Super moons, Space Odyssey and Star Wars have given parents plenty of cosmic baby name inspiration this year… and there’s a hot new trend for superhero names. That’s according to the latest Babycentre list of the UK’s top 100 boys’ and girls’ names of 2016. DC and Marvel Comics’ continued success at the box office saw […]

10 years ago

A mother gave birth to a baby boy on the roadside near Dublin’s Kevin Street Garda Station after rush hour traffic made it impossible to reach Holles Street Hospital in time. Having done it all before with their first child four years ago, Stephen Connolly (32) and his wife Lisa (33) felt they’d have plenty […]

10 years ago

More than one million social welfare recipients will collect their Christmas bonus this week, with pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the long-term unemployed among those to collect payments amounting to €221m. According to the Department of Social Protection, the bonus, which was abolished by the previous government but is being paid at a rate […]

10 years ago

More than 1.5 million viewers will watch the Late Late Toy Show on RTÉ One this Friday from 9:35pm. If you’re hoping to tune in from Oz or catching the fun from sunny Spain however, the biggest Irish TV event of the year will also be available to watch worldwide for free, live and on-demand […]

10 years ago

A delighted mum has publicly thanked an Irish company whose handmade ‘worry plaque’ has helped her little boy to sleep at night. Siobhan McAlister’s seven-year-old son was experiencing frequent nightmares that often left him shaking and unable to drop off in his own bed. Siobhan and her husband thought they had tried everything until a […]

10 years ago

If you thought the ultrasound image was an early glimpse of your growing baby, sit tight. The latest trend in baby photography goes all the way back to the point of conception. Yep: IVF clinics are now offering mums and dads-to-be a chance to get a head start on that baby album, offering photos and […]

10 years ago

Pope Francis will make his first visit to Ireland in August 2018. The news was confirmed by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny this morning following a 23-minute meeting in the Vatican. The visit will be the first by a sitting Pope since John Paul II drew crowds of more than 1.25 million to Dublin’s Phoenix Park […]

10 years ago

Experts are warning that screen time acts like a digital drug on children’s brains, after the latest study revealed that pre-schoolers are spending up to four hours per day staring at a device of some kind. According to new research by British broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, three and four-year-olds are spending an average of 71 minutes […]

10 years ago

If the idea of enjoying a cup of tea in the living room while your 10-year-old whips up a spaghetti Bolognese in the kitchen fills you with fear and trepidation, hold on to your seat.  According to the latest poll of 2,000 parents, most mums and dads believe that their offspring should ideally be able […]

10 years ago

Acupuncturist Ciara Clissmann lives in Dublin’s Ballsbridge with her husband Adam and their daughter Charlotte (5). Together with her business partner, the Chinese doctor and acupuncturist Dr Nina Bing Liu, she runs AcuPlus in Donnybrook, Dublin 4.  The five words that sum up my business are: Health, Wellbeing, Acupuncture, Fertility, Healing Myself and my business partner […]

10 years ago

One week after teenage student Kym Owens was violently assaulted in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Gardaí are no closer to identifying her attacker.  As investigators returned to the scene one week after the horrifying incident, The Bachelor of Arts student from Castleblayney in Co Monaghan remains in “serious” but stable condition in the intensive care unit […]

10 years ago

The Late Late Toy Show is a part of Christmas tradition for most Irish families, but a new collaboration between RTÉ and one of our favourite stores is fast becoming as much a part of the prep as popping the popcorn.  Following on from the success of last year’s collaboration, Penneys has unveiled their limited […]

10 years ago

Honestly; what party, celebration or gathering (or night in alone, frankly, isn’t instantly improved by the addition of Nutella? Having been busy spreading it on toast, dolloping it into cake batter and swirling it into hot milk for the past 12 months, we were more than ready for a new, extra festive way to enjoy […]

10 years ago

The bitter row over the location of the new National Maternity Hospital has ended, with Simon Harris announcing that the final choice for the new development is the grounds of St Vincent’s Hospital.  In an event described by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny as “truly memorable and historic”, the deal will see the National Maternity Hospital move […]

10 years ago

Cancel the spa weekend; a hotel entirely dedicated to gin is about to open in London and we’re already booking our flights.  As an early Christmas present to women everywhere, The Distillery will open its doors at 186 Portobello Road on December 18 offering four floors of delights for grown-ups. A photo posted by The […]

10 years ago

Worried parents are on high alert in a rural Donegal village, after Gardaí reportedly linked a recent child abduction attempt to two similar incidents in recent months. A schoolboy was riding his bicycle through Kerrykeel village on the Fanad peninsula on the north coast of Donegal at around 9pm last Sunday when a man stopped […]

10 years ago

You may remember this adorable little face and these bouncy curls from 2000, when Perri Kiely and his dance troop Diversity won all our hearts and the title in Britain’s Got Talent. It may feel like yesterday, but that was seven years ago… and seven years is a long time in the life of an […]

