There are many people who make a difference to our lives who we should thank. If you have a bin man who puts your wheelie bin back after emptying or if your postman tries to deliver your parcel more than once as he knows it's important to you but do you thank them? I hope you do say thank you to them when you see them but do you buy them a gift?

I raise this point as many parents are discussing what to give to their child's school teacher who is clearly another important person in their daily life. Knowing your child is safe, happy and learning is what most parents hope for and many parents want to find a way to thank the teacher. Yet this appears to be more about one-upmanship between parents than about real gratitude.

Teachers are obviously known for drinking tea and marking papers so a mug with the slogan 'Best Teacher' seems be a popular choice as is a 'nice' pen. Some families have gone to one of those ceramic cafes to paint a mug for the teacher and others are buying luxury toiletries as they feel a teacher who has put up with their child for a year needs a relaxing soak in the bath with fancy smellies. But once the comparing starts about who is buying what for the teacher it clearly becomes about giving the best gift and not about thanking.

Some classes will make all parents contribute to a joint gift which one bolshy mother decides upon and will guilt trip you if you dare not to put in towards it. I've heard about spa days being given and other extravagant gifts.

While many jobs require employees to declare all gifts received teachers do not have to tell anyone. As the gifts become larger it seems more like bribery and coercion than wanting to let them know how much you appreciate their teaching skills.

Wine for the Teacher
Gone are the days of an apple for teacher. Oh no, they want alcohol now. There is no subtlety in their desire for a bottle of red instead of another 20 mugs for the staff room. I have seen teachers opening declaring this is their preferred gift and friends of teachers saying how much they love visiting their teacher friends after the end of year gifts for the excess of wine and chocolates. Something feels very wrong to me about giving an infant school teacher alcohol. I'm not naive enough to think they don't drink but I don't think it's something 5 year old Johnny should be supplying.


I expect many teachers will be comparing the bottle given by each child and judging them for future years on their parents' poor choice of wine.

No Gift
I'm of the school of thought that we shouldn't give gifts but should write a thank you note. Yes, what an old-fashioned idea but as a former teacher it's the hand-written thank you cards from students that I've kept and buying gifts was simply wasting their money.

When my child left nursery she made a thank you card and then we made Elderflower Cordial together and she wrote a special label for the bottle. I think that's how you say thank you. You give something of yourself and not just a gift with monetary value.

And now how about thanking all those other service providers in your life. Will you be thanking the bin men this year? A gift for teacher is becoming like a tip for a waiter - something you give because you have to and not because you received good service.

Have you ever been in a situation where you've seen an accident or someone with a health problem and not known what to do? It’s not uncommon to be travelling to work and for someone to collapse in the heat or to suddenly have breathing difficulties so would you feel good about walking away when a little knowledge could be life-saving?

First aid is not extensive medical training but it can be enough to make a difference. It can mean instead of feeling helpless you can do something and, hopefully, improve someone’s chance of survival.

Common Problems
The most commons causes of needless death from a lack of first aid are:

• choking and breathing difficulties
  
• severe bleeding
  
• heart attack/heart not beating
  

Choking and Breathing Difficulties
An obstruction in the mouth or throat can cause choking and an inability to breath. To help:

• Encourage the casualty to cough.
  
• Check inside their mouth if they are young and see if you can remove the item - be careful not to push it in further though.
  
• Support them with one hand, lean them forwards and give up to five sharp blows to the back between the shoulder blades.
  
• Give up to five abdominal thrusts: stand behind the casualty, link your hands together below the rib cage then pull sharply inwards and upwards.
  

If someone stops breathing call for help immediately. You can send someone else or do one minute of basic life support and then make the call.

• Lie them on the floor and check their airway.
  
• Tilt their head back (use one hand on their jaw and one on their forehead to slide head back) so their tongue is not blocking their throat and watch their chest for movement.
  
• Watch for 10 seconds and if there is movement you can make that call.
  
• If there are no movements you need to perform basic life support:
  

• Position the heel of your hand in the middle of their chest and lock your other hands on top for added support.
  
• Keep your arms straight and use your body weight to push down firmly. Do 30 compressions at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute which is faster than you think and more tiring than you may expect but concentrate on the push and try and make the chest move down by 5cm each time.
  

You need to get air into the casualty’s lungs so “rescue breaths” are needed.

• Tilt their head back to open the airway, pinch their nose and take a deep breath. Seal your lips over their mouth (you don’t want air to escape, you want it to be forced inside them) and breath steadily to release the air into them. 
  
• Let their chest fall and then do another rescue breath.
  

