside that, there’s a fun daily quiz that keeps the excitement going beyond just collecting the cards. Our tester loved the chance to test her football knowledge while unwrapping her daily surprise, saying, "I love the quizzes when you have to try and guess the player." The unpredictability of what each day's door would bring definitely added an extra thrill.

The card selection is cool

What our tester particularly loved about this calendar is how it brings together two of her passions: football and card collecting. “Football cards are my favourite hobby apart from playing football,” she remarked, and she appreciated the fresh idea of an advent calendar entirely dedicated to her favourite pastime. “It’s really exciting because you don’t know what you’re going to get, and you get such good cards.”

We got a rare card

The highlight for her was pulling a Lionel Messi Hall of Fame card, which she had only ever seen on YouTube. “Let me see how much it’s worth!” she exclaimed, already envisioning the playground conversations that would follow. “If I keep it for longer, it could be worth more,” she mused, as her thoughts visibly turned to showing off her prized card to her friends.

Is it worth the price?

Overall, our tester found the card selection to be excellent, noting, “You get cards you really want.” Priced at around £30, she felt the Match Attax 24/25 Advent Calendar was worth every penny, especially with the guaranteed Gold Edge Messi card and the fact that this is an advent calendar that could truly keep you occupied every day in December. “Imagine opening new cards every single day!” she remarked. Plus, if you happen to pull a really good card, you could easily earn back the price of the calendar, making it a smart investment for any budding young card collector.

The anticipation of not knowing when the best cards would come only added to the fun. “One of the first cards I opened was the best—Hall of Fame. I always wanted that card, and they’re new this season. I’ve only ever seen YouTubers get them!”

Who's going to love it?

The Match Attax 24/25 Advent Calendar turned out to be a hit, giving our 11-year-old a fun way to count down to Christmas - although she couldn't bear to save it until then - while enjoying her passion for football and collecting. It's a well-thought-out gift that combines excitement and entertainment, making every day in the lead-up to December 25th feel special.

Related features:

• Trading cards are bringing major nostalgia vibes for Euro 2024
• Best toys for 8 year olds 2024
• Top Christmas toys

The average age mothers give birth in England and Wales may be 30.9, but there are increasing numbers of women choosing to welcome babies in their 40s - and their experience will be a little different.

From pregnancy monitoring to post-birth recovery time, there are several things to take into account when it comes to carrying a child in this decade. Evidence suggests that conceiving may be harder and there is an increased risk of complications, however there are also numerous unexpected positives that are delivered when bringing a newborn into your life at this time.

We have spoken to mothers who have welcomed children in their 40s, as well as experts on what they see on the frontline of pregnancy at this age. Often, women are happier, more knowledgeable and have greater confidence bringing a little one into the world than perhaps they may have been when they were younger.

To give you the most important information about what to expect when you’re expecting in your 40s, we have called on the insight of Dr Shazia Malik, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Fleur Parker, a practice coordinator and antenatal teacher at the NCT and midwife Angie Willis, also known as ‘The Eco Midwife’. Additionally, it is vital to receive your own tailored medical advice, and also stay up to date with the latest NHS advice on pregnancy.

How is pregnancy different in your 40s?

1. There are some pregnancy differences

Dr Malik insists: “It's crucial to note that many women in this age group experience healthy pregnancies and deliveries, even if conception takes longer due to declining fertility.” She emphasises the importance of proper prenatal care and close monitoring to address any potential risks promptly.

However, there may be an increased risk of certain health complications compared to those pregnant in earlier decades. “The risk of gestational diabetes is approximately two to three times higher for women in their 40s,” warns Dr Malik. “Preeclampsia risk increases by about 1.5 to 2 times.” Risk of placental issues and pregnancy induced hypertension also increases with age.

Additionally, Willis, who is working in partnership with MAM, notes: “There can be a small increased chance of congenital abnormalities, and the chance of miscarriage increases slightly as women become older, as does the chance of stillbirth.” Although she notes that these risks are still small. “For clarity, one study reported that the stillbirth rate for women aged 16-25 was 4.7 per 1000 births, compared to women over 40 where the rate was 8.1 per 1000 births,” she adds.

2. Labour may be different

There may also be a greater need for birth interventions. “The likelihood of requiring a cesarean section is higher, with rates of 40-50% for women over 40, compared to 20-30% for younger women,” explains Dr Malik. If any of the aforementioned health complications occur, then induction of labour or a caesarean birth are recommended. “Many units also offer women over 39 weeks who are over 40 years old the opportunity to have an induction or a caesarean birth too, given the small increased chance of stillbirth over 39 weeks for women over the age of 40,” adds Wallis.

However, for many women, they can still give birth as they choose in this decade. “For my fourth child, when I was 44, I knew I wanted a home birth,” says Judy Bartkowiak, now a 68-year-old child and teens therapist based in Berkshire, who was already mother to children aged 8, 11 and 12. “It was wonderful and I think we all as a family really benefited from being together - although the other kids complained about my screaming and said they had to turn the TV up!”

3. You may need extra monitoring

“Women over the age of 40 will normally be advised to see an obstetrician during pregnancy,” says Wallis. “As part of this, they will have a risk assessment and a personalised care plan will be created based on their own individual medical history.”

Wallis continues: “For some women, there might be the recommendation of additional appointments, aspirin from 12 weeks of pregnancy or growth ultrasound scans – but all these additional screenings are based on the individual’s medical history and the guidelines of the hospital she is under."

4. Recovery may be the same

“This can be individual to the person,” insists Wallis. “For example, one woman may be physically healthy and fit, exercising and eating a well-balanced diet and recovery will be quicker. In contrast, another in their 40s may not exercise often or may have other health behaviours which could impact on recovery - such as smoking, obesity or other lifestyle factors. Age is less of a factor, with support from partners, friends and family also really important.”

Additionally, Parker points out: “The more complex a labour and birth then the more complex recovery may be. Tiredness is a big factor in the first few weeks and eating healthily, staying hydrated and taking moments to rest can all aid recovery for women of any age.”

However, it is important to note that postpartum recovery for women in their 40s may be slightly prolonged. “This is primarily due to the natural slowing of the body's healing processes with age,” explains Dr Malik. For Sarah Stephens, 47, her third birth experience aged 41 was stress-free compared to her first two. “It was more relaxing because I opted for an elective caesarean,” she explains. “Although I still ended up in the high dependency unit and then a private room afterwards for almost a week.”

Wallis adds: “The other aspect to consider is that stress incontinence can increase over the age of 35 due to skin elasticity changing. It is important to do your pelvic floor exercises - for woman of any age, but in particular women over the age of 35 - every day to reduce the chance of urinary stress incontinence.”

5. There are perks to giving birth later

“Many women find that pregnancy in their 40s comes with unique advantages,” says Dr Malik. “They often approach motherhood with greater confidence, emotional maturity and life experience. Financial stability is typically more established, allowing for better preparation for the costs associated with raising a child. Many women in this age group have progressed in their careers, potentially offering more flexibility in balancing work and family life. Additionally, they may have a more extensive support network in place, which can be invaluable during pregnancy and early parenthood.”

Indeed, this was the experience of Sarah. “I think the advantage in having my third in my 40s is I was more confident in arguing with medical people and standing up for myself,” she explains. “They tried to persuade me on my birthing choices, but I argued and refused to budge on them - I had been more easily persuaded in my 30s.” This continues after birth, suggests Parker: “Having spoken to many women in their 40s in the first few weeks after having a baby, the reassuring message is that their age hasn’t had any negative impact on becoming a parent, and that there is a certain calmness, resilience and certainty that comes with this decade.”

It was exactly this for Judy. “Giving birth felt easier - partly because it’s a familiar process for your body and mentally and emotionally you’re prepared,” she says. “Meanwhile, parenting was a doddle in my 40s. My career was well established so I wasn’t worried about the whole work-life balance thing, and with my partner we knew each other very well and worked as a team.” However, for others it isn’t quite so straightforward. “Being a mother in my 40s has been trickier - I have a wonderful partner but no family support, and I have struggled to make friends and find community,” says April Hunter, a Cheshire-based midwife, 45, who gave birth to her third child aged 42 after having her first two in her 20s. “I also don’t quite fit into the ‘first time mum’ group with having older children - so that’s been challenging!”

6. You tend to be better-prepared

“I think one of the biggest positives is women over the age of 40 are more likely to be

interested in the evidence and research, come to appointments armed with questions, knowledge and facts and are better able to advocate for themselves,” notes Wallis. “From experience, these are the mums more likely to attend pregnancy, babywearing, breastfeeding, antenatal groups during pregnancy too to give them a support network of people going through pregnancy at a similar gestation.”

Additionally, Wallis notes: “There is research showing that women over 35 are more likely to adjust health and lifestyle behaviours than women at other ages during pregnancy.” For example reducing or stopping alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, starting exercising or eating more healthily.

“For women embarking on pregnancy in their 40s, it is important to work closely with healthcare providers to develop a tailored care plan,” insists Dr Malik. “I recommend taking prenatal vitamins, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and not hesitating to ask questions or voice concerns.”

Dr Malik adds: “It's crucial to stay positive, as countless women have successful pregnancies and healthy babies in their 40s. It can be hard not to be made to feel that somehow you are ‘less than’ as an older mother - when in fact you can bring so much to motherhood that makes it just as rewarding and enjoyable as anyone else."

We spoke to the following expert

Having your babies turn into teens opens up a modern world to you that you might not have been privy to if you didn't have them... in this case, it's subtitles on the TV. Okay, so not 'modern' as such but using them on every programme is new.

Last year my (then) sixteen-year-old daughter and I sat down to watch a film together on a streaming platform. As we settled down with our popcorn, the film started and so did the subtitles. As a hearing person, I can’t remember ever watching anything with subtitles deliberately. I find they take my attention away from what’s happening on the screen and so I asked my daughter to turn them off, she was very reluctant to do so. It turns out that her default mode of watching anything was with subtitles turned on. She is not alone.

A recent survey of 18–25-year-olds has found that a whopping 80% watch TV and films with the subtitles turned on. In comparison, adults aged between 46 and 55 only use subtitles 37% of the time and of these, many do so because of hearing issues. Gen Z would likely score even higher than 80% if they were surveyed; I haven’t met any of my daughter’s friends who don’t watch with subtitles and don’t think I’m strange for commenting on it. Subtitles, it appears, are the norm for today’s tweens and teens.

While this may initially seem weird to us, there are several logical reasons for the rising popularity of subtitles today.

Reasons why young people are using subtitles

1. The impact of social media videos
2. Translating different languages
3. They are more used to seeing words on a screen
4. The impact of online schooling during Covid

1. The impact of social media videos

Think about the last time you watched an Instagram reel, or a TikTok video, chances are it contained captions. The exposure to these short videos, alongside what are effectively subtitles has become the norm for teens today, so it makes sense they want the same experience when watching long-form content.

2. Translating different languages

Netflix has opened the doors to content from all around the world. Gone are the days of not watching anything in your native language because you couldn’t cope with the painful overdubbing. Some of the most popular films and series of the last couple of years have been in Korean (Squid Game), German (Dark), Norwegian (Troll) and French (Lupin).

3. They are more used to seeing words on a screen

For those of us who grew up either before, or just at the dawn of, the internet we were used to seeing words only in printed materials. Today’s teens have grown up with seeing words on screens from their very earliest years, from electronic toddler toys to smart speakers, electronic words are their norm.

4. The impact of online schooling during Covid

2020 saw today’s tweens and teens move online for their schooling, entertainment and socialising. Their education took place via subtitled Microsoft Teams presentations and instead of meeting up with friends, or phoning them as we would have done, everything took place online. It’s understandable that subtitles feel natural to them given this.

The favouring of subtitles by today’s tweens and teens is not only understandable, but also beneficial in several different ways too.

How subtitles can benefit young people

1. They can improve reading
2. They can improve vocabulary
3. They can broaden cultural and foreign language exposure
4. They can help neurodivergent tweens and teens

1. They can improve reading

For tweens and teens who are reluctant to read books, frequent exposure to words on screen, particularly on a show or film that they enjoy and want to watch, can boost reading ability, particularly the speed at which they read. It can also boost a love of reading too; tweens and teens who view with subtitles are also more likely to read books than those who don’t.

2. They can improve vocabulary

It can be easy to miss a word in a show or a film if it is not a word that is familiar to us or spoken in an accent that we struggle to understand, but if the word is also there in writing it can prompt tweens and teens to look it up and ultimately add it to their vocabulary.

3. They can broaden cultural and foreign language exposure

Tweens and teens today are much more likely than our generation to watch shows and films made in different countries and when they do watch them they tend to leave the original language playing, translating with the subtitles. Not only is this brilliant for cultural reasons, but it can also encourage them to learn another language and help with languages they may already be learning at school.

4. They can help neurodivergent tweens and teens

For those tweens and teens who find it difficult to concentrate on what is happening on screen visually and also tuning in to a conversation, especially those with ADD and ADHD, having subtitles makes viewing a much easier and more relaxing experience for them.

As well as these benefits, normalising the presence of subtitles can help tweens and teens to be more inclusive of those who are deaf or blind, especially when they lobby or campaign for subtitles or sign language during theatre productions, webinars and lectures and use and call for others to use alternative text (a written description of an image) on social media posts.

With all of this in mind, perhaps we should be positively encouraging our children, of all ages, to view with subtitles, as well as considering switching them on ourselves!

For more on teenagers, here are 10 things a teen coach wishes all teenagers knew, and 11 expert-led tips on how to talk to a teenager (even when they don’t want to listen). Don't forget that parenting teenagers is as difficult as raising a baby, according to experts, while giving teens ‘space and opportunity’ to be independent helps them thrive.

From tweaking your wardrobe to altering your diet, there’s a lot to get to grips with when you’re expecting. However, it’s often less well known that at the same time as your body is hard at work growing a baby, your dental health might also need some extra TLC.

Indeed, the natural hormonal changes experienced by women who are expecting risk having a knock-in impact on the state of your smile. While things like bad breath and tooth sensitivity are very common oral health problems at this time, there is also a greater risk of gum disease and teeth moving. This is why it’s important to attend regular check-ups with your dentist throughout the trimesters - with the NHS offering free check-ups and treatment during pregnancy and for 12 months after you give birth.

We’ve enlisted dentists Dr Tom Crawford-Clarke and Dr Smita Mehra, and dental therapist Miranda Pascucci to share their expert insight. Additionally, we discuss NHS treatment you are entitled to while you’re expecting and the common myths that dentists are desperate to bust…

11 things dentists want pregnant women to know

1. Your risk of gum disease increases

“Pregnancy can cause both direct and indirect effects on teeth,” explains Dr Crawford-Clarke, , founder and principal dentist of LUCEO Dental. “Due to hormonal changes - particularly with respect to increased oestrogen and progesterone - there can be an increase in gum inflammation and bleeding, called gingivitis.” Symptoms of which can also include swelling and soreness, according to the NHS, and it can often occur in the second trimester.

It is important to know that this is common. “It is estimated 60 to 65 per cent of pregnant women will experience gingivitis,” he notes. “If there was an underlying gum condition already present - such as gingivitis or periodontitis - these hormones will also lead to a heightened response and the condition could get worse.” Risking gum recession and exposure of the root surface, leading to sensitivity, which is why it’s important to brush properly and consult with a dentist if you are concerned.

2. Your teeth may become more sensitive

“Those who are pregnant may also experience sensitive teeth,” says Dr Mehra, principal dentist at The Neem Tree Dental Practice. There are a number of reasons why this may occur - including hormonal changes that can trigger gum inflammation, morning sickness which can risk acidity affecting the tooth’s surface, and a change of diet to include more sugary foods.

There are a number of ways to minimise this. ‘Try rinsing out the mouth with water if you are experiencing morning sickness regularly to help keep acid levels in your mouth low,” suggests Dr Mehra. It’s also key to pay attention to your oral hygiene, overall diet and go for regular dental check-ups.

3. Bad breath may become an issue

This is another unexpected pregnancy side-effect. Dr Crawford-Clarke notes that a dry mouth, caused by hormonal changes, can be to blame. “Saliva is protective in a number of ways - including helping to neutralise acids, washing away food debris and reducing plaque build up,” he explains. Certain food cravings and morning sickness can also leave a less than pleasant scent.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to keep things fresh. These include brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, and using interdental cleaning - like floss or brushes. Sugar-free chewing gum is also helpful to have to hand, and you should visit your dentist to confirm that there isn’t anything else going on.

4. It’s a myth that your baby is taking calcium

“This is often a common myth when it comes to dental health and pregnancy,” notes Dr Mehra. “Many people think that because a growing baby needs calcium for their development, this in part comes from the mother's teeth - which inadvertently causes dental problems. However, this is not the case.”

Instead, she explains: “Calcium for a baby's growth will come from diet instead - which is why it is important during pregnancy that you eat foods rich in the mineral where possible.” Items high in the nutrient include dairy products, like milk, and green leafy vegetables. Dr Crawford-Clarke adds: “It is recommended to take a calcium supplement, and vitamin D to aid absorption, but I would advise speaking to your doctor or midwife for specific advice.”

5. Certain dental care should be avoided

According to the NHS, you should inform your dentist that you are pregnant - not only because they can give you specific advice, but also because certain dental treatments will need to be postponed until after you give birth. For example, Dr Crawford-Clarke says: “Manufacturers of the teeth whitening products we use recommend waiting until the baby has arrived.”

However, it is safe for you to have a dental X-ray during pregnancy. “This is because they are highly unlikely to be pointed at the pelvic area, meaning that any risk to the baby is extremely low,” explains Dr Mehra. “Protective measures, including leaded aprons, may also be used to minimise any exposure to radiation.” Your dentist will be able to best advise, taking into account that the benefits of being able to perform the X-ray may outweigh any small potential harm.

6. Your smile may look different

“While it isn't that common, teeth may move during pregnancy,” says Dr Mehra. “This is because when we’re pregnant, our body produces a chemical - known as relaxin - which can help to soften ligaments. However, as a result, this causes the ligaments within our mouths to also soften - which can trigger the teeth to shift.”

Dr Crawford-Clarke notes: “I have quite a few patients coming in saying they felt their teeth moved a lot since having kids. However, this could also be down to the effects of the jaw tending to narrow as we age anyway.” If you’re worried about your teeth shifting during your pregnancy, it is important that you seek the advice of your dentist.

7. Good dental hygiene is key

“Most importantly, those who are pregnant should keep up an effective oral care routine,” says Dr Mehra. “This means brushing teeth twice daily, as well as making sure that you floss.” She adds that, if you suffer from morning sickness, switching to a more bland toothpaste can help reduce feelings of nausea.” Using one containing fluoride is key to strengthening the tooth enamel.

Miranda Pascucci, a dental therapist for oral health brand TePe, adds: “You don’t need to brush too hard - simply clean along the line where the gum meets the teeth. Using too much pressure - or with too firm a toothbrush - can damage the gums, causing them to recede and exposing the root surfaces.” These are not protected by enamel and are much more sensitive to changes in temperature and tooth decay.

8. Don’t forget about a healthy diet

The chances are that a combination of food cravings and sleep deprivation may have an impact on how nutritious your meals are, but eating well can also be key for dental health. The NHS notes that sugary foods and drinks can lead to tooth decay.

“It is well-known during pregnancy that some will find such items particularly appetising - while these are fine in moderation, it is important you don’t go overboard,” warns Dr Mehra. “They can make you more prone to plaque buildup and, as a result, tooth decay and gum disease.”

9. Take up any free dental care

“Make sure that you take advantage of free NHS dental care during pregnancy to look after your oral health,” insists Dr Mehra. “Visit your dentist regularly during this time, as they might be able to help identify or catch any problems early on.”

You are entitled to free check-ups and treatment during pregnancy and for 12 months after you give birth. Dr Crawford-Clarke recommends having a dental check-up and hygiene treatment every three to six months to keep on top of any issues.

10. Make sure to log any changes

“Make a note of any changes that happen to your gums and teeth during pregnancy and flag these to your dentist when you attend your check-ups,” says Pascucci. “Don’t ignore any pain or bleeding gums, as it could be indicative of gum disease – as it’s always best to catch this early.” This is the best way to look after not only your own health, but also that of your baby.

11. Go easy on yourself throughout pregnancy

“All of the dental issues that you may encounter are treatable, so do not fear,” insists Dr Crawford-Clarke. “Just remember, you are doing your best so don't be too hard on yourself.” If you’re feeling overwhelmed, he adds: “The first step is to see your dentist, they are there to help you and offer any specific advice you need to maintain your oral health throughout your pregnancy.” You’re not in this alone.

We spoke to the following experts

There's something truly special about family days out. In our busy lives, it’s often hard to find time where we can just be together without distractions. A great day out lets us bond, laugh, and create memories that last a lifetime. And what better way to do this than by getting out into nature...

If you’re looking for a place that will excite both kids and adults alike, Port Lympne Safari Park - with over 900 rare and endangered species - in Kent is just the ticket. With sweeping views over the English Channel, a variety of wildlife experiences, and loads of space for the little ones to run free, it’s an adventure worth every penny.

Port Lympne (and it's pronounced "Port Lim" not - as I thought for the last year - "Port Limp-knee"), is not your typical zoo. It’s a sprawling 600-acre wildlife reserve where animals roam in naturalistic enclosures and you can feel like you’re on a mini African safari – all without leaving the UK. Located just outside Hythe, Port Lympne is home to over 900 animals, including giraffes, rhinos, zebras, and gorillas. If your kids are mad about animals, they’ll be in absolute heaven here.

Is Port Lympne worth the money? In short yes

Okay, so tickets are not the cheapest, with adult prices starting at around £32 and children’s tickets at £28. However, under 3s go free, which is a bonus for families with toddlers. You can save a bit by booking online in advance, and they do offer family ticket bundles, which are worth looking into. For what you get – a full day’s worth of experiences, from the safari to the dinosaurs to the chance to see some incredible animals up close – I think it’s absolutely worth the price.

If you want to make the most of your visit, consider upgrading to a giraffe safari or even staying overnight in one of their luxury lodges (hello, glamping) – though that will set you back quite a bit more.

My top three reasons why you will not regret a day out at Port Lympne

1. The Safari experience - The absolute highlight of our day was the safari truck ride. Watching my kid's face light up as giraffes and zebras wandered right past the open-sided truck was worth the ticket price alone. When he saw the black tongue on the giraffe his tiny mind was blown. The excitement of being so close to these majestic animals, roaming freely in vast open spaces, made it feel like we’d stepped into a different world. It’s more immersive than a typical zoo, and the kids were talking about it for days afterward.
2. Educational and fun (just don't tell the kids) - Port Lympne combines fun with learning in a way that doesn’t feel forced. My kids learned about endangered species, conservation efforts, and even some fun facts about animals they'd never heard of before. From watching gorillas up close to exploring the life-sized dinosaur models, every corner of the park offers a new learning experience. It’s not just entertainment; it’s a chance for the kids to get curious about wildlife and nature.
3. Space and breath-taking views - One of the highlights that sets Port Lympne apart is its incredible setting. With stunning views stretching out to the English Channel, it’s a picturesque spot for both kids and adults. There’s lots of open space for picnicking, playing, and relaxing, making it a full day of fun. The kids had plenty of room to explore, run around, and burn off energy. Whether it was navigating the Dinosaur Forest or just enjoying the open fields, it felt like a real adventure.

Opening Times and parking

Port Lympne opens daily from 9:30am until 6:30pm, but be sure to check the website for seasonal changes. We found getting there was a breeze. The park is well signposted, and there’s ample parking on-site. While the parking lot is free, be aware that on busy days (like weekends and school holidays), it can fill up quickly, so it’s worth arriving early. The main car park is close to the entrance, but if you end up in an overflow area, it’s a bit more of a walk. Nothing drastic, but with younger kids or lots of gear, you’ll appreciate the proximity.

Is Port Lympne safari pram friendly?

Absolutely. However, this place is big. You’ll definitely want to bring a pram or buggy for little ones, as there's quite a bit of walking. While the main paths are pram-friendly, some areas are hilly or slightly uneven, so a sturdy pram with good wheels will make your day a lot easier. There's also a free safari truck service that drives around the park, and you can hop on and off to give the kids’ legs (and your own.) a bit of a break.

Can you take a picnic to Port Lympne safari?

You absolutely can. One of the big questions for any family day out is whether to pack your own food or treat yourself at one of the park’s cafes. Good news: you can do both. There are several picnic areas dotted around the park, including one near the dinosaur forest which is perfect if you’ve got little ones who love Jurassic Park. The picnic benches have some shade, but I recommend bringing a blanket in case you want to sprawl out on the grass.

If you’re planning to eat out, there are a few great options, like the Port Lympne Hotel’s restaurant, set in a stunning historic house, with views that stretch out to France on a clear day. However, the food here can be on the pricier side, with adult meals around £15-20 and kid’s meals around £7-10. Alternatively, there’s the Basecamp Cafe which serves sandwiches, pizza slices, chips, and ice cream, with most items costing between £5-10. Don’t miss grabbing a coffee while the kids enjoy an ice cream – the outdoor seating here offers a relaxing break with views of the beautiful gardens.

Port Lympne safari - highlights for the kids

It’s always worth knowing what the kids are going to go crazy for, and at Port Lympne, the safari experience is a firm favourite. You board a safari truck and trundle off through open plains where giraffes, antelope, and zebras wander freely. It’s about as close to an African safari as you can get in the UK. The look on my little one’s face as a giraffe wandered right past the truck? Priceless.

Another hit with the kids was the Dinosaur Forest. Port Lympne boasts one of the largest dinosaur models exhibits in Europe, and it’s impressive! Life-sized dinosaurs lurk around every corner, and the interactive elements make it a great pit stop for dino-mad little ones.

The gorilla enclosure is also a must-visit. The viewing platform is designed so you can get quite close to these majestic creatures. Watching the baby gorillas playing around will melt even the hardest of hearts.

4 things for parents to know

1. Golf buggies and Safari trucks - Throughout the park, you'll notice staff zipping around in golf buggies, and safari trucks make frequent rounds. While the paths are mostly wide, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your kids, especially near busier areas. These vehicles move slowly but can still catch you off guard if your little ones are wandering around or distracted by the animals.
2. Lots of walking and hilly terrain - Port Lympne is set on a sprawling, hilly landscape. Be prepared for lots of walking, some of it uphill. My six year old struggled with this, and I had to contend with lots of 'my legs are tired'. While the views are stunning, and there’s plenty to see along the way, wearing comfortable shoes and bringing a pram or sturdy buggy for younger kids is a must. There’s a free safari truck service, but it doesn’t cover all areas.
3. Limited shade (be weather prepared) - The park has some shaded spots, but a lot of it is open and exposed to the elements. On hot days, bring sun hats, sunscreen, and plenty of water. If rain is forecast, pack waterproofs or an umbrella, as it can get quite muddy in some areas.
4. Animal feeding times and crowds - The animal feeding sessions can draw a crowd, especially for popular enclosures like the gorillas and big cats. If you want a good view, try to arrive early or plan to visit the animals just after the scheduled feedings when it’s quieter.

Don't miss the Port Lympne hidden gems

While the safari and dinosaurs get most of the attention, there are a few lesser-known spots you shouldn’t miss. First, take some time to explore the Port Lympne Mansion and Gardens. The mansion is beautiful, and the formal gardens are a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle.

The views from the mansion terrace stretch right across the reserve and out towards the Channel, so don’t forget your camera.

Another hidden gem is the tapir enclosure. Tucked away in a quieter part of the park, this area is often overlooked by visitors. Tapirs are fascinating animals, and it’s a great spot if you want a more tranquil experience away from the crowds.

Should we visit Port Lympne?

In short, yes. If your family loves animals, adventure, and spending time in the great outdoors, Port Lympne is a must-visit. It’s more than just a zoo – it’s a full-on experience with breathtaking views, unforgettable encounters, and enough activities to keep everyone happy. Plus if you book a staycation in one of the 82 unique on-site accommodations, from Pinewood glamping pods, treehouses, cabin and shepherd huts, up to the Lion, Tiger and Wolf Lodges you get to drive around the park after hours in your golf buggy. And, you get to enjoy two full days to explore the park when you book an overnight stay.

Make sure you pack comfy shoes, bring a pram if you’ve got little ones, and prepare for a full day of exploring. You won’t regret it.

Kids go for £10 this October half term!

Don't miss this great offer from Port Lympne - ALL kids can enter for £10, eat for £10 and enjoy an animal encounter or ranger safari for £10.

Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve is open every day from 9.30am – 6pm, adults admission tickets cost £32, kids go for £10 (offer available from 19th October - 3rd November 2024).

To book day tickets visit: www.portlympne.com

September marks the return of the new school year. For many of us, that means a return to manic mornings, pick-ups and drop-offs, packing lunches and remembering dinner money, coordinating schedules and after-school clubs, remembering parents’ evenings, school plays, extracurricular activities and inset days… to name just a few things!

If you’ve been firefighting through the last few weeks, take a deep breath and stop. Parents - it’s time for a reset. Let us help you get back into the swing of things this September without crashing to the ground. We’ll show you how to make the most of everyday tech to take the frantic out of Fridays and put the joy back into your weekends.

We’ve got tips and tricks to make you feel more in control of your calendar and easily manage the back-to-school transition. While we can’t guarantee you won’t ever get another case of the Sunday-night scaries, we can at least ensure you have every tool available to avoid them.

Plan and prep family meals for the week ahead

Take advantage of technology to streamline your family's meal planning and prep, freeing up precious time during busy weekdays. With EE's reliable 4G and 5G networks, you can access meal-planning apps and online recipes anytime, anywhere.

Start by setting aside weekend time to plan your family's meals for the upcoming week. Use meal planning apps to organise recipes, create shopping lists, and even generate meal ideas based on your family's preferences and dietary needs.

Once you've planned your meals, order groceries online for delivery or pickup. Many supermarkets and online grocery services offer the option to save your favourite items or set up recurring orders, ensuring you always have those essential ingredients.

By planning and prepping, you'll save time on weeknights, reduce stress, and create more opportunities for quality family time. Instead of rushing to prepare meals after work, you can enjoy sitting down together, sharing your day, and connecting over a home-cooked meal.

Use technology to organise and support the kids with their homework and study

Getting back into homework and study routines can be challenging after a long, lazy summer - for you and your kids! There are loads of great apps, digital tools and smart home devices to help you manage the transition back into education and learning without the stress and arguments that often follow.

EE's Learn Smart platform is full of bite-sized content, making learning fun. Curriculum-based activities and resources support homework and revision, from Mad Science to Infinity Maths. Your child can even use the platform to brush up on their coding skills or create digital cue cards.

Using digital tools to create a family revision calendar can also help. Use apps like Trello to map out project deadlines, study sessions, extracurricular activities and family commitments and share with family members to help everyone understand the schedule.

Productivity apps can help your kids manage their time effectively. Apps like Forest or Be Focused can encourage concentrated study sessions while discouraging phone use, freeing up more time for a family movie night later.

Having some tech-free times together is essential to get the right balance. Use this time for family meals, outdoor activities, or simply to relax together, providing much-needed breaks from work, studying and all the other activities that take you out of the home.

Get smart to juggle multiple schedules with ease

Synchronised digital calendars will help with essential family organisation. Platforms like Google Calendar allow you to share and coordinate your family schedules effortlessly, avoiding conflicts and ensuring everyone knows where they need to be and when. You can even share it with grandparents, childminders and your older kids to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Most of us have some kind of smart device at home these days. Whether it’s a voice assistant on your phone or an Alexa in the kitchen, you can set hands-free reminders, track chores and appointments and free up your mental load at the same time.

Use EE TV to put an end to arguments over the remote control

EE TV's multi-screen capabilities allow you to keep the kids entertained, no matter their age, and it’s free. They can enjoy YouTube along with their favourite TV channels and apps like Netflix, iPlayer and Prime from their own screens, so there are no more fights over what to watch. Just pick your main TV box and add an extra EE TV box to keep the family happy.

Prioritise family wellness and balance

With frantic family schedules and lots going on in the real world that can cause anxiety and stress, it’s never been more important to develop skills that can help with wellbeing. EE has partnered with Calm, offering science-backed audio content that strengthens mental fitness for the whole family. With guided meditations, breathing exercises, and stress relief tools, Calm can help you and your kids manage those daily pressures and find moments of peace.

EE Learn Smart is packed with loads of resources to support your child's academic, mental, and social development. From celebrity-hosted videos addressing anxiety to stress management techniques that the whole family can benefit from, your tribe can incorporate these into the daily routine to create a more relaxed home atmosphere, helping everyone navigate the challenges of modern life with greater ease and harmony.

For more information, visit ee.co.uk/home

As anyone raising a toddler or child will know, getting them to brush their teeth properly on a regular basis can be quite the challenge. While as adults we understand why it’s crucial to take our dental care seriously, little ones can dismiss this part of their morning and evening routine as simply time away from play.

