Most parents have been there: it’s 4pm on a rainy weekday, the pasta is boiling over on the hob; the phone is ringing incessantly and the toddler has chosen just the right moment to decide that the knife block is his new favourite toy.  It’s prime yelling territory; a situation where an ‘I’m warning you […]

10 years ago

Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone has secured €6.5m in funding in order to accommodate 60,000 extra children eligible to avail of free pre-school places this September.  As part of the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme, every child in Ireland will now benefit from 61 weeks of free childcare, an increase on the previous 38 weeks. […]

10 years ago

Five police officers have been shot dead by snipers at a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas, Texas. The officers, the first of whom has been named this morning as Brent Thompson, were among 11 shot during a demonstration following the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police in Louisiana and […]

10 years ago

A man has been arrested after a newborn baby was abandoned in a hospital restroom. The baby boy had to be resuscitated when he was discovered just after midnight on Tuesday at the Royal Albert Infirmary in Wigan, UK. Thanks to the quick response of A&E medics, the child was saved and is now said to […]

10 years ago

The days when parents felt forced to baptise their children to guarantee their place in a local school could be nearing an end… but there’s still some way to go before Ireland’s education system is acceptable to the nation’s mums and dads. Here’s the good news: discriminatory school admission policies, waiting lists and admission fees […]

10 years ago

A toddler has died following a tragic accident in the driveway of a home in Galway. The child, who would have turned two-years-old in the autumn, was hit by a vehicle yesterday afternoon outside a house at Carraroe, Connemara. According to newspaper reports, he was airlifted to University Hospital Galway but later succumbed to his injuries. […]

10 years ago

Whether negative equity forced your family out of a boom-bought apartment and into a rented home, or you never quite got on the property ladder to begin with, ain’t nothin’ goin’ on but the rent for quite a few of us at the moment. With the average cost of renting a place to live in […]

10 years ago

The weather is due to improve towards the ends of this week, with plenty of sunshine forecast for the weekend. According to Met Eireann, temperatures are going to rise towards the end of the week, but (why is there always a ‘but’?) there’s still a chance of rain. Thursday will remain mostly cloudy with patches […]

10 years ago

Gardaí in Co. Wexford are investigating the attempted abduction of a little boy near a playground. The seven-year-old was on his way home from the playground in Maudlintown at 7.15pm on Sunday evening when he was approached by two men. The child claims they tried to put something over his face and said “You’re coming with […]

10 years ago

Things to look forward to midweek are few and far between. Take a yummy lunch out of the equation and it’s hardly worth getting out of bed on a Monday. This was a key concern here at HerFamily.ie HQ when we took on our summer fitness challenge. Four weeks in however, we’ve discovered a way to […]

10 years ago

Do you have a little monster with a birthday coming up? We can’t think of anything more magical for a four-year-old than unwrapping your very own tail… and in any colour and pattern you can dream of! Polish company Mr Tail makes magnificent handmade tails that are ideal for imaginative play. Not only do they […]

10 years ago

A pair of rubber gloves could be the answer to your woes between the sheets.  And no, we’re not suggesting you adopt a latex fetish. Rather, scientists have discovered that couples who share the majority of the household chores have the most rewarding sex lives. It seems that those who are as willing as their […]

10 years ago

It’s par for the course for parents to worry that their little ones aren’t getting enough nourishment, but a new study suggests these concerns are contributing to an obesity time bomb. A study by the UK’s Infant and Toddler Forum (ITF) showed that parents are confused about portion sizes, with one in ten expecting their […]

10 years ago

The toll a pregnancy takes on a woman’s body is well documented, but an incredible animation demonstrates just how much a growing baby impacts on Mum’s internal organs.  From the stomach and digestive system to the lungs, a growing fetus makes it a tight squeeze in there, particularly in the third trimester when the expanding uterus […]

11 years ago

A quick and simple €150 procedure during which the lining of the womb is scratched could significantly improve your chances of giving birth, according to new research. The endometrial scratch, which causes mild cramping but does not require an anaesthetic, involves using a small tube to disturb the womb lining. Doctors still don’t know exactly […]

11 years ago

The father of a tragic toddler who was snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort was attacked by a second alligator as he battled to save his son’s life. As guests at Disney’s five-star Grand Floridian Resort & Spa enjoyed an open-air movie, Lane Graves was playing in the shallow water with his big […]

11 years ago

They’re known as man’s best friend, but a dog like this could be promoted to mama’s best friend pretty quickly. This adorable white puppy has figured out that every time her new baby sibling starts to fuss, all she has to do is make a little noise of her own to pacify the crying tot. […]

11 years ago

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail as the saying goes… especially when it comes to dieting. It’s all too easy to destroy a week’s good behaviour with a mayo-laden corner shop sandwich when you ‘didn’t have time’ to pack a salad. These neat buys make the planning and prep stages more fun. 1. Box fresh Set […]

