BRITISH PARENTS IN DESPERATE NEED FOR SLEEP SCHOOLING

AS schools re-open this week across the UK for a new academic year, 49% of parents will be struggling to get their children back to a school sleeping routine. On average it will take them 7 days to revert their kids back to an ‘early to bed programme’. These findings have been revealed in a sleep schooling study by Travelodge.

The poll of 3000 parents also identified that 42% of adults don’t know how much sleep their children should be getting and on average 44% of parents are sending their children to bed between 9pm – 12:00am on a school night. 54% of respondents said that parents should be given advice on sleep education for their children. In addition 75% of parents that participated in the study worry about the effects, sleep deprivation has on their children’s behaviour and performance at school.  1 in 5 parents said they are constantly arguing with their children over bed time and 47% of parents confirmed in the study that the subject of ‘going to bed’ causes chaos in their household.  9% of respondents from the research use ‘staying up after bedtime’ as a bargaining tool to get their children to help with household chores, with the most popular being: washing up, cleaning their room or eating vegetables. 

However 65% of parents confirmed that their cheeky children have a list of excuses that they will use to negotiate extra ‘staying up time’.

The top 5 excuses being:-

1. I have waited ages, to watch this TV programme

2. I have got homework to do

3. I need to have a bath / shower

4. I am hungry or thirsty

5. I want to read for longer

Parenting expert, Dr Pat Spungin, said:- “I agree there is very little information available to parents about the importance of a good night’s sleep. Parents who worry about the effects of sleep deprivation on their children are right to do so, as lack of sleep has a negative effect on a child’s mood, concentration and attention. Research also shows that children who are sleep deprived do less well academically, show more problem behaviour and have lower levels of social skills”.

A whopping 87% of parents from the research think children nowadays go to bed later than they did as children.

Furthermore, 75% of adults agreed that sleeping patterns that are endorsed during childhood affect your perception and importance of sleep in adulthood.  

Further findings revealed that 10% of parents don’t take responsibility for ensuring their children go to bed at a decent time each day. 23% of parents would happily go to sleep first if their children were refusing to go to bed.

Leigh McCarron, Travelodge Sleep Director said:- “It’s vital that parents teach their children the importance of sleep as part of their development. Educating the importance of sleep at a young age will help establish a good sleeping habit into adulthood which will help individuals cope with the stresses and stains of modern life”.

The study also revealed that children’s bedrooms are changing from places of rest and tranquillity to places where there lots of things to keep them awake. 53% of respondents said their children have a TV, DVD player, and games console in their bedroom. 38% of respondents also confirmed that they do not read their children a bed time story.

Other results specifically from the Liverpool area are:-

86% of parents said that children nowadays go to bed later in comparison to when they were a child

93% of parents take responsibility to ensure their children go to bed a the correct time

55% of children cause chaos at bedtime

3% Parents use bedtime as a bargaining tool to get their children to do something

28% of parents argue with their children regarding bed time

52% of parents said they should be given advice on what is a suitable time for their children to go to bed

97% of parents are aware that sleep is an important factor towards a child’s development

54% parents know what is, the recommended sleep allocation for a child

14% parents would go to sleep, if their children were not willing to go to bed

59% of children have a TV, DVD and games console in their bedroom

90% of parents are less strict when it comes to sending their children to bed - for keeping the peace

48%of parents are concerned about the lack of sleep their children are getting

79% of parents think that a lack of sleep is effecting how children perform at school, their attitude and behaviour

55% of parents find it harder to get their children into a sleep routine after the school holidays

66% of children will purposefully come up with reasons to stay up longer

Watching just one more TV programme is the most excuse children will use to stay up longer

93% of parents think the sleeping patterns that are endorsed during childhood affect your perception / importance of sleep in adulthood

65% of parents read to their children at bedtime

Listed below is Travelodge, Sleep Director’s sleeping tips to help parents ensure their children are getting a good night’s sleep in preparation for the new school year.

Children Sleeping Guidelines:-

Top tips to ensure your children are getting a good night’s sleep:-

* Establish a regular time for bed each night and do not vary from it

* Create a relaxing bedtime routine, give your child a warm bath/shower

* Make bedtime fun - read a story to your child

* Do not give your child any food or drinks with caffeine prior to bedtime

* Avoid giving your child large meals close to bedtime

* Make after-dinner playtime a relaxing time as too much activity close to bedtime can keep children awake

* Exercise should be included in your child’s day to help them sleep well

* There should be no TV or music playing while your child is going to sleep

* Ensure the temperature in the bedroom is comfortable

* Make sure the noise level in the house is low

* Infants and children should be put to bed when they appear tired but still awake (rather than falling asleep in a parent's arms, or in another room)

* Tuck your child in with their blanket, teddy bear or some other thing that makes them feel secure.

Can young people change it for the better?

PROVING that young people can make positive changes to society, a new prize is being launched to celebrate their achievements. Known as CHANGEit, the prize is sponsored by Deutsche Bank, and young campaigners are being urged to come forward and take part in them. The public is also being asked to nominate young people they know who are making an outstanding contribution to their community.