Yet, ensuring your youngster’s teeth are properly cleaned twice daily will stand them in good stead - not just now, but particularly in the future. It will help them avoid tooth decay and hang on to their all-important baby teeth for as long as possible, while also teaching them positive life-long habits from a young age.

To give you the best advice when it comes to your children’s dental health, we’ve called on a number of top experts. Paediatric dentist Dr Jasleen Sangha, dental hygienist Hannah Ripley and dentist Cerri Mellish are here to guide you through. They share all the key steps parents can take to make dental care a tantrum-free zone at home…

Why might little ones struggle to brush properly?

Dr Sangha from Happy Kids Dental, explains that children do not have the manual dexterity to brush their own teeth until they are seven or eight years of age. “Although that does not mean they should not be encouraged to brush their own teeth before that,” she notes, while acknowledging that it can also be hard for them to stay focused. “Two minutes is a long time in the life of a toddler - particularly if they are feeling tired just before bedtime.”

There can be other more practical barriers. “Some children may have sensory issues, which could be a passing phase for some and more persistent for others,” says Cerri Mellish, a dentist at Bupa Dental Care. “They may struggle with the taste and texture of the toothbrush and toothpaste. Strong, minty toothpastes may feel ‘spicy’ to their sensitive taste buds, and they might not like the sensation of the bristles.” She adds that their teeth usually start coming through between six months and two years, and during this time it may also feel painful to brush.

11 tips to make teeth-brushing a less stressful part of family life

• 1. Give them independence - “I usually recommend allowing children to have a go and then asking them to give you the brush once they have finished so you can ensure their teeth are properly cleaned,” says Dr Sangha. “Explain that it’s the turn of ‘mummy’ or ‘daddy’ or another responsible adult.” Eventually, you can trust them to get on with it.
• 2. Use visual aids - “Toddlers are much more impressed by visual aids rather than long explanations - perhaps use a two-minute sand timer that they can watch as you or they brush their teeth to help give them something to focus on,” recommends Dr Sangha. Similarly, Mellish suggests asking them where they think their favourite character is hiding in their teeth and “scrubbing them out”.
• 3. Make it fun - “You can build your own playful routines as a family - such as clapping or dancing once the timer is finished,” notes Dr Sangha. “Once this becomes established as a habitual behaviour, toddlers will often expect this and want to go through the process of brushing their teeth to ensure their ‘reward’ at the end.”
• 4. Harness easy wins - “Using charts to tick off morning and evening brushing with a treat at the end of the week can also be useful for motivation,” recommends Dr Sangha. “It could perhaps be age-appropriate stickers for younger children, or maybe a trip to the zoo for older children.” Whatever you do, don’t give them sweets.
• 5. Consistency is key - “Toddlers crave routine and structure,” points out Dr Sangha. “This gives them stability in their busy and stimulating world. Keeping the timing of brushing consistent every day can help them to expect and accept it more easily.”
• 6. Select handy tools - “Your child will probably want to start trying to brush their own teeth from about the age of three, so choose a toothbrush they can get their little hands around,” suggests Hannah Ripley, dental hygienist at Church Street Dental Practice. “Although, they will still need help and supervision until the age of about six when manual dexterity improves.”
• 7. Add a soundtrack - “Listen to your child’s favourite song and brush for the duration of it,” recommends Ripley. Similarly, Mellish suggests: “Brushing along to a special toothbrushing song, that can be found on YouTube, means you can get some support from their favourite cartoon characters.”

• 8. Lead by example - “Children copy their parents from an early age, so brushing your teeth together as a family is a great way to encourage them to follow suit,” points out Ripley. “Just as we take the time to explain why it’s important to wash our hands regularly, telling the same to our children about teeth brushing is also key.”
• 9. Enlist different toothpaste - “Brushing with an age-appropriate toothpaste, like a strawberry-flavoured one, and applying fluoride varnish - as directed by a dental care professional - can protect teeth in multiple ways,” says Mellish. “Fluoride makes the teeth more resistant to mineral loss, it promotes faster mineral uptake and helps reduce the formation of dental plaque.” She adds that they may do better with a flavourless, non-foaming toothpaste - like OraNurse.
• 10. Check good progress - “To spot plaque in its earlier stages, you can use a disclosing tablet - available in pharmacies - which stains plaque purple,” suggests Mellish, of how you can see where you or your child could be brushing better. “This can be a really fun activity to do with kids to help them improve their brushing technique.”
• 11. Don’t give up - “I think it’s important to keep things light and playful if you can,” says Mellish. “You are trying to establish a good routine and it might not be perfect every time but keep persisting.”

Other ways to care for children’s dental health

• Fuel carefully - “Diet plays a huge role.” says Dr Sangha. “Sweet food and drinks - such as cakes, biscuits and juices - should be restricted and limited to meal times only. Plain water, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables can be consumed at any time.”
• Clean closer - “A toothbrush alone cleans just 60 per cent of the tooth, so the importance of adding interdental cleaning cannot be overstated,” insists Ripley. “Oral hygiene products, such as DenTek’s floss picks and interdental brushes, may be introduced at an early age. In fact, dentists recommend children start doing so as soon as two teeth are touching.”
• Soothe differently -”Dummies should be stopped by the age of two at the latest to ensure an open bite - where the teeth become misaligned when closed - does not develop,” warns Dr Sangha. “Even if an open bite does develop, stopping by this age will allow enough time for spontaneous tooth movement to resolve the issue.”
• Check-ups regularly - “Take your child to visit a dentist around six months of age, which usually coincides with the appearance of their first tooth, and book in regular check-ups thereafter,” says Dr Sangha.
• Prepare well - “If your child has never been to the dentist before, it can be helpful to set expectations at home about what will happen at the visit - by doing role play or reading them a story,” suggests Mellish. “It’s important you stay calm and relaxed, since your children will absorb this too.”

Why is it important for kids to practice good dental care?

“There are two main reasons,” says Dr Sangha. “Firstly, regular brushing removes the plaque biofilm that the teeth get coated with throughout the day and night, and secondly it delivers the fluoride or hydroxyapatite that is present in toothpastes to the teeth - active ingredients of which help to remineralise the acids from food and prevent tooth decay.”

It also helps protect their baby teeth. “While they will be lost eventually, they are actually extremely important,” insists Dr Sangha. “Not only do they prevent pain, ensure an aesthetic smile and allow children to enjoy eating different textures of foods - including being able to chew on hard items, such as carrots and nuts, which helps build a strong jaw - but they are space maintainers, keeping room for adult teeth to come through.” She explains that if they are lost earlier than they naturally would, then adjacent teeth may drift into the space, risking crowding.

What’s more, our experts emphasise that youngsters who learn how to look after their teeth early on will be more likely to keep doing so throughout their lives, benefiting from boosted confidence and self-esteem from their healthy smile. “Habits established during childhood become ingrained as behaviours that will follow through into adulthood,” explains Dr Sangha. Which will also save time and money on future avoidable dental issues.

Which is why it’s vital to be alert to any signs that your toddler or child’s teeth need better brushing. “Look for staining, a furry and un-smooth appearance which is actually the plaque layer, bad breath from food debris and dental decay,” says Dr Sangha. If the plaque remains on the gums, it can cause gingivitis - or inflammation of the gums - which will show up as red, swollen gums that bleed easily when brushed.

Additionally, Ripley adds that parents should be aware of toothache or sensitivity to hot or cold foods. “These can indicate your child has a problem with their oral health,” she reveals. “They may also start having difficulty eating, or very young children may begin sucking their thumb or experience delayed speech.”

We spoke to the following experts

How many times have you heard today's teenagers referred to as ‘snowflakes’? If you haven't, start listening, and you will come across somebody proclaiming that “kids these days need to toughen up. The real world is a harsh place, and the parents aren’t doing them any favours with this soft discipline and trying to be their friend.”

While our society may be starting to embrace gentler parenting methods for babies and younger children, when those children reach double digits in age and a height often taller than their parents, things are a different matter entirely. Teenagers today may not be subjected to the physical discipline that their parents or grandparents received, but that doesn’t mean that they’re getting off lightly. Punishments, removal of personal belongings and freedom (or ‘grounding’ as most know it) and yelling still top the list of discipline methods used on teens today.

At secondary school, discipline has been largely unchanged since the monumental move to outlaw physical discipline at UK state schools in 1986 (yes really, that late!). The standard school discipline approach still very much relies on punishment (now termed ‘consequences’ in an attempt to sound more positive) and the threat of it. Most schools utilise an escalating scale of punishments, starting with a lunchtime detention, moving to after-school detentions and finally isolations (where students spend time alone in a booth or a room) and suspensions and exclusions.

The UK Government’s ‘behaviour tsar’, Tom Bennett a fan of authoritarian behaviourist approaches to behaviour management at school believes it is a “mistake to classify all children who misbehave as being kind of vulnerable, fragile angels” and instead applies a zero-tolerance approach to behaviour. Despite his nine-year Victorian clampdown on teens, since his appointment in 2015, Bennett’s approach has yielded little to no positive results. A recent survey of 9000 teachers commissioned by the BBC found that most believe that behaviour is getting worse. The evidence for using harsh discipline at home mirrors these findings. Not only is it ineffective, but it also sets teens up for lasting mental health problems.

Alternatives to authoritarian approaches

What is the alternative then? Well, if you believe the TV shows and comments I mentioned at the start of this piece, it’s letting your teen walk over you, having zero control over them and never saying “no”. Thankfully the reality is very different. Authoritative discipline, or what I prefer to call ‘gentle discipline’ (because authoritative is hard to both say and spell and often confuses people with its similarity to ‘authoritarian’) has been proven time and again to be the healthiest way of disciplining children, from birth to young adult.

Authoritative discipline places boundaries at its core, with an emphasis on keeping everybody safe, especially teens. The difference with these boundaries is that they are set and upheld respectfully, in collaboration with the teen. If a teen breaches a boundary, instead of receiving an instant punishment, the parent (or teacher) takes the opportunity to understand what happened and discusses with the teen how they can make things right and stick to the boundary in the future. If teens understand the importance of boundaries they are far more likely to stick to them. Authoritative discipline also places huge emphasis on the adult-teen relationship. Instead of demanding respect, there is an understanding that respect has to be mutual and earned. The adult has to be a good role model.

Instead of trying to discipline through control and coercion, behaviour is managed through connection, compassion and communication. Instead of demanding obedience through ‘fear of God’ parenting (yelling, being physically forceful, or constant threats), authoritative parents or teachers work to teach the teen about the repercussions of their behaviour and help them to find solutions that are better for everyone. In short, authoritative discipline aims to teach teens the sort of conflict resolution and problem-solving skills that will set them up for life, particularly when it comes to relationships, whether romantic, platonic, or professional.

When children are small, it is easy to overpower them as an adult twice their size. When they reach their teens, however, you lose the element of fear and control, when the teen answers back, or refuses to stay in their room and parents who previously utilised harsh authoritarian discipline methods come unstuck. These are the parents who post on social media groups saying, “My teen is unruly and out of control, nothing works!”. In fact, the teen years are when those who have used more respectful, gentler, authoritative methods really reap the rewards of their work and revel in the strong relationship they have built with their child. Those who focus on harsh discipline fracture that relationship and drive their teens away, straight into the arms of peer pressure and ‘bad influences’.

The key to the most effective, healthiest, discipline in the teen years is a foundation of mutual respect, understanding, support and empathy. It is the opposite of harshness. When we nurture teens, we help to foster true resilience and confidence, the two attributes teens need to not only successfully live in our ‘harsh world’ today but hopefully grow into the kind of adults who will try to make the world a little less harsh place to live in for those who follow.

For more reading, take a look at:

How to Raise a Teen – by Sarah Ockwell-Smith

For more advice on the teenage years, we asked teenagers what they wish their parents had done differently, and their answers are surprisingly candid, while here are 11 expert-led tips on how to talk to a teenager (even when they don’t want to listen). Meanwhile, this teen expert shares why the belief 'teenagers are lazy' is a myth and how understanding this might help your relationship, and this is the biological reason teens don't listen to mums.

The mental and physical changes you go through during pregnancy can feel quite overwhelming. Almost every part of your body will be affected by hormonal fluctuations and the impact of your growing baby during the nine months, and for many women this includes their eyes and vision.

Many of the symptoms experienced during pregnancy should ease and eventually stop after your baby is born but it’s important to know which ones are normal and which ones you should seek some medical advice about. Fiona Gibb, director of professional midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, tells Good To Know: “Eye issues during pregnancy are common and are usually a result of hormonal changes, however we would always encourage reporting any eye symptoms, including blurred vision, flashing lights or any visual disturbances to your midwife or obstetrician.”

We’ll take a closer look at all of the symptoms in this article and discuss what can be done to ease them or prevent them.

6 common eye issues during pregnancy

Pregnancy affects every woman differently and some people may not be troubled by eye problems at all. However, the changes to your metabolism, hormones, fluid retention and cardiovascular system mean it’s very normal for issues with your eyes and vision to arise. Below are some of the most common issues women experience.

1. Dry eyes

During your pregnancy, hormonal changes may mean that your body produces less tear fluid which can lead to dry eyes. This 2014 study states that this dryness is due to the higher levels of oestrogen and progesterone. As well as feeling dry, your eyes might also feel itchy, look red or have a burning sensation.

Dry eyes can be especially annoying if you wear contact lenses. However, opticians or pharmacists will be able to recommend eye drops which can ease the dryness and help keep your eyes hydrated. It may also help to take regular screen breaks and make sure you’re getting enough sleep.

2. Blurred vision

Blurred vision is another common eye problem during pregnancy. It’s caused when fluid retention temporarily changes the shape of your cornea (the outer layer of your eye which covers your iris and pupil). This can affect how light travels into your eye which is what causes the blurriness.

If the blurriness is causing issues with driving, work or reading then an optician may be able to give you a supply of different contact lenses or some temporary corrective glasses. Using eye drops and making sure your eyes don’t get overtired can help with blurred vision. It’s best to speak to your optician before you change your glasses or contact lens prescription because it’s likely that your eyes will return to normal once your baby is born.

Midwife Lizzie Zahoranksa-Earle, who runs antenatal classes for professionals and parents-to-be at Antenatal Training International, says blurred vision can also be associated with more serious pregnancy conditions such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia. “Your midwife will refer you for blood tests if your blood pressure is higher than normal (although it is normal to fluctuate through pregnancy anyway), but if you have any symptoms you do need to see someone straight away,” she says. We will discuss these more serious health conditions below.

3. Twitching

Eye twitching, also known as myokymia, is probably something you’ve also experienced when you’re not pregnant. It can happen when you’re tired or stressed or have had too much caffeine. It can affect both your upper and lower eyelids and while it’s not painful, it can be irritating. If you’re suffering from pregnancy insomnia you might find that your eyes feel very tired which may lead to twitching.

The NHS says that a deficiency in vitamin B12 and magnesium can also cause eye problems such as twitching so make sure you’re eating a balanced diet rich in protein like chicken and salmon, green leafy vegetables, bananas and avocado. If you’re experiencing severe twitching and vision problems, pain or your eyelids are drooping, contact your doctor as it could be a sign of something more serious.

4. Light sensitivity

GP Dr Deepali Misra-Sharp says: “Increased sensitivity to light (photophobia) can occur due to migraines (which can also be triggered by hormonal changes) or changes in the eyes’ function.” Warm compresses and eye drops may help ease

Light sensitivity is another common symptom in pregnancy, but if it’s accompanied by other symptoms such as swelling of your face and legs and a headache it could be a sign that you have preeclampsia. Speak to your doctor immediately or contact the maternity unit at your local hospital.

5. Puffy eyelids

Ophthalmologist Dr Samal Hamada, who works at Eye Clinic London, writes in this blog post that salt and water retention and fluctuating hormones can cause puffiness in your eyelids and around your eyes. While it can be frustrating and might make you feel more tired, it should not be painful. However, if you’re experiencing a severe headache along with the puffiness you should speak to your doctor immediately as it could be a symptom of pre-eclampsia.

Dr Hamada says staying hydrated, avoiding foods high in salt and a cold compress over your eyelids can all help ease this symptom.

6. Pigmentation

During pregnancy patches of skin on the face can become darker than others, including around the eyes. This is called melasma or chloasma, but it is reversible and should fade after the pregnancy. This study says that hormonal changes can lead to an increase in melanin, which is the substance that creates hair, eye and skin pigmentation. Wearing suncream and a hat can help prevent this pregnancy symptom, which is sometimes called the ‘mask of pregnancy’.

4 pregnancy health conditions that can affect vision

There are some more serious pregnancy-related health conditions which can affect your vision which you should be aware of. Your midwife will check for these during your routine antenatal appointments to make sure they’re treated properly and promptly. It’s very rare for any long term damage to be done to your eyes from these health conditions but we’ve outlined them below.

1. Hormonal changes

As we’ve mentioned above, changes in your oestrogen and progesterone levels during pregnancy can lead to changes in your tear production and corneal shape which can affect your eyes and vision. Fluctuating hormone levels can lead to dry eyes which can be uncomfortable but there are treatments that can help as we outlined above.

Higher levels of oestrogen can soften the cornea which may affect how light travels into your eyes. The change in light refraction can cause blurry vision and the dryness can make wearing contact lenses uncomfortable but again, treatment for this is available from pharmacies.

2. Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar which develops in some women during pregnancy but usually goes away when your baby is born. Women who are overweight or aged over 40 are more at risk and it usually begins in the second or third trimester. You may not know you have it which is why you will be offered a blood test (oral glucose tolerance test) if you have any of the risk factors.

If gestational diabetes has not been detected, some women may develop other symptoms and one of these relates to the eyes. Dr Misra-Sharp explains that high blood sugar “can lead to blurred vision due to blood sugar fluctuations affecting the eye lens”.

Women with gestational diabetes will be given a blood sugar testing kit and will be advised to amend their diet. They will be monitored closely and may be offered insulin tablets or injections if necessary.

Zahoranska-Earle explains more about diabetes and eyesight: “Diabetes causes retinopathy, which is basically the high levels of sugars causing damage to the retina, which over a prolonged period of time can cause bleeding blockages within the eye circulation. However pregnancy is not usually long enough in duration to cause damage in this way, plus gestational diabetes is usually caught and treated and managed very effectively”

3. Pre-eclampsia

One of the reasons your midwife will ask you to pee in a pot at every antenatal appointment is to check for protein in your urine. Protein is one of the early signs of pre-eclampsia, along with high blood pressure.

Pre-eclampsia is a dangerous condition which can lead to serious complications for both mum and baby and is most likely to happen in the second half of your pregnancy. While you may not know if you have protein in your pee or high blood pressure, you will notice if you start to get bad headaches, sudden swelling of your face, hands and feet and vision problems. Dr Misra-Sharp says these vision problems include blurred vision, the presence of flashing lights, vision loss and light sensitivity.

If you’re experiencing any of these you should seek medical attention immediately.

The NHS says people with the following conditions may be at higher risk of pre-eclampsia:

• Diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease before you were pregnant
• Autoimmune conditions such as lupus
• Pre-eclampsia in a previous pregnancy
• A family history of pre-eclampsia
• Aged 40 or over
• A BMI of 35 or more
• Expecting twins or triplets

4. Migraines

If you are familiar with migraines and their symptoms you will be aware that as well as a headache, they can also affect your eyesight. This is called aura and may include seeing zigzag lines or flashing lights. For many people aura is the first sign you’re going to have a migraine. Dr Misra-Sharp says migraines can also cause light sensitivity.

If you do suffer from migraines, you might be worried about whether this will affect you during your pregnancy too. The good news from the Migraine Trust is that many women experience fewer migraines during the second and third trimester of their pregnancies. The trust says: “​​This improvement may be due to the increased oestrogen levels and increased levels of natural pain-killing hormones (endorphins).” Unfortunately, this does mean that when your hormones settle back down to normal after the birth, your migraines may return, especially if you’re not breastfeeding.

The situation will be different for everyone and some women may experience migraines throughout their pregnancy, while others may not have any.

If you are planning to get pregnant and take regular medication for your migraines, you should speak to your doctor first. Some of the prescribed medicines are not safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding.

When to seek medical advice?

When you’re pregnant it’s always best to play it safe and seek medical attention if anything worries you. Your GP and midwife would always rather you tell them about any symptoms which are worrying you. When it comes to your eyesight, Dr Misra-Sharp says you should seek medical advice if it suddenly deteriorates or changes, for example with blurring, flashes or loss of vision.

If you have any symptoms of pre-eclampsia such as sudden swelling of your hands or face, severe headaches or seeing spots then you should immediately call your midwife, GP surgery or NHS 111.

Dr Misra-Sharp says if your “vision changes are accompanied by other symptoms like severe headaches, pain in the eyes, or dizziness” then you should get medical help.

Frequently asked questions

We spoke to the following experts

A new type of medical treatment has helped a toddler who was born deaf to be able to hear without a hearing aid.

Ears usually work by catching sound waves and directing them towards the ear canal, which goes in from the part of the ear that you can see. The sound waves cause vibrations inside ear. Part of the inner ear, the cochlea, looks like a snail’s shell. It is filled with lots of tiny hair cells that create a small electrical signal when they vibrate. The signal is sent to the brain, which understands it as sound.

Opal Sandy, who is 18 months old, was born with a condition called auditory neuropathy. This means that the hair cells inside her cochlea are damaged, so the sounds detected by her ear cannot be sent as signals to her brain. Auditory neuropathy can be caused by a gene that is faulty. Genes are short sections of DNA in the cells of every living thing. DNA instructs the body how to build and run itself.

Opal was chosen to take part in a medical trial called CHORD, which is testing a new form of treatment for children who have faulty genes that affect their hearing. The therapy worked by delivering a harmless virus into her inner ear. The clever virus carries a working version of the faulty gene, which then helps the damaged hair cells in the cochlea to repair themselves.

After a few weeks, Opal could hear loud sounds, such as clapping. Six months later, she had almost normal levels of hearing in the treated ear. She could even hear soft sounds, including whispers.

More deaf children from the UK, the US and Spain are going to be included in the trial so scientists can study the effects of the treatment. Their progress will be followed for the next five years. Professor Manohar Bance, who worked on the trial, said seeing the results was “very special”. He added, “It marks a new era in the treatment for deafness.”

What are cochlear implants?

Cochlear implants are electronic devices that are used by people who have damage to their inner ear. They give people the sensation of hearing. A small microphone picks up sound and a processor (tiny computer chip) converts this into a digital code. This is sent to a receiver under the skin, which then stimulates the cochlear nerve (the part of the ear that sends signals to the brain). When the brain receives the signal, it interprets it as sound.

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Learning to think before you speak helps you to express yourself better. Besides improving your communication skills, it stops you saying things you might come to regret.

If you’ve ever shared an embarrassing story about yourself or someone else or said something mean in the heat of the moment, you’ll know how easy it is to say things you wish you could take back. Research shows this is more likely to happen during an argument because our brains release chemicals when we’re stressed or upset that make it hard to manage our emotions. This can lead us to say and do things we regret. Thinking carefully before you speak gives you time to consider your words and the effect they’ll have before saying them out loud.

Whether you’re talking face-to-face or sharing something online, it’s hard to take something back once you’ve said it. Pausing before you speak (or press “send” if you’re online) gives you the chance to choose your words carefully. It also helps you stay true to your values. Saying something unkind, for example, can hurt someone else’s feelings and make you feel guilty or embarrassed later.

Henry Ortiz is a psychologist (an expert in thoughts and feelings) who says an angry argument is like a game of tug of war. “The harder you pull your end of the rope, the more the other person resists you,” he explains. So speaking when your mind feels clear and calm helps you communicate your views and ideas more clearly.

Learn to think first

If you have something important to say, try to be aware of your mood before speaking. When you are angry you are more likely to say or send something hurtful, so Ortiz recommends waiting until you feel more calm.

If you get annoyed or upset in the middle of a conversation, communications expert Brad Bushman suggests taking a break until you feel more level-headed. “My grandma used to tell me that before you say or do anything [while you are angry], you should count to 10 before you respond” he says.

Think first to choose the right words

• True: Is what you’re saying true or just a rumour?
• Helpful: Are you giving advice or helping others?
• Inspiring: Are your words encouraging or uplifting?
• Necessary: Is there a better time to share your thoughts?
• Kind: Are your words kind?

Use the five senses game to calm down before speaking. Say in your head or out loud five things you can see; four things you can touch; three things you can hear; two things you can smell; and one thing you can taste. Take a breath in between everything you name.

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Raising a family is expensive, so knowing how to save money as a parent is crucial if you want to make your family's budget go further, and build a savings pot for the future. The last couple of years have seen budgets stretched more than ever before, leaving households scrambling to figure out how to make extra money to help make ends meet.

Even if your finances have weathered the cost of living crisis storm, it's always going to be worth cutting costs where you can. Personal finance analyst Alice Haine from Bestinvest says: "By slashing the amount you spend on everyday bills and cutting costs elsewhere, you can quickly create a small sum that will either boost your current account or be saved or invested into a separate pot for a rainy day."

Follows these family-friendly tips to reduce how much you spend on things like days out, entertainment, toys and food to ease the pressure on your budget and put more money away for your family's future.

1. Swap takeaways for fakeaways 

Takeaways are all too tempting for tired and busy parents, but they are much more expensive than cooking food at home. If you have a weekly takeaway treat, try to reduce it to once a month instead as a way to save money. You could always try making a homemade takeaway whenever you get a craving for your favourite fast food.

2. Create snack packs for whenever you leave the house

We've all been there. You nip out with your little human, packing everything you need for changeable weather and to keep them entertained, but when they utter those three little words 'I am hungry' you realise that you have no snacks in your bag and have to resort to buying them while you're out. But this can prove really expensive, especially if you are somewhere like a theme park or zoo.

Instead, make up a few snack packs using non-perishable snackarooneys that you can leave in key places, like your handbag, car or byy the front door, so you can avoid getting caught out again.

3. Start a babysitting circle

As any parent will attest, taking time away from the kids for yourself, or for you and your partner, is key to keeping on top of your own mental health and wellbeing. But forking out for a babysitter can often put parents off taking this valuable step. But setting up a babysitting circle with your friends can be a great way to help each other out, without breaking the bank. To keep it fair, try setting up a rota, or work on a token system, where you earn a token every time you babysit, and it costs a token to get a babysitter.

4. Label your child's school uniform and other belongings

Sometimes, saving money is about making what you do buy last as long as possible. When it comes to your child's belongings or school uniform, this means making sure everything is labelled with their name so it can be returned to you if it gets left at a friend's house or in a classroom at the end of the school day. You can buy simple personalised washable and no-iron labels on Amazon for around £10-15. Some even come with cute designs, like this Amazon bestsellers.

5. Make your own playdough

Looking for a really inexpensive way to keep kids entertained? Why not make your own playdough? Let kids pick their favourite colours and let them unleash their creativity. To make your own, you will need:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp cream of tartar (which you can get in the baking aisle at the supermarket)
• ½ cup salt
• 1 to 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 cup water
• food colouring

Mix the flour, cream of tartar and salt in a saucepan. Add the water and oil and cook over medium heat until thick. At this stage you can either add a few drops of food colouring to the mixture and kneed in. If you want two colours, split the mixture and add different colours to each half. Then hey presto, home-made playdough.

6. Swap toys and clothes with other families

Buying toys and clothes for your kids can be expensive, especially when they outgrow things so quickly. But remember, this is the same in every family, so why not team up with neighbours, friends and school mums and see if you can arrange a toy or clothing swap? This works best if you can set up a group of parents with kids of different ages, but if your kids are the same age, it's a good way to swap toys your kids no longer play with for something new to them.

7. Make packed lunches

Making packed lunches for the whole family is a no-brainer when it comes to saving money, especially when you tot it up over the course of a week. If mornings are hectic in your family (we hear ya!), then it's a good idea to get into the habit of making lunches the night before. It can also help to give everyone in the family their own colour-coded lunchbox so that there's no worry about someone taking the wrong lunch to school or work.

8. Accept hand me downs

There's no shame in accepting hand me downs if you are trying to save money. In a lot of cases, you'll be helping someone out by helping them find a new home for their belongings. As well as easing the strain on your bank balance, it's also really good for the planet and reduces the amount being sent to landfill.

9. Buy own brand painkillers

In many cases, if you choose to buy branded medicines, you're paying more for the brand name and a snazzier box, rather than for high quality or more effective ingredients. When you're looking to buy medicine, check the branded box for a nine digit code, which is called the Product Licence Code. Then take a look at the retailer's own brand version. If the two codes match, it's not just the same active ingredient, it's the exact same tablets. Check out this real life example highlighted by money saving expert Martin Lewis.

10. Shop around for fuel

While we have been benefitting from a temporary fuel duty cut since March 2022, this is due to end in March 2024, so it's vital that you keep an eye on how much you are paying for fuel, especially if you need your car for the school run and weekend activities with the family. Use this fuel prices tool from Go.Compare to find the cheapest fuel near you.

Remember there are lots of other ways to save money on fuel, including keeping your tyres inflated, accelerating and braking gently and not driving around with unnecessary cargo. Car sharing where you can and avoiding unnecessary short journeys can also help you to use less fuel.

11. Grow your own veg

Save money and start a hobby with your kids by growing your own vegetables. For beginners, veggies like beetroot, potatoes, salad leaves, peas, radishes and courgettes are a good starting point. And if you don't have the garden space to plant your seeds, according to Gardener's World there are lots of things you can grow in bags, pots and even on your windowsill.

12. Book early and in advance for any activities

Keeping the kids occupied can gouge a big chunk out of the family budget especially in the school holidays. Save money by booking big trips to the likes of zoos and theme parks online rather than rocking up on the day, or see if you can cash in supermarket loyalty points. You could also keep your eyes peeled for free adult ticket promotions that regular appear on Kelloggs cereal boxes.

13. Do you really need a TV licence?

If you exclusively use streaming services to watch boxed-sets or films on demand, but are still paying for a TV licence, you may be wasting money. You need a TV licence if you watch or record live TV, on any channel or streaming service. But if you only watch programmes on demand (with the exception of BBC iPlayer), you don’t actually need a TV licence so could save yourself £159 per year (if you pay annually), rising to £169.50 from April 2024.

14. Team up with another family for days out and holidays

Joining forces with another family on things like day trips, mini breaks or holiday can be a great way to share the cost on things like accommodation, car hire and fuel costs. You could also benefit from discounts on group entry tickets to popular attractions. Make sure you agree how joint costs will be split ahead of time to avoid any fallouts.

15. Be a savvy shopper

Whether you are shopping online or in a shop or supermarket, keep in mind that a retailer is always trying its best to make you buy things - and the more things the better. It might be that it displays more expensive items at eye level with cheaper items lower down, or sends you regular emails with multibuy or money-off offers. (We reveal the sneaky supermarket tricks to look out for!).

GoodtoKnow’s Money Editor Sarah Handley says: “If you’re looking to save money, you need to be savvy about all of the moves that retailers make to encourage you to buy things you don’t necessarily need. To avoid temptation, unsubscribe to the emails, turn off app notifications and plan purchases ahead of time and budget for them rather than buying on impulse.”

16. Try a different supermarket

Switching to a different supermarket can be a great way to save money on your food shopping, especially when you consider the price difference between the most expensive and cheapest supermarket. Buying online if possible is a great option. It’ll help you avoid impulse buys, and you can check your fridge, freezer and cupboards as you are adding items to your basket to avoid buying items you don’t need. But if you do buy online, try to choose the collection option rather than delivery to keep costs low. If you do need your shopping to be delivered, try to be flexible on the day and time you want it delivered to get the cheapest delivery price.

17. Remember your loyalty card - and your bags

If you’re shopping somewhere with a loyalty scheme, make sure you flash your supermarket loyalty card. In some cases, you’ll get exclusive discounts or coupons, and in others you’ll be able to exchange loyalty points for things like restaurant vouchers, theme-park and cinema tickets and more. Save enough points and you can get a family day out for free! Also remember to take your own bags with you - you can pay anywhere from 10p to 50p for a reusable bag from your local supermarket which can soon tot up if you are doing a big shop.

18. Try to reduce leftovers

We throw away a whopping £700 of food per household each year but there’s lots of ways to reduce food waste..

This might be:

•  Using every part of the fruit and vegetables that you buy 
•  Making your own stocks and sauces 
•  Freezing leftovers 
•  Having a ‘use up’ day once a week.

You can always try using your freezer more to increase the shelf life of your shop. You can try this cheese hack if you're wondering whether you can freeze cheese, or even try freezing avocado or cooked pasta.

19. Buy a brand level lower

If you normally buy branded products, like Walkers, Kelloggs or Coca Cola, try buying supermarket own brands instead. If you already buy supermarket own brands, then try out the value or basics range to see if you can tell the difference. In many cases, you and your family won't notice the difference anywhere other than your bank account. To test the waters, try it with the following items:

•  Rice and pasta 
•  Over the counter medications, such as paracetamol or hay fever tablets 
•  Hand soap and shower gel 
•  Canned foods like beans and chopped tomatoes 
•  Cereals 
•  Nappies 
•  Baby wipes 
•  Washing up liquid 
•  Laundry detergent

Even if you end up going back to old favourites for some items, if you stick to the new brand level for certain products, you’ll save some money.

