Family

Advice, tips and lifetsyle features aimed at parents, children and families.

How to parent when you've split up

From Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin to Cheryl and Liam Payne, via Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy, there are no end of celebrities who have to juggle co-parenting because they've split.

Cheryl said at the time: "There's no animosity whatsoever. We are learning all the time. And it's good, it's healthy. We're just like any other couple that have gone through this, but we have a few...

Why giving your children fewer toys could make your whole family happier

Modern family life can be complex, chaotic and stressful – but it doesn't have to be this way.

According to child development expert Denaye Barahona, if parents try to live according to the basic 'roadmap' of buy less, fear less, referee less, hurry less and entertain less, life will be a whole lot simpler, and thus less stressful.

And the simpler life extends to the kids...

Six reasons why it's important to read bedtime stories to your children

Finding the time to read a bedtime story to a child has huge benefits – both for the child and the person doing the reading.

"Reading a regular bedtime story to children is a simple activity that encourages children to enjoy reading and gets them into good reading habits that will set them up for the future," says Judith Parke from the National Literacy Trust (NLT). "When parents...

Worried about your child’s mental health? Here’s how to spot the early signs

Children as young as six are suffering from stress. Claire Spreadbury talks to Dr Preethi Daniel about the warning signs, and how you can help.

It’s all too easy for families to get caught up in the Ferris wheel of life. And it’s not just the adults who are struggling to keep up. If you Google ‘depression in children’, the NHS will tell you that one in four young people will...

What children should be learning about saving the planet

Understanding green issues is arguably even more important for children than it is for adults, as children have longer to live with the consequences of the damage humans are doing to the planet.

Research shows 78% of parents believe it's important for children to be educated on sustainability and the preservation of the environment, and the majority think such education should start...

As Scotland bans smacking, experts explain how to discipline kids without physical punishment

Every parent knows that discipline is one of the hardest parts of parenting. We want our children to grow up knowing right from wrong, but it can often be hard to know the best way to teach children to behave.

Child psychologists are generally in agreement that physical discipline isn't an effective way to get your point across – both for the wellbeing and development of a child....

Adele Parks: 'Empty nesting gives you a moment to concentrate on yourself'

As thousands of teenagers prepare to leave home to start their first year at university, their parents face being left behind and trying to cope as empty nesters.

Top author Adele Parks, whose latest novel Lies Lies Lies focuses on a couple's attempts to have a second child and the issue of infertility, is saying farewell to her only child Conrad, 18, as he heads off to Warwick...

Nine ways to get picky children to eat more vegetables

Parents have traditionally battled to get their children to eat vegetables, but it seems the tables have turned, as increasing numbers of children are eating their greens, and plenty of other colours of veg.

Research by Birds Eye found almost a third (32%) of parents of children aged between four and nine years said their children would eat just about any type of vegetable, with...

3 in 4 Brits believe students wouldn’t tell a parent if they have financial troubles

New research has uncovered students' spending secrets and bargain blunders, and while 68% of respondents believing that students have no issues managing their money, over three quarters (78%) said that students would never tell a parent if they were experiencing financial troubles. The research, commissioned by printing and visual imaging company Epson, has unveiled that the UK believes that...

At what age should children be allowed to wear make-up? We asked an expert

If you're someone who keeps up with the Kardashians, you'll know that in the past, reality star Kim has shared a variety of social media posts showing her daughter North wearing make-up – including bright orange eyeliner and black lipstick.

The six-year-old even appeared on the cover of Women's Wear Daily's beauty special earlier this year, sporting her signature bright eyeliner look...