Page 30 - link magazine

30 The Link Magazine • May 1999

SEE SAW Toys Taking the stress out of sleep
Parents usually want to comfort a crying baby. But when baby cries
West Crudwell Farm every night, for weeks and months, child, parent and family relation-
Tuners Lane, Crudwell, ships can be completely wrecked.
Nr Malmesbury
For this reason the West Swin-
Stockists of don health visiting team have been
TP Activity Toys joined by qualified NNEB nursery
Climbing frames, r nurse Tracey Gingell to provide
swings, slides, parents with individual support
football goals, tractors, and guidance.
garden games and She runs a weekly sleep clinic
exciting new range of trampolines where parents can discuss child
care and Tracey can talk to indi-
and more ...
viduals about how to deal with a
For free catalogue or appointment
waking baby.
to visit the garden display,
Ten month old Emily Rattenbury
call 01666 577205 from Grange Park never went to
bed before 11pm and used to wake
3 or 4 times a night. "It was nine
CREATIVE CURTAINS months of hell; we were desper- Tracey Gingell, left, with baby
ate," said mum Angela. "Tracey
The complete service from ideas to hanging, advised me to calm Emily in the Emily and mum Angela Rattenbury
all at affordable prices night, not to pick her up and stop right way; we look at the problems
Hand made curtains, Roman blinds, giving her drinks. After two weeks together and work out a sleep
she slept right through and is much plan."
quilted bed covers, Austrian blinds, cushions etc.
happier; me and my husband are She said that it is important for
For a free estimate ring Christine on 01793 875869 getting a life together again." mums to talk to their health visitor
Angela stressed that every child if their baby is waking at night.
has different needs as do parents. For details about the service of-
Thamesdown "I talk with the mums about their fered by the West Swindon team,
Upholstery & Flooring routines, the baby's diet and other call Jenny Jardine on 486991 or
your health visitor on 877233.
aspects of home life. There is no
Specialists in all types of domestic
upholstery, carpets & vinyls A fine line between smacking and abuse
Free estimates. 25 years experience
Following the launch of the NSPCC zero tolerance campaign towards
Tel: 728243 • M obile: 0973 69 7998
child abuse in early April, Dee Hofgartner from Freshbrook consid-
ers some of the dilemmas for parents
Recently I received the NSPCC
Giving Your Child pledge to help put a stop to child
abuse.
The Best I signed it wholeheartedly, but
this has raised a question within
In Quality Education myself. I believe that we should be
allowed to smack our children
Ridgeway Pre-School when it is ultimately necessary. I
Inverary Road, Wroughton have used a smack to discipline
my children and have recently spo-
ken to many other parents who
Quality education and childcare feel as I do.
I'm talking smacking hands, Denise with her 18 year old daughter
for 24 months to 5 years legs, bottoms, not head banging, Kirsty and two year old Max
sadistic abuse. It is bizzare that a child can say
When my daughter was born
Open 50 weeks a year, 8am-6pm both her father and I decided that to his /her parent, "you can't smack
me, I'll report you." When this
he would never smack her; a blow happens in our society, we have
Full range of schedules available from him would have caused her lost it as parents.
damage and most men don't know We need to keep our kids under
Qualified teachers following the their own strength, so the smack- control. They need to grow and
ing was left to me. know the boundaries of what is
nursery outcomes Interestingly enough I have acceptable behaviour.
found this to be the case in the There is a fine line between dis-
for learning majority of families that I speak to. cipline and abuse. But most of us
The mother does the smacking. If know the difference.
you watch a lioness you would I give my pledge to help put a
Please contact notice that she cuffs her young, to stop to child abuse in every form it
keep them in order and out of dan- takes. I fully support the NSPCC
Mrs G Simonds ger. This is what I believe we in all its work and value its pres-
on (01793) 845572 should be able to do. ence. But I also think that if we
One woman said to me, "it's want to raise healthy, respectful
(Mrs Simonds is a
about time someone spoke up: it's and balanced kids, a short sharp
trained nursery ridiculous that normal families are smack across the bottom when
I times a smack is the only thing that not kill them. It might just save
inspector) being made to feel bad. Some- you've tried everything else, will
them.
works."