20. Don't leave appliances on standby

Many of us tend to think of an appliance on standby as being off. But when you look at it in terms of energy consumption, ‘standby’ and ‘off’ are two very different things. Some appliances can even use as much energy while on standby as they do when they are on, which means you could be wasting money unnecessarily.

Another way to reduce your energy use is to use a smart plug, which can be really useful for devices in kids bedrooms. A smart plug will allow you to control them from your smartphone, and turn them off remotely. As well as saving energy, this can also help you if you need to impose a cut off time for your kids using specific devices.

21. Do you really need to use a tumble dryer?

When you are doing family-sizes loads of washing, sometimes multiple times per week, your tumble dryer will feel like an essential. But tumble dryers are energy-guzzling appliances, so it makes sense to use this particular appliance less, where you can. If you’re looking for how to dry clothes without a dryer, you might choose to dry your clothes outside on dry days, or dry them on an airer or on radiators indoors. We've ranked the cheapest way to dry clothes to help. If you need to dry clothes quicker, it could be worth investing in a heated airer or a dehumidifier which both cost less to run than a tumble dryer.

22. Turn the thermostat down

According to the Energy Saving Trust, you can save around £80 a year by turning your thermostat down by just one degree - and it’s likely you and your family won’t even notice a difference in your comfort levels. You could also look at how many hours a day you have the heating on, and see if you can reduce that number to help save money.

23. Bleed your radiators

Bleeding your radiators can help your heating system work more efficiently, improving how effectively your home is heated. This means you might be able to have your heating on less which can save you money. It’s an easy task to complete yourself. You just need a towel, a bowl to catch any drips and a radiator key.

24. Do you qualify for any council tax discounts?

Council tax is one of those priority bills that you must pay, however there’s still ways to save. Check what qualifies for council tax reduction and whether your circumstances mean you are eligible (if you're a single parent, definitely check out whether you could be receiving a 25 per cent discount on your bill. Even if you don't qualify for a discount, you can reduce how much council tax you pay each month by arranging to pay your annual fee in 12 monthly instalments rather than 10.

25. Save on train travel

If you’re after cheap train tickets, book in advance and see if you can save by split ticketing, where it can cost less to buy one or more tickets to cover a single journey on the same train. With rising pump prices – filling up the car is a luxury so you could save money taking the train instead of driving. Plus you’ll save on car parking too!

26. Buy second hand

Whether it’s clothes, homewares or toys and games - buying second hand is a brilliant way to spend less and save money. Local charity shops are a good choice, but you can also check out apps like Vinted, Depop and Preloved, as well as eBay and Facebook Marketplace. You can get in on the action and sell your unwanted items online too. Read our guides to how to sell clothes online and how to sell your old gadgets for clear tips to see you through the process.

27. Buy in bulk or extra value sizes

Buying extra value sizes (or buying in bulk) can be a great way to save money on household and food items, like toilet roll, surface cleaner, washing tabs, crisps and cereal. But it’ll only prove to be a bargain if you use up everything you buy. Avoid bulk buying a product you’ve never used before, even if it’s a good deal, because if you don’t like it, you're either lumbered with having to use up a product you hate, or you’ll end up buying an alternative.

28. Cut your childcare costs

Pay for child care while you work? See if you're eligible for 30 hours free childcare or claim some cash back from combination of Working Tax Credits, or the new tax-free childcare scheme that pays out up to £2,000 per child. Different options suit different people, but it’s worth wading through the Government website Childcare Choices to find what works for you.

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Growing numbers of women are having babies in their 40s, proving that falling pregnant during this decade is very much possible. There are a multitude of ways you can boost your chances of conceiving naturally, and also advances in science if you need a little assistance.

While the average age of mothers welcoming children in England and Wales is now 30.9 years old, according to the Office For National Statistics, there are now twice as many women giving birth over the age of 40 in England and Wales as there are those having children as teenagers.

That being said, experts emphasise the need to stay realistic as well as informed, since fertility is not quite as straightforward past your mid-30s. We have called on gynaecologist Dr Amit Shah, women's health expert Dr Melina Stasinou, and fertility specialist Dr Gill Lockwood to share their important insight.

They reveal why fertility may be more impacted at this stage of life, the lifestyle factors that may be having an influence, how to improve the likelihood of pregnancy, why turning to a healthcare professional is vital and the options available to those struggling to conceive naturally. As always, it is important to speak to your doctor for tailored medical advice and to keep up to date with the latest NHS guidance.

1. You can get pregnant in your 40s

“The chances of women becoming pregnant in their 40s are lower compared to earlier decades, but it is certainly possible,” says Dr Shah, consultant gynaecologist and co-founder of Harley Street clinic Fertility Plus. “However, there has been an increase in the number of women becoming mothers at this time of life, largely due to advances in reproductive technologies - such as IVF and egg freezing - which have made it easier for women to conceive later in life.’ According to the Office For National Statistics, in 2021, there were 28,478 births to mothers aged 40 to 44 and 2,064 to mothers aged 45 and over.

Indeed, it isn’t entirely accurate that women’s fertility nosedives from a woman’s mid-30s. “It is well-known that there is an age-related decline in ovarian reserve and egg quality, and this process significantly speeds up after the age of 35,” notes Dr Stasinou, a specialist in integrative women’s health at the Marion Gluck Clinic . “Nevertheless, it is a myth that a woman, even in her 20s or 30s, can get pregnant very easily - with the chance at about 25% for a natural conception every month, which drops to 20% for women over 30.” She notes that by the age of 40, the chance of getting pregnant naturally each month is just 5%.

Still, this doesn’t mean it can’t happen, as April Hunter found. “I had two children in my 20s, so had already experienced pregnancy, birth and care at that point in my life,” says the midwife, 45, who lives in Cheshire. “After I did my midwifery training, I planned for another baby with my new partner. My coil was removed and I fell pregnant a month later when I was 42.” Similarly, Judy Bartkowiak was 44 when she fell pregnant with her fourth child - her others being 8, 11 and 12. “ It was something of a shock but a lovely one,” recalls the children and teens therapist, 68, based in Berkshire.

2. It may take longer to conceive

While it is possible to fall pregnant in your 40s, it may not be as fast a process compared to those in their 30s, because fertility begins to decline. “The majority of women will be able to achieve successful pregnancies in their 40s,” says Dr Lockwood, a consultant fertility specialist at Fertility Family. “However, it is important for those trying to be aware that it may take longer to conceive at this age.”

Dr Shah explains: “This is because, as women age, the number and quality of their eggs decreases. By the time a woman reaches her 40s, her remaining eggs are fewer in number and are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities - which can make it harder to conceive naturally. Hormonal changes, such as a decline in oestrogen levels, also contribute to the difficulty of getting pregnant during this decade.” Indeed, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists revealed that most women will have around 120,000 eggs at 32 years old, but by 37 the average egg count drops to around 25,000.

3. Lifestyle can play a part

“Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and poor diet can all negatively impact a woman’s ability to conceive,” warns Dr Shah. “Smoking, for example, accelerates the loss of eggs and can lead to earlier menopause. Meanwhile, excessive drinking can interfere with hormonal balance.” He notes that maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise are important for overall reproductive health.

Dr Lockwood agrees: “Many of the developmental factors that may impact the baby’s health are actually under our own control and unrelated to the mother’s age.” She adds that taking folic acid and vitamin D supplements can be “game-changing in ensuring healthy babies”.

4. It’s not all down to the woman

“Male health can also impact fertility and pregnancy outcomes - it is not just the woman’s health that has an effect,” insists Dr Lockwood. “After centuries in which it was assumed that infertility was a ‘female problem’, we now finally recognise that infertility is a shared problem. In about 25% of cases, it is possible to attribute the couple’s ongoing fertility problem to a purely ‘male factor’, but in over 50% there are infertility issues on both sides.”

A man’s reproductive health can be compromised by lifestyle, including smoking, alcohol use and poor diet, says Dr Shah. Similarly Dr Lockwood highlights the emerging evidence that pollutants in the environment and highly processed food have been shown to reduce sperm count and viability, along with anabolic steroids used in ‘body building’ and some ‘anti- baldness’ medicines. She adds: “Improving male fertility really means avoiding damaging it.” Which also includes wearing boxers rather than tight pants, avoiding prolonged sitting, taking cool showers rather than sitting in hot baths and avoiding obesity.

5. There are ways to boost fertility

“Women in their 40s who wish to improve their chances of conceiving naturally can take several steps,” explains Dr Shah. “Leading a healthy lifestyle by maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly and avoiding smoking as well as excessive drinking is essential. It’s also important to manage stress, since high levels can negatively affect fertility.” There is likewise evidence that eliminating caffeine and recreational drugs can have a positive effect. Dr Shah adds: “Consulting with a healthcare provider to monitor overall health and address any underlying conditions, such as thyroid issues, can also be beneficial.”

Dr Stasinou insists that there is no sufficient evidence regarding a specific “fertility diet”. “Although the optimal BMI for conception is 18 and 30, which means that women that they are trying to conceive should not be too thin or obese,” she explains. “According to some studies, women should have a higher consumption of monounsaturated rather than trans fats, vegetable rather than animal protein sources, low-glycemic carbohydrates and high-fat dairy.”

While an overall healthy diet is the main goal, says Dr Stasinou, an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is also key when trying to create the right environment for a healthy pregnancy - and which can be topped up. “Some of the most popular dietary supplements that can promote fertility in women include folic acid, co-Q10, vitamin D3, Omega 3 and myo-inositol,” she explains. Meanwhile, men can particularly benefit from vitamin C and zinc.

6. Seeking medical advice is vital

“If you have been trying for six months and have good, regular trouble-free periods, a positive family history and your partner does not have a history of undescended testes, adolescent mumps or STDs, then you should seek expert advice as to why you haven’t been able to conceive yet,” says Dr Lockwood. “Waiting two years will reduce the available treatment options.”

A healthcare professional can investigate factors that may be impacting fertility. “Women with a history of irregular periods possibly indicating PCOS, or women with heavy and painful periods probably suggesting endometriosis, may be affected,” says Dr Lockwood. “Maternal history is equally important, as a female-line story of early menopause in the mother, grandmother or aunt may also be playing a part.” Early menopause is considered to happen before the age of 45, and research suggests it affects 5-10% of women.

Taking a fertility test - usually involving a blood test and ultrasound scan - can be worthwhile for some. “They can provide valuable information about a woman’s fertility and help identify any potential issues that might be affecting it,” explains Dr Shah. This includes looking at the ovarian reserve - the number and quality of eggs left - and also testing levels of the anti-müllerian hormone. Depending on the type of test, they can be done at home or in a clinic. Dr Stasinou adds that getting the quality and quantity of sperm assessed is also of “decisive importance”.

7. You may need some assistance

“For those who discover they may have fertility issues, they need to decide as a couple whether they are content to just keep trying and ‘if it happens, it happens’ or if they really want to have a realistic chance of becoming parents,” says Dr Lockwood. “What’s more, many couples facing the baffling diagnosis of ‘unexplained infertility’ - estimated to be about 25% of all couples having IVF - should be reassured to know that modern assisted conception techniques can help.”

Dr Shah explains: “IVF (in vitro fertilisation) and IUI (intrauterine insemination) can be effective options for women in their 40s who are struggling to conceive naturally. IVF involves fertilising an egg outside the body and then implanting it in the uterus, which can be particularly useful when egg quality is a concern. IUI, on the other hand, involves placing sperm directly into the uterus to increase the chances of fertilisation.” He adds that they are not guaranteed to succeed and often require multiple attempts.

According to the latest NHS guidelines, IVF should be offered to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to get pregnant through regular unprotected sex for two years, or who have had 12 cycles of artificial insemination - with at least six of these cycles using the IUI method. However, experts warn that access to such treatments can be a “postcode lottery”, meaning that seeking private treatment may be the only option for some.

Have you frozen eggs in your 30s? Using them for IVF may be able to boost its chances of success. “The embryos that they can create are younger and more healthy,” explains Dr Stasinou. “The optimal age for egg freezing is up to 35 years old, however many women pursue it after this age due to financial and professional restrictions.” Egg freezing is not available on the NHS unless you are having medical treatment, such as for cancer, that could affect your fertility.

8. There are risks involved

When trying to conceive in your 40s, there are certain issues that can be more common. “There is an increased risk of miscarriage and other potential complications,” warns Dr Shah. “As egg quality declines with age, the risk of chromosomal abnormalities - which can lead to miscarriage - also increases.” Indeed, the risk of a miscarriage increases quite steeply after the age of 35, with a 40% risk of an early miscarriage for women aged 40 who can conceive. Dr Shah continues: “Additionally, pregnancies later in life are associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and preeclampsia.”

As such, Dr Shah adds: “It’s important for women to understand that while it is possible to conceive in your 40s, it can be more challenging and may require additional medical assistance. Women should be proactive about their reproductive health, seek guidance from healthcare professionals early on and consider all available options, including egg freezing and fertility treatments. It’s also crucial to maintain a realistic perspective and be prepared for the possibility that conception may take longer or require more interventions than it would at a younger age.”

However, Dr Lockwood is adamant that the outcomes are often a positive one. ““The vast majority of couples will get successfully pregnant without any outside help, and for the others, modern fertility medicine is very successful,” she insists. If you would like to pursue motherhood as a 40-something woman then taking informed steps - including being aware of the latest NHS advice - doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.

If you’ve never heard of the term , you’re not alone. Most parents have never heard of adrenarche, a phase of early puberty that usually occurs between the ages of 6 and 8 years old, although it can start a bit earlier or later in some kids.

While adrenarche is a normal developmental stage, the physical and emotional changes can sometimes be confusing or concerning for children and parents alike. Tantrums and outbursts, anxiety, and a lack of self-confidence are all signs of adrenarche. However, knowing more about the process can help you reassure and support your child through this stage of their development."I'm so glad to learn about this!" says mum-of-two Anu. "My nine-year-old son's grumpy moods are really challenging at the minute. He challenges everything I say and always has to have the last word. He's eating loads too."

We’ve spoken to an expert and looked at the research to find out more about adrenarche, what the physical and emotional effects are, how you can help your child through it, and whether you need to speak to your GP.

What is adrenarche, and how does it affect kids physically and emotionally?

Pronounced ad-ruh-NAR-kee, adrenarche literally means ‘the awakening of the adrenal gland’. It’s this gland that’s responsible for making androgens, sex hormones that cause changes to your child’s body, such as more body hair, oily skin, public hair, and body odour. It’s like puberty, except that it happens earlier, typically before the age of 8 in girls and before the age of 9 in boys. It’s helping to prepare your child’s body for true puberty.

Physical effects of adrenarche

Adrenarche can have a significant impact on your child’s development, specifically in terms of body hair and odour.

• Growth of body hair: You may notice fine hair developing in areas such as the armpits or public regions.
• Skin changes: Increased oil production in the skin can lead to the development of mild acne and blackheads.
• Body odour: Hormonal shifts can cause a noticeable change in body odour, so you may notice your child needing more baths or showers than before.
• Mild growth spurt: Some kids may experience a slight increase in height and weight during this period.

Emotional effects of adrenarche

Adrenarche can also impact children's emotional and psychological states, though these changes are usually subtle.

• Mood swings: Hormonal changes can mean fluctuations in mood, so you might notice your child becoming more sensitive or irritable.
• Increased emotional awareness: Kids may start to show signs of developing a more complex emotional life, such as heightened self-consciousness or concern about their appearance.
• Social shifts: Some kids might begin to show more independence and start forming stronger friendships, while others may become more private or shy.
• Increase in anxiety: Higher levels of androgens are linked to increased sensitivity to stress, which can make children more prone to anxiety or emotional outbursts.

We spoke to Kristie Tse, a psychotherapist with a focus on child development. She told us more about adrenarche and how it can affect children emotionally.

“From a therapeutic perspective, I've observed that this period can be pivotal for children as they start to experience heightened emotions,” says Kristie. “This includes increased sensitivity and occasional mood swings. It’s a time when they may begin to confront issues surrounding their identity and body image, particularly in the context of peer relationships. For instance, a young adolescent may start expressing anxiety about their appearance, feeling self-conscious as they compare themselves with others who may be experiencing these changes differently.”

The research appears to back up Kristie’s real-life experience. A 2020 Mexico study into the timing of adrenarche in girls found that developing body hair and odour made girls more conscious of their appearance. It also found that they experienced higher levels of anxiety and stress, mood swings and feelings of insecurity and self-doubt.

How can I support my child through adrenarche?

“Parents can play a significant role in supporting their children through this transition,” says Kristie. “I've found that creating an open dialogue is essential. Encourage your child to share their feelings about the physical changes they’re experiencing. When my clients express anxiety or confusion about body changes, I emphasise that these feelings are normal. Involving your kid in discussions about self-esteem and body image can empower them.”

Kristie also says it can be helpful to talk about your own childhood experiences or share relatable stories that can help you connect with your child, normalise their experience and make them feel more secure.

“For instance, discussing how friends may react differently to similar changes helps to alleviate the feeling of isolation. I also recommend helping children find healthy outlets for their emotions, like art or sports, which can also build friendships. These steps foster an environment where children feel supported, understood, and equipped to manage their feelings during this transformative phase.”

Of course, you’ll also need to help them keep on top of their personal hygiene, as body odour can become a problem during this phase. Introduce basic hygiene habits, such as taking a daily shower, using antiperspirants or deodorants, and washing their faces morning and night. Show them how you do it, so they don’t feel singled out or ashamed, and let them know it’s something everybody does as they get older.

If their emotional outbursts affect their well-being or that of others, show them how to regulate their emotions, such as deep breathing techniques or even keeping a diary.

Should I talk to my GP about adrenarche?

While it’s not usually something to worry about, it’s worth talking to your GP if you think your child is experiencing adrenarche particularly early. That’s because certain underlying conditions can cause adrenarche to happen earlier. These include:

• Obesity
• Environmental conditions
• Metabolic syndrome
• Insulin resistance
• Polycystic ovary syndrome

According to the Cleveland Clinic, girls are nine times more likely to experience premature adrenarche than boys.

Writing for Patient.info, Dr Hayley Willis says, “Occasionally, male hormone excess can be caused by problems other than adrenarche and your child may need to have some tests. If they experience any symptoms that you are worried about, or if you have any concerns at all, it is important you seek the advice of their GP or paediatrician.”

Get more advice and information on tackling difficult subjects with your kids, from when and how to talk to your child about sex to how to talk to your kids about porn. Plus, worried your teen has stopped talking to you? Experts share five reasons why this is 'to be expected' and what you can do to help them.

Whether it’s a chocolate bar, a pack of gummy bears, or an ice lolly after school, children love sweets and it can be hard to avoid them - especially when they dominate supermarket shelves. But how healthy are these shop-bought treats, and is there such a thing as a healthier alternative?

Gone are the days of simply counting calories and watching how much fat you consume when indulging in your favourite chocolate bar, nowadays it's all about whether the food is ultra-processed or not, or whether it's packed with hidden sugars, e-numbers and additives. But, what are ultra-processed foods and why do we need to be aware of them alongside sugar and fat? 

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been vigorously manipulated and changed during the production process altering or adding ingredients - for example, preservatives, colouring, and flavouring. Think biscuits, crisps, cereal, and ice cream to name a few. Ultra-processed foods often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt, and sugar which in turn have been said to have a range of negative effects on our bodies. And it's not just adults being impacted, ultra-processed foods negatively affect children too - causing both short-term and long-term issues.

According to gut health experts at ZOE, “the consensus is that ultra-processed food is unhealthy. Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked with increased risk of heart disease, weight gain, cancer, and even mortality - but why? Processing changes the complex structure of nutrients in a food, which scientists call the food matrix. Furthermore, research has shown that changes in the food matrix alter the way our bodies respond to food, potentially putting us at risk of these health conditions.”

The NHS recommends the maximum daily amounts of sugar for children as follows: 4-6-year-olds: 19g (5 cubes), 7-10-year-olds: 24g (6 cubes), and 11+-year-olds: 30g (7 cubes). It goes on to say; “Too much sugar is bad for children's health as it can lead to the build-up of harmful fat on the inside that we cannot see. This fat can cause weight gain and serious diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.”

So with this in mind, how are we ever supposed to enjoy a sweet treat? Well, here at GoodtoKnow we’re all about encouraging a balanced diet, focusing on whole, natural, unprocessed foods first and then the processed and UPFs in minimal, limited quantities. Sweets ideally should be eaten in moderation as most are high in sugar, however, you could try swapping them for healthier sweet alternatives such as dark chocolate instead of milk, or homemade gummy sweets instead of the shop-bought kind. We’ve listed a few more inspiring ideas below to help you get started.

What we considered when choosing the healthiest sweets

When it comes to choosing which sweets are healthy or not it's all about how processed the sweets are and what nutritional content is included - ideally, you’re looking for low sugar, low saturated fats and high fibre. We opted for minimal processing and sugar, we favoured whole foods or unprocessed sweet alternatives and went for options you can easily make at home. 

Healthiest way to enjoy sweets

Homemade healthy sweets

Did you know that you can make your own gummy sweets at home? A much healthier alternative to shop-bought packets of sweets - and cheaper too. All you need is a natural fruit juice, sweet mould, and gelatin. Using fruit juice instead of jelly cubes will ensure the sweets are more natural and wholesome. You could even add fresh fruit into the mix.

Making sweet treats from scratch is a great way to ensure you know exactly what goes into each treat and avoid unwanted ultra-processed nasties. Making jellied fruit sweets, cookies, cupcakes, or even desserts is better homemade than buying processed from the supermarket. Of course, as with everything that contains sugar, it's best to eat in moderation and keep in mind that these are healthier swaps, not entirely healthy as all contain sugar so don’t overindulge otherwise you won’t reap the benefits:

• Fruit winders
• Fruit pastilles
• Turkish Delight

Fruit-based treats

When you’re in the mood for something sweet, fruit certainly wouldn’t go a miss. Various fruit-based treats on the market are perfect for that sweet fix if an apple isn’t cutting it for you. Bars made with dried fruits tend to have a range of nutritional benefits, including fibre content and natural sugars. Examples include some Organix bars, That’s It bars, and Nakd fruit bars. Here are some fruit bar comparisons:

The key takeaway is to choose fruit bars that have minimal ingredients, which should then suggest that the product has gone through minimal processing and should therefore be healthier. Even though fruit bars are healthier than jelly sweets, pick ‘n’ mix and all that jazz, they still need to be eaten in moderation as most contain a high amount of natural sugars.

Dried fruit is also a great variation of a fruit-based treat. You could try drying your own fruit at home with a fruit dehydrator, however, make sure you eat this in moderation as it still has high levels of sugar even if it is natural. 

Dark chocolate

If you’re a fan of a chocolate bar try swapping it for dark chocolate instead, as dark chocolate is good for you. Scientists and experts at ZOE say: “Dark chocolate has several times more antioxidants than green tea or red wine. And it contains substances that may help lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol levels and brain function, and help your body deal with insulin. But some dark chocolate also has high levels of refined sugar and additives.”

Choose dark chocolate with a high cocoa content above 70% cocoa is recommended. “The percentage of cocoa in dark chocolate is important. The more cocoa chocolate contains, the darker it is, and the more health benefits it's likely to have. As the cocoa percentage increases, the chocolate is also less likely to contain other ingredients,” says the scientists and experts at ZOE. Here are some dark chocolate recommendations: 

• Willie's Cacao Pure 100% Gold, 100% Sur del Lago Cacao
• Montezuma's Dark Chocolate Absolute Black 100% Cocoa 
• M&S 100% Cocoa Peruvian Dark Chocolate
• Sainsbury's Madagascan 80% Dark Chocolate, Taste the Difference
• Green & Black's Organic 85% Dark Chocolate Bar
• Lindt Excellence Dark 90% Cocoa Chocolate Bar

GoodtoKnow editor Anna Bailey is a huge fan, “I used to love milky chocolate, but I made the switch to dark chocolate to improve my gut health. I started at 70% and worked my way up to 85%, which I now really enjoy. Even if it's darker chocolate, you still need to read the labels though - personally I avoid anything with emulsifiers, which can be found in some popular brands. Sainsbury's Madagascan 80% Dark Chocolate is my favourite. I also love that this counts towards my 30 plants a week, and is considered a fermented food.”

Nut and seed snacks

Sometimes the key to beating that sweet craving is to eat something that will fill you up and provide you with energy and nutrients that your body may be craving. Foods high in protein and fibre are a great choice and will ensure your sugar cravings are kept well and truly at bay, plus nuts and seeds have various health benefits too. 

According to the Heart Foundation; “Nuts and seeds may be small, but they are packed with nutrients. They provide us with fibre, plant protein and healthy fats – which are all beneficial for heart health1,2. Each type of nut and seed contains different vitamins (like folate), minerals (like magnesium and calcium) and phytochemicals, which are needed by our bodies in very small amounts but provide protective effects against heart disease1,3-5. If you eat a range of nuts and seeds, you’re more likely to benefit from all the different nutrients they can provide.”

There are various nuts and seeds worth eating on their own, incorporating into your homemade snack bars, or looking out for when buying healthy cereal bars in the supermarket including the following types:

• Hazelnuts
• Cashews
• Macadamias
• Pistachios
• Walnuts
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Almonds
• Brazil nuts
• Pine nuts
• Flaxseeds/linseeds
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Chia seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Pumpkin seeds

There are lots of cereal bars and healthy snack bars on the market nowadays that make a great sweet treat enjoyed in moderation and include an array of nuts and seeds listed above. However, keep in mind that these bars may be higher in fat, because of the natural fats in nuts. And you’ll want to avoid bars with long-listed ingredients, emulsifiers, or additives. 

For the healthiest option, try making your own nut and seed bars or nut and seed flapjacks. 

Yoghurt sweets

Brands such as Go Ahead, Eat Natural, and Alpen spring to mind when thinking of yogurt-covered sweet treats, however, most of these are not entirely healthy as they have added ingredients or preservatives to prolong shelf life.

Nowadays you can buy dried fruits covered in yogurt - be it apricots or raisins, which make a great confectionary alternative, but once again we’re met with the dreaded emulsifiers and additives. 

If in doubt, you’re always best to buy a tub of natural or unsweetened Greek yogurt, and some fresh fruit, and get dipping. You could try dipped strawberries or raspberries in yogurt leaving them to set in the freezer for an added crunch. You could also blend fruit and yogurt and pour them into ice lolly moulds to make the perfect summer sweet treat.

There are various benefits of choosing yogurt as a sweet alternative. A report in Medical News Today states that: “Yogurts can be high in protein, calcium, vitamins, and live culture, or probiotics, which can enhance the gut microbiota.” 

 Tips for enjoying sweets in a healthy way 

When it comes to eating sweets, it's all about moderation. Sweet treats can easily become a large part of our daily diet, however, it is recommended that we incorporate sweets into a balanced diet without overindulging. One of the easiest ways to do this is through portion control and the importance of reading labels to understand nutritional content. 

According to the British Nutritional Foundation; “If a food or drink product has two or more ingredients, they must all be listed. These ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. This means the main ingredients in the packaged food will always be displayed first. This can help you to make healthier choices too, as if the first few ingredients in a food or drink product are ‘sugar’ or ‘butter’, you will know that they are the main ingredients, and is therefore a high-fat or high-sugar product.”

The key to spotting an ultra-processed food is in the ingredients. Often ingredients with five or more ingredients, ingredients you’ve never heard of before or couldn’t buy yourself in the supermarket, or ingredients with numbers and letters are UPFs and are best to be avoided.

Focusing on the importance of a balanced diet, making healthier homemade swaps, and reading and understanding food labels when you shop are all a great place to start when it comes to eating healthier.

Crisps are one of the most popular snacks on the market - enjoyed in a lunchbox, as an after-school snack, or as an appetiser - but how healthy are they and do you really know what's in your favourite packet?

Until recently, choosing the healthiest food options was usually based on calories and fat content. But, as our awareness of ultra-processed foods and their impact on our health (and our children's health) has increased, we're now far more concerned with the way our food has been made - and what's been added to boost it's flavour and shelf-life.

It’s not just about the sugar, fat and salt anymore, it’s about preservatives, additives and e-numbers. Crisps are a prime example of an ultra-processed food - particularly flavoured crisps that tend to include many unnatural flavourings or colourings.

For years, we've been misled by labels and marketing to think that because a packet of crisps under 100 calories it's the healthiest choice, but nutritionally this not always the case. Take Quavers for example, just 86 calories per pack - but the ingredients include flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate, disodium 5'ribonucleotide), potassium chloride and colour (annatto norbixin). Whereas, a 30g pack of Tyrells has 146 calories and is made with just three ingredients; Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, and Sea Salt,

Healthiest crisps that are shop-bought 

1. Natural crisps

When looking for healthier crisps, the lesson is to seek out those with the least ingredients. The least processed tend to have just three; potato, oil and salt. These crisps are by far healthier than the ones pumped with flavourings, however, still need to be eaten in moderation they can contain high levels of fat. If that's a consideration, we recommend Simply Roasted, which contain far less oil. Also, look out for high levels of salt and opt for plain when you can - such as Trafo's organic natural potato chips.

Three brand we love:

• 1. Simply Roasted
• 2. Trafo
• 3. Naturally Delicious

2. Extra virgin olive oil potato crisps

As outlined above, crisps are traditionally made with oil - most commonly sunflower or vegetable. These oils are highly processed, so are even better option is to chose crisps made with extra virgin olive oil instead. However, be warned - these can be quite a pricey option. You might prefer to buy them in bulk - if you can resist eating too many each day.

Three brand we love:

• 4. Torres
• 5. Trafo
• 6. Añavieja

3. Plain or lightly salted popcorn

Before you reach for that bag of crisps, have you considered popcorn? Popcorn, particularly plain popcorn that doesn’t contain added sugar, salt or flavourings is a great alternative. You could even try making popcorn at home.

According to the American Heart Association; “When it's air-popped and lightly seasoned, popcorn is an efficiently healthy snack. That's because it is a whole grain, and high-fiber whole grains have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and other health problems.”

Three brand we love:

• 7. Skinny Pop
• 8. Proper Popcorn
• 9. Nom Organic Popcorn

4. Lentil crisps

Another contender worth considering when you’re craving a packet of crisps is crisps made with lentils. These types of crisps are usually lower in fat which makes them a great option if you are trying to eat a little healthier, however just like regular crisps, they contain added salt and should only be eaten in moderation.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says; “Lentils are low in sodium and saturated fat, and high in potassium, fiber, folate, and plant chemicals called polyphenols that have antioxidant activity.” That being said, you probably won’t get all the nutritional benefits of lentils from a packet of lentil crisps.

Three brand we love:

• 10. Eat Real
• 11. Rude Health
• 12. Proper Chips

Vegetable crisps

Similar to lentil crisps, vegetable crisps are a healthier option compared to ultra-processed crisps with additives and preservatives for example. According to Diabetes UK, just like regular potato crisps, you need to check the ingredients and nutritional content before consuming; “Fairly new to the market and hailed as being a healthier choice, watch out for the fat and salt content of veggie crisps. With most options scoring red for fat and amber for saturated fat, sugars and salt, you are probably better off making your own at home where you can control the ingredients - a far cheaper option, too! If chosen wisely, this option can be higher in fibre and often offers additional vitamins and minerals to its traditional potato counterpart.”

Making your own vegetable crisps can be easily done at home, however, if you’re looking for a convenient shopbought variety we’d recommend Tyrrells, Kettle, Eat Real, and Emily. Some supermarkets even produce their own brand of vegetable crisps:

Three brand we love:

• 13. Nims
• 14. Tyrell's
• 15 Emily's

6. Multigrain and wholegrain

Last, but certainly not least are multigrain and wholegrain crisps. These tend to be harder to come by and are usually flavoured with questionable ingredients, however, once you’re familiar with reading food product labels, you’ll spot the UPFs a mile away.

Sunbites are an example of this, made with 82% wholegrain however a large number of flavourings are included from sweet chilli seasoning to tomato powder to paprika and garlic powder making them a good choice if you’re looking for wholegrain, but not the best in regards to how processed they are.

Wholegrain is great if you’re looking for fibre, something to keep you fuller for longer. The NHS says; “There is strong evidence that eating plenty of fibre (commonly referred to as roughage) is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Choosing foods with fibre also makes us feel fuller, while a diet rich in fibre can help digestion and prevent constipation.” That being said, you probably won’t get these health benefits from a packet of wholegrain or multigrain crisps so you’re best to opt for more organic sources of fibre including legumes, apples, avocado, almonds and more.

To satisfy that crunch you get from crisps, choose wholegrain crackers like Ryvita, Kallo wholegrain rice cakes, or Nairns wholegrain crackers.