11 years ago

Disney World has removed all references to crocodiles and alligators throughout its parks, after a gator snatched and killed a two-year-old boy who was standing in six inches of water.  Now park officials have removed Tick Tock the Croc  from Peter Pan from the Festival of Fantasy parade to avoid upsetting parents and younger visitors. […]

11 years ago

The first stage of a bill calling for a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment has been presented to Dáil Éireann. Thirty-three years after the issue of abortion was last debated in Ireland, the Thirty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution (Repeal of the Eighth Amendment Bill) was presented by TD Ruth Coppinger of the Anti Austerity Alliance in […]

11 years ago

As a beverage, red wine was already pretty perfect already in our book. Smooth, juicy, deep ruby red, Spanish, French or Chilean, always there like a big friendly hug at the end of a long week. Then we heard that a new Brooklyn restaurant had gone one better, combining our beloved red with another of […]

11 years ago

Stop what you’re doing, get out the phone and book your tickets: The second coming of Patsy and Edina hits screens across Ireland this week and it will have you snorting into your bolly, dahling. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie sees Jennifer Saunders in full throttle as Eddie Monsoon (still fat, still fatuous and still completely […]

11 years ago

An internationally renowned Spanish fertility clinic known for its high in-vitro fertilisation success rates is about to open a base in Ireland.  The Institut Marquès, headquartered in Barcelona, has acquired Clane Fertility Clinic in Clane, Co Kildare, where its specialist medical team will join the team of 23 professionals currently working in Institut Marquès Ireland. With more […]

11 years ago

The Dáil is to be asked to reduce the amount of time a couple needs to be separated before a divorce is granted from four years to two years. According to a report in the Irish Times, Fine Gael TD Josepha Madigan plans to bring the private members bill to the Dáil next week, where […]

11 years ago

When we’re not fawning over her adorable children, we can usually be found admiring her bouncy brunette locks. Now the man responsible for tending to Kate Middleton’s royal tresses has let the cat out of the bag as to how he keeps her world famous ‘do looking its best. Kate’s personal hairdresser Richard Ward first […]

11 years ago

A search and rescue operation has located a group of 20 school children who were missing in the Brecon Beacons mountain range in South Wales. Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed a Coastguard helicopter has landed near the St Alban’s youngsters, aged in their early to mid teens, and reportedly in four groups of six. They were not accompanied by […]

11 years ago

New mums at London’s Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospitals are to be given boxes that double as cribs in a pilot scheme aimed at reducing cot death. The idea was inspired by antenatal care in Finland, where the state gives mothers a package shortly before their baby is born. It’s a cardboard box filled with really useful things like […]

11 years ago

Summer has officially begun, bringing with it showers of every description; from scattered and heavy to prolonged and widespread. Oh yes, this is a week for a spot of traditional Irish weather bashing. There won’t be a thing dried on the line for the next seven days so release your inner Irish Mammy and have […]

11 years ago

Wayne and Coleen Rooney are rarely far from the media spotlight, but the tabloids went a step too far this week when they snapped an opportunistic photo of one of the couple’s children. Mum-of-three Coleen has voiced her disgust after The Sun newspaper chose a close-up image of her six-year-old son Kai in floods of […]

11 years ago

The death toll from last night’s terrorist attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport has risen to 36, with dozens more injured. According to local reports, three suicide bombers carrying Kalashnikovs and AK-47s opened fire in the international terminal before blowing themselves up when they were tackled by police. It is understood that the terrorists struck near the entrance to […]

11 years ago

The Red Cross has apologised after releasing a children’s poster that has been slammed by many as ‘racist’.  The furore began when a concerned Colorado mother posted a picture of the pool safety poster online, pointing out that it appeared to suggest that white children were “cool” and black and Latino children were “not cool.” The […]

11 years ago

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: A twelve-year-old Swiss boy who was rescued from the attic of a 35-year-old man after disappearing one week earlier may have been groomed by the predator using the online video game Minecraft. The child, who we’ll identify only as ‘Paul’ to preserve his anonymity, vanished suddenly from his family home […]

11 years ago

In science news that’s highly likely to make your skin crawl today, a French study has revealed that women who wear low-cut clothing are more likely to secure a job. Working over a period of three years, Dr Sevag Kertechian of the Paris-Sorbonne University sent two women with almost identical CVs and experience to apply for […]

11 years ago

Two children remain in a serious condition in hospital in Scotland after the theme park ride they were on fell apart in mid-air on Sunday. The boys, aged 11 and 12, were among ten people who were injured in the horror smash when the Tsunami roller coaster left the rails at a bend, sending five […]

