Pre-loved teddies helping children cope with Covid induced anxiety
Happy Wednesday neighbours,
They were once forlorn teddy bear orphans, discarded to a charity shop – until a mother and daughter realised they could be the key to helping children cope with anxiety.
Nicky Buist and daughter Jaz Lotz have been re-purposing pre-loved soft toys by weighting them with sand and lacing them with lavender as a calming strategy for overwhelmed children.
Passionate about helping young people, the pair wanted to help combat what they see as an increasing need to help parents find ways of dealing with their child’s feelings of anxiety and sadness.
A month ago they formed Weighty Warriors after trials with weighted teddy bears proved successful with the children they worked with.
They have since begun selling the soft toys around New Zealand, including to schools in Auckland and Rolleston.
Read the full story by clicking 'Read more' below.
Poll: Should we ditch daylight saving? 🕰️
First introduced in New Zealand in 1927 with the passing of the Summer Time Act, it's what we know as 'Daylight Saving' and this year it ends on the first Sunday in April.
While we do get to sleep in this time around, some people would like to scrap the clock tinkering for good.
And why? Some evidence suggests the time changes are bad for our health as they mess with sleep patterns leading to short-term fatigue and affecting mood. Meanwhile the hour change is frustrating for farmers and a nightmare for getting the littlies to sleep. But what's your take?
-
40.3% Yes - get rid of the clock changes
-
57.8% No, I enjoy it
-
1.9% Other - I'll share below
Alan and Hazel Kerr share Senior New Zealander of the Year Award 2026
Dr Alan and Hazel Kerr describe themselves as ‘just ordinary old Kiwis’, despite being named as the 2026 Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealanders of the Year Te Mātāpuputu o te Tau.
The amazing couple prompted a standing ovation at a star-studded Auckland event which recognised their tireless efforts, with Alan travelling to and from Gaza and the West Bank 40 times to help children over 20 years, and Hazel travelling 20 times.
Click read more to find out more.
Don't overthink this riddle...
I have a silver sole
but no feet,
I make my living by bringing the heat.
What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Loading…