Three brand we love:

• Crosta & Mollica
• Deliciously Ella
• Soffles

The healthiest crisps are homemade  

The best way to ensure you’re getting the healthiest option is to choose homemade. Of course, making crisps at home takes time and effort, but at least you know exactly what is going into each handful and you can control how much salt and oil you use, you can experiment with other vegetables and get the kids to help out too. Encouraging children to get involved in cooking and teaching them about where food comes from is a great way to help them make healthier food choices as they grow.

• Make your own potato crisps - It’s much easier than you may think to make potato crisps at home, plus they can be a great way to use up leftover potato skin too. Our potato peel crisps recipe is easy to follow and takes just 15 minutes in total including the 10-minute cooking time. All you need is four large potato skins, half a tablespoon of olive oil, and optional seasoning of your choice. Toss the peeled potato skins in oil and bake in the oven until golden and crisp. Yes, it’s that easy.
• Make your own vegetable crisps - Another favourite of ours to make at home are vegetable crisps. Our simple vegetable crisps recipe is a great guide for turning beetroot, sweet potato, and parsnips into crisps - and would work just as well with other root vegetables too.
• Make your own popcorn - To make popcorn at home all you need is popcorn kernels and a popcorn maker (unless you want to try the microwave or on the hob method?) There are plenty of popcorn makers out there, but we’d recommend VonShef retro popcorn maker, Lakeland electric popcorn maker with bowl and the Giles & Posner popcorn maker.

What we considered when choosing the healthiest crisps

When it comes to choosing which crisps are healthy or not it's all about how processed the crisps are and what nutritional content is included - be it salt, fats, and saturated fats. We opted for minimal processing and salt, we favoured minimally processed crisp alternatives, and went for options you can easily make at home.

Trying to keep up with what is and isn’t good for our kids is one of the many hard tasks we parents face on a daily basis, and now ultra-processed foods have made this debate even more complicated. 

A kids' fruit yogurt or cereal made with brightly coloured packaging and a cute cartoon character is a good choice for children, right? Think again. Many of us are feeding our children ultra-processed foods without realising it. Ultra-processed foods have been vigorously altered during the production process. They contain multiple ingredients you’ve probably never heard of before - think E numbers, sugar, salt, and additives. This makes UPFs, taste better - even addictive - and prolongs shelf-life, making them cheaper to produce and boosting profits. 

Supermarket shelves are stacked high with long-shelf life products from cereal bars to bread and biscuits. It's no wonder ultra-processed foods have been said to make up anywhere between 60-80% of an average child’s diet in the UK - they’re so hard to avoid. As we outline below, research shows they're having a huge impact on the physical and mental health of children, as well as impacting their development. 

7 ways ultra-processed foods affect children

1. Weight gain, cholesterol, and obesity

Weight gain and body confidence are also being pressed with studies suggesting that a high level of ultra-processed foods in a child's diet can increase the risk of developing obesity later on down the line; “British children are consuming ‘exceptionally high’ proportions of ultra-processed foods, increasing their risk of obesity and damaging their health… Researchers found that not only do UPFs make up a considerably high proportion of children’s diets (more than 40% of intake in grams and more than 60% of calories on average), but that the higher the proportion of UPFs they consume, the greater the risk of becoming overweight or obese.” says one report by the Imperial College London.

Nutritionist Rob Hobson adds; "UPFs are usually high in calories even in small servings as they contain lots of fat and sugar. The combination of ingredients (e.g. ratio of fat to sugar) also makes them very hyper-palatable triggering the quick release of dopamine from reward centres in the brain making them very addictive which may be more of an issue in some children over others if they are more prone to addictive behaviours and overeating. 

The food matrix is also altered in these foods meaning they are usually soft (also helped along by additives like emulsifiers) and very easy to eat quickly. The lack of fibre means that is not very satiating so you don’t feel very full after eating and can eat more in a sitting. They can be rapidly digested and absorbed which can lead to short-term spikes and troughs in blood sugar levels leaving you feeling hungry again shortly after eating. Hunger signals may be disrupted as the rapid consumption and assimilation of these foods bypasses hunger signals. 

2. Behaviour and concentration

We know that UPFs can affects children's general behaviour and concentration - be it sugar highs and sugar crashes. Some packaging nowadays even pre-warns that consumption of that particular product can lead to changes in behaviour.

A study published by F1000Research says; "Some cross-sectional studies confirmed a relationship between school performance and dietary habits." Researchers evaluated 359,264 Korean participants aged 12 to 18 years and found that frequent intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk were related to good school performance, while consuming several UPF such as soft drinks, instant noodles, and fast-food were related to poor school performance. 

Researchers also evaluated 800 students from the United States, aged 11 to 13 years, and found higher academic performance level in students with lower prevalence of sweetened beverage consumption, as well as higher consumption of milk and breakfast.

3. Nutritional deficiencies

Nutritionist Robert Hobson,author of Unprocess Your Life says; "Nutritious foods that are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and other plant compounds are being displaced with UPFs that are low in these nutrients. And, it's also not just about UPFs here as fussy eaters and teenagers especially girls have always been tricky to feed for lots of reasons other than just they prefer the taste or eat a high quantity of UPFs."

4. Body and brain development

The nature of processing means that brain-healthy nutrients, like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential fats and fibre, are lost," says Nutritionist & Chartered Psychologist, Kimberley Wilson for BBC Science Focus.

"In order to extend shelf life and palatability of UPFs, additional sugar and fats are added, which may have negative consequences for metabolism, blood glucose control and brain health. Finally, and most importantly, the convenience of these foods means that they increasingly push more nutritious but more difficult-to-prepare foods out of our diets."

A study by Science Direct found that “frequent UPF consumption in children may also drive stunted growth”. Early exposure to ultra-processed foods is also said to “disrupt the development of a healthy relationship with food, fostering a preference for products that are typically, soft, sweet and artificially flavoured,” according to the Soil Association, which can then harm teeth health and jaw development. 

5. Anxiety and depression

In 2019, The NutriNet-Santé  team published research that looked for links between ultra-processed foods and depressive symptoms. The authors included data from 20,380 participants in France who they followed for an average of 5.4 years. Even after taking into account a range of factors, they concluded that consuming more ultra-processed food was linked to an increased likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms."

There has been data to suggest a link between UPFs and anxiety disorder too. A study conducted in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic concluded that eating more fresh food was linked to a lower risk of depression and anxiety, whereas, high consumption of ultra-processed foods had the opposite effect on the participant's mental health.

6. Fitness and cardiovascular health

Various research also indicates a link between UPFs and cardiovascular health; "According to the larger study, a 10 per cent increase in UPF consumption in daily calorie intake was associated with a 6% increased risk of heart disease. Those with UPF making up less than 15 per cent of their diet were least at risk of any heart problems," reports the British Heart Foundation.

Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation continues; “There is increasing concern about links shown between ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease. The study of women in Australia showed an association between higher consumption of these foods and the development of high blood pressure. 

More research is needed to better understand why these links have been found and what the mechanisms are. For example, we don’t know to what degree this is driven by artificial additives or the high levels of salt, sugar and fat that these foods tend to contain. 

We do know that the world around us doesn’t always make it easy for the healthy option to be the accessible and affordable option. On the contrary, less healthy foods often take centre stage.”

7. Long-term health issues

Alongside the short-term effects ultra-processed foods can have on your child, there are various long-term effects a high UPF diet can have for children later on in life. One study published in The BMJ examined the impact of ultra-processed foods on more than 100,000 adults over five years. The study found that those who consumed more ultra-processed foods had higher risks of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease leading the research to suggest an association between ultra-processed diets and heart disease. 

Another study by Imperial College's School of Public Health - which was published in The Lancet medical journal concluded there may be an increased link between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of developing cancer overall, specifically ovarian and brain cancers. Links to obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety have also been associated with ultra-processed food consumption. 

Nutritionist Robert Hobson says; “Recent research has shown that high intake of UPFs has been linked to 32 health conditions that include heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. The research is still not definitive on this and is over varying quality and strength but there is an association between high intakes and disease risk. 

Why this research initially gained interest because after adjusting the findings for intakes of fat, salt, and sugar there was still a high risk of disease meaning something else was going on which could be individual additives in the food, the food matrix being altered, or a combination of things working together in the food to restful in negative health outcomes."

Various studies and research have been conducted over the years that link multiple diseases with the overconsumption or high diet of ultra-processed foods. Scientists and experts at ZOE conclude; "It’s undeniable that what you eat affects your overall health long-term, and overconsuming ultra-processed food puts you at a higher risk of disease. But there’s no need to get down on yourself for eating a frozen pizza or fast-food meal now and again."

Reducing ultra-processed foods in your child's diet

Cutting ultra-processed and processed foods from your child’s diet, especially if they already eat them, can be tough. In an ideal world, children would eat more unprocessed whole foods and fewer UPFs or processed foods, however, that isn’t always possible especially when convenient food, like readymade pizza or breakfast cereal, is made to target children and busy parents. 

According to Charlotte Stirling-Reed Nutrition; “If you are able to cook from scratch and mostly avoid UPFs, and if you want to do that and enjoy doing that – that’s great. However, it’s not always the norm or realistic for many of us to be able to feed our kids home-cooked, perfectly fresh, non-processed meals every single night, and it IS ok to include processed foods in our children’s diets… They are OK to offer every now and then but try and keep them to a bit of a minimum and focus on foods which contain plenty of nutrients and some fibre for babies.” 

The same applies to older children too. Instead of going cold turkey, try focusing on reducing the ultra-processed foods your child currently eats, minimising or swapping them for a less processed alternative, even if it's simply a different brand. 

Learn about food labeling

Before you even consider reducing UPFs in your child’s diet, you need to understand and recognise what foods are considered ultra-processed. One of the best ways to do this is by reading food labels and packets. 

According to the British Nutritional Foundation; “If a food or drink product has two or more ingredients, they must all be listed. These ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. This means the main ingredients in the packaged food will always be displayed first. This can help you to make healthier choices too, as if the first few ingredients in a food or drink product are ‘sugar’ or ‘butter’, you will know that they are the main ingredients, and is therefore a high-fat or high-sugar product.”

The key to spotting an ultra-processed food is in the ingredients. Often ingredients with five or more ingredients, ingredients you’ve never heard of before or couldn’t buy yourself in the supermarket, or ingredients with numbers and letters are UPFs. Below is a list of common additives often found in ultra-processed foods:

• Sweeteners - Aspartame (E951), Saccharin (E954), Acesulfame-K (E950)
• Preservatives -  Sulphur dioxide (E220), Nitrates (E252)
• Emulsifiers - Lecithin (E322), Locust bean gum (E410)
• Colours - Sunset yellow (E110), Quinoline yellow (E104), Carmoisine (E122), Allura red (E129), Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124)
• Flavour enhancers - Monosodium Glutamate (MSG – E621)
• Gelling agents - Pectin (E440)

Educate yourself and your child

Once you understand what ultra-processed foods are, and once you’ve mastered the art of reading food labels (practice makes perfect) you can pass on your wisdom to your children - particularly if they are at an age where they want to make their own choices about food. 

There are many resources available to parents and guardians linked to understanding and identifying ultra-processed foods that are great for educating yourself and your children; “Listen to a podcast or download an app,” says GoodtoKnow’s Editor Anna Bailey. “Apps like YUKA allow you to search for and scan products, giving them a health score and identifying additives. A great one for those unsure of reading food labels or having trouble identifying ultra-processed foods during your weekly food shop. I would highly recommend ZOE too - a platform dedicated to educating people on gut health with world-leading scientists and plenty of research into improving health with what you eat.” 

We'd also recommend various books on UPFs and the impact they have on our bodies including the following:

In this feature, we’ve only touched on the can of worms that are ultra-processed foods. The main takeaway is to be aware of these foods and what makes them ultra-processed. It’s about cutting down where you can but most importantly focusing on a balanced diet ensuring plenty of natural, whole foods are favoured over UPFs - the more our diets are made up of ultra-processed foods, the lower our daily nutrient intake.

For more on how to improve your gut health, we spoke to experts on how to quit sugar as well as finding out more about what is E171 and why it's bad for you.

Going shopping with your parents for an outfit or a new football kit can be great fun. However, in the UK we buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe. What people might not realise is that the fashion industry, and particularly “fast fashion”, is harmful for the planet.

Fast fashion refers to cheap clothing items that are quickly produced by large companies to follow the latest trends. Styles and trends change all the time and lots of people like to buy clothes that are in fashion right now. It could be something they’ve seen on a celebrity or even a friend – like a cool new style of jumper or tracksuit. The aim of fast fashion is to get these new styles in shops as fast as possible so customers can buy them.

Why is fast fashion a problem?

The fashion industry is responsible for between eight and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. To keep prices low, fashion companies often use a fabric called polyester, which is a type of plastic made from oil that is not biodegradable (when something can be broken down naturally without causing damage to the environment, like wood or food).

It’s not just regular clothes – most football shirts, which fans are often encouraged to buy every season, are also made from polyester. Manufacturers dye fabrics using lots of chemicals, which can pollute the environment. Making clothes also requires lots of water. Cotton comes from plants that need to be watered frequently to make them grow, and turning raw cotton into clothes needs even more water. It takes 10,000 litres to produce a kilogram of cotton, so a single pair of jeans for an adult can use 7,500 litres of water.

The clothes then have to be shipped to the countries where they’re going to be sold, which produces even more polluting emissions. Fast fashion items aren’t made to last forever because they often go out of style quite quickly. Some people throw their clothes away when they don’t want them anymore. Each year, the UK sends 300,000 tonnes of clothes to landfill (where rubbish that isn't recycled is buried in the ground).

Fast fashion affects people too

Companies often employ people in other countries to make their clothes, and some don’t pay their workers very much. People then have to work longer hours to earn enough money to live on. Some countries have fewer rules than the UK, which means that factories aren't always well looked after and checked for safety. That could mean workers having to make clothes in dangerous or unhealthy conditions.

Who is helping?

Lots of people are campaigning for change. Charities have hired experts to investigate the environmental and social cost of clothing. This information has empowered people to speak out and ask companies for change.

Some clothing brands are helping customers to recycle their clothes in exchange for vouchers. Every year since 2019, the charity Oxfam has held Second Hand September, asking people to buy only second-hand clothes in that month.

The European Union (a group of 27 countries that work and trade together) has written a set of rules to encourage companies to make clothes that last longer. You can help too, with the tips in the panel below. You could also raise awareness of the problem among your family and friends or ask a teacher to help you spread the word at school.

Three ways to wear clothes sustainably

• Buy second-hand: Try buying second-hand clothes. They're not too expensive and help to reduce the amount of clothes that get thrown away. You could check out charity shops or look on websites like Vinted.
• Donate or swap: Someone else could wear a T-shirt that doesn’t fit you or suit your style anymore. Donate old clothes to charities or family members, or set up a clothes-swapping system with your friends.
• Repair and customise: If items of clothing start to look very worn or get ripped, it doesn’t mean they have to be thrown away. Instead, they can be fixed or reused in a different way. You could learn how to sew a patch over a hole or turn jeans into shorts.

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Pregnancy affects your body in lots of different ways, a growing bump being the most obvious. You might also anticipate your breasts will get bigger, or that your tastebuds will change – but did you know that pregnancy might also affect your teeth?

If you’re experiencing tooth sensitivity in pregnancy it should be reassuring to learn that it’s both explainable and treatable. There are various factors that can affect your dental wellbeing when carrying a baby.

“When you are pregnant, it is more important than ever to maintain healthy teeth and gums,” says Nyree Whitley, Chief Clinical Officer at mydentist. “Hormonal changes increase the chances that you’ll develop red or swollen gums – also known as pregnancy gingivitis and periodontitis (gum disease).”

For those with no existing dental issues, the NHS advises having a check-up every 12-24 months. However, Dr Smita Mehra, Principal Dentist at The Neem Tree Dental Practices, encourages booking an appointment with your dentist as soon as you find out you’re pregnant – or even when you start trying. “If you’re thinking of getting pregnant, get your teeth checked and cleaned beforehand – that way if there’s any treatment needed you can get it done [before falling pregnant]. Failing that, get them checked and cleaned as soon as possible after getting pregnant, because the teeth can suffer. The hygienist will discuss how to look after your teeth during pregnancy.”

However, if you’re experiencing tooth sensitivity in pregnancy or any other pain in your mouth, arrange to see a dentist as soon as possible, urges Dr Smita – even if you had a check-up recently.

Dental care in pregnancy – 9 things dentists want you to know

1. Changing hormones play a key role

It’s no secret that your hormones go on a wild ride during pregnancy, and this can be one of the key causes of changes in your dental wellbeing. “During pregnancy, the hormonal fluctuations you experience can increase blood flow to your gums, which can cause them to be more sensitive,” shares Dr Nyree.

In particular, she adds, “increased levels of progesterone can cause blood vessel inflammation in gum tissues. This can cause red and swollen gums.”

2. Morning sickness can cause tooth sensitivity

Morning sickness affects around 80% of women during pregnancy, whether that’s feeling sick or actually vomiting. This can affect your teeth in one of two ways, says Dr Smita.

Feelings of nausea may make brushing your teeth twice a day difficult, as it may cause you to gag. “Over time, this poor oral hygiene can cause plaque and tartar build-up on your teeth, which in turn can lead to bleeding gums and gum disease,” says Dr Smita.

However, if your morning sickness causes you to physically be sick, this is when you might experience true tooth sensitivity. Why? “The acid in the vomit strips the teeth’s enamel, which exposes the dentine [the layer underneath enamel that contains nerve endings],” says Dr Smita.

3. Don’t brush immediately after being sick

For those who are physically sick during pregnancy, it’s natural to want to brush away the taste of vomit as quickly as possible.

However, Dr Smita warns that brushing straight away after vomiting may cause additional damage to the enamel. “The acid in the vomit softens your teeth, so then scrubbing them with a brush strips them even further.”

Instead, she advises rinsing your mouth with water and waiting a few minutes before brushing your teeth.

4. Consider making changes to your oral hygiene routine

Dr Smita stresses that it’s important to maintain the basics of good oral hygiene during pregnancy. That involves brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day.

However, if you are experiencing any issues during your pregnancy, there are some changes you can make that may help.

For example, you may find it beneficial to switch from an electric to a manual toothbrush during pregnancy, especially if you are suffering from nausea. “An electric toothbrush can sometimes make you gag, so switching to a manual toothbrush can be a good way to manage your symptoms.”

You may also find a soft-bristled brush more suitable during pregnancy, which will reduce the risk of further erosion outlined above if your pregnancy is causing you to vomit.

5. Don’t confuse tooth sensitivity with gum disease

If you’re experiencing pain and discomfort in your mouth during pregnancy, it may actually be due to pregnancy gingivitis or periodontitis – both types of gum disease.

“In the majority of pregnant women, if you aren't vomiting or feeling nauseous [as outlined above], then what you’re actually experiencing is gum sensitivity,” says Dr Smita.

Signs of gum disease include pain and a swollen feeling, which some might mistake for tooth sensitivity. “You might think, ‘my teeth are sore’, but it might be your gums rather than your teeth,” says Dr Smita. “But because the gums are next to your teeth, you think it's your teeth.”

Additional signs of gum disease include bleeding when you brush. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to see a dentist as soon as possible.

6. Maintain a healthy diet

Growing a baby increases the nutritional demands of your body (just one of the many reasons pregnancy can be so exhausting!), so it’s essential you eat and drink well in order to meet these.

For example, Dr Smita says: “Your baby’s teeth start to develop around three months into pregnancy, so you need calcium – found in dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt – to help this development. Vitamins A, C and D are also essential.”

She adds: “The mother can also end up depleted, as the baby is taking all of these things from her – so a healthy, balanced diet plus essential vitamins and minerals is really important.”

As per the Eatwell Guide, a healthy diet should include sources of protein, high-fibre carbohydrates and dairy or dairy alternatives, with at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

7. Try to keep unhealthy cravings under control

Sweet treats are often top of the list that women report craving during pregnancy. Low energy levels can also cause us to reach for something sweet such as chocolate or a fizzy drink for an instant pick-me-up.

However, as Dr Nyree reminds us, “consuming too much sugar is the leading cause of tooth decay in adults.

“When we eat sugar, it interacts with the bacteria in plaque to produce acid, which can slowly dissolve the enamel on our teeth and create holes or cavities.”

Her advice? “Try to enjoy sugar in moderation and opt for unprocessed forms of sugar where possible, including during pregnancy.”

8. Prone to grinding? This might gets worse

Teeth grinding – known medically as bruxism – affects around 8-10% of the population, and can lead to a wearing down of the teeth, resulting in sensitivity.

Whilst it’s not directly triggered by pregnancy, if you’re one of the 8-10% of the population who suffers from grinding then you may find that this worsens, particularly if you have a stressful pregnancy.

According to The Bruxism Association, around 70% of teeth grinding occurs because of stress and anxiety. And, as with any major life change, preparing for the arrival of a baby can often trigger – or add to – mental tension in your day-to-day life, with pregnancy charity Tommy’s stating that one in five people experience anxiety in pregnancy.

If you notice an increase in teeth grinding during pregnancy, make an appointment to see a dentist who will be able to advise on the best course of action. “They will be able to advise you on options to alleviate grinding,” says Dr Nyree, adding: “In some instances, they may recommend you wear a mouthguard while you sleep.”

9. Take advantage of free dental care

Pregnant women in the UK are entitled to free NHS dental care (including check-ups and treatment) throughout their pregnancy and for 12 months after giving birth – something both our expert dentists urge women to make the most of.

To claim your free care, you simply need to have a valid maternity exemption certificate – one of various benefits you can claim on maternity leave or during pregnancy. If you haven’t got one of these, speak to your midwife, GP or health visitor, who will apply on your behalf.

Common myths about dental health in pregnancy dispelled

How I coped with tooth sensitivity in pregnancy

Mum of one Annalise Beech outlines how tooth sensitivity developed during her pregnancy – and the action she took to manage it.

“I suffered with morning sickness throughout my first trimester, and was physically vomiting at least once a day. It wasn’t long before I started to feel it in my teeth - I couldn’t even brush them without feeling pain.

“When I mentioned it to my midwife, she reminded me that pregnant women get free NHS dental check-ups. I called my dentist immediately but couldn’t get an appointment for almost four weeks, so one thing I would say to other pregnant women is to make an appointment as soon as you find out that you’re pregnant - that way, by the time it comes around, you’ll likely know if the pregnancy is affecting your dental health in any way.

“When I finally did see my dentist, he was really helpful. I had been brushing my teeth immediately after vomiting, but he told me to hold off and just rinse my mouth with water to start with. He also suggested I try a flavourless toothpaste, because I was finding that the taste of toothpaste and act of brushing my teeth was making me gag further.

“Thankfully the sensitivity did fade once my morning sickness passed, but I kept up with regular dentist appointments for the rest of my pregnancy, just in case I had any other issues. I figured I should make the most of it being free whilst I could!”

The information on GoodTo.com does not constitute medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. Although GoodtoKnow consults a range of medical experts to create and fact-check content, this information is for general purposes only and does not take the place of medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional or seek urgent medical attention if needed.

Experts in this article:

Pregnancy involves so much more than the changes that occur inside your uterus. Indeed, it’s a full-body process that affects every system in your body during those nine transformative months.

Of course, we’re generally familiar with the common early signs of pregnancy, such as food cravings, mood swings and morning sickness – but there are some other changes you might not expect. From changes to your oral health (hello, bleeding gums and a metallic taste) to leaking breasts (yes, even before the baby arrives), we’ve outlined eight unexpected ways your body changes during pregnancy – highlighting what’s normal and when to seek medical advice.

Unexpected body changes in pregnancy

1. Leaking breasts

You’ve probably prepared yourself to experience leaky breasts after you’ve given birth and your milk supply comes in – but did you know that leaking may occur before the baby arrives, too?

“Some people do leak in pregnancy, even as early as the second trimester,” says Emma Pickett, lactation consultant and presenter of the Makes Milk podcast. “They might notice yellow staining on their bra, or see yellow crystals or obvious signs of milk on the nipple.”

At this stage, the leaking substance is what’s known as colostrum, a nutrient-rich fluid that precedes raw milk.

Although it can be tempting, her advice is clear: “Don’t try and squeeze it out until you get to 36 weeks.” After this, official guidance says it is safe to hand express colostrum.

Some may find this beneficial. “It’s a good way to practise hand expressing,” Emma says. “It can also be useful to take a bit of colostrum into the hospital with you, just in case baby needs a bit of extra help [with feeding after birth].”

2. Bleeding gums

Our changing hormone levels in pregnancy affect a lot of things, and our gums can be one of them thanks to increased levels of progesterone.

“These changing hormone levels make a pregnant person more vulnerable to the effects of the bacteria that cause gum disease,” says Saima Rennie, a dentist with over 25 years’ experience in the NHS and private sector. “It can sometimes also be related to lack of proper dental hygiene due to nausea.”

Bleeding gums is a common occurrence in pregnancy, and it can often carry on through breastfeeding too. It isn’t usually anything to worry about so long as you continue to take good care of your teeth. “Maintain excellent oral hygiene, including interdental cleaning as well as tooth brushing,” Saima advises.

She adds: “Also eat a well balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg to ensure you get all the necessary vitamins and minerals [for good dental hygiene].”

3. Heightened sense of smell

Also known as hypersomnia, this surprising pregnancy symptom happens during approximately two out of every three pregnancies, usually in the first trimester.

This is mainly caused by the changing hormone levels experienced during pregnancy and is entirely normal, says Dr Aarthi Sinha, a GP from Church Crescent Medical.

However, she advises seeking advice if you experience extreme hypersomnia that affects your eating habits. “I've seen women in my clinic where the smells are so extreme that it stops them from eating or drinking adequately,” she shares.

“That’s when I'd advise to see your GP, a healthcare professional, an obstetrician or a midwife – especially if it means you're excluding certain food groups, such as avoiding meat – an important source of protein – because you suddenly find you don’t like the smell.”

4. A metallic taste in your mouth

Medically known as dysgeusia, a metallic taste in your mouth is another unexpected effect of pregnancy. This is also typically caused by the surge in pregnancy hormones – but not always.

“Occasionally it can be associated with a deficiency, particularly of iron,” shares Dr Sinha. This would normally show-up on routine blood checks during pregnancy, but if you’re experiencing dysgeusia she advises speaking with your GP.

Reflux – where stomach acid travels up to your throat from your stomach – can also contribute to a metallic taste in the mouth. “This is common in pregnancy, again because of hormone changes and the growing pressure the baby places on your stomach as the pregnancy progresses,” says Dr Sinha.

5. Thicker hair

It sounds too good to be true, but many pregnant women report their hair looking and feeling thicker than usual during pregnancy. So what’s going on – and will your newly plentiful mane stick around postpartum?

An increase in the hormone oestrogen is once again behind this unexpected pregnancy symptom. In this instance, it slows down the natural shedding cycle of our hair, as Pip Davies, a practising midwife and the founder of Midwife Pip, explains.

“The hormonal changes that take place in pregnancy mean that you don't lose hair in the same way as you do normally. We usually shed hundreds of hairs every day, but in pregnancy that doesn't happen.”

But enjoy that full-looking barnet while you can, because once oestrogen levels drop off postnatally, most women lose the extra hairs that weren’t shed as normal during pregnancy.

“This isn’t true hair loss, because they were hairs you were going to lose anyway,” says Pip. And whilst it can feel quite drastic, you can rest assured that it’s normal.

6. Increase in vaginal discharge

“It’s normal to experience a significant increase in vaginal discharge during pregnancy,” confirms Dr Sinha. It helps protect the baby by preventing infection travelling from the vagina to the womb. Colour-wise, this discharge should appear clear or slightly milky in colour.

However, discharge that has an offensive smell, or has either a green, brown or blood-like colour may indicate infection. Meanwhile, discharge that’s very watery could be a sign of amniotic fluid leaking. In either case, Dr Sinha advises seeking medical help.

7. Enlarged vulva

Midwife Pip highlights an enlarged vulva as something that can sometimes spark alarm amongst the mums-to-be that she words with. However, she assures that this is another normal bodily change during pregnancy and nothing to worry about.

“It’s linked to increased blood volume [the body produces up to 50% more blood during pregnancy], which can make the labia majora feel larger than pre-pregnancy,” she says, adding: “Typically it goes back down after giving birth.”

8. Food aversions

We all know about food cravings in pregnancy, but food aversion is also a common phenomenon that is experienced by almost one in seven pregnant women, according to research. “Usually this is just due to pregnancy hormones, but there can be medical reasons for food aversions too,” advises Dr Sinha.

Examples include pre-existing medical issues, such as reflux or gastritis, which may worsen in pregnancy. Food aversions may also be related to morning sickness, too.

If you’re unsure, it’s best to check with your GP. “I always tell my patients to come in and get checked when they experience more than a mild case of food aversion, just to make sure that there's nothing underlying going on like a thyroid problem or an underlying infection,” Dr Sinha says.

The information on GoodTo.com does not constitute medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. Although GoodtoKnow consults a range of medical experts to create and fact-check content, this information is for general purposes only and does not take the place of medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional or seek urgent medical attention if needed.

Experts in this article:

Searching for the right word in a conversation with a friend or finding your keys in the fridge but having no recollection of putting them there. These might be familiar to you if you’ve been pregnant and experienced so-called ‘baby brain’ or pregnancy brain.

While pregnancy can be a stressful and anxious time for some women, there’s also evidence that it can affect the way your brain functions too. In fact, research published in American Journal of Neuroradiology in 2002 found that women’s brain volume decreased by around 4% during pregnancy.

However, there is a lot we don’t know about why these cognitive changes occur in pregnancy and affect some women more than others. Dr Jonny Kohl, who is studying how bodily states influence brain structure and function at the Frances Crick Institute in London, says: “While numerous anecdotes support the existence of ‘baby brain’, the scientific research behind its causes remains limited. The more challenging aspects, such as forgetfulness and mental fog, are likely linked to a combination of sleep deprivation and hormonal changes. Some of these changes may be adaptive, enhancing responsiveness to babies or helping women avoid harmful substances by altering their senses of smell and taste.”

Baby brain has also become a familiar stereotype of pregnancy, depicting mothers-to-be as caring and warm but also less sharp than usual and excessively hormonal. We’re going to delve into what exactly baby brain is, what causes it and give some tips for coping with it.

What is baby brain in pregnancy?

Baby brain is when women find that they are more forgetful than usual or feel like they can’t think clearly during pregnancy. While a lot of research has been done into other physiological changes women go through in the nine months of pregnancy, less is known about the impact on the brain. GP Dr Deepali Misra-Sharp explains: “‘Baby brain’ refers to cognitive changes, often characterised by forgetfulness, mental fog, and reduced focus, experienced during pregnancy. It is also known as ‘pregnancy brain’ or ‘momnesia’."

Dr Misra-Sharp says there are a few common symptoms women might experience:

• Forgetfulness such as misplacing items or forgetting appointments
• Difficulty concentrating
• Confusion or feeling mentally ‘foggy
• Trouble multi-tasking or processing complex information

But she emphasises that baby brain is not the same as normal forgetfulness. “Normal forgetfulness can happen to anyone, but baby brain is more pronounced and often happens in the context of pregnancy-related changes,” she says.

“It tends to be more pervasive, impacting day-to-day activities and tasks more significantly.”

What causes baby brain in pregnancy?

Baby brain can begin as soon as the first trimester, which is when your progesterone and oestrogen levels are raised, and may become worse during the third trimester. As we said above, more research is needed but nevertheless Dr Kohl says it has “become clear that the brain undergoes profound structural and functional changes during pregnancy, some of which seem to be long-lasting”.

He says studies have found that specific brain regions - most notably the cortex - shrink during pregnancy. “This sounds scary, but it is important to keep in mind that we don't actually know what the underlying microscopic changes are in the brain. Very likely, for instance, this does not mean that nerve cells are being lost - it is much more likely that this is due to structural refinements of specific brain networks,” he explains.

Dr Kohl says the evidence shows that these brain adaptations can make a woman more responsive to their baby. “What is becoming clear is that pregnancy - and the peripartum period - are 'critical periods' during which important neural adaptations are made.”.

But as well as these brain structure changes, baby brain can also be caused by other factors such as hormonal changes, lack of sleep or higher levels of stress which all occur during pregnancy too.

Hormones

Research has shown that changes in hormone levels can affect your cognitive function, in particular your memory and attention span. This study from 2018 found that the hippocampus, the part of your brain related to memory, can be especially sensitive to changes in your hormones.

There is also evidence from studies that pregnancy can change the brain shape and make-up. In 2016 researchers from the Netherlands and Spain used MRI scans to look at how the brain changes. When comparing the brain before the women became pregnant and after they gave birth, they found that their brains’ gray matter - the tissue containing the cell boies and synapses of nerve celles - had shrunk. This loss of volume lasted for at least two years after the birth of their baby. However, rather than this being seen as a negative impact of pregnancy, this study, and another from 2021 concluded that brain plasticity continues through a woman’s life and is part of an adaptive process to prepare for nurturing and responding to the needs of your baby, as also stated by Dr Kohl above.