10 years ago

Seven men arrested on suspicion of being part of a terrorist cell in France last weekend were likely planning an attack on Disneyland Paris and the Champs Elysees Christmas market, according to the latest reports. The suspects, who were French, Moroccan and Afghan were detained in Strasbourg and Marseille following Saturday night’s raids. The operation marked […]

10 years ago

Tasha Maile is a mum of two and a breastfeeding advocate. Through her YouTube channel Spiritual Tasha Mama, the San Diego vlogger regularly posts videos of herself feeding her two sons Josiah, aged three and Soul, aged two, along with tips and advice one everything from feeding newborns to hand expressing for other breastfeeding mothers. […]

10 years ago

Forget potty training toddlers – teaching toilet etiquette to older boys can feel like a never-ending battle. Now a pair of wee-weary mums have decided to do something about it. Best friends, Mira Spiro and Sarit Nahum have created Pisher – an electronic toilet training device for kids. As mothers of boys, they became fed […]

10 years ago

Gardaí are appealing for information on Maria Hennigar, who has been missing since early November. The 35-year-old was last seen in Doonmacphelim, Doolin in North Clare sometime around the first week of this month. Maria is described as 5’7″ with long brown hair and blue/green eyes. She is of medium build. Anyone who may have […]

10 years ago

Extra Gardaí have arrived in Maynooth to join the hunt for a vicious attacker who violently assaulted a young woman there on Sunday night.  Kym Owens, a Bachelor of Arts student from Castleblayney in Co Monaghan remains in “serious” but stable condition in the intensive care unit of Blanchardstown Hospital in Dublin today, where she […]

10 years ago

Gardaí in County Donegal are investigating the attempted abduction of a child in a small rural village on Sunday night. According to reports, the schoolboy was riding his bicycle through Kerrykeel village on the Fanad peninsula on the north coast of Donegal at around 9pm when a man stopped his van, possibly a Renault Kangoo, […]

10 years ago

Linda Stinson and Lisa McDermott are the beauty business brains behind Bellamianta, the latest must-have tanning product.  Linda is mum to Holly (7) and Ruby (15 months) with her husband Jason, while Lisa and her husband Stephen are parents to Lorcan (8) and Aoibheann (6). Our lovely Directors Lisa and Linda at the Absolutely Fabulous press […]

10 years ago

Are you completely over spinning? Are you tired of quinoa? Have you reached peak avocado?  If last year’s health trends are starting to grate, fear not: there’s a raft of brand new fads coming your way in 2017. Here’s what the experts are predicting… 1. Cauliflower (in all forms) Cauliflower is amazingly versatile. You can […]

10 years ago

Feeling the pinch at month-end? If so you’re not alone. The cost of running the average Irish family home has risen by 2.5 per cent, and now totals an eye-watering €16,600 per year.  New figures released by AA Home Insurance show that owning and maintaining a family home, including mortgage payments, electricity or gas, bin […]

10 years ago

Children’s drawings give us an insight into how they see the world. They’re usually colourful and bright, full of odd shapes and crazy proportions. They’re a visual representation of a creative little mind attempting to get to grips with some very big concepts and ideas.  While most parents display their children’s bizarre animals and leering […]

10 years ago

A new guide designed to help parents of premature babies to take a more active role in the neonatal setting during their baby’s stay in hospital has been launched in Ireland. The patient information guide, ‘Better Together: A Family-Centred Care Guide for Your Premature Baby’ has been created by The Irish Neonatal Health Alliance (INHA) […]

10 years ago

Pop culture put the unicorn front and centre this year, with the legendary creature appearing on everything from socks to pyjamas. Now however, one Dublin confectioner has brought two of our very favourite things together, creating a unicorn inspired cake that is everything a birthday should be. Yep; the good folks at Sweet Republic are […]

10 years ago

The roll out of two new vaccinations for newborn babies in Ireland is likely to miss its December deadline due to a delay that has been labelled ‘a disgrace’ by doctors. The additional vaccines were due to be given to 65,000 newborn babies to protect them against Meningococcal B/MenB and Rotavirus.  Ireland has the highest rate of […]

10 years ago

If you’re trying for a baby, it’s usually a good idea to limit treats and improve your diet any way you can. Now however, researchers are warning that one particular type of sweet should be off the menu entirely.  A study of the reproductive tissues of mice found that exposure to isoliquiritigenin (iso), a compound […]

10 years ago

A small majority of British men fear that sharing parental leave isn’t in the best interests of their child and say dads who take it run the risk of being seen as “less of a man”.  That’s according to a new study outlining the unspoken fears of men across the UK about a lack of […]

