Reading a bedtime story to your children has a host of benefits Did you know that experts are now claiming that those countless hours spent reading to your children at night could actually serve an even greater purpose than just making them sleepy and establishing a nice little bedtime routine? According to a study from […]

11 months ago

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2 years ago

“We did it, baby!” Those very first moments after having just given birth is by far the most intense in your life. What I remember most is that feeling of getting those brand new, warm and slippy babies placed in my arms. Everything else just melts away. It’s a combination of things, of course, that […]

3 years ago

Ah, baby names. Baby names are one subject we could write about forever, with so many options out there and endless stunning inspiration, it’s always a dream to look through this. Whether you are currently rocking a bump and actually need a name soon, or just planning ahead for babies to come, it is never […]

3 years ago

Birthing a baby is – for most women – the single most intense and, most often, physically painful thing they will do in their lives. It is full-on. Your body is literally trying to squeeze out an entire, fully-grown baby – and it requires all your concentration and energy and will. And sometimes, when all […]

3 years ago

Winter is beautiful. It’s the season of frosty mornings, cozy nights in, Christmas, snow on the ground and so much hygge. And if you are expecting your little bundle of joy to arrive in the next few months, you might be on the hunt for the perfect name right about now. Well, how about letting […]

3 years ago

In a bid to save money and reduce waste, many people are swapping their tampons and sanitary pads for menstrual cups And while they no doubt work great for their intended purpose, did you know that some people are now also using menstrual cups in a bid to get pregnant faster when they are trying […]

3 years ago

October marks the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month across the world. And to celebrate, PrettyLittleThings have announced that they are launching a collection of post-surgery lingerie with cancer awareness and action charity GIRLvsCANCER Despite thousands of women undergoing surgical treatment for breast cancer each year, too often, women are still left with expensive, clinical, […]

4 years ago

A subject close to my heart. Schools are just back, and in the couple of weeks that have passed, I must have had at least ten conversations with other school parents about how stressful it is to manage the logistics of all their children’s activities. From soccer to rugby, hockey, ballet, piano, guitar, scouts, GAA, […]

4 years ago

We are turning the clock back on these baby names.

4 years ago

Yes, it feels like the kids are only just back in school, and yet somehow, it is almost time for the midterm break. And if you have nothing booked or planned yet, but fancy a few days away with the family, you might be keen to learn that Derry is set to play hosts to […]

4 years ago

OK, we admit it – we lust after those beautifully organised laundry rooms (and everything else) on Netflix’s Dream Home Makeover and The Home Edit. Colour-coordinated towels, perfectly neat containers of washing powder and fabric softener, aesthetic wooden pegs for hanging delicates up to dry, it all looks so pretty we reckon we wouldn’t mind […]

4 years ago

It has been called ‘the ultimate event for Irish Minecraft fans.’ Got some eager little Minecraft players who would love a visit to MineVention? This October, MineVention will be taken place again, bringing the very best of Minecraft to life with scheduled activities such as Build Battles, Educational Talks on Minecraft, Tournaments, Q&A Sessions, Arts […]

4 years ago

And nobody was surprised. Look – anyone will tell you that being a mum is pretty full-on. Not just the actual mothering someone bit, although that can be pretty darn hectic too. No, I think what adds the most stress for many of us is the so-called ‘mental load’ – as in; all the things […]

4 years ago

“YUCK!” Anyone else got a picky eater on their hands? I know the feeling, having had an extremely picky eater for years before he slowly grew out of it. There is no denying that mealtimes can be a struggle when you have a child who is refusing to taste most things, or who will rather […]

4 years ago

“Very young.” More young Irish men than ever are opting to have vasectomies, a doctor has revealed. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast earlier this week, Dr John McCormick of Vasectomy Ireland said there has been a real change over the past four to five years, and that his clinic is now experiencing a ‘surge’ of younger […]

4 years ago

The budget for 2023 is expected to be ready and signed off today. And as the cost of living crisis is being felt by most people across the country by now, many are eagerly awaiting what they are at least hoping will be some good news for next year’s budget. Speaking on his way into […]

4 years ago

No. 10 is our new favourite.