CHANGEit will be an annual prize run by international leadership organisation Common Purpose which wants to recognize young people who have campaigned for change. All types of campaigns are welcomed, from an alcohol awareness campaigns to a fundraising initiative for a local hospital. They are not about sitting in a classroom and getting high grades but about getting out into the community and changing it for the better.

There are 2 categories:-

The Innovation Prize, is to enable young campaigners to get their idea off the ground. The prize money is to be used as seed money to help develop their campaign.

The Performance Prize, is for young people who have run a successful campaign that has made a positive change in society. This prize is a recognition of their campaigning efforts.

Julia Middleton, Chief Executive of Common Purpose explains the importance of highlighting the accomplishment and success of young people:- “There has been a lot of attention given to very serious crimes committed by young people recently, and we want to tell the other side of the story and highlight the amazing things that young people are doing to change society for the better.”

The scheme launches on 10 October 2007 and is open to nominations until 15 December 2007. The prizes will be announced in May, and winners will be presented with a prize of £750 by GMTV presenter Ben Shephard at a ceremony in London.

If you would like to make a nomination of either yourself or a young person that you know, please contact Common Purpose on 020 7608 8148 or go to the website where you will find information about this year’s awards and how to apply.

Southport opens its doors to hearing queries

SOUTHPORT'S leading high street hearing aid centre, Specsavers Hearing Services, is appealing for all people who are hearing impaired in the Southport area to come forward and help support other people who are in a similar situation.  The stores hearing advisers have found that people who are hard of hearing are often extremely reluctant to seek help and advice.

John Mather, the registered hearing aid audiologist with Specsavers Hearing Services in Southport, explains:- "We've found that people who are hearing impaired can become extremely introverted and lacking in confidence and are suffering in silence. This often leads to a reluctance to interact with friends, family and people in the community because they cant hear clearly and fear they cant be understood. But that doesn't have to be the case."

The centre on Eastbank Street, Southport, is opening its hearing centre for two hearing awareness days on Thursday 13 and 20 of September to anyone who would like to speak about their hearing loss in confidence. They're hoping local hearing impaired people will be able to speak with each other and share information.

"We're opening our doors as a kind of safe haven to anyone who is hard of hearing, says John. We want to encourage enquiries, discussions and understanding about being hearing impaired and how people these days don't have to suffer just because they cant hear as well as other people.  We're offering free three minute hearing checks and free full hearing tests to anyone who wants to book one on the day. We are happy to offer advice and explanations about anything hearing related."

For more information, please drop in to the Specsavers Hearing Services store on Eastbank Street, Southport, and meet the friendly Hearcare advisors.

North West mums put food quality at the top of their shopping list

48% of mums in the North West worry more about the quality of the meat their youngsters eat than any other type of food, according to research published by McDonald’s UK.

Supermarket shelves may be filled with packaged foods with detailed ingredients lists as long as your arm, but 71% of the North West’s mums still fret about the quality of the food their children eat and where it comes from. It is because of these concerns that McDonald’s has launched Make Up Your Own Mind, a website that spells out everything about McDonald’s food quality.

The research found that mums in the North West’s uncertainty about their kids’ food means that 37% prefer to cook for their children at home so they can be confident about what they are feeding them. A further 12% will only take their children to eat out at places where they know how food has been prepared and its source.  Support for the British food industry and concerns about food miles were also key factors in mum’s shopping habits, with over 57% preferring to buy their food from local suppliers.

McDonald’s Make Up Your Own Mind website lets you go behind the scenes of its farms and suppliers to find out the facts about the food for yourself. The site also gives you the chance to ask a question direct to the McDonald’s team safe in the knowledge that you will receive an honest and direct answer. Over 10,000 questions from customers on all aspects of McDonald’s have already been answered.

So whether you’re keen to know what really goes into McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, whether there is any truth in rumours that they put eyeballs in their burgers or if the fries are actually made from real potatoes, log on to makeupyourownmind.co.uk to find out.

NEWTON WILLOWS PENSIONER CELEBRATES 73rd BIRTHDAY WITH 10 MILE WALK FOR CHARITY

ALICE Ellam from Newton Willows, Merseyside is celebrating her 73rd birthday with a 10-mile walk for The Children's Society at the Footsteps for Childhood summer event. She will take part with her younger sister Elizabeth, in the Explorer's Walk across London on 15 September 2007.

Alice is a retired care assistant; who worked for the Salvation Army for over 15 years. She has supported The Children's Society for many years and she became a parish coordinator at St Peter's Church five years ago where she organises Christingle services and other fundraisers.

Alice signed up for her first Children's Society walk to celebrate her 70th birthday, to mark the date in a special way. She was so inspired with the event she signed up to do another one.

Alice said:- "I enjoyed myself so much last time, I wanted to do it again, its such wonderful entertainment and a worthwhile cause. I hope others will join me and enjoy the walks as I have".

Footsteps for Childhood takes place alongside the Lord Mayor's Thames Festival. There's a choice of 3 walks to take part in; the 'Young Detectives' Walk', a 1.5 mile walk for under 5's with prizes to be won along the way, the 'Adventurer's Walk', is a more scenic 5 mile walk and the 'Explorer's Walk', for those looking for more of a challenge with its 10 mile route.

Join Alice and take part in Footsteps for Childhood in London, by calling 0845 600 8585 or visiting www.childrenssociety.org.uk/footsteps.