For all its data mining problems and security concerns, Facebook is still one of the biggest websites on the planet. The attraction of friends and Facebook groups means there are over 2.7 BILLION active users each month. That’s just unbelievable. But the truly crazy thing is most of these people think they have something interesting to say!
I jest, of course, everyone is interesting and I love hearing about the weather/your cat/what you had for dinner.
But there are some Facebook groups that are genuinely useful and even important. Every parent should consider joining these Facebook groups.
1. What was that you just ate? SPIT IT OUT!
If you are a parent with a small family member who likes running around outside enjoying nature, then congratulations! This is a wonderful way to live and you should never, ever give that up. However, sometimes curious toddlers will nibble, chew and eat things they shouldn’t.
Obviously, if you are worried about the health of a child, get in touch immediately with a doctor or healthcare professional. But they might not be able to help much if you aren’t sure what they have eaten, and this is when one of the best Facebook groups really comes into its own.
Poisons Help; Emergency Identification For Mushrooms & Plants has experts in mushrooms and plants from all across the world. These heroes are often identifying plants within minutes of posting. It’s just incredible. Anxious parents post here whilst on the way to a hospital. Nurses post here. even vets post here with the remnants of a sicked-up mushroom from dogs and cats.
There’s no judgement, just ID. They have a strict “no comment” policy on all non-experts to make sure the answer doesn’t get swamped with pointless chat. And they are busy. Very busy.
They recently reported that they “…had more than one post an hour, every hour, every day for three months with hundreds of comments every day – a comment about every FOUR minutes.” That’s mindblowing.
So if you are genuinely worried about something somebody ate, and you can take photographs of it. this is the group to contact for ID once you have spoken to medical experts. After all, this is where many medical experts come for poison information and identifications.
2. Supporting Fathers
Before, during and after the birth of a child, most care and attention is given to the woman. And this is fair – pregnancy is a huge experience to go through, physically and mentally. And giving birth is only the start of it – there’s a long road ahead.
So ensuring mothers are taken care for and have all the support they need is important. But speaking as a dad, and with dad friends, I’m glad to know that support for dads is also available. This is especially important as the roles of mums and dads are changing, and changing fast. No longer is the dad expected to be the sole breadwinner, and the mum expected to stay home hoovering the shagpile with a fag in her mouth.
Roles are shifting such that co-parenting is becoming much more common. This is especially true after the coronavirus lockdown(s) as more parents are working from home. It’s opening many people’s eyes to how life could be. Imagine getting to work and see your kids grow up at the same time?
But dads often need support. It’s a life-changing event for them too, and ensuring they are okay means ensuring the family unit is okay.
Father’s Network Scotland is such a charity. It shines a light on the mental health problems fathers often have, that can go unnoticed. For example, did you know that dads can also experience post-natal depression in the first year after a child’s birth? Such diagnoses are often missed, and may even be more common than currently thought.
Fathers can also feel alone, and lack the support structures they need to help make them the best dads possible. Father’s Network Scotland can help with this, as they provide advice and training on a range of important paternal health issues.
By starting with just a like on their Facebook page, you or a dad you know might take the first step towards getting the help, advise or support you need.
3. Save money and avoid waste
This isn’t so much a specific page, but a type of Facebook group that could save you hundreds of pounds over the years. They might even make you some money! Most Facebook parents will know of them, but just in case you don’t, get yourself on buying and selling groups on Facebook.
If there’s one thing we all know, is that children get bored with toys. Fast. What is the best thing in the world today is tomorrow’s tripping hazard. So why not sell the old toys to another family who will enjoy it? This is a far better solution to getting rid of them than sticking them in landfill. Most plastics won’t degrade before…I don’t know…the dinosaurs re-evolve in a few million years? They’ll have no use for a Fisher Price fire engine, that much I know.
And on the other side, why not save money by buying near to brand-new toys for a fraction of the price? We got some amazing toys for the boys at knockdown prices because people just want rid of the stuff. You can buy and sell pretty much anything you want here. But, as I have mentioned in a previous blog, and just to be sure again: do not buy the Chicco vibration box. It’s awful.
So how do you find local buy/sell Facebook groups? Just search! Something like “Edinburgh buy sell toys” would do. The local ones are great as you can go pick the stuff u yourself, but national ones that pffer postage can be just a convenient. Join a few, and get ready to save save save!