11 years ago

Fiona Brennan is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and author of The Positive Habit – Six Pathways to Positivity Digital Self-Help Programme. “I use hypnotherapy for myself every day. When I feel strong, calm and confident this allows me to reach out and help other people to feel the same. Every day I listen to one of my own hypnotherapy MP3s, relaxing and visualising whatever […]

11 years ago

A woman is being questioned by police in the UK after allegedly abandoning her five-year-old daughter at bus stop in the seaside town of Brighton.  Authorities were alerted on Friday when the little girl was discovered sitting alone on a bench at 12.52pm. CCTV footage showed the child, accompanied by a woman wearing a floral top […]

11 years ago

As the price of property soars ever skywards, many young families are on the lookout for an affordable home. Provided you’re an open-minded sort, it doesn’t get much more affordable than this. A Kildare-based seller is advertising a three-bedroom flat-pack wooden house for the grand sum of €22, 500 – less than than the average […]

11 years ago

Parents have been warned to lock their car doors at all times, after three-year-old twins died when they became trapped in a hot pickup truck in Bossier City, Louisiana last week. According to reports, Oliver and Aria Orr were playing at home when their mother, Alisha, fell asleep. When she awoke, she discovered the front door […]

11 years ago

Comfy runners are a staple of the busy parent’s weekend (and, let’s be honest, midweek) wardrobe, so any time there’s a design breakthrough on the horizon, we’re all ears. With that in mind, let us present to you the latest major footwear innovation in recent years: a sneaker that is light, flexible, sizeless, free of […]

11 years ago

We know, we know: you’ve barely got your shorts on in preparation for summer 2016 and here we are dangling winter wear in front of you. However, it’s always nice to know what’s around the corner. Plus, cosy sweaters and jackets look hot paired with cut-offs when temperatures cool in August. Pick up a few […]

11 years ago

However you feel about your downstairs hair during the colder months, come summer it’s usually necessary to spruce up the Front Office a touch before launching yourself at the nearest sun lounger. By far the most brutal and genuinely-bloody-painful of all the available methods, the Brazilian bikini wax is also the gold standard in pube […]

11 years ago

Do you find yourself reaching for the same old bottle of wine every weekend? If you’re in a wine rut, there’s a simple formula you can use to bring out your inner connoisseur, says SuperValu wine expert and buyer Kevin O’Callaghan.  Here are five things every vino fan should know… 1. How to Chill White Wine […]

11 years ago

As the world reels from the news Great Britain has voted to leave the European Union, the parents of the generation the decision will most affect have been sharing their disappointment on Twitter. In a move that will have far-reaching effects, not just for Ireland but for international relationships and the global economy, the people […]

11 years ago

Hundreds of families will gather in Merrion Square Park East on the morning of July 2 to take part in a host of free sci-tech and crafts activities. InspireFest kicks off at 10am until 1pm, offering kids a chance to try their hand at a range of cool stuff, while hearing from an impressive roster of […]

11 years ago

The temperatures are firmly on the rise, which means the black tights are finally consigned to the bin and it’s time to get those shins out.  But what to wear? And how to compile a heat-proof summer wardrobe on your lunch break without blowing a mortgage payment? Well, we’ve done the hard work for you, […]

11 years ago

It started with a ‘welcome to the world’ post, alerting family and friends to the arrival of your bundle of joy. A few weeks later there was a monochrome shot on daddy’s shoulder, then a dreamy Instagram (#normalisebreastfeeding, #mamasgotthis), two teeny weeny baby feet snaps and a funny ‘first bath’ video. It’s happened: you’re officially […]

11 years ago

Fianna Fáil is calling for a special waiver for parents with babies when controversial pay-by-weight bin charges are introduced next year. Charges will be frozen for the coming 12 months as new housing minister Simon Coveney hammers out a deal with the Irish Waste Management Agency (IWMA) and a €1.5m awareness campaign about the new system […]

11 years ago

Children who receive positive attention from their parents have higher incomes, higher happiness levels, more academic success, and a stronger sense of morality, according to the latest research from Japan. A group of researchers from the Kobe University Center for Social Systems Innovation and the Doshisha University Faculty of Economics surveyed 5000 men and women, gauging […]

11 years ago

Using the world’s ugliest colour on cigarette packaging could go a long way in helping more smokers to kick the week for once and for all, according to Australian experts.  When market research company GfK Bluemoon asked 1,000 smokers to choose the hue that most repulsed them, the majority voted for the green/brown shade known […]

11 years ago

Eastenders fans know Dean Gaffney as hapless Robbie Jackson, the character he played in the iconic BBC soap since 1993. To his nineteen-year-old twin daughters Charlotte and Chloe however, he’s just boring old dad… although he could easily pass for their older brother. The internet went into meltdown this week after this picture of 38-year-old […]

11 years ago