4 years ago

And baby makes – a whole gang. Hilaria Baldwin just gave birth to her seventh child – a daughter – making her husband Alec now the father of eight children, as he has a daughter, Ireland, from his first marriage to Kim Basinger. According to People magazine, the couple welcomed their daughter Ilaria Catalina Irena […]

4 years ago

A popular birthday indeed. September 26th – which this year falls on a Monday – is the most popular day for babies to be born. Curious as to why? Well, try counting back approximately nine months – and you will come to realise that most people clearly do more than just kiss under the mistletoe… […]

4 years ago

Does she have a point? TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson took to her newspaper column for the Sun this week to heap praise on how well-behaved little Prince George and Princess Charlotte were last Monday, when they took part in their great-grandmother, the Queen’s, funeral. Jonsson marvelled at the 9- and 7-year-olds’ behaviour, and said William […]

4 years ago

Roll on cosy dark nights, crisp mornings and lots of time spent indoors with those we love. If you are looking to give your home a little upgrade for the season, you are no doubt going to love IKEA’s latest collection.  All based around a move away from seasonal ‘trends’ but rather the idea of […]

4 years ago

‘Sickening.’ The Department of Education has received dozens of letters about the proposed changes to the sex education curriculum for schools from concerned and outraged parents across Ireland. In letters released by the Department and obtained by the Irish Examiner, many are complaining about the nature of the new curriculum, and what their children will […]

4 years ago

“Where’s Louis?” Probably unbeknown to himself, four-year-old Prince Louis of Wales went on to become the star of the show earlier this summer at the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilée celebrations. The little royal’s antics and hilarious facial expressions captured hearts – and memes – across the world. And so although the past few days’ […]

4 years ago

Currently, my very favourite thing about weekend mornings is that there are no lunch boxes to pack. Don’t you agree, parents? A little break away from the peeling and chopping and fretting over nutritional content first thing is total bliss. However, it seems I could be on a permanent break from lunchboxes – well, with […]

4 years ago

A good reason to head to Galway this October. Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Ireland’s flagship festival devoted exclusively to children and families, is coming back to Galway this October – and the line-up is nothing short of amazing. Now in its 26th year, this year’s festival will welcome thousands of children from 0 […]

4 years ago

Paying their final respects to their beloved ‘Gan Gan.’ Today, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away just over a week ago, will be laid to rest at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Before that, a state funeral will take place in Westminster Abbey, an event which will see up to 2000 family […]

4 years ago

Thoughts? First Communions have – and continue to be – a big day of celebrations for families across Ireland. However, as schools and society overall are becoming more secular, many are calling for all religious rites of passage to be taken out of the schools and curriculums. And so slowly, the Church is set to […]

4 years ago

There is still almost a year and a half to go before building work is due to be finished. However – three-quarters of the construction budget has now been spent as costs top €1bn – and yet the new National Children’s Hospital is still a long way from being finished. The projected cost for the […]

4 years ago

This is pretty shocking. According to brand new data from the Irish Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, the stillbirth and infant death rate for African-born mothers giving birth in Ireland is between 1.5 and two times higher than for Irish-born mothers. The researchers also found that the perinatal mortality rate — stillbirths and deaths […]

4 years ago

It’s back – finally. After two years of pandemic hiatus, Culture Night is back for 2022 – and it’s bigger and better than ever. Next Friday, September 23rd, we come together to celebrate the diversity of culture in Ireland with more than 1,000 events taking place up and down the country. With events happening late […]

4 years ago

Every little helps. We are all feeling the pinch these days, from electricity and gas, to petrol, food prices and everything else, there is no denying that the cost of living crisis is going to dominate this winter’s news. However, some small measures look to at least be falling into place to help struggling families […]

4 years ago

I remember the day we brought our first baby home from the hospital, and my boyfriend looked at me as we were leaving and asked: “Can we just take her and go..?” Such was the feeling that we were totally and utterly clueless as to what to do next. I mean; here we were, having […]

4 years ago

Animal welfare activists are concerned. According to new figures, nearly 300 animals died in the country’s three largest zoos during the past two years. The Irish Examiner looked at official inventories obtained under freedom of information laws, and found that deaths recorded at Fota Wildlife Park, Dublin Zoo and Tayto Park included sea lions, giraffes, […]