Sleep

Anyone who has ever struggled with sleep deprivation will know that it can affect your ability to carry out tasks the next day and can make you feel mentally foggy. Pregnancy not only makes you feel more tired than you’ve felt before, but can also stop you sleeping too. While you might not be able to keep your eyes open during the day, the opposite may be the case at night. This is due to hormonal changes and also the growing weight of your baby which can make getting comfortable in bed tricky.

This sleeplessness can affect your memory and ability to carry out tasks which can be frustrating. A lot of women also complain of ‘baby brain’ after their baby has been born when they are still sleep deprived due to night feeds and baby wake-ups. This is completely normal and should ease when a better sleeping pattern is established and your hormones have settled down.

Stress and anxiety can cause problems with your memory, concentration and ability to problem solve. Pregnancy can be a stressful time for some people. It is a huge life change which will impact everything from your career and relationship to your finances and body. Worries or stress around these issues can impact both your day-to-day life and your sleep. This will in turn affect your brain function which may lead to you feeling like you have baby brain.

Talk to your partner and friends and family about your concerns and if you’re feeling especially anxious it’s best to speak to your GP or midwife who will be able to advise you on how to ease this anxiety.

There are a number of vitamins which can help with your brain health and cognitive function so it might be worth checking you’re getting the right amount of these during your pregnancy. Studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D can lead to poor concentration and memory problems. It’s recommended that adults and children living in the UK take a vitamin D supplement from September to March when our bodies can’t make enough from sunlight alone.

Omega- 3 fatty acids are also thought to help with your brain health and for keeping brain fog at bay. DHA supplements, plus eating oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines will help you reach the 200 micrograms a day recommended by nutritionists.

Stress

Stress and anxiety can cause problems with your memory, concentration and ability to problem solve. Pregnancy can be a stressful time for some people. It is a huge life change which will impact everything from your career and relationship to your finances and body. Worries or stress around these issues can impact both your day-to-day life and your sleep. This will in turn affect your brain function which may lead to you feeling like you have baby brain.

Talk to your partner and friends and family about your concerns and if you’re feeling especially anxious it’s best to speak to your GP or midwife who will be able to advise you on how to ease this anxiety.

Vitamins and diet

There are a number of vitamins which can help with your brain health and cognitive function so it might be worth checking you’re getting the right amount of these during your pregnancy. Studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D can lead to poor concentration and memory problems. It’s recommended that adults and children living in the UK take a vitamin D supplement from September to March when our bodies can’t make enough from sunlight alone.

Omega- 3 fatty acids are also thought to help with your brain health and for keeping brain fog at bay. DHA supplements, plus eating oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines will help you reach the 200 micrograms a day recommended by nutritionists
Low levels of vitamin B can also have an impact on memory, concentration and attention, according to researchers. A pregnancy supplement containing vitamin B, including B6 and B12, will be able to help with this.

Low levels of vitamin B can also have an impact on memory, concentration and attention, according to researchers. A pregnancy supplement containing vitamin B, including B6 and B12, will be able to help with this.

7 tips for coping with baby brain in pregnancy

The first thing to remember is that baby brain is very common and normal in pregnancy so try not to make it another thing to get stressed about. There’s a lot you can do to ease any anxiety and alleviate some of the symptoms, but you should also feel reassured that things will return to normal after your baby is born.

• 1) Maintain a balanced diet and stay hydrated - Eating well will help keep your energy levels up which will prevent tiredness and brain fatigue. Make sure you’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need during pregnancy, such as those we mentioned above, and stay hydrated. This 2019 study found that dehydration can affect short-term memory and attention span.
• 2) Exercise regularly to help with sleep and stress - Exercising regularly will help you stay healthy during your pregnancy and lead to better sleep. Pregnancy yoga and Pilates will keep you relaxed which will also have a positive impact on your mental health, brain function and sleep.
• 3) Get regular sleep - As we’ve said above, poor quality, or not enough, sleep can leave you feeling sluggish and affect your brain function, whether you’re pregnant or not. But during preganncy sleep is even more important for ensuring your baby grows healthily and you stay healthy too. Try to have a regular bedtime and to switch off devices or other screens which might affect your sleep quality. This 2010 study also found that sleep deprivation can also lead to longer labour, pre-term delivery and higher caesarean rates.
• 4) Write things down - Many people find that writing things down or making lists can help reduce their stress levels and help with forgetfulness. Stick the dates for your antenatal appointments somewhere where you can see them often and set reminders in your phone. Take notes at your appointments, or ask your partner to do it, so you can both remember what the midwife or doctor said.
• 5) Make time for you - It can be easy to feel like you want to squeeze everything in before your baby arrives; from holidays and trips, to seeing friends or family. But doing too much can be exhausting and this will have an impact on your baby brain. Say no to some things and make sure you allocate some dedicated sofa time, or nap time, so you can preserve your energy and reduce any stress you’re feeling about social engagements. Try meditation or massage to keep you physically and mentally relaxed.
• 6) Try activities to aid your brain function - Puzzles like Wordle, crosswords or Sudoku can help keep your brain sharp by strengthening the connections between brain cells, improving your mental speed and memory. Just like you would with physical exercise, try to make time during your week to do some mental exercises too.
• 7) Ask for help - You’re growing a baby which can have a huge physical and mental toll on your body. Delegate some jobs to your partner so you can focus on resting and staying healthy. Tell them that you’re struggling to remember things or that you’re feeling overwhelmed so they can ease some of your worries.

How long does ‘baby brain’ last?

Dr Kohl says many of the brain changes “are driven by hormones such as estradiol (oestrogen) and progesterone, which increase dramatically during pregnancy” which also means that once your hormones have settled down again, your baby brain symptoms should ease.

Dr Misra-Sharp says baby brain can continue after childbirth. “Some women report these symptoms improving a few weeks postnatally, while others may experience lingering effects as they adjust to new motherhood,” she explains.

In the postpartum stage, the cause might be related to sleep deprivation and also your hormone levels if you’re breastfeeding. Your body needs time to recover from pregnancy and childbirth in the fourth trimester, and this will include your brain.

The same tips we listed above for pregnancy can be applied in the postpartum period too. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, plenty of fresh air and ask for help where you can.

Common myths about brain fog during pregnancy

As we’ve explained above, there are a few probable causes of baby brain but more research is definitely needed in this area. Dr Kohl and his team have carried out research on female mice during pregnancy which showed long-term changs to their brains. He says he “wouldn't be surprised if similar changes occur in the human brain during pregnancy”.

“However, parenting in humans is considerably more complex, and much more shaped by experience and social and environmental factors,” he adds.

One of the main myths about baby brain is that it doesn’t exist, but we think we’ve shown in this article that it does.

Mums share their stories

If you’ve been pregnant, or spoken to friends who’ve had babies, we’re sure you’ve heard stories about moments when baby brain has struck. The mums we spoke to were affected both during their pregnancies and after.

Alice, 39, recalls: “Baby brain + undiagnosed ADHD was hell on earth during my pregnancy. I showed up to work on days I wasn’t working and would just pretend I was popping in to get something once I realised my mistake. I did it so often I just had to accept I’d lost the capacity to understand a calendar.”

Jenny, 36, says: “My brain fog continued in the weeks after my baby was born. One example is when I booked an appointment to get my first haircut in months. I’d enlisted my brother to help by walking the baby around the park while I dashed in for my trim. I fed and fed and fed the baby and handed him over to my brother and walked into the salon stressed and worried. I told them I was ready for my appointment and what it had taken for me to get there on time. It turned out I was there a week early. I felt so stupid and so upset with myself. I would never have made that kind of mistake pre-baby.”

Lindsay, 42, says she used the nappy cream Bepanthen instead of toothpaste after she had her daughter. She said baby brain made her feel “trapped in a head she didn’t want and like she had a permanent hangover”.

Primary school teacher Helen, who has two young children, says she could never remember the right words for things in pregnancy and would feel really frustrated. She said it impacted her self confidence and made her feel like she wasn’t reaching her full potential. She says she was annoyed when it happened again in her second pregnancy but she felt comforted by the fact that she knew it would ease afterwards.

While all of these women felt frustrated with the brain fog and forgetfulness, they had friends and family who reassured them that it was totally normal - and sometimes something to have a giggle over. Stay patient and remember that, while pregnancy can be challeging for some people, it also means you’re going to become a parent which is a wonderful thing.

But we know it can be upsetting if you’re struggling to focus at work or on other tasks because your brain doesn’t feel as sharp as normal. However, Kate who’s 29, says telling her boss what was happening made it feel less stressful and embarrassing. She also bought a paper diary for her desk so she could write down all of her meetings to make sure she wouldn’t forget them.

Brian fog can also have an impact on your mental health and self-esteem. Speak to your midwife or GP if it’s affecting your mood or you’re struggling to complete normal day-to-day tasks.

If you often question whether you’re doing enough parenting, you’re not alone. As a Psychotherapist and a mother of three, I have worked with so many mums who have grappled with this same question and have been found to ask it of myself too.

Sometimes the standards we set for our parenting are so eye-wateringly unattainable that even the most well-slept, resourced and supported woman wouldn’t fulfil them.

Maternal guilt fills the void between the mother we think we should be, and the mother we are. As children, we welcomed a ‘tick’ on our school work. Little validations in scrawled marks tell us that we met the standard. Good enough used to be good. It used to be enough.

‘Good enough’ has been steamrolled by perfectionism and comparison. Good enough is now substandard. Pah! Who’d want to be good enough when you could be GREAT? We see snapshots of other people’s mothering and merge them into one supposedly attainable ideal of what it is to be a ‘great mum’.

Winnicott, a Psychoanalyst parenting expert in the 1950’s studied thousands of mothers and knew the emotional, physical and mental energy required to raise these small people. He summarised that the way to be a good mother is to be a ‘good enough’ mother.

Good enough considers our humanness, with all of our failures and limits. Imperfection is positive.

So, here are ten traits of a good enough mother:

Traits of a 'good enough' mum

1. You take responsibility and apologise when you don’t parent in a way you’re proud of.
2. You are open to disappointing your child
3. You let your child see you rest.
4. You let others support you on your parenting journey.
5. You cut corners when needed.
6. You say no sometimes.
7. You seek things that make you feel like you.
8. You recognise that our emotions are inconsistent.
9. You challenge mum guilt.
10. You cut yourself some slack.

1. You take responsibility and apologise when you don’t parent in a way you’re proud of. It’s healthy for children to feel failed in tolerable ways in the context of relationship with a loving parent. When I’ve done something that ruptures the connection with my child, I’d say something like ‘mummy didn’t sleep very well last night. I’m tired and grumpy and I shouldn’t have shouted at you like that’. I’m explaining that whilst their behaviour might be challenging sometimes, I might get frustrated but It’s my responsibility to take a breath and find a way to recoup some resources.

2. You are open to disappointing your child. As we hold healthy boundaries, we will face the disappointment of our children. As we hold those boundaries and help them ride out their disappointment or feelings of disappointment rather than rushing to throw the healthy boundary aside to fix and ease it, we are teaching them how to survive in an imperfect world that will fail and disappoint.

3. You let your child see you rest. It’s natural to be focused on meeting your children’s needs, but it’s important for them to see you meeting yours too. This isn’t a case of ‘me first’, but it’s recognising that you have needs that need to be met too. In fact, meeting your basic needs resources and enables you to parent in a way that aligns with your values. When you’re frazzled and living on caffeine and fuelled by your critical internal chatter, you are less equipped to respond well to the stressful moments that arise.

4. You let others support you on your parenting journey. Perfectionism has turning down kind offers of help. It can find us responding ‘I’m good thanks’ when we could be sharing more of the challenges of parenting we’re facing. Motherhood is famously said to take a village. Sometimes we wonder where that village is, and sometimes it’s there but we deem accepting help as akin to failure or weakness. Seek and allow support, be it through groups, investing in friendships, or finding an online group where you feel ‘got’.

5. You cut corners when needed. I have learnt to value corner cutting as a great form of meeting my own needs. When you feel overstretched, consider where you can pull back on standards, or make the road a little smoother for yourself when it comes to getting stuff done. I lean on oven meals, leave the washing pile to sit there another day, or forgo bath time when everyone is already tired and wired. If you’re a perfectionist, it can be hard to feel like you’re lowering your standards, but in doing so for a little bit, you can recoup some precious and needed energy.

6. You say no sometimes. When people-pleasing snakes its way into parenting, it can exhaust and deplete. Healthy relationships can withstand healthy boundaries. When someone asks something of you that you just don’t have the resources for, be honest. ‘I’d love to be able to help, but I’m toeing the line of burnout at the moment so trying not to overcommit. I hope you have a wonderful birthday party, but I really need a night to crash this weekend’. You may well disappoint people or feel misunderstood, but the more you hold healthy boundaries, the more resources you’ll have available to channel into the things most precious and important.

7. You seek things that make you feel like you. We may have been taught that to be a good mother is to give completely of yourself. When in truth, martyrdom to motherhood serves nobody. Yes things get done, and done well, but at what cost? I’ve worked with so many mums who feel like they’ve lost their identity and discover that finding ways to engage in things that bring them joy actually brings balance to their parenting. Our children thrive on seeing the sparkle and joy in our eyes, just as we love seeing it in theirs. Consider the things that make you feel more you, and find creative ways to engage in them a bit more!

8. You recognise that our emotions are inconsistent. Parenting is a long-haul job. It’s a daily grind. We mother through sickness, highs and lows, sleep deprivation, PMT. We wake up on the wrong side of the beds, feel stressed, and overwhelmed. Trying to hide our emotions and put on a happy face to reassure our children is well meaning, but can feel confusing. Consider when someone is smiling but you can sense that they’re not okay. You pick up on that little conflict through body language and tone of voice, just as your kids do. Naming emotions, taking responsibility for them and explaining them in an age-appropriate way brings clarity for your child and lets them know that they haven’t caused any of the emotion they may be picking up on. ‘I am feeling a bit poorly today and it’s making me grumpy’.

9. You challenge guilt. Guilt can act as a red flag that pops up and invites us to turn towards it with enquiry. Ask yourself ‘what is this guilt telling me?’. It might be that ‘should’s are cropping up and you need to recognise you’re not doing anything wrong. ‘I should be finding this easier’. In this case, choose to let the guilt go and reframe the ‘should’, for example ‘It’s okay to find hard things hard!’. The guilt may also be nudging you to seek a resource or make a change. ‘I feel guilty for yelling at my child’ might be a nudge to seek some support, or take a break because you’re feeling done-in. Once the guilt has served its purpose, choose to let it go.

10. You cut yourself some slack. Add some humanness into your expectations of yourself. A perfect parent will never prepare a child for a wildly imperfect world. This isn’t a go-ahead for going rogue, but a reminder that the fact you’re even reading this article wanting to do right by your child shows that you’re always seeking to learn and grow, and that’s an act of love in itself.

Being the good enough parent isn’t about setting a low bar, but a realistic one. It means that you’re less likely to succumb to the critical internal dialogue when you’ve not been on you’re a-game. This cruel dialogue chips away at confidence, fuels guilt, and stirs up feelings of shame that can easily find you feeling as if you’re the only one to be finding hard stuff hard. Instead, setting the bar of expectation to a place that acknowledges you’re doing the best you can with the resources you have in that moment, mean that you’re more likely to turn towards yourself with an enquiring and non-judgemental mind. So, let’s make ‘good enough’ good enough again!

If you liked this then check out Anna's other great, and insightful articles. Themost recent on mum rage will make you feel seen, and the 5 most common grandparenting fails will make you realise it's not just you. Plus her heartaching piece on regretting motherhood shares five brilliant ways to respond to that feeling.

Growing a baby can be a wonderful experience – but it can also be a real pain, especially if you’re one of the many women who experience backache in pregnancy.

A common complaint is pain in the lower back (also known as the lumbar region), which research suggests affects around half to three-quarters of pregnant women. Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PGP) can be another source of backache during pregnancy, affecting around 45% of women.

“Backache is very common in pregnancy,” confirms Michelle Norton-Hughes, a physiotherapist specialising in women’s health and the founder of FlyMama. And whilst it can affect anyone, she says you’re more at risk if you have suffered with back pain previously and didn’t seek treatment or follow a rehabilitation programme. If you have had backache in the past and you haven't rehabbed properly, then you are more likely to get it again when you're pregnant, because pregnancy puts additional strains on the body, whether biomechanical or hormonal changes,” she shares.

But even women who have never had any issues with their back previously can suddenly find they experience backache in pregnancy, ranging from annoying niggles to debilitating pain.

5 causes of backache in pregnancy

There are various factors that can lead to backache in pregnancy, which a GP or specialist physiotherapist will be able to determine. Some common causes are outlined below.

• 1. Postural changes - Aches and pains in the lower back during pregnancy are typically down to the natural changes in posture that occur as your uterus grows in size.
  “The lumbar lordosis – the curve in our spine in your lower back – can increase as the weight of your tummy increases,” explains Michelle. “This leads to a more anterior tilt of the pelvis, which means our lower back arches more and our tummy comes forward more.” This arching coupled with the growing weight of your bump puts increased strain on the lower back, which can result in aches and pains.
• 2. Hormonal shifts - Changes in hormone levels during pregnancy contribute to various issues and symptoms. When it comes to back pain, increased levels of relaxin can play a part. “This hormone causes a laxity of the tendons, ligaments and muscles,” explains Dr Aarthi Sinha, a GP at Church Crescent Medical. This helps the body to accommodate your growing baby, and also facilitates the birth process. But a potential downside of this loosening is that the body becomes destabilised, which can often result in injury – particularly in the back.
• 3. Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) - Pelvic girdle pain is common in pregnancy, and is usually caused by the joints of the pelvis moving unevenly, leading to instability. It can cause pain in different parts of the pelvic region, including the back. “It can affect your sacroiliac joint, which is a bit lower than your lower back – imagine the dimples of your back,” says Michelle. It may be coupled with pubic symphysis pain, which is felt at the front of the body around the public hair region.
• 4. Muscle separation - During pregnancy, it’s common for the rectus abdominis – your so-called ‘six-pack muscles’ – to separate as your bump grows, causing the tissue connecting these muscles (the linea alba) to stretch and sometimes tear. This is known as diastasis recti, and can contribute to back pain during pregnancy as. “The separation doesn’t necessarily hurt in itself, but it means that the stomach muscles aren’t as strong,” explains Michelle. This in turn puts more strain on the back muscles.
• 5. Stress and emotional factors - Pregnancy can be a particularly stressful time, especially if it’s your first baby, with lots of planning and unknowns to contend with. This has the potential to cause or compound back ache. “You may find that you’re holding a lot of tension in your muscles, particularly if you’re a naturally anxious person or you’re worried about the birth,” shares Michelle.
  Research supports this. One general population study found that severe stress was associated with a 2.8-fold increase in risk of chronic low back pain. Another study highlighted how stress can actually make the body more sensitive to pain. “It’s important to remember that we're not just physical beings – we’re also physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. That’s why we [at FlyMama] treat our clients holistically, to identify and treat any tension that is potentially aggravating pain in the body.”

3 ways to ease pregnancy backache

1. Exercise and physical activity

“Often when we've got back pain, the tendency is to rest and retreat, but doing nothing is one of the worst things to do,” warns Pip Davies, a practising midwife and the founder of Midwife Pip. “Instead, we need to keep that area mobile and active.”

According to official UK guidelines, pregnant women aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercises each week. Some of the best pregnancy exercises to help you reach this goal include:

• Swimming
• Walking
• Yoga and Pilates – so long as they’re taught by a prenatally-trained teacher

“Pilates is great as it focuses a lot on posture, as well as pelvic floor and core engagement, helping to stabilise through your glutes and abdominals” shares Michelle. “It also promotes gentle mobility of your lower back and pelvis. Yoga is also really good for all of those things, but it also helps you focus on your diaphragmatic breathing to try and help not get too tight up in your neck and your shoulders.”

Strengthening exercises that focus on developing the posterior chain muscles (including the glutes, hamstrings and calves), such as bridges, squats and lunges, can also help to alleviate back pain. However, the effectiveness will differ from person to person. “Certain exercises can be really beneficial and helpful for some, but for others they won’t make any difference whatsoever,” says Midwife Pip.

For this reason, it’s important to develop an exercise programme that’s tailored to the specific needs of your body, with the help of a specialised prenatal physical therapist.

2. Be mindful of maintaining good posture

Bringing awareness to your posture can be beneficial in managing pregnancy backache, particularly in the lower back.

Stand tall - Aim to maintain a neutral spine in order to counteract the anterior tilt described previously. Pip says to imagine a piece of thread at the top of your head pulling you towards the ceiling. Activating your core, including the glutes, can also help support your lower back. “Practise hugging your tummy towards you,” says Michelle. Gently tuck your tailbone underneath you, squeeze your bottom and gently draw your tummy up and in – a bit like giving your baby a gentle internal hug.

Aim for even distribution - “You’re more likely to experience pelvic girdle pain if you tend to stand on one leg with your hip out to the side,” shares Michelle. “It can be common with second-time mums who carry their young toddlers on their hip. Instead, try to stand strong through both of your legs and avoid letting your hip drop out when walking.”

Seated posture - Good posture when sitting is equally as important. Avoid tucking one leg underneath you or crossing one leg over the other. Avoid slouching, which will put pressure on your sacrum, and instead aim to sit evenly on your sit bones. Not sure if you’re doing it right? Michelle suggests trying the following exercise:

• Sitting in a chair, slump down so your spine is curved like a ‘C’. You’ll find this puts more pressure through that part of your back and your bottom.
• Next, sit on your hands and sit up nice and tall. You’ll be able to feel two bony, knobbly bits with your fingers.
• Slump back down and the bony bits will disappear.

“It takes more core and back strength to sit up tall, but anatomically it means you're spreading the load a lot more evenly, so you're less likely to get aches, pains and tightness,” says Michelle. She adds that it’s important not to sit still for too long. “When you're static for a long period of time and then get up and move, that’s when it can be more painful. So think about standing up, tilting your pelvis a few times, having a little wiggle – whatever you need to do to move a little.”

3. Useful props and supports

You’ve no doubt seen a host of props and aids around the internet that claim they can help ease any pregnancy aches you might be experiencing. These might include:

Pregnancy pillows - Some women may find they benefit from additional support as their bump grows, such as using a pregnancy pillow for sleeping. “Pregnancy pillows can help you get into a nice, comfortable position, which can be really helpful at night, when women often find that their pelvic can be particularly uncomfortable,” says Pip. Many of the options listed in our guide to the best nursing pillows can also be used as a pillow during pregnancy.

Swiss balls or wobble cushion - Sitting on an exercise ball or wobble board can help to introduce some gentle mobility into your everyday, whether at your desk or in front of the TV. “Gym balls are great,” says Michelle. “As well as sitting on them, you can also do things such as moving back and forth in four-point kneeling, which can be nice in pregnancy. However, they can be quite cumbersome, so another option is a wobble cushion. It’s similar to a gym ball in that it creates a slightly unstable surface, so you can wiggle a bit and mobilise your hips. It also makes it harder to slump so you’ll sit into your sit bones a bit more.”

Maternity belts - Maternity belts offer additional support as your bump grows in size and weight. However, if you’re considering trying one to help ease your pregnancy backache, Michelle advises speaking with a physiotherapist first. “They will help some people and make other people worse, depending on what’s causing their back pain” she says. “If it’s a stability issue then some compression might be helpful. But if it’s more of an inflammation and irritation of the joints, then compression is not going to feel good.”

Pain management - Certain painkillers may help to manage back pain in pregnancy, but it’s important to do so safely. “You can't use anti-inflammatories like Neurofen and ibuprofen in pregnancy, but you can take paracetamol,” advises Dr Aarthi.
If this does not ease the pain sufficiently, speak to your doctor who may prescribe codeine, a stronger painkiller. You can also try non-medical pain relief options, such as a hot water bottle or a warm bath, to help ease the pain.

When to seek professional help

If you experience backache during pregnancy, seek support as soon as possible from your midwife, GP or a specialist prenatal physical therapist. “It's unlikely to go away on its own, so definitely don't just suffer in silence,” says Pip. “Know that it can absolutely be managed and treated.”

Dr Aarthi also advises seeing your GP immediately if you have back pain accompanied by any of the following:

• Numbness or tingling in the legs;
• Leaking stool or urine without realising;
• Saddle anaesthesia – a loss of feeling in the perineum, buttocks, anus, groin and/or upper thighs.

We asked mums how they coped with pregnancy backache

Unsurprisingly, much of the advice for easing the backache in pregnancy listed came when we spoke with mothers who suffered with prenatal back pain. Below, we share a selection of tips and strategies these mums found helpful in the prenatal period.

Annalise Beech, mum of one

“I’ve suffered from recurring back pain for many years, but particularly struggled during pregnancy. Something that made a big difference was the risk assessment performed by the facilities department of my company (something all companies have a legal requirement to do for pregnant workers).

“My job involves sitting at a desk for most of the day, and this helped identify issues with my existing set-up. Changes I made following the assessment included swapping my chair for one with more ergonomic support. I also set a timer to remind myself to get up and walk around a little every hour.”

Naomi Ancelotti Lesforis, mum to two-year-old Arabella

“I had some lower back pain in the last few months of my pregnancy, which I managed with regular stretching. But it was actually postpartum that I suffered the most with my back. Practising Postnatal Pilates with a qualified instructor has really helped, as has using a heat pack – I use a natural lavender-scented one from Amazon for 30 minutes at a time.”

The information on GoodTo.com does not constitute medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. Although GoodtoKnow consults a range of medical experts to create and fact-check content, this information is for general purposes only and does not take the place of medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional or seek urgent medical attention if needed.

Experts in this article:

More than 50 years ago, a famous British band called the Beatles split up. They haven’t recorded any music together since then, but artificial intelligence (AI) has helped to create one last Beatles song.

This is just one of the ways that AI is changing the world and how we live – with smart voice assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, self-driving vehicles and software that can write essays and songs. As technology improves, the use of AI is spreading.

"Artificial intelligence" is a computer system that can do things that usually require human intelligence. These include solving problems, making decisions and learning. AI can be taught skills using a process called machine learning. Humans give the system information, such as books, photos or videos, to train it. The more data the system studies, the better it can do its job. AI and robotics aren't the same – not all robots are intelligent. Some are just programmed to carry out basic tasks that don't require intelligence.

The invention of AI

In the 20th century, scientists began to wonder if computers could think like us. In 1950, the British mathematician Alan Turing created the "Turing test" to see whether a computer is intelligent. During this, a human judge puts questions to a person and a computer at the same time. Both answer the questions, and the judge must decide which answers came from the human. If the judge can't tell the two apart, the computer is intelligent. Many people believe AIs that can write, like the ChatGPT system, have already passed this test.

How AI is being used

AI is part of everyday life. It can study lots of information and from that work out what is likely to happen next. Self-driving cars, for example, use AI to make decisions. Sensors detect a person crossing the road and tell the car to stop.

When you watch Netflix, AI can see which TV shows you like and suggest others you might enjoy. In hospitals, AI can study information about thousands of people to work out what might be wrong with a patient from their test results.

Tools like ChatGPT can write computer code, essays, stories and even solve maths problems. ChatGPT uses existing work to create its own. Similarly, for the new Beatles song, AI took a recording of singer John Lennon's voice from an old-fashioned cassette tape and used it in a new way.

The future of AI

Some people worry about how AI might affect their jobs. If computers can create images, music and text, could artists, musicians and writers one day be replaced? Many people also fear that AI could be used to invent and spread very convincing lies. Even those who work in AI say there should be rules about how it is used.

However, AI can spark creativity too. An exhibition called Beyond the Light in New York led visitors through the cosmos, thanks to an AI that used pictures from the James Webb Space Telescope. AI is very good at suggesting drugs to treat diseases and can even invent new medicines. It can help us fight climate change by finding clever ways to reduce our energy use, and helping us get more out of solar panels and wind turbines. One day it might even find a way to solve our energy needs completely by helping us to recreate nuclear fusion, the process used by the Sun to create heat and light.

Three big steps for artificial intelligence

• Chess champion beaten: On 11 May 1997, a computer called Deep Blue beat the world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. Deep Blue could consider up to 200 million chess positions a second and was so good that Kasparov believed it must have been controlled by a person.
• Computer wins TV game show: In 2011, a supercomputer called Watson won Jeopardy!, a TV game show. Watson was up against two of the most successful players to take part in the show – but still beat them. The computer was trained for more than three years to answer Jeopardy!'s riddles and complicated questions.
• The world's first robot citizen: In 2016, a company called Hanson Robotics activated the world's first robot citizen, Sophia. Her software uses AI to help her talk to people and use facial expressions. In 2017, she was made a citizen of Saudi Arabia. Hanson Robotics has created more robots, including Grace, a nurse, and Desdemona, a poet.

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Whether you call them gym balls, pregnancy balls or exercise balls, there’s no doubting that a Swiss ball can be a useful prop when you’re expecting.

“Regular movement in pregnancy is really important, and Swiss balls are a great mobility tool,” says Michelle Norton-Hughes, a physiotherapist specialising in women’s health and the founder of FlyMama. Key benefits include helping to maintain core strength, alleviating backache and relieving pressure on your pelvis.

What’s more, research suggests that regular Swiss ball exercises during pregnancy can also reduce the risk of caesarean section. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Maternal Health concluded that performing birth ball exercises for 4-6 weeks at the end of pregnancy could increase the rate of vaginal delivery.

They can be a useful prop during labour, too. One study, published in the January 2024 issue of the Journal of Physiotherapy, found that performing active pelvic movements on a Swiss ball during labour reduced the duration of labour, pain intensity, and the fatigue and anxiety experienced by birthing mothers.

Below we’ve suggested 12 expert-approved moves to try throughout the course of your pregnancy and labour. However, you can also get the benefits by introducing a ball to your day-to-day life, too. “They can be great to sit on for a bit in the evening when you're watching TV,” suggests Dr Aarthi Sinha, a GP at Church Crescent Medical.

5 benefits of using a Swiss Ball in pregnancy and labour

• 1. Promotes mobility - ‘It’s really important to keep the joints supple and moving during pregnancy,” says Michelle. “The wonderful thing about a Swiss ball is it means that you can move your hips, back and bottom in a way that you might not naturally do otherwise.”
• 2. Improves balance and stability - Studies have shown that balance and postural stability are negatively impacted during pregnancy, largely due to shifts in the pelvis and a changing centre of gravity. One way to counteract this can be to work on core stability.
  “When you use a Swiss ball, you need to engage all of the muscles in your core and back,” explains Dr Sinha. “With regular use you’ll gradually strengthen these muscles, which is helpful not just for pregnancy but also postpartum.”
• 3. Helps alleviate backache - Backache in pregnancy is a common complaint. This is often caused by the weight of the growing bump causing an anterior (forward) tilt in the pelvis. This in turn causes the lower back to arch more, resulting in increased pressure – and ultimately aches and pains. Likewise, if you’re prone to sitting in a slumped sofa position, this can also lead to pain in the lower back. Sitting on a Swiss ball can help counteract these issues. “A gym ball forces you to sit on your ischial tuberosity [sitting bones],” says Michelle. “Anatomically you're spreading the load a lot more evenly, so you're less likely to get aches, pains and tightness.”
• 4. Relieves pressure on the pelvis - Women typically gain between 10kg and 12.5kg in weight over the course of their pregnancy, which puts increasing pressure on the pelvis. Performing Swiss ball exercises can help to temporarily relieve this pressure, particularly moves performed in a kneeling position.
  “When you hug the ball on your knees and let your tummy drop down, it takes the weight of the baby and your tummy off of your pelvis,” shares Michelle. “It also means you don’t have to put pressure through your hands and wrists, which is great if you’re suffering with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome [a condition that affects around 60% of pregnant women, and is caused by a compression of nerves in the hand and wrist].
• 5. Promotes an active labour - An active labour – one in which you remain upright move around where possible – has many benefits, and a Swiss ball can help to achieve this. “The ball takes some of the weight of your body, and also allows you to move into different positions,” says Michelle.
  So why’s it so beneficial? “When using a Swiss ball, you can naturally adopt lots of upright, forward and open positions,” says Pip Davies, a practising midwife and the founder of Midwife Pip. “This can be great for optimising not only the baby's position, but also the expansion of your pelvis.” She adds: “It's much better in terms of labour ergonomics than lying in bed or slouching in a chair.”

