http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7866749.stm

One in 500 children is carrying a gene variation which means they are more likely to be damaged by a commonly used hospital antibiotic, a study suggests. Aminoglycosides, often used to target serious infections, can permanently harm hearing. A team from the Institute of Child Health in London found the gene fault in 18 out of 9,371 children tested. In the New England Journal of Medicine they say it should be possible to screen out at risk children.

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5662525.ece

The new 'opt-in' feature available in Google Maps pinpoints the exact location of loved ones, but has been met with sharp criticism from privacy campaigners. Millions of people will be able to track each and every move by friends and family through their mobile phones, thanks to a new feature launched by Google yesterday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/feb/04/childrens-trusts-ed-balls

Statutory children's trusts will bring together schools and social services to improve the safety of all children in England, Ed Balls, the children's secretary told MPs today. Since 2004 local authorities have been able to set up children's trusts that bring together councils, schools, social services, police and GPs. But some – including Haringey – have not done so and a new government bill due out tomorrow will put them on a legal footing.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4518794/Food-firms-told-to-offer-snack-size-portions.html

Alan Johnson will meet leading business figures from firms like Mars, Coca-Cola, Britvic and Nestle as part of the Government's Change4Life campaign. Speaking to the Business4Life coalition of companies, Mr Johnson will call upon them to create healthy new snacks that will appeal to children and to cut down portion sizes. He will urge them to reduce the sugar content in existing food and drink, and to sell "snack sizes" of products along traditional sizes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7869746.stm

Parents must take more responsibility for teaching their children how to prepare meals from scratch, the Children's Secretary Ed Balls has said. The onus to pass on cookery skills did not only rest with teachers, he said. Detailing a £3.3m package to recruit 750 cookery teaching assistants and boost existing teachers' skills, Mr Balls said obesity must be reduced. From 2011, cookery lessons will be compulsory in England's secondary schools for children aged 11 to 14.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7870381.stm

Ministers say they want schools in England to take on apprentices in the role of teaching assistants. Schools Secretary Ed Balls says he wants to see 4,000 young people taking up the role next year. The National Union of Teachers has dismissed the plan as an "ill thought out idea".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7871544.stm

The Liberal Democrats say they would enable English infant schools to reduce class sizes to 15 - half the current maximum - by training more teachers. They say they would fund this by ending the Child Trust Fund, which gives every child £250 when they are born, and by redirecting other public spending.

More Valentine's offers, not just for Valentine's Day though ;-). There's 20% off fragrances and 20% off all DVDs (use code DVD20 to claim your discount), plus many other gifts.

A good baby monitor can really make a difference. Simon fancied a video monitor, but we eventually settled for the digital audio monitor BT 150, which has a really clear reception up to 300m (we've tried it out in hotels, very handy!), a talk-back function (great for reassuring baby), a torch (so you don't have to switch on the hall lights when you go up the stairs in the evening), it shows the room temperature in baby's room and alerts you if it's too high or too low and it plays a range of lullabies or you can plug in your own MP3 player with your choice of music. It's also got a belt clip, which means I can take the monitor round the house with me, or even into the garden when I'm weeding! So all in all, a great monitor that we're very happy with.

What a lucky coincidence that Baby Monitors Direct, the UK's largest online baby monitors specialist store, is currently running a winter sale promotion with prices reduced by 50% and more! What's more, delivery is free. So if you haven't got a monitor yet or feel you could do with an upgrade, check out this website.

Babies R Us are having a half-price sale, where you can pick up a snowsuit for £7.99, a two-pack of T-shirts for £2.99 and a two-pack of joggers for £3.99. There's also furniture: the Caversham wardrobe in natural for £195.73 and a travel highchair for £29.35, as well as car- seats, pushchairs and toys. So what are you waiting for? Go and have a look!