4 years ago

The sad passing of Queen Elizabeth has dominated the news these past few days. And understandably so. But it is not just in times like these we are obsessed with the royals. The fascination with all things related to the royal family has no end, something the popularity of Netflix’s The Crown is a testament […]

4 years ago

Love the idea of a name not everyone else has for your baby? Then you might have to look back in time. Names, like trends in general, have a tendency to come back in fashion again if you leave it long enough, and these baby boy monikers, while not in the most popular lists right […]

4 years ago

For the UK’s royal family, the past few days have been intense, no doubt. They lost a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. They are busy planning a funeral that will be watched by millions and millions of people from across the world. They have to come to terms with things like suddenly having brand new titles […]

4 years ago

Playing among forests and parklands — rather in than concrete and gravel yards — helps children to foster a stronger immune system, a study has concluded. Our gradual shift to more urban living and a world where everything is made clean, safe and ‘man-made’ for our children, is actually bad news for their immune system […]

4 years ago

I am sometimes baffled when people talk about how hard it is to have young children. Surely, this is the easy part, no? As in, I’ll take the sleepless nights and the sticky floors in a heartbeat over having to worry about things like cyber-bullying or who they are out with or up to when […]

4 years ago

If you have watched any episodes of the popular “teach parents how to parent” show that is Super Nanny, you too might be living under the illusion that time out is pretty much the ultimate punishment/behavioural therapy one can exercise over one’s children. The thing is, according to clinical child psychologist and author of Raising […]

4 years ago

According to the HSE, postnatal depression affects as many as one in six new mothers, although some experts believe the real number is higher than this estimate. But many are unaware that this can also affect new fathers – and often, because so much of the focus is on the new mum, this can go […]

4 years ago

Yesterday was a day most of us will no doubt remember. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingom, 96, died at the royal family’s castle in Scotland, Balmoral. The monarch had, understandably due to her advanced age, been having some ‘mobility issues’ lately, and has over the course of the past year had […]

4 years ago

I am always ready for a lot of things when it comes to my children going back to school every autumn. I am ready for them to see all their friends again. I am ready to do my job without also trying to also cram in all the fun activities and arts and crafts and […]

4 years ago

We are here for it. Kids around the globe love keeping up with Peppa Pig and her family and many animal friends. There is Zoe Zebra, Rebecca Rabbit and Pedro Pony – and now a brand new character has been added into the mix – in the form of Penny Polar Bear. What makes Penny […]

4 years ago

Nowadays, many mums and dads are opting for modern and fresh-sounding monikers for their newborn tots, and the tradition of naming your children after relatives is a dying one. But modern doesn’t always mean more amazing. In fact, there are a whole set of names that were popular a hundred years ago (and then some) […]

4 years ago

‘Serious allegations of animal mistreatment.’ Last October, departmental inspectors at Dublin Zoo raised concerns about the welfare of certain animals. Earlier this year, things took a turn for the worse when a whistleblower in a protected disclosure alleged that serious animal mistreatment was happening at the popular tourist attraction. And now, according to Sunday World, […]

4 years ago

Because sometimes it is completely legit to resort to some trickery. I mean; who hasn’t used the ‘behave yourself or I’m calling Santa’ threat for all its worth now for the last couple of months? I know I sure have. And guess what – I don’t even feel remotely bad about tricking my kids in […]

4 years ago

This is shocking – and wrong on so many levels. A widowed father was left reeling after a stranger insisted on changing his baby’s nappy and accused him of being “a pervert” when he refused. Taking to Reddit to discuss the episode, the 28-year-old revealed that after his wife tragically died from complications during her […]

4 years ago

After a couple of years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HSE immunisation programme will commence in schools nationwide this month. And parents are being urged to protect their children by registering for school vaccinations, both the ones offered to children in primary and secondary school. Children who are eligible for vaccines will […]

4 years ago

An arrest has been made at the scene. Two children and a teenager have been killed in a fatal assault in Tallaght, South Dublin. In the early hours of this morning, Gardaí were informed of a violent incident at a residence in the Rossfield Estate in Tallaght. According to Newstalk, three female siblings were taken […]

4 years ago