10 years ago

One in eight pregnant women in Ireland has been violently attacked by the time they give birth, according Master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Rhona Mahony. Domestic abuse is more common than most people realise and particularly common during pregnancy, when women are more likely to be “assaulted in their abdomen than in their […]

10 years ago

They’re the hottest tickets in Ireland each Christmas. In fact, this year more than 125,000 people applied for tickets to the Late Late Toy Show, which will be broadcast on Friday, December 2nd. While the applications process has now closed however, there is one special way you could nab yourself a pair. You have to […]

10 years ago

Former Miss Ireland Sarah Morrissey and her husband Pat Jennings have welcomed a baby girl.  The Dublin mum shared the happy news on her Instagram page, introducing baby Sadie Jennings and adding a sweet note to the staff of the Coombe Maternity Hospital. Fashionably late (like her mam) ? We couldn’t be more in love❤❤❤. […]

10 years ago

There’s a new advent calendar on the market… and this one promises to make it a very merry Christmas for Mummy.  Behind each of the 24 windows in the Gin Foundry’s clever Ginvent Calendar 2016 lies a different shot of gin – each one a market leader, and artisanal treat or a hard-to-find gem – […]

10 years ago

Scientists have warned that babies should only be allowed to sleep for long periods in the car when there is an adult sitting next to them to check their breathing.  The latest study of infant car seats (and the first to assess the effect of motion on infants and to replicate the angle of the […]

10 years ago

Residents in the County Dublin town of Swords are on high alert today as Gardaí continue to hunt a man who assaulted a woman as she was on her way to work on Sunday morning.  The woman, who is in her 30s, was walking near the Seatown Roundabout at approximately 7am when she was assaulted […]

10 years ago

If you want to fully absorb and appreciate a change of season, you have to break free of the city. You must remove yourself from the grey streets and the florescent lights and find a place where towering trees are disowning their leaves in russet and golden heaps. To qualify as the perfect spot, the morning […]

10 years ago

Their relationship is what the ‘complicated’ option on Facebook was invented for, but Robert Kardashian and his fiancé Blac Chyna are about to have less time to populate the gossip columns: the pair welcomed a baby girl yesterday. Dream Renée Kardashian was born at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, weighing in at seven pounds and […]

10 years ago

It was a day that left parents everywhere struggling to explain some very big concepts to small, inquiring faces. Just how did a racist, sexist, xenophobe become the leader of the free world? Whether you have an active interest in US politics or not, the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the […]

10 years ago

It’s scarves and mittens weather, so that means it’s an acceptable time to start thinking about those Christmas wish lists. But which gadgets and gizmos are grabbing the most attention this year? The toys set to play starring roles this year are a sophisticated lot. In fact, while a poll also revealed that LEGO and Barbie […]

10 years ago

There’s a lot to be said for being a younger mum. There’s a good chance your pregnancy will be more straightforward, you’ll recover faster and you’ll have more energy for those night feeds and 5am starts. However, scientists at the University of California have now uncovered a range of benefits to having babies later in […]

10 years ago

FINALLY!

10 years ago

A Las Vegas mum has posted a selfie of her breasts before and after pumping one litre of breast milk for her little boy… and the difference is remarkable. Breastfeeding advocate Chi Chi La Flare pumped a little later than usual and experienced engorgement, where your breasts feel very full, and sometimes quite hard. Many mums […]

10 years ago

A documentary exploring the complexity and reality for families surviving baby loss will have its Irish premier at this year’s Cork Film Festival. Across the world, 7,000 babies are stillborn every single day. That’s 1.2 million babies a year. Yet talking about it remains a taboo. Still Loved by Debbie Howard is about the heartrending struggle, […]

10 years ago

An Argentinian magazine is reporting that the son of music star Michael Bublé and his wife Luisana Lopilato is suffering from liver cancer.  The couple released a lengthy statement last week, confirming that Noah (3) is undergoing treatment in the US after initially being taken to the Otamendi Miroli Hospital in Buenos Aires with suspected […]

10 years ago

She’s been a baseball fan for as long as she can remember, but Miss America 2009 Katie Stam-Irk has taken her fandom to new heights since the Cubs won the World Series on November 2nd. The Indiana beauty queen and her husband Brian Irk proved they’re the game’s biggest supporters this week when they revealed they […]

10 years ago

Too many pregnant women are failing to recognise key red flags which could be signs of serious health conditions, according to a UK charity. A survey carried out as part of the Our Chance campaign, aimed at promoting safer pregnancy, found that key warning signs of the dangerous conditions of Pre-eclampsia, which affects one in […]

10 years ago

Donald Trump is now president-elect of the United States of America, and as Europe processes that news, The Donald is promising a government that will serve the people.  The businessman took the stage at his New York headquarters to cries of ‘USA, USA’, and began by paying tribute to Hillary Clinton. “I just received a […]

10 years ago