Safety considerations before you use a Swiss ball

Keeping yourself and your baby safe is of paramount importance when using an exercise ball in pregnancy. Here’s what to consider:

• Use the correct ball for you - Swiss balls come in different sizes, and the correct one for you will depend on your height. Midwife Pip offers the following guidelines: Up to 5’ 8”: use a 65cm Swiss ball / Over 5’ 8”: use a 75cm Swiss ball.
  This will help ensure that your legs are in the right position – roughly at right angles, with your knees a little lower than your hips – when sitting on the ball. Also be sure to check the maximum weight of your ball before using it, although this should not be an issue if you choose a good-quality ball from a reputable brand.
• Safe environment - Ensure the space where you plan to use your Swiss ball is safe, including: free of obstacles, a non-slip surface, away from sharp objects that could pierce the ball.
• Listen to your body - As with any movement or exercise (whether pregnant or otherwise), it’s important to tune in to how your body feels. “If any positions you adopt on the ball don't feel comfortable, then stop and change it up,” advises Midwife Pip. You should also avoid overexertion. Instead, stick to a moderate intensity when working out during pregnancy, as per NHS guidelines.
• Follow official guidelines - NHS guidelines also advise avoiding lying on your back for more than a few minutes, especially after 16 weeks, due to the increased pressure this can place on vital veins. This doesn’t mean you can’t perform moves with your Swiss ball that involve lying on your back, such as bridges done with your feet up on the ball. However, it is best to limit the time spent doing these moves, and to alternate with moves done in standing, kneeling or sitting.

Swiss ball exercises in pregnancy

Below you’ll find 12 Swiss ball moves to try – three for each trimester followed by three to prepare for labour and birth – shared exclusively with GoodtoKnow by Hollie Grant, a pre- and postnatal exercise expert and the founder of The Bump Plan.

From improving pelvic stability to easing backache, these exercises will help you make the most of your pregnancy ball during pregnancy and the birth.

First trimester exercises

Ball Bridge

Benefits: Strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, supporting pelvic stability.

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your feet on top of the Swiss ball, knees bent, and arms by your sides.
• Engage your glutes and lift your hips toward the ceiling, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Hold the bridge position for a few seconds before lowering your hips back down.
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions.

Side-Lying Leg Lifts with Ball

Benefits: Strengthens the inner and outer thighs, helping to support the pelvic area.

How to do it:

• Lie on your side with the Swiss ball between your feet.
• Support your head with one arm and place the other hand on the floor in front of you for balance.
• Engage your core and lift the ball a few inches off the ground using your legs.
• Hold briefly, then lower the ball back down.
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions on each side.

Seated Ball Arm Raises

Benefits: Strengthens the shoulders and upper back, improving posture during pregnancy.

How to do it:

• Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
• Slowly raise your arms out to the sides until they reach shoulder height.
• Lower your arms back down with control.
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions.

Second trimester exercises

Ball Leg Extensions

Benefits: Enhances balance and strengthens the quadriceps, important for supporting the growing bump.

How to do it:

• Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Extend one leg straight out in front of you while maintaining balance.
• Hold for a few seconds, then lower the leg back down.
• Repeat with the other leg and alternate for 10-12 repetitions on each side.

Ball Pelvic Floor Exercises

Benefits: Strengthens the pelvic floor, crucial for labour and recovery.

How to do it:

• Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Engage your pelvic floor muscles as if you’re stopping the flow of urine.
• Hold the contraction for a few seconds, then release.
• Repeat for 10-15 repetitions.

Seated Ball March

Benefits: Improves core stability and strengthens the hip flexors.

How to do it:

• Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Engage your core and lift one foot off the floor, bringing your knee toward your chest.
• Lower the foot back down and repeat with the other leg.
• Alternate legs in a marching motion for 1-2 minutes.

Third trimester exercises

Pelvic Tilts on the Ball

Benefits: Strengthens the lower back and core, helping to reduce pregnancy back discomfort.

How to do it:

• Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Place your hands on your hips for balance.
• Slowly tilt your pelvis forward, arching your lower back.
• Then, tilt your pelvis backward, tucking your tailbone under.
• Continue tilting back and forth in a controlled motion for 10-12 repetitions.

Seated Ball Circles

Benefits:

Improves pelvic mobility and core stability, helping to alleviate pelvic discomfort.

How to do it:

• Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Place your hands on your hips and slowly rotate your hips in a circular motion.
• Perform 10 circles in one direction, then switch to the opposite direction.

Wall Squats with Ball

Benefits: Strengthens the legs and glutes, preparing the body for labour and the postnatal period.

How to do it:

• Place the Swiss ball between your lower back and a wall.
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and step forward slightly.
• Slowly lower your body into a squat position, keeping your knees behind your toes.
• Hold for a few seconds, then push through your heels to return to standing.
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions.

Swiss ball exercises for labour

Here are Hollie's suggestions for positions on the ball that you may find useful in the birthing room.

Supported Squat with Ball

Benefits: Opens the pelvis and encourages the baby to descend, easing labour pain.

How to do it:

• Stand with the Swiss ball placed behind your lower back against a wall.
• Slowly lower into a squat, allowing the ball to roll up your back for support.
• Hold the squat position for as long as comfortable, using it to ease labour contractions.

Forward Leaning Position on Ball

Benefits: Takes pressure off the lower back and pelvis, helping to manage labour pain

How to do it:

• Kneel on the floor with the Swiss ball in front of you.
• Lean forward, draping your upper body over the ball and relaxing your arms and shoulders.
• Rock your hips side to side or back and forth to ease contractions.

Ball Rocking

Benefits: Promotes pelvic relaxation and helps position the baby for birth.

How to do it:

• Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet wide apart for stability.
• Gently rock your hips side to side or in a circular motion.
• Use this movement to ease labour discomfort and help the baby into an optimal position.

FAQs on exercising with a Swiss Ball in pregnancy

The information on GoodTo.com does not constitute medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. Although GoodtoKnow consults a range of medical experts to create and fact-check content, this information is for general purposes only and does not take the place of medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional or seek urgent medical attention if needed.

Experts in this article:

Did you know that some supermarket breads are considered ultra-processed? How about breakfast cereal? You’ll be surprised just how many ultra-processed foods are currently in your diet, and how these foods are said to impact your health.

When we think of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), we think of foods that have been highly manipulated during production but recent studies suggest that there is so much more to ultra-processed foods than just that.

Non-processed foods are foods that are whole, like apples, nuts, and oats whereas processed foods are foods that have gone through some kind of process when being made like canned or pickled foods. Ultra-processed foods have gone through several processes and contain multiple ingredients (many chemical and artificial that you’d struggle to pronounce) - to make them easier and cheaper to produce, prolong their shelf life, and give them more addictive qualities. These foods started appearing on our supermarket shelves in the 1970s, and we’re only just beginning to see the long-term effects.

According to gut health experts at ZOE, “the consensus is that ultra-processed food is unhealthy. Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked with increased risk of heart disease, weight gain, cancer, and even mortality - but why? Processing changes the complex structure of nutrients in a food, which scientists call the food matrix. Furthermore, research has shown that changes in the food matrix alter the way our bodies respond to food, potentially putting us at risk of these health conditions.”

Award-winning nutritionist Robert Hobson adds “UPFs undergo extensive processing, containing ingredients not found in a typical home kitchen. These include extracted substances like fats and oils, derivatives like hydrogenated fats and modified starches, and laboratory-synthesised additives such as artificial flavours, colours, and emulsifiers. They are also quick to prepare and have a long shelf life. We should be aware of the foods as they are not good for our health and even more so in larger quantities. In the UK the average shopping basket is made up of around 60% UPFs. We should be focusing on consuming more foods in their most natural state.

There is a risk that the UPF trend will end up demonising foods that can potentially exclude those on low incomes, without access to healthy food, or leave some people obsessed with food labels and ingredient lists. We should not be eating a diet that is made up mostly of UPFs but it is also worth recognising that some of these foods are not inherently unhealthy like some wholegrain breakfast cereals of plant-based alternative foods.”

Recent studies suggest that this applies to children too, as ultra-processed foods affect children in a large number of ways from obesity or cardiovascular diseases to their height, happiness, and cognitive development. A report by First Steps Nutrition Trust published in 2023 revealed that nearly a third of baby foods sold in the UK are ultra-processed - so children as young as six months are already being exposed to unhealthy processed foods at such a young age. But what can we do to stop this? First, we need to learn more about what exactly ultra-processed foods are, and how to spot them.

What are ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-processed foods have been altered during the production process - think crisps, cereal bars, carbonated drinks, pizza, ice cream, breakfast cereals, and biscuits. These foods often lack nutrients and are made purely for convenience; be it a quick bowl of cereal before the school run, or a ready-to-go packet of crisps on your lunch break. According to HEART UK on average, 56% of our calories in the UK come from UPFs - that is more than half the average diet. And according to Andrew Gregory at The Guardian “For some, especially people who are younger, poorer or from disadvantaged areas, a diet comprising as much as 80% UPF is typical.”

Common ingredients found in ultra-processed foods include unhealthy fats, refined sugars, salt, additives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, artificial colouring, artificial flavouring, and preservatives. According to the British Heart Foundation, “ultra-processed foods often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar and when we eat them, we leave less room in our diets for more nutritious foods. It’s also been suggested that the additives in these foods could be responsible for negative health effects.”

Examples of ultra-processed foods include:

• Mass-produced breads
• Some breakfast cereals
• Meat like ham and sausages
• Ice cream
• Crisps
• Biscuits
• Sweets and candy
• Fruit flavoured yogurts
• Soft drinks, fizzy drinks, alcoholic beverages
• Pizza
• Nuggets
• Readymade meals

Ultra-processed foods have been around for decades, but the term ‘ultra-processed foods’ was first coined by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, who were looking at developing a system to categorise foods that had been vigorously altered during the production process. The researchers developed the NOVA Food Classification System which enables food to be organised into groups depending on how much the food is altered during production.

Alongside ultra-processed foods, three other types of food emerged. The categories include unprocessed foods such as fruit, veg, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, etc. These foods are in their natural state, with very minimal alterations during the production process. The second category is processed ingredients such as salt, sugar, oil, etc., and processed foods like jam, tinned foods, pickles, cheese, etc. which have been altered slightly during the production process.

Award-winning nutritionist, Robert Hobson, author of Unprocess Your Life says; “Processed foods are different from UPFs. These foods are made by adding culinary ingredients such as salt, oil, sugar, and spices to unprocessed foods or unprocessed foods that have undergone a small amount of processing such as freezing peas or canning a legume. Other examples include canned vegetables, fruits in syrup, cheeses, and freshly made breads. These foods are still recognisable as versions of their original plant or animal source.”

Why are ultra-processed foods bad for the body?

Plenty of studies and research have been conducted over the years to understand and determine the effect ultra-processed foods have on the body. Most recently conducted studies have concluded that ultra-processed foods bring no nutritional benefits when consumed and often harm gut health, heart health, chronic diseases, and more.

Short-term effects

It’s not just the big scary diseases and long-term health conditions that can be impacted by regularly consuming ultra-processed foods, it’s the short-term effect they have on your body too. UPFs can affect behaviour and energy levels - be it concentration at work, or children paying attention at school. Has your child ever had sugar highs and crashes before? It’s probably down to ultra-processed foods. And the same can be said for you too, that burst of energy you get after eating an ultra-processed cereal bar followed swiftly by a headache. The added ingredients, the extra sugar and nasties that can be found in UPFs can impact you on a daily basis.

Alongside changes in behaviour, mental health is also said to be impacted by the high consumption of UPFs. According to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School in 2023 which assessed the eating habits and mental health status of more than 21,000 women ages 42-62 found that “those who ate the most ultraprocessed food, defined as at least nine servings per day, were 50% more likely to develop depression than participants who ate the least, which was defined as no more than four servings daily. Consuming many foods and drinks containing artificial sweeteners was linked to a particularly large increase in depression risk.”

As most ultra-processed foods contain next to nothing when it comes to nutrients, it's no wonder our bodies are unable to grow and develop at a healthy rate if we have a high UPF diet. This is particularly true in children who are constantly growing and developing. A study by Science Direct found that “frequent UPF consumption in children may also drive stunted growth”. Alongside this, early exposure to ultra-processed foods is said to “disrupt the development of a healthy relationship with food, fostering a preference for products that are typically, soft, sweet and artificially flavoured,” according to the Soil Association which can then in tow harm teeth health and jaw development. And it’s not just the day-to-day impact UPFs have on the body, the long-term suggestions are even more concerning.

Weight gain and body confidence are also being pressed with studies suggesting that a high level of ultra-processed foods in a child's diet can increase the risk of developing obesity later on down the line; “British children are consuming ‘exceptionally high’ proportions of ultra-processed foods, increasing their risk of obesity and damaging their health… Researchers found that not only do UPFs make up a considerably high proportion of children’s diets (more than 40% of intake in grams and more than 60% of calories on average), but that the higher the proportion of UPFs they consume, the greater the risk of becoming overweight or obese.” says one report by the Imperial College London.

Long-term risks

One of the most shocking things about ultra-processed foods is how they can negatively impact the body in the long run. One study published in The BMJ examined the impact of ultra-processed foods on more than 100,000 adults over five years. The study found that those who consumed more ultra-processed foods had higher risks of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease leading the research to suggest an association between ultra-processed diets and heart disease.

Another study conducted in 2019 concluded a link between ultra-processed foods and weight gain. A recent study by Imperial College's School of Public Health - which was published in The Lancet medical journal concluded there may be an increased link between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of developing cancer overall, specifically ovarian and brain cancers. Links to obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety have also been associated with ultra-processed food consumption.

Nutritionist Robert Hobson adds; “Recent research has shown that high intake of UPFs has been linked to 32 health conditions that include heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. The research is still not definitive on this and is over varying quality and strength but there is definitely an association between high intakes and risk of disease. Why this research initially gained interested was because after adjusting the findings for intakes of fat, salt and sugar there was still a high risk of disease meaning something else was going on which could be individual additives in the food, the food matrix being altered or a combination of things working together in the food to restful in negative health outcomes.

Another big issue is overweight and obesity. Whether on purpose or not these foods are engineered to be hyper-palatable which makes them hard to resist. The food matrix has been altered making these foods soft and very easy to digest so they can be eaten very quickly and in greater serving sizes as consumption often bypasses hunger signals to the brain. If you add to this the fact they are either very sweet or have a combination of fat and sugar that results in quick and heavy dopamine release triggering reward centres in the brain, it only adds to the fact they become irresistible. In some people, this is a big issue as they are predisposed to have a bigger appetite or propensity to addictive behaviours meaning they cannot stop themselves from eating. This is interesting as it puts to question that stupid saying of telling overweight people to move more and eat less when they are stuck in an environment that only fuels a desire to eat UPFs that is difficult to control.

They also replace other more nutritious foods in the diet meaning you may be at risk of nutrient insufficiency or even deficiency in some cases. It is a bit of a paradox that someone could be overweight or obese and have nutrient deficiencies but this can easily be the case if that person exists on a diet mostly made up of UPFs.

UPFs may also impact the gut microbiome and some studies are looking at the impact of artificial sweeteners and emulsifiers doing this. Artificial sweeteners can increase the body’s capacity to absorb glucose resulting in a greater high from the sugar and motivating you to consume more sweet food. Being much sweeter than natural sugar might alter taste receptors' sensitivity to sweetness over time. This could affect dietary choices, leading to increased intake of sweet foods to satisfy cravings. Artificial sweeteners might also trigger insulin release in anticipation of sugar, affecting how the body responds to real sugars when they are consumed, potentially leading to reduced insulin sensitivity over time.”

4 ways to reduce your ultra-processed foods intake

“It might sound like we should go back to eating only foods that are minimally processed, but with restricted time and budget, this isn’t an option for most of us. Although the evidence to suggest that ultra-processed foods are bad for our heart and circulation seems to be growing, the type and quality of the research means it’s still not clear that we need to completely exclude them,” says The British Heart Foundation.

• 1) Reading food labels - One of the most important skills when it comes to recognising ultra-processed foods is reading food labels. If you want to ensure that you either cut out or cut down on ultra-processed foods in your diet, you need to know how food labels work, how to read food labels, and what certain ingredients mean. This will help you determine what is processed or ultra-processed and whether you want to eat it. Ingredients to look out for include sugar, salt, additives, preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, artificial colouring and flavour - think E numbers, anything you don’t recognise as a ‘real’ ingredient or an ingredient you couldn’t buy yourself. Products with more than five ingredients, ingredients you may never heard of before, ingredients that have letters followed by numbers, or have high levels of salt or sugar are ultra-processed.
• 2) Make more from scratch - If you want to cut out ultra-processed foods from your diet, then all means do, however instead of eliminating these foods, you could focus more on the balance in your diet. Focus on minimally processed foods like fruit and vegetables. Make time for home cooking and swap shop-bought cookies and cakes for homemade versions instead. These little swaps will make a big difference overall. Learning how to make your own crisps, or baking fresh bread from scratch with your family is not only more rewarding, but is better for your health too. When making treats yourself, you will have control over exactly what goes into that food.
• 3) Download an app - Apps like YUKA allow you to search for and scan products, giving them a health score and identifying additives. A great one for those unsure of reading food labels or having trouble identifying ultra-processed foods during your weekly food shop.
• 4) Educate yourself - There are loads of books and podcasts available talking about UPFs, how they impact the body, and how we can avoid and swap in our diet. GoodtoKnow’s Editor Anna Bailey recommends the following reads...

Ultra-processed food alternatives

There are a variety of ways you can swap out ultra-processed foods that are currently in your diet - be it breakfast cereal or a slice of bread. One way to do this is as we mentioned above, comparing food labels. One bread may have a couple of different ingredients, whereas the other may have more than five some of which you’ve never heard of before. Opt for the bread with fewer ingredients - or try making your own bread.

The same for breakfast cereal, swap the sugar-coated Shreddies for porridge, Cornflakes, Bran Flakes, Weetabix - cereals that are less processed, with less sugar, salt, and any nasty extras. Next time you’re in the supermarket, compare the product labels and you’ll be rather surprised.

Nutririonst Robert Hobson recommends the following foods swaps:

• Fat free flavoured yoghurts - zero fat greek yoghurt with fresh or canned fruit
• Sugary breakfast cereals - unsweetened granola made with nuts, dried fruit and seeds
• Packaged bread - fresh wholemeal loaf
• Flavoured crisps - plain unsalted good quality crisp or corn tortilla
• Oat flapjack with chocolate - homemade energy ball (dried fruit, oats, cocoa powder) or plain dried fruit and nut bars like NAKD

He adds; “Processed foods are definitely real food as even a baked potato is potentially a processed food by definition as are frozen peas and canned chickpeas which are all very nutritious additions to the diet. Some UPFs at one end of the scale are more nutritious than others so I think if you are going to be eating them then those such as wholemeal bread and high fibre breakfast cereals are fine. Right at the other end of the scale, you have some foods that hardly contain single-release ingredients like Pringles and some protein bars.”

The main takeaway is to be aware of ultra-processed foods and understand what they are and what makes them ultra-processed. It’s about cutting down where you can but most importantly focusing on a balanced diet ensuring plenty of unprocessed foods are being favoured over processed and ultra-processed - the more our diets are made up of ultra-processed foods, the lower our daily nutrient intake.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) concluded that caution is still needed when making dietary recommendations regarding ultra-processed foods because of limitations to the research available.

For more on how to improve your gut health, we spoke to experts on how to quit sugar as well as finding out more about what is E171 and why it's bad for you.

Divorce is one of the most emotionally challenging experiences anyone can go through. It’s a time of immense upheaval, marked by feelings of loss, fear, and uncertainty about the future—especially when children are involved.

While the path to healing can feel overwhelming, it's important to remember that you’re not alone in facing these challenges. We’ve spoken to relationship and life coaches who share their expert advice on overcoming life's hurdles, including divorce, establishing co-parenting boundaries, and creating a new, fulfilling chapter for yourself and your family, whatever your reason for divorce.

We've also got tips on what to do if you still feel love for your partner and where to find help if you're struggling to move on.

How to move on after a divorce

1. Accept that fear and pain are a part of the process
2. Embrace co-parenting with a positive mindset
3. Set clear boundaries
4. Create a new chapter for yourself

We’ve spoken to three relationship and life coach experts to discover ways in which you can move on after your divorce. Here is their advice:

1. Accept that fear and pain are a part of the process

Divorce triggers deep fears about the future, being alone, and how your children might react to the separation, but it’s a necessary part of the process and not something to be ignored or tucked away, according to dating and relationship coach Claire Dore. “Divorce activates a lot of core wounds, especially if you have children,” says Claire.

Relationship coach Jessica Stephenson Clark agrees. “Children are a constant reminder of that 'former' life and the family dynamic which has now shifted. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to moving forward from a divorce but it is vital to allow yourself to experience the wide range of emotions that come with it, rather than pretending to be okay.”

Claire’s advice is to switch the lens if you can. Acknowledge the fear and the pain, but don’t let them control your ability to move on. Accepting these emotions is a step toward growth and empowerment. As Claire points out, divorce can be "a life-altering and awakening experience if you choose to see it this way."

2. Embrace co-parenting with a positive mindset

Even though it may be hard, co-parenting requires ongoing communication with your ex, which can complicate the healing process. Katia Vlachos, a reinvention coach and the author of Uncaged: A Good Girl's Journey to Reinvention, acknowledges that "being in contact with your ex-partner is unavoidable" due to decisions about the kids, but the key is to shift your focus to what you can control. “What helps is to accept that fact and shift your focus and energy on what you can control,” says Katia. She has some great questions to ask yourself about how you want to co-parent that will help you “show up in that new version of your relationship.”

Do you want to:

• Create a respectful, cooperative co-parenting relationship?
• Model healthy conflict resolution for your children?
• Prioritise your children's needs while also taking care of yourself?

3. Set clear boundaries

Setting clear boundaries with your ex after divorce is crucial for maintaining your emotional health and creating a foundation for personal growth. After a divorce, emotions are often still raw, and without boundaries, interactions with your ex can quickly become overwhelming, confusing, or conflict-ridden. According to Katia, boundaries help prevent old wounds from being reopened and keep you focused on healing and moving forward. “Decisions need to be made about schooling, healthcare, holidays, extracurricular activities and day-to-day logistics,” she says. “This is not ideal when you often want to get as much distance as possible so you can heal and move on. But it is a fact. So establishing clear boundaries will help to protect your emotional well-being.”

4. Create a new chapter for yourself

Moving on after divorce isn’t about forgetting your relationship or wishing it never happened. Instead, it’s about embracing the opportunity to build a new and better future for yourself and your children. The past will always be part of your story, but it doesn't have to define your future. As Katia says, "Moving on doesn't mean erasing your past. It means creating a new chapter where you and your children can thrive."

This new chapter is your chance to rediscover yourself, redefine your goals, and foster a sense of independence. While the divorce may feel like the closing of a door, it also opens up a world of possibilities for personal growth, self-compassion, and deeper relationships with your children.

Does divorce pain ever go away?

While it might feel as if you’ll never get over the end of your marriage or long-term partnership, most people do eventually experience a reduction in divorce pain. But it can take time and some work on your part to help yourself heal.

"Even if you initiated the divorce, there’s a cycle of grief almost everyone experiences post-separation,” says Katia. “It mirrors the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The pain does eventually subside, but only as long as you’re willing to go through that cycle and come out on the other side. This means that you allow yourself to feel all these emotions without judgement.”

Research, such as this 2017 Canadian study, has suggested that negative emotional feelings during the marriage can exacerbate divorce pain after the separation (no surprise there). However, the same research found that addressing underlying emotional and mental health problems during the marriage and the divorce can help with long-term emotional recovery. So, if you’re still feeling hugely affected by your divorce months or even years afterwards, it’s a good idea to seek counselling or therapy, which can help you unpack what happened, process it, and come to terms with it.

Claire suggests that, similar to processing feelings of panic or anxiety, the “more we create space to process difficult feelings and emotions, the more we get to move through it, and it doesn't floor us every time it presents itself.” So making room for uncomfortable feelings and emotions in the moments they appear can help them to become less powerful over time.

Having said all that, grief over the end of your relationship is not a linear process, as Katia points out. “It’s normal for certain memories to trigger emotional responses even years later, when the acute pain is no longer there. The goal isn’t to erase the past but to integrate it into your life story, which allows you to move forward with resilience."

“It's okay if you're ready to think about moving on after six months, just like it's okay if you're not ready after a year," says Jessica. "The goal isn't to rid ourselves of all the emotions related to the past relationship but to understand, process and grow our lives around them so those emotions feel less intense and invasive."

Even in the midst of your emotional pain, take heart that one day you will feel yourself again, says Katia. “On the other end of grief is the ability to re-enter your life and create new connections. You will feel yourself again and you’ll be able to look back on your marriage with perspective (sometimes even gratitude for any good moments), and feel excited about the future.”

How to cope when you still love your former partner

The fact that some people continue to have deep feelings for their partners after divorce, is a complicated issue., It can be influenced by your emotions, how you handled the breakup, and whether you have children with your ex. Sometime, lingering feelings do remain, and that’s ok too.

If you co-parent and it seems to work really well, it can keep a level respect and affection alive between the two of you, but that doesn't necessarily mean you love them. “Continuing to love an ex-partner after divorce can be incredibly complex and painful, particularly if it seems like they are finding it easy to move on,” says Jessica. “Like moving on from any relationship, the ability to set boundaries which create distance (if you can), is really important to allow yourself time to process and re-focus back on yourself.”

Katia has the following tips to help you move on, despite having feelings for your former partner:

• Accept: Acknowledge your emotions without judgement. It's natural to still care for someone who was a significant part of your life.
• Focus on what you can control: Your own actions. Despite acknowledging your feelings, do what you have to do to protect your emotional wellbeing. This may involve setting clear boundaries with your ex-partner and redirecting your energy towards creating a new life for yourself.
• Practise self-compassion: Don’t punish yourself for your feelings. Instead, treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer a dear friend. Your capacity for love is a strength, not a weakness, and when directed inwards, will help you create a life for yourself feeling stronger and wiser.

How to ask for help if you need it

“The most important thing to remember is that you're not some sort of superhuman and that it is totally okay to be struggling and need some extra support,” says Jessica. “That could be a therapist for you or your children (if they're struggling) or for practical support, like asking for some extra help around the house. Often one of the components which has led to divorce has been this feeling of holding a lot of emotions in - anger, frustration, despair, grief - and so seeking an empathetic and non-judgemental space to express and process your emotions is really important.”

Here are some useful sites and resources to help you if you’re struggling:

• The National Family Mediation site has advice and information on protecting your mental health during and after a divorce.
• The Divorce Magazine has plenty of articles on life after separation, from navigating grief to parenting ups and downs.
• Family Lives can help you find a counsellor or therapist, find local support services in your area and offers a confidential helpline and live online chat service. You can call them on 0808 800 2222 Mon to Fri 9am to 9pm and weekends 10am - 3pm.

Featured experts

If you keep arguing with your partner, a therapist reveals one phrase that could save your partnership. Other ways people try to save their marriage include explaining the mental load to their partner, and the interesting concept of 'sex fasting.'

If you're paying an annual or monthly fee, knowing the hidden benefits of your Amazon Prime membership is key to make sure you're getting the best value for money.

With more than 200 million Amazon Prime members worldwide, there are lots of ways you can save money while shopping with the online giant. But being a Prime member affords you and your family lots of other benefits that could save you money outside of shopping on Amazon's app or website.

If you’re not a Prime member, then you're in luck as you can sign up for a 30-day free trial. After the trial expires, membership will set you back £8.99 a month or you can buy an annual subscription for £95 a year (which is the cheapest option).

What are some of the main benefits of Amazon Prime? 

One of the most obvious and well-known benefits of Amazon Prime is the super fast and free delivery. Members can enjoy free one-day and same-day delivery in some areas, making it well worth the investment if you shop on Amazon a lot and need last-minute items and can’t get to the shops. If you’re not a member, you’re looking at forking out between £2.99 and £5.99 for orders under £20 (£10 for books), and deliveries tend to take between three to five days. For many Prime members, this benefit alone makes a membership worth it.

Prime members are also given exclusive access to annual sales events, like Amazon Prime Day, or Black Friday, which falls at the end of November. Make sure you read our guide on how to get the best deals on Amazon Prime Day so you shop wisely.

GoodtoKnow’s Money Editor Sarah Handley says: “For lots of families, Amazon is a really convenient option if you need to get stuff quickly, and delivered straight to your door. If you pay the monthly or annual subscription fee, then it's worth checking what other perks you're entitled to, as they're not always obvious or well publicised."

14 hidden benefits of Amazon Prime 

1. Downloading TV shows and films to watch offline

Amazon Prime members have access to Prime Video - a platform with 16,500+ movies and more than 1,960 TV shows, including exclusive Amazon Originals and Live Sports, some of which are free to subscribers and others are available to rent or buy.

You can stream them to watch on your computer, phone, or smart TV, as well as through devices such as Chromecast or a Fire TV stick. But what you might not realise is that you can also download movies and TV shows to watch online if you have a Fire tablet or the Prime Video app.

Not only is this a great way to keep the kids entertained on long car journeys, but it’s also useful if you want to watch your favourite series on holiday and avoid roaming charges. You can even enjoy other shows and films by buying third-party channel subscriptions such as Disney, Eurosport Player, and Hayu through Prime Video, as well as other streaming entertainment channels.

Holly Andrews, managing director at KIS Finance, told GoodtoKnow, “To compare it to other services, Netflix can cost anywhere from £4.99 and £17.99 a month depending on which plan you choose, and this is just for movies and TV shows. With Amazon Prime, you are getting this, plus all of their other benefits, for £8.99.”

2. Deliveroo Plus

If you love treating your family to a takeaway, then another brilliant hidden benefit of Amazon Prime is you get Deliveroo Plus free for a whole year. That means unlimited free delivery on orders over £25 from your favourite restaurants and takeaways.

For those not in the know, Deliveroo Plus is Deliveroo’s subscription plan where you pay a fee to get free delivery from participating restaurants. It normally costs £3.49 or £7.99 a month depending on which plan you choose.

“Deliveroo Plus is one of the less well-known benefits of Amazon Prime,” says Ben Faulkner, marketing director at EQ Investors. “Deliveroo normally charges a minimum of £3.49 a month for Deliveroo Plus, making this a saving of more than £40 a year.” To claim this perk, activate the offer on the Deliveroo website.

3. Discount Odeon cinema tickets

If you and the kids love a trip to watch a film on the big-screen, then make sure you know about the discounted cinema tickets you can get with your Prime membership.

Each month, Prime members get an exclusive code to use at Odeon cinemas across the country. The code will get you either two standard tickets for £10, or two recliner tickets for £15, which is a saving of up to £18 depending on whether you buy adult or child tickets. Head to amazon.co.uk/odeon for your code, copy it, then go to Odeon to book your tickets. You can only use one code per calendar month, but it's a handy way to cut the cost of a family trip to the movies, or an impromptu date night when you manage to get a babysitter.

4. Prime Gaming

Your Prime membership also gives you access to free games (some of which you can keep) and free in-game content. So if your kid's love gaming, then this might be a perk they'd enjoy. But as with any online activity, make sure you know how to keep your kids safe online, and the questions to ask if your child is online gaming.

And your Prime subscription comes with a free Twitch channel subscription every month. Twitch is a video-on-demand service owned by Amazon that focuses on video game live streaming. To use it, you’ll need to link your Amazon and Twitch accounts.

5. Prime Reading

Prime members can also access over a thousand ebooks, magazines and comics every month that you can read for free on any device with a Kindle app. You can keep up to ten digital books at a time and unlike a library, there are no due dates.

And if that’s not enough of a perk, you can borrow or buy the Audible narration of many of the ebooks so you can listen to them instead, which is a great option for busy mums who struggle to find the time to sit and read a book. Prime members get a 30-day free trial of the Audible app too (an audiobook and podcast streaming service), with two audiobooks for you to keep.

Plus, through Amazon First Reads, members can enjoy early access to choose one Kindle book release each month for free.

6. Amazon Music

Another benefit is Amazon Music which provides access to 100 million songs ad-free, the largest catalogue of ad-free podcasts and thousands of playlists and stations. “If you don’t listen to music too much then this could be a good money-saving option for you rather than paying for another service like Spotify,” says finance expert Holly Andrews.

“But if you do listen to music a lot then there is also Amazon Music Unlimited. This will set you back £8.99 a month on top of your Prime subscription and give you access to 100 million songs.” You can also listen ad-free with unlimited skips and download for offline listening with Amazon Music Unlimited.

7. Try before you buy

Order up to six items of clothing, shoes and accessories without paying first. You then have seven days to decide what you want to keep and what you want to return. You only pay for what you keep.

This is really handy if you struggle to wrangle the family and get them into a physical shop where they can try things on. Just make sure you return them within the timeframe to avoid being charged.

8. Amazon Fresh

As a Prime member, you will also benefit from Amazon Fresh, a food delivery service. Enjoy free delivery on orders over £40, otherwise, you pay £3.99.

You can use it to buy your whole supermarket shop, including fresh produce, household goods and specialist brands (minimum order spend £15). You can place your order and have it delivered on the same day in one to two hour delivery slots (depending on where you live and slot availability), either from Amazon Fresh or directly from a local Morrisons store.