Check for signs of breathing but if there is still nothing then it’s back to another 30 compressions before two more rescue breaths.

Heart Attack
If the blood supply to the heart becomes blocked a heart attack is the result. The signs to look for are intense chest pain, breathlessness, ashen skin with blue lips and feeling faint.

This is serious stuff so phone for the emergency services and request an ambulance immediately. (Yes, that is first aid as if you don’t call for trained help quickly you are delaying the casualty’s recovery.) Keep the casualty calm and encourage them to rest. If you have access to an aspirin given them 1 tablet (300mg) to chew.

If they are unconscious you need to check they are breathing and move them into the recovery position.

Severe Bleeding
The wound location will obviously make a difference but the basics to remember are:

• Clean the wound.
  
• Cover the wound.
  
• Elevate the wound. (Raise the injured area above heart level.)
  

When the wound is more severe you will need to apply direct pressure to the wound and use elevation to help stem the bleeding. You’ll want to prevent shock too so get the casualty to lie down and to raise their feet.

This little bit of advice is not going to turn you into a doctor overnight but it could give you more confidence to help someone in difficulty. There are lots of first aid courses available (British Red Cross and St John Ambulance are the main providers in the UK) and it shouldn't only be something you learn if you’re a workplace First Aider as these are true life skills.

What's that? A mention of Christmas before we've even had summer? I'm sorry but it's true. Santa's elves need to work all year round to ensure all the children get the best pressies they deserve. And Hamleys toy shop in London has consulted the elves to know what are going to be the "must have" toys for Christmas 2013.

Animals
Many of the toys follow an 'animal' theme. We all know 'a dog is for life and not just for Christmas' but toy animals are perfect Christmas gifts. If little Johnnie is begging for a pet dog have a look at Teksta, a robotic eight-month old dog with artificial intelligence. Some may remember the original 1999 Teksta but just know this one does so much more. If you download an app it even interacts with its friends on your iPad. Yep, that's bonkers, I know. Teksta is £75 and available from August 2013.

Another cool pet idea is the £14 Robo Fish as it's a science kit first and then you can pop it in a fish tank/bath/paddling pool, etc and it has the swimming patterns of a real fish.

If your toy falls ill there's Doc McStuffin's Doctor's Bag which is a Disney Junior character. I felt a little uncomfortable with the 'Asian child becomes a doctor' stereotype but when there are not many Asian-looking toys it's still good to see and all kids like doctor's kits. This one's glittery and £26.

If you're in the 'money is no object' category then Hamleys do some enormous plush toys. A Clydesdale Prancing Pony is near life-size and retails at £850.

Monsters
Another theme is 'monsters' but nothing is intended to give children nightmares. The Monster High 13 Wishes dolls are from the new Monster High DVD and are £23 each. I've never been too sure about these dolls as although they don't look like a standard 'catwalk' fashion doll they are still freakishly skinny with that over-sized head thing which Bratz dolls also did. But with the excessive make-up and micro-mini skirts it still seems like mini-prostitute styling to me and not something I'm ready to give a child to play with.

But I would give a child the £40 Monsters, Inc./Monster University Sulley mask as the wearer gets to control the facial movements so yes, when the child smiles the mask smiles. And when the child raises their eyebrows the mask mimics that too. I hope adult heads can fit inside as I really want to try this one.

A new toy that looks like a toy I had when young is the Zelf. I'm sure you know what I'm thinking of but it was pointed out to me that a 'troll' is now something else in this modern world with negative connotations (think 'internet troll') and these are Zelfs. I'm sure mum and dad will get their name wrong a few times but these £9 characters are bound to be popular.

Technology
Some traditional toys were on the recommended list such as a wooden chess set (£250) and a large jigsaw puzzle - although at 32,256 pieces the Keith Haring Jigsaw (£200) is officially the largest commercially available jigsaw in the world. I do love a traditional toy and, yes, LEGO is still on the list but the technology available this year really impressed me too. LEGO Mindstorms EV3 (£375) still involves building with LEGO but in a whole new way as you wire them up and it comes to life! A voice-recognition app lets you control the models. Seriously, how cool is that?

The other technology that stood out was the LeapPad Ultra for 4-9 year olds as it has a screen that gets fully used (not like lots of children's tablets which are the same size product but only operate on a tiny screen) and it has completely kid-safe wifi. That really appeals for this technology-loving age group and I reckon £125 is a good price.

There are plenty more recommended toys on the list but I suggest a trip to Hamleys with the kids and let them decide what they want to ask Santa for this year.