http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/aug/31/new-kind-of-sex-party

‘We’re having a sex party. We’d be delighted if you could come.” Well, that got your attention, didn’t it? But don’t be surprised if you receive just such an invitation soon, as yet another Born-in-the-USA trend looks set to sweep our impressionable nation. According to press reports in the US, sex parties are all the rage. No, not the sort we thought we’d left behind in the 1970s – if they ever truly existed – involving fruitbowls full of car keys and Dr Alex Comfort- inspired practical demonstrations. We’re talking about baby sex parties. Again, let’s clarify to avoid any further risk of confusion (and litigation): expectant couples are holding parties for friends and family so that they can reveal the sex of their baby. If that wasn’t self-indulgent and narcissistic enough for you, the twist is that the couple don’t even know themselves. The centrepiece of the party is the opening of an envelope to reveal a note written by the ultrasound operator informing the couple of their baby’s sex. A round of applause and much hugging follows, accompanied by the popping of corks and a chorus of “Ah, bless” and “It’s so much better having a [insert revealed sex here] first.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/7966877/Mothers-cuddle-brings-baby-back-to-life.html

An Australian woman has told how she apparently brought her premature baby son back to life with two hours of cuddles after doctors had declared him dead. Jamie Ogg showed no signs of life when he was delivered along with a twin sister at just 27 weeks gestation and weighing 2lb at a hospital in Sydney. Doctors said they had lost him and he was given to his mother, Kate, who unwrapped his blankets and placed him on her chest so she and her husband, David, could say their goodbyes. Following two hours of cuddling and being spoken to by his parents, Jamie began to gasp. Doctors initially claimed it was a “reflex” but the baby began gasping more often and then opened his eyes. The family have spoken of their experience for the first time since Jamie was born five months ago. They told of the importance of “skin-to-skin” bonding between mother and baby in a technique also known as the “kangaroo touch” in Australia because of the way the animals held their newborns close to the skin in their pouch.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Chinese-Baby-Weighs-Same-As-Six-Year-Old-Xiao-Lei-Grows-To-20kg-In-Southern-China/Article/201008415702836

A 10-month-old boy has been named the “Michelin baby” after ballooning to the weight of a six-year-old, Chinese state media has reported. When he was born in China’s southern Hunan province, Xiao Lei weighed in at around 3.5kg (7.7lbs), only just above the average weight of a newborn baby, according to Hunan television. But a fierce appetite has seen him expand to 20kg (44lbs) – double the size of most babies of his age.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/16/germany-children-noise-law

For years they have been trying – and often succeeding – to gag the nation’s children, complaining that the din the young folk make is as much of an environmental nuisance as motorway traffic or the pounding beat of a disco. But Germany’s anti-child campaigners who fervently believe the next generation should be seen and not heard – at least not in their backyards – are finally being slapped down by new legislation on its way through parliament which is designed to protect children’s right to be children. Under the rewritten emissions protection law, play groups, kindergartens and playgrounds will soon be allowed in residential areas without special permission. Until now, local councils that wanted to set up childcare or play facilities had to apply for an exemption from the law that ranked kinderlärm on the same level as drunken louts or pneumatic drills.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/7926959/The-truth-about-au-pairs.html

Following allegations from Slovakian au pairs working in England that parents here are lazy, dirty and uninterested in their chidlren, Judith Woods turns the tables on the au pairs. After the third girl did a runner, it occurred to me the reason why we’re called host families is because a lot of au pairs are parasites.” Ouch. If that sounds a bit harsh, you’ve probably never had a phone call from school inquiring whether anyone is planning to pick up the children, or should they be left in the lost property cupboard overnight? A war of words has broken out on the home front and it’s turning uglier than Nanny McPhee. The opening salvo was fired with the incendiary publication of Au Pair by Zuzana Burikova and Daniel Miller, a brutally frank exposé of the way we allegedly treat the young women (in practice few au pairs are male) who come from overseas to learn English and carry out childcare and chores.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10776581