9. Compatibility with Alexa

Another hidden benefit of Amazon Prime is that you can shop for millions of items using voice-controlled virtual assistant Alexa, reorder things you use the most, and learn about the latest deals on Amazon. Alexa can also notify you about deliveries.

GoodtoKnow's Money Editor Sarah Handley says: "I've added items to my basket using Alexa before, and on more than one occasion, it was actually cheaper than if I'd added it on the app."

10. Prime Photos

If you're always running out of photo storage then you’ll love this hidden perk. KIS Finance’s Holly explains: “Amazon offers Prime members unlimited full-resolution photo storage plus 5GB of video storage.

“If you’re already paying for storage, for example £7.99 a month for Dropbox Plus, then moving your photos over to Amazon means you can cut out another monthly expense and save money. And if you need more storage, then you can get an extra 100GB for videos for just £1.49 a month.”

Prime Photos also allows you to share images and videos with up to five family members using the Family Vault. You can see your files on any device, and download the Amazon Photos app to back up all your content on your computer.

11. Amazon Family

New parents will especially love this hidden benefit of Amazon Prime: simply create a profile for your child or children and enjoy up to 20% off nappy and baby food subscriptions, plus personalised product recommendations and exclusive deals.

But to qualify for this deal, you have to subscribe to at least five items, which means you will need to get regular scheduled deliveries for each one.

12. Lightning deals

As a Prime member you can also benefit from 30-minute early access to lightning deals on Amazon - these are a range of offers and discounts on items which change on a regular basis.

13. Subscribe & Save

For lots of products, Amazon offers a Subscribe and Save function, where you can schedule regular deliveries of your most used purchases, for a discounted price. You choose the frequency of the deliveries, and you'll get a heads up from Amazon before the items are sent to make sure you still want them.

GoodtoKnow's Deputy Editor Heidi Scrimgeour is a huge advocate of the Amazon subscriptions that eased her mental load.

14. Amazon Household

Unlike Netflix, which has been cracking down on password sharing, Amazon is actively encouraging it by letting its Prime members share their account with friends and family through Amazon Household. As long as they have your password, they can shop exclusive deals, get free delivery, watch Prime TV shows and movies, and play games.

How do you sign up to Amazon Prime? 

It’s really easy to sign up to Amazon Prime, but before doing that make sure you take advantage of the free 30-day trial first. If you realise you don’t use it enough to make it worth the investment, you can cancel your subscription when the month is up.

Without cancelling, you will automatically be charged £8.99 a month to enjoy all the Prime benefits. But the good news is, you can sign up for a free trial once every 12 months so if you want to save money with Amazon at Christmas, or take advantage of Prime Day deals, you can just do that instead.

If you’re a student you can also enjoy a cheaper Prime membership at just £4.49 a month, plus you can take advantage of a whopping six month free trial rather than 30 days.

“Given the huge number of different features and perks compared with other subscription services, Prime is definitely worth looking into if you want to save money and cut down on outgoings,” says Holly.

If you love Amazon Prime for the TV streaming, you might also want to know how to get Disney+ for free, or how to save money on TV streaming to keep monthly costs as low as possible.

Cyberbullying is a growing concern that affects not just children and teens, but also their families and friends. The consequences of online bullying are long-lasting, ranging from emotional distress and social isolation to serious mental and physical health problems.

The impact on our kids can range from skipping school and poor academic performance to low self-esteem and long-term psychological trauma. And you're not alone in worrying about how social media can affect your child's mental health. Ofcom says as much as two-thirds of parents are worried about how to keep kids safe online, while a recent ONS report shows that 1 in 5 children aged 10 to 15 experienced examples of cyberbullying in the past year.

Drawing on expert advice and research, we'll explore the effects of cyberbullying to help you spot the signs your child is being bullied and take action.

What are the effects of cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying has a wide range of serious effects on children and teenagers, impacting their behaviour, their emotional health, and their physical health. A 2021 systematic review of the effects of cyberbullying found that victims often experience social isolation, a drop in academic performance, and changes in personality, such as becoming withdrawn or irritable. Emotionally, they may suffer from anxiety, depression, and even long-term psychological trauma, which can continue into adulthood.

The stress of being bullied online can also affect kids and teens physically, with symptoms like headaches, tiredness, and trouble sleeping. Even people who witness cyberbullying can experience negative mental health effects, making the issue far-reaching and harmful for everyone involved.

Behavioural side effects of cyberbullying

1. Social isolation and loneliness: Victims may withdraw from social interactions, avoiding both online and offline activities. This isolation can lead to difficulty forming and maintaining friendships, further contributing to your teen's sense of loneliness.
2. Poor academic performance: Cyberbullying often causes a drop in school performance. Victims may have trouble concentrating, lose motivation, and may skip school more frequently, all of which can cause them to struggle academically.
3. Risk-taking behaviours: Some children may turn to risky behaviours like substance abuse, dangerous online activities, or even self-harm as a coping mechanism for the emotional distress caused by cyberbullying.
4. Personality changes: You might notice your child becoming more irritable, aggressive, or anxious, or you might notice your teen shift from being outgoing to withdrawn or lose their self-confidence. One parent who wishes to remain anonymous recounts how heartbreaking it is to watch a child change from being happy and outgoing to withdrawn. " My child went from being so happy to feeling like she should die because she couldn’t understand why people would target her in such an awful way. She felt like she could do nothing right and nothing could be done about it.”

Emotional effects of cyberbullying

5. Poor mental health: Cyberbullying can result in serious mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. The anonymity of online platforms can intensify feelings of isolation and helplessness.
6. Emotional stress: The constant fear of being bullied online can leave children feeling scared, helpless, and overwhelmed. This emotional distress can lead to heightened anxiety and depression.
7. Impact on others: Even bystanders who witness cyberbullying can experience increased anxiety and stress. Those who participate in the bullying may suffer from guilt and social isolation, leading to their own mental health struggles. Parents of children being cyberbullied may have different opinions on how to approach the problem. Mum Rachel describes how she and her partner disagreed when they found out her daughter was being cyberbullied. "He just wanted to beat the living daylights out of the boy involved to teach him a lesson. It caused so much stress in our marriage as I had to ficus on diffusing the situation instead of helping our daughter."
8. Long-term psychological effects: The emotional scars of cyberbullying can last into adulthood. Victims may struggle with trust, forming relationships, and suffer from chronic mental health issues like anxiety and depression, sometimes well beyond their teenage years.

Sandra Kushnir, CEO at Meridian Counseling, explains: "The teenage years are a critical period for brain development, particularly in areas responsible for emotional regulation and decision-making.

"When a teen is exposed to relational trauma, such as bullying, the brain's stress response system is constantly activated, leading to long-term changes in brain structure and function.

"These changes can manifest in various ways, including depression, social anxiety, and in severe cases, suicidal ideation.

"The damage to self-esteem and the sense of self-worth during these formative years can be devastating, leaving lasting scars that may affect the individual well into adulthood.

"Social anxiety can isolate the victim further, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break without proper intervention. The long-term trauma inflicted by cyberbullying can ruin lives long past adolescence, leading to mental health issues, relationship difficulties, and struggles with self-worth that persist well into adulthood.”

Mum Rachel describes how cyberbullying affected her daughter. "It started with her being excluded on Snapchat and WhatsApp, then gradually progressed into vicious messages, horrible memes featuring her face and sharing of

Physical effects of cyberbullying

9. Physical health problems: Cyberbullying can lead to physical symptoms of stress, including headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. If the bullying persists, these stress-related health problems can become more severe over time.
10. Psychosomatic symptoms: The emotional distress caused by cyberbullying often translates into physical illness. Children may feel poorly more often or appear more tired, which can be signs of an ongoing impact on their overall health. Therapist Kristie Tse explains: “I have seen that cyberbullying infiltrates private spaces through devices, leaving victims feeling isolated and vulnerable. The distress can affect both their emotional and physical well-being. Long-term consequences can be equally devastating, with victims feeling isolated and vulnerable. The pervasive nature of online platforms amplifies the distress, leaving kids questioning their worth and even their safety in their home environments."

Get more advice and information on tackling difficult subjects with your kids, from when and how to talk to your child about sex to how to talk to your kids about porn. Plus, worried your teen has stopped talking to you? Experts share five reasons why this is 'to be expected' and what you can do to help them.

Parenting without having hot flushes, insomnia and mood swings is challenging enough, so when you mix in the menopause, life can start to feel quite difficult.

As couples have children later in life it means many more women are bringing up young children while also experiencing perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Perimenopause will begin at different ages for different women, but usually around the late 30s to early 40s. Symptoms will vary in their severity, but they can obviously have an impact on your work, relationship and of course, children.

Symptoms of menopause include:

• Brain fog
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Weight gain
• Hot flushes
• Reduced sex drive

We’ve spoken to some medical experts about how to talk about menopause with your children and to help them understand what you’re going through and why.

1. Acknowledge your symptoms

Mood swings, anxiety and stress can all be symptoms of menopause and there’s no doubt there will be moments when your family notices these changes. GP Dr Deepali Misra-Sharp says it’s best to talk to your children about what you’re experiencing. She says if you have small children you could say something like “Mummy’s body is changing because I’m getting older. Sometimes it might make me feel tired or upset, but I’m okay”. She advises trying to keep it light and explain to them that it’s nothing to worry about.

If you have older children or teenagers you can be more detailed and encourage them to ask questions, while also reassuring them that you’re not ill. Dr Misra-Sharp suggests explaining it this way: “Menopause can make me feel a bit different at times, so if I’m more tired or forget things, that’s why. It’s temporary, but your patience helps a lot.”

Mum Emily Beckloff says being open with her teenagers really helped when she was struggling with the symptoms: “They've been really understanding and patient, even though they get frustrated listening to me repeat myself. In between moments of exasperation, we’ve had some good laughs about my hot flashes, ridiculous choice of words (because I can’t remember the word I’m looking for), and my obsession with having a portable fan in every corner of the house!”

2. Prioritise self-care

Menopause is a huge mental and physical challenge for women and juggling this with family responsibilties and your career can make you feel even more stressed out. Taking time away from everyone, and everything, to do the things you enjoy and get some headspace away from being a mum will make you feel more positive. It will also give you the opportunity to think about what might need to change, or who you might need to ask for help from, during this stage.

Lucy Baker, who is 48 and has three children aged 14, 11 and five, says: “I have always carved out time for myself in the way of self-care and the biggest change for me has been the need and desire to exercise. Many years ago, I tried exercise but never stuck at anything for more than 5 minutes and my intentions were all wrong - I wanted to look good, etc. These days I exercise because my body needs it, I want to feel strong and it makes me feel good! I am in better shape at 48 than I have even been as a result of going to the gym 3/4 times a week.”

Dr Misra-Sharp says self-care can be anything from yoga, to going to bed early or changing your diet to make sure you’re getting the right vitamins and minerals.

3. Do less

Just say no. If you’re exhausted and not feeling yourself then don’t feel under pressure to go to that party or school event. Mum and menopause trainer and therapist Louisa Hussey says: “We as working mums are knackered from trying to do everything, and society dictates we must. However, I reject all of that - take something off your plate, cross off half of your to-do list and take time away from everyone regularly!”

Hussey says: “I regularly tell my husband I need to have more fun, and be on my own or with friends more. Parenting can be a lot of drudgery - tidying, cleaning, cooking etc. so I make good decisions about whether it actually needs doing, or if it can wait.”

4. Keep communication open

Many women who are going through menopause now will remember when their mums went through it too. However, for many of us it might have been brushed under the carpet or a confusing time of not really knowing what was happening.

Menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson says decades ago menopause was something of a “taboo subject”. “There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, menopause has been associated with aging, and societal attitudes towards aging, especially for women, were more negative than they are today. It was seen as a decline or loss of femininity, so many women didn’t want to draw attention to it. There was also limited understanding of the biological processes behind menopause, both within families and the medical community, leaving women to endure symptoms without adequate support,” she explains.

Thankfully, life is very different now and menopause is spoken about much more openly, thanks to campaigns by high profile celebrities like Davina McCall and others. Dr Newson says it’s “important to break the cycle of silence for future generations, ensuring our daughters and sons are better prepared to deal with menopause when the time comes, either for themselves or their loved ones”.

Speaking to your friends, family and work colleagues can help alleviate some of the isolation you might be feeling and open up conversations about the support you need.

5. Seek support

As we’ve said above, speaking to your family about the changes your body is going through will mean they can help you. This could be with tasks around the house, giving you space when you need it or helping you seek medical advice. Dr Newson says talking to your children is a “great way to teach them responsibility and empathy”.

If you’re really finding life at home and parenting hard, speak to your partner about how they can help. Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley says: “It’s vital that your partner understands exactly how you are feeling and backs you up when things are particularly tricky - takes over some of your responsibilities, explains to the kids that you need space etc. Seeing your partner showing empathy will rub off on the kids.”

Out of the house, there is plenty of support out there, for both the physical and mental symptoms you’re experiencing. Dr Misra-Sharp says HRT (hormone replacement therapy) can “alleviate many menopausal symptoms by supplementing the body with hormones it is no longer producing in sufficient amounts, primarily estrogen and sometimes progesterone”.

Speak to your GP about the best options for you and your body. You can also seek advice from charities and organisations such as The Menopause Charity.

Mum of three Sarah Shah, who started having menopausal symptoms when she was 36, says: “Don’t do it alone! Find your tribe. There is support out there - Facebook groups, coffee meet ups etc. You need support and community.”

6. Focus on family time

Spending time with the people who love you most and know you best is a very good tonic if you’re feeling a bit wobbly or anxious. Dr Newson says you don’t have to do big activities together and that watching a film, going for a walk or chatting can all help if you’re dealing with tricky symptoms.

Going through the menopause will have an impact on everyone in your household and you might feel like your children have borne the brunt of your forgetfulness or mood swings. Taking time to be with them and make a fuss of them will make everyone feel close and supported.

7. Stay active together

As we’ve said above, spending time with your children and having fun can be a great distraction from your symptoms. Physical activity will help with your mood swings and keeping your bones and muscles strong is important in menopause when your risk of osteoporosis rises. Whatever age your children are, fresh air, exercise and fun will release endorphins to make you all feel good. Try going swimming, on a bike ride or even embark on a new hobby. If you schedule it in for the same time each week it gives you all something to look forward to and also makes it harder to pull out of if you’re not feeling up for it.

8. Keep a sense of humour

Brain fog and forgetfulness is one of the most common symptoms of menopause and while it’s incredibly frustrating, some of the mums we spoke to said it’s worth trying to see the funny side. Baker says she can now look back on times when she has acted similarly to her pubescent teenager and slammed doors and stormed out of the house with a sense of humour.

Beckloff, who runs a Christmas business called International Elf Service, says: “In the early days the teens felt on occasion that me repeating myself was me nagging them, but I think they’ve now taken on board that it isn’t - I just don’t remember that I mentioned whatever it was already. Now they say ‘you said that already’. I apologise for repeating myself and we move on!”

9. Manage your fatigue and brain fog

It can be really upsetting when you can’t trust your brain to retain information or remember things like dates or appointments, especially when it affects your family life. Dr Misra-Sharp has some tips for easing these symptoms:

• Make lists and set reminders - Use phone apps or a physical planner to keep track of tasks and appointments.
• Focus on one thing at a time - Multi-tasking can increase brain fog. Try breaking tasks into smaller steps and tackle them one by one.
• Get regular exercise - Physical activity boosts blood flow to the brain and can help with mental clarity.
• Eat brain-healthy foods - Include more omega-3-rich foods, leafy greens, and berries to support cognitive function.

10. Stay positive

For many women, going through menopause will be one of the toughest phases of their lives. We’ve outlined above how you can look after your mental health by sharing your struggles, seeking support and finding distractions through exercise, family activities or hobbies. Why not view menopause as a time for a fresh start and freedom from the decades of monthly periods?

HRT can also be very effective at helping with low mood and a lack of interest in activities. However, if you suspect you might be depressed, speak to your doctor who will be able to offer treatments such as talking therapy like CBT or antidepressants. You can also seek advice through The Menopause Charity or Menopause Matters.

We spoke to the following experts

If you shop at Tesco, and don't have a Clubcard, then you are missing out. When you shop with a Tesco Clubcard, you'll not only get exclusive pricing on hundreds of grocery products, but you'll also earn points which can be turned into vouchers that can help cut the cost of everything from your food shop to days out with the family.

While Tesco might not be the absolute cheapest supermarket, it does offer a really good reward scheme with its Clubcard. Even if you don't shop at Tesco, it's a really good idea to sign up to your supermarket's loyalty scheme to access a host of perks.

Clubcard vouchers are valid for two years from when they were issued, although there is a trick you can try if you are worried about your Tesco vouchers expiring soon.

If you're not sure what to do with your vouchers, we've found 14 family-friendly ways you can spend them.

1. Save money on your groceries with Clubcard vouchers

One of the simplest ways to use your Clubcard vouchers is to get money off your grocery shop, whether you are shopping in-store or online. Just save up your Clubcard vouchers and enter the code online or show them at the till when you checkout.

But remember, you get more value from your Clubcard vouchers if you choose to spend them with a Tesco Reward Partner rather than in-store or online at Tesco.

2. Use your Tesco vouchers to get money off F+F clothing, including back-to-school basics

Save some cash and put your Clubcard vouchers towards clothing or shoes for the kids - or for you - at F+F. Tesco’s clothing range is great quality and excellent value so it’s well worth saving up your Clubcard vouchers and putting them towards some items for next season’s wardrobe. And when the time comes for school uniform shopping, Clubcard vouchers come in especially handy.

3. Use your Clubcard to cut your fuel costs

You can use your Tesco Clubcard vouchers to save money on fuel when you fill up at any Tesco filling station. You can also use the vouchers at any Esso petrol station with a Tesco Express on site. So if you have a £5 Clubcard voucher, you could use it to get a fiver off your fuel bill.

4. Get Disney+ for three months with just £12 of Clubcard vouchers

Did you know you can exchange your Tesco Clubcard vouchers for a Disney + subscription? And because Clubcard vouchers are worth two times more when you spend them with a Reward Partner instead of at Tesco, a Clubcard voucher worth £12 is actually worth £24 when you spent it with Disney+.

If you pay monthly, Disney+ costs £7.99 a month, so with just £12 worth of Clubcard vouchers, you can get three months of Disney+, worth £24. (There are other ways you can get Disney+ for free if you've not got enough vouchers.)

5. Pay less for an English Heritage membership with Clubcard vouchers

An English Heritage membership grants you unlimited access to more than 400 historic places - as well as free or reduced entry to seasonal events. And for every £1.50 you have in Clubcard vouchers, you can claim £3 off the cost of an English Heritage membership.

Individual Adult Membership costs £69 and includes free entry for up to six accompanying children under 18 within the family group. Visit the English Heritage Membership website for more information on using your Clubcard vouchers in this way.

6. Use your Clubcard vouchers to book a mini-break

Everyone loves a mini-break but hotels can be expensive. So why not save your Clubcard vouchers and put them towards a fun-filled family getaway? If you save up to £30 in Clubcard vouchers, you can exchange them for £60 off a booking with Cottages.com.

You can also get double the value of your Clubcard points when you trade them for a booking with selected hotels, including Best Western, Novotel, Mercure and Warner Leisure, where every £5 you collect in Clubcard vouchers counts as £10 off your booking. If you want to head across the Channel, you can also use vouchers to save on LeShuttle crossings. Heading to the airport, you can also use your vouchers to save on airport parking with APH. Check out the Clubcard website to find out more.

7. Get RAC breakdown cover using Tesco vouchers

Why not use your Clubcard points to save some money on something pricey but practical? The RAC offers breakdown cover for Tesco Clubcard members and you’ll get twice the value of your vouchers off the cost of breakdown cover. You can choose from three levels of cover - Standard, Advanced or Ultimate - and each includes roadside rescue wherever you break down.

If you don’t have enough vouchers to cover the full cost of the cover you wish to buy, you can top up using a debit or credit card. Returning Clubcard customers get the same prices as new Tesco Clubcard members, too.

8. Take the family to a theme park using your Clubcard vouchers

From Alton Towers to the Eden Project, you can exchange your Clubcard vouchers for Reward Partner codes to get money off adult and child general admission tickets for a range of fun family days out and experience days.

Participating theme parks include Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, LEGOLAND Windsor, and Drayton Manor. You can also use Clubcard vouchers for a wide range of days out. Fancy checking out the view from The Shard, taking a London Open Top Bus Tour, or visiting the London Eye? Or how about a trip to London Zoo or a day out at Madame Tussauds in London or Blackpool?

There are so many trips and experience days on offer - you're spoiled for choice.

9. Use Tesco vouchers to save at Cineworld or Picturehouse cinemas

Your Clubcard vouchers are worth two times more than their value when you use them to pay in part or in full at Cineworld or Picturehouse cinemas. So for every 50p you earn in vouchers, you’ll get £1 off at these venues. You can also use your vouchers to purchase snacks or refreshments as well as cinema tickets.

Make sure you check out these other ways to bag cheap cinema tickets to keep the cost of your trip as low as possible.

10. Take the family out to eat for less with your Tesco vouchers

Give yourself the night off and use your Clubcard vouchers to take the family out for tea. For every 50p you earn in vouchers, you'll have £1 to use at the following restaurants:

• Pizza Express
• Bella Italia
• Cafe Rouge
• Prezzo
• Zizzi
• ASK Italian
• Hungry Horse pubs
• Chef & Brewer

11. Save money on train travel and Virgin flights with your Clubcard vouchers

If you're planning a day out for your family, or even a short trip abroad, you can bag some great discounts if you have a Clubcard. But before you book, factor in that you can use your Tesco Clubcard vouchers to get money off flights and transport - including Eurotunnel and Railcard tickets.

With Virgin Atlantic, for example, you can turn every Clubcard point into 2 Virgin Points. That means £1.50 in Clubcard vouchers will bag you 300 Virgin Points. You need to be a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club member to participate, but it's quick and easy to create an account.

12. Use your Tesco vouchers to reduce your mobile phone bill

If you’re a Tesco Mobile customer, you can use your Clubcard vouchers to cut the cost of your monthly phone bill. Or you could use your vouchers to knock money off the upfront cost of a new pay monthly phone or SIM contract.

In addition, if you link your Tesco Mobile phone to your Clubcard you’ll earn a Clubcard point for every pound you spend on your phone bill.

It’s easy to convert your Clubcard vouchers into Tesco Mobile partner vouchers - you can do it in the Clubcard app or on the website.

13. Buy something for a special occasion using your Clubcard vouchers

Whether it's for a birthday present or a special life event like a wedding, jewellery is a luxury that often comes with a hefty price tag. But there's no shame in boosting your value for money by putting your Clubcard vouchers towards your purchase. You can exchange your vouchers for twice their value on lots of brands (some exclusions apply) in one of 100 Goldsmiths jewellers in the UK. However, you'll need to shop in person as you can't exchange the vouchers online.

14. Use your Tesco vouchers to donate to a good cause

You can also use your Clubcard vouchers to donate to a selection of charities including The British Heart Foundation, WWF, British Red Cross, Diabetes UK and Cancer Research UK. Simply sign into the Clubcard website to use your vouchers to make a donation.

How to collect Clubcard points

When you collect Clubcard points (by shopping in-store or online), you'll earn one point for every pound you spend, and once you've earned 150 points, you'll get a Clubcard voucher worth £1.50. You can save your vouchers up and use them to get money off your food shop or exchange them for twice their value on other goods or experiences through Tesco Reward Partners. Vouchers used to be worth triple their value when spent with reward partners, but the rules changed in 2023.

Finally, if you've just remembered that you're a Clubcard member but don't know what you've done with your vouchers, remember that you can reclaim up to two years' worth of lost Tesco Clubcard vouchers.

Calling all theatre-loving families! London Theatre Week is back, bigger and better than ever. You can grab exclusive tickets for over 75 incredible shows, with thousands of seats priced at just £15, £25, or £35.

London Theatre Week is the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to the wonder of live theatre. With the dazzling spectacle of Starlight Express, and new hit shows like MJ The Musical and Mrs. Doubtfire joining the lineup, there really is something for everyone. This year promises to captivate audiences with fresh stories and unforgettable performances.

But it's not just about the new there are classic titles like The Book of Mormon, Les Misérables, and The Phantom of the Opera are also part of this theatrical extravaganza. These shows have stood the test of time, and London Theatre Week is your chance to see why, at a fraction of the usual cost. So, why should you take your kids to the theatre? Here are four top reasons:

4 reasons why theatre is great for kids

1. Start Important Conversations
2. Cultural Education
3. Encourage Empathy
4. Fuel Creativity and Imagination

1. Start Important Conversations: Shows like Mean Girls do more than entertain - they open the door to meaningful discussions. Mean Girls tackles themes of bullying, peer pressure, and the importance of kindness, making it a fantastic conversation starter with your kids. Seeing the story unfold on stage can help them relate to these issues in their own lives and give you a platform to discuss them in a way that’s engaging and memorable.

As a parent, watching Mean Girls with your child offers a unique chance to discuss the pressures they may face in their own lives. You can talk about the effects of gossip and rumours, the significance of real friendships, and the courage it takes to stand up against bullying. Plus, it’s wrapped in a package that’s fun, lively, and totally engaging, ensuring that the important messages resonate long after the curtain falls.

2. Cultural Education: The West End is glitz, glamour, and rich in cultural experience. Catching a show like Les Misérables, for instance, offers a powerful look at history, sacrifice, and justice. The music, storytelling, and emotion are all an educational experience that’s far more impactful than any textbook. Your kids will walk away not just entertained, but enriched.

3. Encourage Empathy: Theatre is a window into different lives, perspectives, and experiences. Shows like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child take audiences on a journey through complex emotions, encouraging viewers - especially kids - to empathise with characters who are different from themselves. This empathy is a crucial skill for children to develop as they grow into compassionate, understanding adults.

4. Fuel Creativity and Imagination: There’s nothing like the magic of live theatre to spark creativity in young minds. The elaborate sets, the vibrant costumes, and the larger-than-life characters all work together to transport audiences to new worlds. Whether it’s the spellbinding choreography in Starlight Express or the moving performances in Mrs. Doubtfire, these experiences ignite the imagination and inspire creativity in ways that few other activities can.

Buy tickets at a bargain price

London Theatre Week is not just an event; it’s an invitation to experience the very best of the West End with your family. With tickets starting at just £15, it’s an affordable way to introduce your kids to the magic of live theatre. Whether you’re revisiting a classic like Les Misérables or discovering a new favourite in MJ The Musical, this is your chance to create lasting memories together.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity. For more information and to secure your tickets, visit todaytix.com or download the TodayTix app. Remember, London Theatre Week runs from 19th August to 8th September, but tickets are limited, so act fast!

In the words of Stephen Crocker, GM, TodayTix London, “There’s truly something for everybody, at prices to suit everybody, too.” So, what are you waiting for? The West End is calling, and this is your chance to answer.

TodayTix is your gateway to the best theatre experiences, connecting culturally curious audiences with unforgettable shows at unbeatable prices. Whether you’re after last-minute tickets or want to explore new theatrical adventures, TodayTix makes it all possible with ease and excitement. Discover more at todaytix.com.

There you have it, London Theatre Week is your ticket to an unforgettable family experience. Grab those seats, enjoy the show, and start the conversations that matter. After all, there’s no better way to bond than over the magic of the West End.

While it’s incredibly hard to gain stats around how many children actively bully other children, we know much more about how many children are the victims of bullying.

According to the Office for National Statistics, an estimated 1,544,000 children aged 10 to 15 years (34.9%) in the UK experienced an in-person bullying behaviour in the year ending March 2023. Put simply, more than one in three of our kids are being bullied. So we know it’s a huge problem in our schools. But what happens if your child is the one doing the bullying?

Kieran Lyons, Service Head for Childline and NSPCC, tells GoodtoKnow: “We think we know everything there is to know about our children, so it can be upsetting to find out that your child might be bullying someone else.” Bullying can be caused by a range of factors, from poor mental health and low self-esteem to harmful home environments. While we’d never condone bullying, it’s important to understand why people bully.

Kieran has given us his expert tips on what to do if your child has been accused of bullying. We also hear from a parent whose daughter was accused of bullying and offer practical steps on how to encourage your child to be more empathetic and end their bullying behaviour.

I think my child is a bully - what do I do?

Stay calm, lead with curiosity, start a conversation to ask questions, and remind them you're on their team and there to help them through anything. Try to understand your child's perspective and look to identify any contributing factors that might be at play such as jealousy - emotions drive behaviour. Use empathy, connection and positive reinforcement not punishment. Work at strengthening your bond and doubling down on your connection. Also, don't do this all alone, reach out for support for you and your child and be kind to yourself - this is a tricky one to tread.

Bullying is a complex issue that stems from personal and environmental factors. Bullies often seek control or revenge, sometimes as a result of being bullied themselves. Insecurity is a major cause, with bullies using aggressive behaviour to mask their own feelings of inadequacy or low self-esteem. According to education expert Carey Ann Dodah, insecure individuals may act out to compensate for perceived weaknesses. This aligns with research from Psychology Today, which suggests that bullies often lack social skills and struggle with paranoia or hostility.

Peer pressure also plays a role, as some individuals bully to fit in with certain social groups. A lack of empathy is a common trait among bullies, allowing them to harm others without understanding the emotional damage they cause.

We also know from this 2023 study that the bully’s environment influences behaviour, including family dynamics and school settings. Negative home experiences or unsupportive schools can contribute to aggression. Some bullies grow up in environments where harmful behaviour is normalised. While understanding these factors is important for addressing bullying, it is never acceptable, as bullying inflicts lasting emotional harm on victims.

“I was mortified to get a call from the school to say that my 13-year-old daughter was a bully,” recalls mum Christy. “It broke my heart to think that she had deliberately tried to hurt and exclude another girl.”

We’ve spoken to the NSPCC’s Keiran Lyons to get his expert tips on what parents can do if they think their child is a bully.

1. Stay calm and gather information

If you have suspicions or are made aware that your child may be bullying others, the most important thing to do first of all is to think about how you are going to handle the situation. Being told that your child is bullying others can often ignite a defence response from a parent as they don't want to believe that their child is impacting others. The term bullying can mean different things to different people so it’s important to look at what has been happening so you have as much information as possible before speaking to your child about it.

2. Have a calm conversation

Once you have taken some time to review the situation, it is important to have a calm conversation with your child about what has been happening. Often these conversations can be fuelled by emotion but if you are able to remain calm to hear what has been going on for your child, this can really help you both get the most of this conversation.

“I sat down with my daughter and asked her lots of questions about why she was behaving like that in school,” says Christy. “I had to be incredibly patient and contain my own anger to get to the bottom of her behaviour, and it was so hard for both of us.”

3. Understand your child’s perspective

Try to understand what has been happening from your child's perspective, but consider this against the rest of the information that you have. For example, the child that is being bullied may have said things that have influenced your child, but that doesn't make it okay that the bullying has taken place.

4. Identify contributing factors

It can be useful to understand what factors have contributed to the bullying. For example, many young people tell the NSPCC that they are being bullied because other children feel that they are different. If this is the case, you may want to work with your child about how they can celebrate differences.

“Eventually, my daughter broke down and told me that she missed her dad (we’d been through a messy divorce the year before) and was jealous of the other girl because she had a stable family and enjoyed doing things with her own dad,” says Christy. “All of the bullying stemmed from my own daughter’s poor self-esteem, sadness and jealousy. It was heartbreaking to hear.”

5. Use positive reinforcement, not punishment

Each parent will have their own view on how they can discipline their child. It is important to remember that your child may have something going on that has contributed to their behaviours. Physical punishment can have long-term and harmful consequences for children, and evidence tells us that positive reinforcement has a much greater impact on a child’s behaviour and wellbeing.

6. Strengthen your bond

When parents find out that their child might be a bully, it can surprise them as they think that they know their child inside out. It can help to turn this into a positive experience of trying to spend more time with them to build your relationship - doing things that you both enjoy can help them to know they can turn to you if they need to.

“While I couldn’t directly influence my daughter’s relationship with her dad”, says Christy. “I could change my relationship with her. So we did lots more things together, like having our nails done and going on day trips. Over time, our relationship improved and she settled down and became much happier. I didn’t get another call about bullying and I know she really regrets how she treated the other girl now.”

7. Seek support for your child

Remember that there is support for your child out there. Childline is a confidential space and is always available to talk to any child in the UK either online or over phone. Their trained counsellors are available 24/7 to help young people with any worries, concerns or questions – no matter how big or small they might feel. Simply visit childline.org.uk or call 0800 1111.

8. Don’t be hard on yourself

One important point is that you should not be too hard on yourself. Things often don’t go to plan in our children's lives, and parents often feel it is a por reflection on themselves. So they can be worried about reaching out for support. You don’t need to go through this alone; there are many options for support available - one of them being the free NSPCC Helpline which provides adults with a place to get advice and support, share concerns about a child or get general information about child protection. Adults can reach out to the NSPCC Helpline, on 0800 800 5000.

