Nursery World - Media watch (173)

A mumps epidemic was last week reported to be sweeping Britain, with nearly 5,000 cases in January alone, BBCNews said. Although teenagers and people in their early 20s are most at risk, The Guardian warned that the illness could spread to younger children because of the fall in take-up of immunisation with the MMR vaccine. The typical British mother works a gruelling 100-hour week, once cooking, cleaning and looking after the children are included. The Sun reported that childcare tasks alone take up to 41 hours in a typical week.

The typical British mother works a gruelling 100-hour week, once cooking, cleaning and looking after the children are included. The Sun reported that childcare tasks alone take up to 41 hours in a typical week.

Youths wearing hooded tops have been banned from the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent after a gang of 'hoodies' confronted deputy prime minister John Prescott last week. The Times ran the headline, 'You are to blame for yobbish children, Blair tells parents'.

A newborn baby girl rescued by a stray dog after being abandoned in a forest in Kenya has been offered homes around the world, according to The Times. It said that would-be adoptive parents have swamped the newspaper with calls offering to care for baby Angel.

Meanwhile, the Childcatcher from the film 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' has been voted the scariest character in children's literature, The Scotsman wrote.