Norman names such as William, Henry and Alice have been popular for 1,000 years. Why did the English copy their invaders? The date 1066. William the Conqueror. King Harold with the arrow in his eye. Soldiers in those nose-protector helmets. But many people will struggle to come up with more than these sketchy facts about how the Normans invaded England and overthrew the Anglo-Saxons on one bloody day almost a millennium ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10785859

A five-year-old Irish boy who was wrongly accused of stealing a bag of crisps has won 7,500 euros damages for defamation of character. The case, reported in the Irish Times on Wednesday, concerned Tadhg Mooney from Balbriggan in County Dublin. The court heard he was in a local branch of Lidl with his mother in June 2009 when a shop assistant grabbed his arm and made the accusation. His barrister told the court her client had suffered injury to his reputation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/21/school-playground-ban-world-cup

Football has been halted in a primary school playground amid concerns that children could be copying the poor behaviour of professional players that they witnessed during the World Cup. Staff at Plymtree Church of England primary in Devon are worried the cynical fouls and bad behaviour that marred some games in South Africa might have rubbed off on children.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1296159/Black-British-couple-birth-white-blue-eyed-blonde-baby-girl.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

This is the black couple who have amazed medical experts after their baby daughter was born with white skin, blue eyes and blonde hair. Benjamin and Angela Ihegboro’s daughter, Nmachi, has flummoxed genetic experts who are unable to explain why she looks they way she does. Doctors say the white-skinned newborn is not an albino. The blonde, blue-eyed girl’s Nigerian parents say they don’t know of any white ancestry in either of their families.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/london2012/7895336/Olympic-mascot-costumes-to-inspire-children-recalled-because-wearers-cannot-move-in-them.html

Olympic mascots commissioned to tour schools inspiring children to be more active have been recalled because the actors inside them can barely move. The current costumes for Wenlock, the London 2021 mascot, and Mandeville, the Paralympic mascot, made it difficult for models to even wave an arm, let alone express the dynamic spirit of the Games. It was hoped that outfits would enable the mascots to interact and play with children during school visits and outings.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-10664777

A 13-year-old girl from Kent has received a community award for delivering her baby sister. Michaela Barton, 13, was woken in the middle of the night when her mother went into labour at their Gravesend home during heavy snowfall in January. Her younger brother dialled 999, and Michaela was guided through the delivery by an operator. The teenager received a Kent County Council award for good friends and carers at the annual Try Angle awards.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/7890440/School-children-disprove-theory-that-spiders-are-scared-of-conkers.html

A group of primary school children have been honoured by the Royal Society of Chemistry for disproving the theory that spiders are afraid of conkers. For generations, housewives have placed horse chestnuts near doors and on window ledges in a bid to repel arachnids. It was thought that spiders were frightened off by conkers – either by their shiny surface or unique odour. But pupils from Roselyon School in Par, Cornwall, set about testing whether the theory was just a myth with a series of experiments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/10476754.stm

Sections of the media made it out to be a place for “child-hating ogres”, according to one estate agent. Residents of Firhall, built in the early Noughties on the outskirts of Nairn in the Highlands, must abide by certain rules. The deeds for their properties prohibit the keeping of ducks, rabbits, pigeons and bees. Households are allowed to have one dog – but controversially no resident children.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leeds/10505584.stm

The parents of a boy branded “overweight” have received a letter of apology from the Department of Health. Tom Halton, 11, of Barnsley was told he was overweight after taking part in a national scheme which measured children’s body mass index. His parents, Dan and Tracey Halton, said the results letter from Barnsley PCT was offensive and judged their parenting skills. Tom is 5ft 1in (1.55m) and weighs 7st 10lbs, (49kg).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/7848151/McDonalds-faces-lawsuit-over-lure-of-Happy-Meal-toys.html

A US consumer group has accused McDonald’s of “unfairly and deceptively” using Happy Meal toys to lure children into restaurants. The Center for Science in the Public Interest signalled that it would sue the fast food giant if it did not stop the practice within 30 days. The group accused McDonald’s of using “unfair and deceptive” marketing practices, which it claims violate consumer protection laws in the states of Massachusetts, Texas, California, New Jersey, and the Washington federal district.