How to help your child stop bullying behaviour

Here are some practical tips you can use to help your child be more empathetic and understanding and reflect on their behaviour.

• Encourage your child to stop and think before saying or doing something hurtful. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness.
• If your child feels like being mean, suggest they engage in another activity, such as playing a game or talking to a friend.
• Encourage them to talk to a trusted adult who can guide them in being kind and managing their emotions effectively.
• Teach your child that everyone is unique. Differences don’t make someone better or worse, just different.
• If your child has bullied someone, encourage them to apologise. A sincere apology can help repair relationships and alleviate guilt.
• Help your child understand why they engage in bullying behaviours. It could stem from stress, low self-esteem, or unresolved emotions.
• Teach them healthier ways to handle stress, like talking to someone they trust or practising stress-relief techniques.
• Make sure they understand the potentially serious effects their actions can have on others, such as emotional harm or long-term trauma.

Featured experts

Get more advice and information on tackling difficult subjects with your kids, from when and how to talk to your child about sex to how to talk to your kids about porn. Plus, worried your teen has stopped talking to you? Experts share five reasons why this is 'to be expected' and what you can do to help them.

One hundred years ago, the story of one of the world's most successful film companies began. From Mickey Mouse to Buzz Lightyear to Elsa, Disney has created lots of fantastic characters, but how did it happen?

Walter Disney, later known as "Walt" Disney, was born on 5 December 1901 in the US. He was very good at drawing and painting and studied cartooning at school. He worked as an ambulance driver during the First World War (1914–18) but his passion was for drawing.

When the war ended, he started to work on some short films. Los Angeles, in California, was already the centre of the US film industry, so Walt moved there with his brother Roy. The two of them decided to start their own company to produce Walt’s animations, and on 16 October 1923, the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded.

In 1928, Disney launched one of his most famous creations, the black-and-white film Steamboat Willie. You can watch the eight minute cartoon on YouTube – it includes the first appearance of Mickey Mouse.

Creating classics

Steamboat Willie turned Mickey Mouse into a huge star. Soon, fans could buy their own Mickey Mouse dolls, dishes – even toothbrushes. After Mickey’s success, Disney created other characters, such as Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck.

In 1934, Walt decided that he wanted to try something more ambitious – his first full-length film. He was inspired by a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm called Snow White. It took three years to make, but Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would become one of the highest grossing (money-making) films of all time.

This massive inspired the studio to tell more children's stories in animated form, which led to Bambi, Cinderella, and Pinocchio. For Walt, there was no limit to the number of tales he wanted to invent. He once said, "I don't make movies to make money. I make money so I can make more movies."

"The happiest place on Earth"

In 1955, Disney opened the first Disneyland. At first it was meant to be beside the film studio, as a place to entertain fans who wanted to visit, but Walt had such big ideas that it soon became clear the site was too small.

The company bought a larger site a few miles away and created rides and experiences inspired by Disney's films. Guests could meet their favourite characters and visit the famous castle from Sleeping Beauty. People loved it, and a second Disney park, which was even bigger, opened in Florida in 1971. There are now Disney theme parks in Asia and Europe too.

Telling more stories

Even though Walt Disney died in 1966, his film company carried on. The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Tarzan, won lots of awards for their amazing animation and songs. There were live-action films too, including Hocus Pocus and The Princess Diaries were also a hit.

In recent times, Disney has expanded its storytelling. Encanto is about the Madrigal family in the mountains of Colombia, and Moana tells of a daring mission through the Pacific Ocean.

A new film called Wish is out in November, too. It tells the story of the wishing star, which has appeared at the start of Disney films ever since Pinocchio in 1940.

Three films you might not know

• Oliver & Company: Inspired by Charles Dickens' story Oliver Twist, this musical film follows a young cat named Oliver living in New York. A pack of street dogs invite him to join their gang, but Oliver is so cute that he soon gets adopted. He has to balance out his new life with his old friendships.
• The Sword in the Stone: This 1963 animated classic is based on the legend of King Arthur. England is in the dark ages without a king, and only someone worthy of pulling an enchanted sword out of a stone can claim the throne. An orphan named Wart, with the help of Merlin the wizard, could be just the person to do it.
• The Parent Trap: When Hallie Parker from California and Annie James from London meet at summer camp, they realise they look amazingly alike. It's not a coincidence. The two are actually twins who were separated at birth after their parents divorced. Now, the two of them set to work to get their parents back together.

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Whether you’ve been taking folic acid for months before conceiving, or your pregnancy was unplanned, as soon as you see those positive lines on a test you’ll need to make some changes to your diet straight away.

We know that drinking alcohol in pregnancy can cause foetal alcohol syndrome but the effect of drinking even small amounts is not known. Therefore, it’s recommended that pregnant women avoid it entirely, just to be safe. Caffeine should be kept to 200mg a day - or two or three cups of coffee because too much caffeine can lead to your baby having a low birth weight.

These are a couple of examples of things you’ll need to cut out, or cut down on, but what about the vitamins or foods you’ll need more of during the nine months?

When you’re pregnant your baby is reliant on you for all of the nutrients it needs to grow and develop and it’s important you stay healthy too. Nutritionist Lucy Upton says: “Women's nutritional needs increase during pregnancy to support the numerous changes in their bodies, such as increased blood volume and tissue growth, as well as the healthy development of the growing baby.

“Maternal nutrition significantly impacts the baby’s development, particularly during pregnancy, which falls within the first 1,000 days - a critical period for laying the foundation for lifelong health. Proper nutrition during this time can influence the baby’s growth, immune system, brain and cognitive development, and long-term health outcomes,” she adds.

Luckily, there are lots of foods we can eat which will provide these essential vitamins and nutrients. There are also prenatal products on the market to suit all budgets and if you’re entitled to the government’s Healthy Start card you will be given prenatal vitamins for free.

5 vitamins and supplements recommended in pregnancy

While we will seek to give an unbiased and accurate description of the benefits of each of these vitamins and supplements, it’s also important to speak to your GP or midwife if you have any questions.

1. Folic Acid 

Folic acid is the supplement that will probably be mentioned most when you find out you’re pregnant. Many women start taking it when they’re trying to conceive but it’s also important to continue taking 400 micrograms every day until you are 12 weeks pregnant. If your pregnancy was unplanned, you should start taking folic acid straight away.

The reason folic acid is so important is because it helps prevent neural tube defects in your baby which can cause life-limiting conditions like spina bifida. Some foods such as green leafy vegetables and breakfast cereals contain folate but doctors will still recommend taking the supplement to make sure your body is getting the required amount.

2. Vitamin D 

It’s recommended that adults and children living in the UK take a vitamin D supplement from September to March when our bodies can’t make enough from sunlight alone. This also applies to pregnant and breastfeeding women. The recommended daily dose for all adults is 10 micrograms.

Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and for keeping our bones, teeth and muscles healthy but is only found in a small number of foods which is why nutrition experts recommend a daily supplement. If you want to make sure you’re including vitamin D in your diet, make sure to eat plenty of oily fish, eggs and red meat and look out for fortified breakfast cereals.

Pregnancy nutrition expert Hayley Pedrick emphasises the importance of understanding your vitamin D levels to appropriately supplement for the healthy development of your baby's bones, heart, and immune system. This is particularly crucial during the winter months in the UK, where sunlight exposure is insufficient to maintain adequate vitamin D levels. A quality supplement should provide a minimum of 400 IU/day, but if your levels are found to be deficient, you may require a higher dosage.

3. Iron

Iron is important in pregnancy because your body is pumping more blood than usual and this blood needs to take oxygen to your baby. Iron helps with this and insufficient levels of it can lead to anaemia which might affect your baby’s birth weight or lead to a pre-term birth.

Iron is something you can definitely get from the food you eat so try to include lots of green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, lean meats, dried fruit and nuts. If you’re feeling tired and suspect your iron levels are running low, your GP or midwife may advise you to take some iron supplements. These are safe to take but can lead to side effects such as constipation and piles.

4. DHA

DHA is found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines but it can be hard to get the amount you need just from food.

Nutritionists recommend 200 micrograms per day of DHA and some prenatal supplement brands, such as Pregnacare Max, have omega-3 tablets included, alongside the ones containing all of the recommended vitamins.

Upton says: “It is important not to turn to cod liver oil as a source of these fatty acids as often the Vitamin A content is too high, and instead look for a specific omega-3 supplement, especially if a mother is not consuming key dietary sources such as oily fish. If a mother is vegetarian or vegan, an algae-based (rather than fish-based) omega-3 supplement is a good option.”

5. Calcium

You need to make sure you’re consuming plenty of calcium when you’re pregnant because it’s needed to make your baby’s bones and teeth. Even if you are vegetarian or vegan you should still be able to eat a variety of foods which contain calcium. These include:

• Milk, cheese and yoghurt
• Green leafy vegetables
• Tofu
• Bread and any foods made with fortified flour
• Fish where you eat the bones such as sardines, whitebait or pilchards
• Soya alternatives, with calcium added

Upton recommends an extra 300mg of calcium per day (equivalent to around 250ml glass of milk).

Other beneficial vitamins and supplements for pregnancy 

This 2017 study found that magnesium is a nutrient which can play an important role in ensuring a healthy pregnancy. It found that a dose of 300mg per day can prevent preterm birth, low birth weight and lower the risk of pre-eclampsia.

Magnesium is found in many multivitamins and also in green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds and wholegrains.

Pregnancy can be really tiring for some women and you will want to keep your immune system healthy to avoid any illnesses which are doing the rounds and will make you feel even more wiped out. Vitamin C is important for protecting your cells and keeping them healthy. Many fruits and vegetables such as oranges, peppers, strawberries and broccoli contain vitamin C. Adding foods which contain vitamin C to your meals can also help with the absorption of iron which is obviously also important during pregnancy.

Upton says choline is an often overlooked nutrient but one which is worth being aware of during pregnancy. She explains: “It works alongside folate early in pregnancy to support a baby’s brain and neural tube development. Great sources of choline include eggs (particularly the yolk), lean meats like chicken and beef, fish, dairy products, and some beans and legumes.”

Around 450mg of choline is recommended per day but Upton says women who are vegan may want to consider supplements if they can’t get it via food.

Nutritionist Michaella Mazzoni says women might want to add a probiotic into their daily supplement intake too. Probiotics are the ‘good’ live bacteria and yeasts which can help keep your gut healthy and are often found in yoghurts or supplements. She says they can “support the vaginal microbiome, immune function and morning sickness”. Optibac and many other supplement brands have probiotics which are safe to take during pregnancy.

How to choose pregnancy vitamins and supplements

We have outlined some ways above that you can incorporate these vitamins and nutrients into your diet when you’re pregnant. But Upton says: “If a food-first approach is feasible for a mother to make dietary adjustments to help ensure enough of some of the nutrients I’ve mentioned above e.g. adding in an extra portion of dairy for calcium and iodine, prioritising iron and protein-rich foods at every meal, then just taking a vitamin D and folic acid supplement can be enough.

“For other women who want the reassurance and convenience of a multivitamin, and/or have a more restricted diet or are struggling with eating during their pregnancy due to symptoms such as nausea, a multivitamin may be a better choice.”

It’s recommended that you take these tablets with meals as it will help with the absorption of the vitamins.

Mazzoni says it’s worth doing some research before choosing a multivitamin. She says: “I like Nutri Advanced’s Pregnancy Multi the most. It has vitamins which are more ‘bio available’ meaning they are more easily converted or used (by the body) than others.”

Brands recommended by Upton include Vitabiotics Pregnacare, Boots Pregnancy Multivitamin and Rhitrition Pregnancy Multivitamin. She adds that “many major supermarkets and pharmacies also sell pregnancy multivitamins (or combinations of essentials like vitamin D and folic acid), which contain the key nutrients of consideration and are much cheaper. It’s so important that mothers don’t feel priced out of the supplementation they need”.

Frequently asked questions

If you have any questions about staying healthy during your pregnancy, speak to your GP or midwife who will be able to give you up-to-date advice.

How you approach your child’s school can make a big difference in how staff deal with bullying - we’ve got advice and information on how to talk to teachers, knowing your rights and understanding the legal situation.

If your child is struggling to make friends or showing poor mental health, such as anxiety or depression, you may be worried that thye’re showing signs of being bullied. Dealing with teachers and school staff in stuations like this can be a hugely stressful time for parents. All you want to do is protect your child; yet it may feel as if the school isn’t taking your worries seriously enough. We’ve spoken to a number of educational experts to get advice and tips on how to remain calm, get your point across, and hopefully the best outcome for your child.

“The law around bullying is complex,” says solicitor Samatha Hale. But as a starting point all Local Authority maintained schools and academy schools must have anti-bullying policies and procedures in place, and they need to ensure they are appropriately followed.” We’ve got your back if your child is being bullied. Our expert advice and tips will help you approach the school and get the help and support your child needs.

What you need to know about bullying in schools

Recent research by the Department for Education reveals a concerning picture of bullying in UK schools. Among year 10 pupils, 40% reported being bullied in the past year (2023), with 6% experiencing daily bullying. Name-calling, including via digital means, was the most common form of bullying, followed by social exclusion.

The impact on education is significant: bullied children are three times more likely to truant, with girls being particularly affected. Parents of frequently bullied children are more likely to keep them home, and these students face a higher risk of school exclusion.

Children with special educational needs are especially vulnerable, with one in four experiencing violence or threats. Most physical bullying occurs on school premises, highlighting the need for improved school-based interventions and support systems.

It’s clear from the stats above that bullying has never really gone away in our schools, but instead is increasingly moving online, into teenagers’ smartphones and into their homes. But what can parents and schools do about bullying, whether digital or face-to-face? The answer is a lot, as long as they work together to tackle the issue.

The first step for many parents is getting their child to admit they’re being bullied. “The biggest challenge with bullying and kids is that they suffer silently; less than half of kids being bullied ever tell an adult,” says psychologist Dr Lisa Strohman. “So it’s hugely important to encourage your child to share their experiences without fear of judgment or dismissal.”

How to work with the school when your child is bullied

Our experts share their advice and tips on doing this in a calm, but effective way:

1. Gather evidence and document incidents of bullying
2. Contact the school via email to report the bullying and request a meeting
3. Request a copy of the school’s anti-bullying policy
4. Prepare for the meeting with the school
5. Agree an action plan with the school and a deadline for reviewing the action plan
6. Keep your child informed and be a positive role model

1. Gather evidence and document incidents of bullying

When your child is being bullied, it's crucial to gather as much evidence as possible. “Keep a detailed record of the bullying incidents, including dates, times, locations, and the nature of the bullying,” says Dr Lisa. Education expert Carey Ann Dodah suggests noting the names of individuals involved, too, as this information may be helpful if the issue escalates and you need eyewitnesses.

It doesn't matter if the school bully approached your child outside the school or via social media; the school still has a responsibility to protect their pupils from bullying.

If the bullying is happening online, try to get as many screenshots of the abuse as you can, including any memes, videos or messages. Sara-Jane’s Year 9 daughter is being physically bullied at school and cyberbullied at home by three other girls in her year. She told us, “I have chains and chains of emails from the school as well as folders full of screenshots of horrible messages. It’s been exhausting and feels like my full-time job, but I’m not going to give up.”

2. Contact the school via email to report the bullying and request a meeting

The first formal step in addressing bullying is to inform the school. Solicitor Samantha Hale advises contacting the school via email to ensure there is a written record of your concerns. In your email, briefly outline the incidents and request a meeting with relevant staff members, such as your child’s teacher, form tutor, head of year, school counsellor, or headteacher. This written communication not only provides a clear account of your concerns but also allows you to track the school’s response and actions.

3. Request a copy of the school’s anti-bullying policy

“At the same time you report the bullying to your child’s school, request a copy of the school’s anti-bullying policy, so you can check it and make sure the school adheres to it,” suggests Samantha. The NSPCC also suggests requesting a copy of the school’s compliant procedure and behaviour policy.

Familiarise yourself with school policy so you can reference it during your meetings. This step will also help you understand what actions the school is obligated to take and how they plan to protect your child.

4. Prepare for the meeting with the school

Before meeting with school staff, it’s essential to be well-prepared. Carey Ann suggests being ready to discuss the specifics of each incident and any patterns you have noticed. Be especially careful to note the effect the bullying has had on your child.

Bring a notepad or make notes on your phone so you can remember what’s said by school staff. It’s also worth considering what outcomes you want to achieve and being ready to discuss potential interventions or support strategies.

5. Agree an action plan with the school and a deadline for reviewing strategies

During your meeting, work with the school to develop a clear and actionable plan to address the bullying. Samantha recommends setting specific steps the school will take, such as increased supervision or targeted interventions, but do be prepared for the school to ask that they investigate the allegations themselves too.

“If the school is not aware of the bullying, they might want an opportunity to investigate before determining what steps they will take,” says Samantha. “If this happens, set a date with the school for when they will have completed their investigation and informed you of the steps they will take. You could ask them to formalise the steps they will take in a ‘plan of action’ and make sure that it is widely shared with school staff and yourself.”

Samantha also suggests asking to set a date for a formal review of the plan of action. This will allow you and the school to assess whether the bullying has decreased and make any necessary adjustments to the strategies you’ve all agreed to.

Carey Ann also suggests asking for the school to identify a key person of trust that your child can go to in case there are any incidents at school. Not only does it give your child a ‘safe place’ to go to, but it will “reassure you that your child has a support network in school, which will allow you to feel more relaxed during school hours,” says Carey Ann.

6. Keep your child informed and be a positive role model

Throughout the whole process, Dr Lisa says it’s crucial to keep communication open and transparent with your child and reassure them that the situation is being addressed and that they have your full support.

Dr Lisa highlights the importance of reinforcing your child’s self-worth and resilience through positive affirmations and activities that build self-esteem. Acknowledge their efforts and achievements, however small, to build a sense of accomplishment that is authentic and true to their experience. By modelling calm and constructive behaviour, you help your child learn how to handle difficult situations with maturity and confidence. Regularly check in with them to monitor their well-being and to ensure they feel safe and supported both at home and at school.”

Carey Ann agrees and says it can be worth contacting a professional therapist or counsellor if you feel your child is continuing to suffer from being a victim of bullying. “Seek support from a child psychologist or counsellor if you think it may help your child to continue talking about the issue and how it made them feel in an external setting.” The school may also be able to help with setting this up.

What happens if the bullying continues?

If bullying persists, request another meeting with the school and follow their complaint policy if necessary. Continue to document incidents thoroughly, including photographs of injuries, details of each event, and communication with the school.

As Samantha points out, it’s always best to try to resolve the situation by working directly with your child’s school. “But if you feel like you are getting nowhere, or if the bullying is severe and you need immediate action which is not forthcoming, you could escalate matters and make a formal complaint to either the Head Teacher or Board of Governors. You could also complain to the Local Authority about Local Authority run schools or the Academy Trust if the school is an academy school.” Following the school's complaint process is crucial at every step to ensure your concerns are properly documented and addressed.

Family Lives also suggests asking for a copy of your child’s school record to find out how they are getting on during school hours. The record should also have any copies of complaints you’ve made with any actions taken. You can also contact your local MP and ask them for assistance and support if the bullying is not resolved.

“Bullying itself is not a specific criminal offence,” says Samantha. “However, bullying can sometimes be so severe that it can actually constitute a criminal offence if there is a threat of violence or actual violence; assault; theft; criminal damage or repeated harassment or intimidation, for example, abusive text messages, emails, social media posts (cyberbullying), phone calls or direct name calling, or hate crimes. Bullying of this nature should be reported to the school and the police without delay.”

Featured experts

Get more advice and information on tackling difficult subjects with your kids, from when and how to talk to your child about sex to how to talk to your kids about porn. Plus, worried your teen has stopped talking to you? Experts share five reasons why this is 'to be expected' and what you can do to help them.

We spoke to parents of children with allergies - and they want everyone to know just how serious and debilitating it can be when your child suffers allergic reactions to food.

Parenting a child with food allergies is a lot more than a slight fear they might develop a rash, or suffer mild breathing difficulties if they accidentally chow down on something containing nuts. It can involve living in a frightening, debilitating bubble of anxiety, with the unknown around every corner. Most people aren't aware of the pressures that come with caring for a child with life-threatening allergies. 

It seems absolutely wild that when a plane full of people are asked not to eat or bring nuts onto the flight because a peanut allergy sufferer is on board, they believe their right to munch on dry roasts trumps somebody's actual right to be alive. Because infuriating throw-away comments about the inconvenience of not being able to snack on their favourite foods while soaring through the air instead of waiting to do it when it's safe for all involved, conveys not only a bewildering sense of entitlement, but also a lack of knowledge about the realities of having an allergy.

This is why we spoke to allergy parents and families, to find out what they'd really like everyone to know about this altered state of living. We also sought the opinion of Professor Adam Fox, consultant paediatric allergist at St Thomas' Hospital in London. We asked his view on why it's vital the public are educated about the serious impact of allergies, and he tells us "Having a food allergy can have a major impact on quality of life, not just on the effected child but the whole family. If a family member has a food allergy then shopping takes much longer, is more expensive and simple daily activities such as visiting friends, eating out, arranging holidays can become extremely stressful"

He adds "These families live with a continuous, pervasive anxiety knowing that at any time something catastrophic may happen. Allergy awareness can make a real difference to this and my patients continually tell me of lovely examples of how thoughtfulness and inclusivity have really lifted their burden. The better the understanding of allergy that wider society has, especially those close to the people who suffer with the allergies, the greater the impact will be."

12 things allergy parents really want everyone to know

1. "It’s not a choice, a fad, or an 'intolerance'. You can’t turn it off - it’s 24/7, 365 days a year, and you can’t ever relax about it. It’s also not 'fussy eating' and we’re not being 'dramatic' when we insist on ingredients and cross contamination being checked. Being made to feel like an inconvenience to ensure you stay alive can feel humiliating."
   
2. "I wish people considered the cross contamination part more - you don’t have to ‘eat’ the allergy food - a scrape of mayo, a crumb of a biscuit or residue of a peanut can set off allergies. This is why I need everyone to be more considerate of handwashing and cleaning surfaces. Cross contamination from poor hygiene control or lack of knowledge is the biggest risk to my child who has anaphylaxis."
   
3. "Free-from products can be twice the price. The additional cost of a special diet is something a lot of people won't know about. And it's not just food, we also have to consider the cosmetics we use as parents as sweet almond oil appears in so many. Even junk modelling at school can be a problem - my nut allergic child came home with a creation made from a crispy nut cereal packet."
   
4. "An Epipen is not like taking a paracetamol. It’s not just about taking it and you'll be better immediately. Often, they are only there to buy you time to get to a hospital which will then involve a minimum of an eight hour stay. Children have died from anaphylaxis even after having an Epipen."
   
5. "Eliminate the food, not the child. While safety is the most important thing, inclusion is a close second. So don’t exclude our kids, just speak to the parents and they’ll know how to or make it safe."
   
6. "As allergy parents we are not OTT, dramatic or difficult, we are simply safeguarding our children the best we know howThe anxiety and stress that comes with caring for an allergy child is so hard to deal with. Having to plan just simple trips out is mentally exhausting. The allergies have an impact on everyone around the sufferer, the sleepless nights we parents have overthinking and trying to plan a fun day to keep our allergy child safe are hard for others to understand. ."
   
7. "Restaurants need to know...that if we have a positive experience with a food outlet then they are more likely to have a customer for life. If we have a negative experience then they will loose customer for life."
   
8. "'May contain' is not a legal requirement and also a minefield. It can feel as if that’s over used by both manufacturers and restaurants more to cover their backsides. Also how some people think 'may contain' is ok - would you eat something if it said may contain poison?"
   
9. "I wish others knew how much it dictates your life….where you go on holiday, where you live, where your child goes to school. People with allergies deserve a life too. What for others are pleasures, such as flights, holidays to new places, and eating out, can be anxiety ridden for those with allergies. Our whole lives are a process of risk assessment."
   
10. "Poorly controlled eczema can lead to the development of allergies - I wish we'd known this as I feel like my child’s allergies could have been prevented. GP’s are so overwhelmed or reluctant to make referrals, resulting in so many children ending up with lifelong conditions. If a parent whose child has eczema is aware of this implication, they could push harder for treatment and possibly prevent a life of allergy difficulties."
    
11. "The worry of flying cannot be reiterated enough. No matter who with or where, flying is terrifying. The seemingly many people who can’t cope on a flight without a peanut, or whatever the allergen is and make their unhappiness quite clear, is striking. Nut proteins can live on surfaces for months if not cleaned so even if a flight is nut free, the risk is still there."
    
12. "The Covid pandemic was the closest most non-allergic people will get to how it feels to have an allergy - an invisible threat everywhere you go - not knowing if you will come into contact and if it will kill you. Medicine hopefully will help if you are ill but it may not. Except the pandemic has passed and most allergies don’t. Those with allergies are on constant alert throughout their lives."

Professor Adam Fox concludes by adding "Allergic reactions are typically caused by a relatively small groups of foods – milk, egg, sesame, peanut, treenuts and seafood. More commonly these days, newer allergens such as legumes including peas and lentils are responsible.

Reactions are usually easy to spot – immediate symptoms of itchiness around the mouth, swelling and hives. If you suspect your child has an allergy you should pick this up with your GP in order to arrange testing. There is a national guideline for GPs to support their decision making around this and this includes a parent’s guide for those seeking more information."

For more articles like this, we spoke to co-parents about their biggest challenges, and asked teens what they wish their parents had done differently. On a lighter note, tweens to share their parents' most annoying habit and rules, and their honest answers are very entertaining. 

For some people, pets are a part of the family. When owners need to go somewhere for work, a holiday, or if they are moving, they have to carefully consider how to take their pets with them. This can often affect where, when and how they travel. In the past, pet owners travelling by air have had to put their pets in the cargo hold, a separate area in an plane that is usually underneath the cabin where passengers sit.

Recently, more airlines have started allowing pet owners to bring small cats and dogs into the passenger cabin, as long as they are inside a special carrier. However lots of people are allergic (can have a bad physical reaction) to animal hair and others don’t feel comfortable on flights or around pets. So, what do you think? Should pets be allowed on flights?

What you need to know

• In March, an airline in Australia announced plans to allow pets to fly in the cabin (the part of the plane where passengers sit).
• The airline says only small cats or dogs would be allowed to sit in the cabin, by their owners' feet. Passengers and their pets would be restricted to certain seats on each plane and the animals would need to be in a special type of carrier.
• In the UK certain animals are already allowed to travel in the cabin with their owners on many airlines. However these are specially trained assistance dogs, such as Guide Dogs for people who are blind or partially sighted.

Yes – pets should be allowed on flights

Animal charities say flights can be distressing for animals in the cargo hold, where they are away from their families. Putting pets in the cargo hold can be very stressful for their owners. Allowing pets in the cabins makes sense because owners can look after their animal, making it less upsetting for both of them.

It also means pet owners won’t have to leave their animals at home with sitters, or in a kennel or cattery. This saves pet owners having to find someone to look after their pet. Besides, having pets on flights and in airports can also cheer fellow passengers up. They can help make airports and the flying experience more fun for some airport workers, airline staff and passengers.

Three reasons why pets should be allowed on flights:

• Pets will be less stressed flying with their owners in the cabin. The cargo hold is distressing and scary for pets and animals often need to be sedated (put to sleep using medicine).
• It means that pets won't be left at home or looked after in a cattery or kennels, saving pet owners money.
• Having pets on flights and in airports makes travelling more pleasant for some passengers.

No – pets don't belong on flights

Flights are not really set up for pets. If a flight is full, would an animal really feel happy and calm inside a carrier under a seat on a busy aircraft? Maybe not. Also, if the animal needs to go to the toilet, it could stink the whole plane out. There's also the chance that some passengers on flights could have allergies to animals or be scared of them.

Airports and aeroplanes aren't designed for animals either – they can be busy, loud and intimidating, which could be distressing for pets. Also, some people who care about the environment say there should be fewer flights because aeroplanes burn fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change. They argue that both people and animals should be flying less.

Three reasons why pets should not be allowed on flights:

• Some people don't like animals and are scared of dogs, and others have animal allergies. Aeroplane cabins are designed for people, not animals.
• Airports and aeroplanes can be stressful places for humans, let alone animals. It's unfair to put animals in this situation.
• Flying burns fossil fuels and contributes to climate change. People and their pets should be flying less, not more.

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The Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate 1.2L - the viral tumbler every tween wants - landed on our Shopping Editor's desk this week but she won't be letting her daughter anywhere near it. Here's why...

Look, I’ve never been ‘a Stanley girl,’ as my trendy colleague puts it. When everyone started hauling around these massive water tumblers, I just didn’t get the hype. A cup’s a cup, right? What was all the fuss about Stanley cups?

So, when my tween daughter casually mentioned that she'd like a Stanley cup for her 11th birthday—because all her classmates have them and it's the latest tween craze along with saying Skibidi, apparently—I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Spend £45 on an overhyped water bottle? Yeah, no chance.

Then, almost as though my daughter manifested it, an email landed in my inbox offering me the new Stanley Quencher cup to review in the very latest must-have colour. Out of pure curiosity (ok, and maybe with half a mind to gift it to my daughter...), I decided to put it to the test. This is my honest review of the Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState™ Tumbler in the dreamy new Pink Parade colourway and my verdict is simple. Sign me up to be a card-carrying Stanley girl because I would run through fire to save this thing.

But as for my daughter getting her mitts on my new Stanley cup? Sorry, kid—this Stanley’s all mine.

Let me start with the colour. It’s not just pink—it's a hot, sassy, take-no-prisoners pink in a sleek powder-coat finish with a bubblegum-pink handle and classy gold detailing. This Stanley cup was made to stand out and when I stealth-boasted about it on Instagram, it got more likes than my puppy wearing a bow tie on the beach. Pink is my jam, I'm not ashamed to say, and this is as girly, glossy, and gloriously pink as things get. If you secretly (or not-so-secretly) love the girliest hue, the Stanley Quencher in Pink Parade is for you.

Next, what about those style-over-substance worries I had about the Stanley cup craze? I stand completely corrected. The FlowState™ lid is thoughtfully designed for practicality, with three different options for different sipping scenarious. There's a splash-resistant straw opening (great for desk use), full-cover closure (to help minimal spills), and a sip opening for hot drinks.

But does the Stanley Quencher leak? The rumours are true—it’s not fully leak-proof. That was another reason why I balked at spending £50 on one. But I'm surprised to say this isn't as much of an issue as I expected it to be. I certainly wouldn't recommend tossing it in your bag but then there's no need for that when you can carry it via the handle and pop the cover closed. Ultimately, the real appeal of this Stanley tumbler—aside from the gorgeous colour —is how easy it is to stay hydrated or caffeinated, whether I’m at my desk or shuttling between football practices, without trekking to the kitchen to fill it up several times a day. I use it at my desk and in the car, plus I keep it a safe distance from my laptop, so it's not as if I need it to be leak-proof.

Shop Stanley's newest tumblers

While working on this review of the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate 1.2L tumbler, I happened across a feature that made me fall in love with it more than any other drinks bottle or cup I've tried. The way it fits perfectly into the cup holder in my car. I spend an absurd amount of time driving, thanks to three kids and one very active puppy, and it’s always been a pet peeve that most water bottles don’t fit my cup holder. Or if they do, they’re so petite that it’s pointless bringing them with me in the car. But the Stanley Quencher’s narrow base is a dream and I don't leave home without it now.

The ergonomic handle is another win. If you’ve ever flung a water bottle across the gym by accident (surely not just me...), then you’ll understand my point. Carrying 1.2L of water around is quite the task—my arms felt it on day one—but that soft handle makes it much easier. Oh, and did I mention my Stanley Quencher is dishwasher-safe? Hallelujah! Keeping stainless steel bottles clean is a must (we all know they start smelling nasty otherwise), but no busy parent has time for hand-washing water bottles—I mean, how?! Happily, Stanley’s solved that problem.

And yes, it really does keep drinks cold. Thanks to its vacuum insulation, water stays chilled for 11 hours (I checked!), or up to two days with ice. Perfect for long days at your desk or when you're endlessly ferrying the kids between activities.

Finally, I'm a fan of the fact that this Stanley cup is made from 90% recycled stainless steel - sustainability never looked so good.

So in a nutshell, what started as a sceptical experiment has turned into a full-blown obsession. The Stanley Quencher in Pink Parade isn’t just a cup—it’s a lifestyle. Whether you’re sipping on the sidelines at a footie match, showing off at the school gates, or making a very stylish statement on your Zoom calls, this tumbler is the one to be seen with.

There's no way I’m letting my daughter take this to school, though. Not because it’s unsuitable for a tween—it’s perfectly durable and well-designed. The real reason? I love it far too much to give it up. But there’s one small problem I haven’t quite figured out: my daughter still hasn’t given up hope of getting one for herself...

For more honest reviews of the products that matter to parents, check out our verdict on the Cybex Coya travel stroller or read our Toniebox review to see if we think it's worth the money.