Mums choose web for child advice (From South Wales Argus)

Mums choose web for child advice

9:05am Tuesday 24th June 2008 in News

WELSH mothers are choosing the internet over their families when it comes to child care advice.

Research, carried out by BT and website Netmums.com , revealed the internet is the first port of call for 50.5 per cent of Welsh mums seeking advice on parenting skills or health.

More than 3,600 mothers were surveyed with 38 per cent saying they would still go to their family first.

Run by local mums, for local mums, Netmums provides local information on places to go and things to do, education, child care and community, social and employment issues.

Mother of three, Sarah Larkin of Rogerstone, came across Netmums when she moved to Newport a few months ago.

She said: "I didn't know anybody or the area, so I had a look on the internet and came across the site. I've been talking to a few other mums and building some friendships. It's an absolute life line. You don't realise when you move that you don't know where anything is."

The survey also showed mothers used the internet for friendship and support, rather than just for information gathering.

Siobhan Freegard, Netmums co-founder, said: "The internet is now a well-established lifeline to many mums and this study shows that when they need a sounding board, they will log on to get support even before they call a family member or their GP for advice."