Online and in the shops: Baby fair

Pippa O’Connor is the ambassador for the SMA Know-How Pregnancy and Baby Fair 2014, which takes place in the RDS on August 30 and 31.

Pippa, who is mum to one-year-old Ollie, will be at the new on-site VIP Pampering Zone, which will offer visitors to the show make-up demos, beauty treatments and makeovers from Intouch Beauty. The show offers expert advice from professionals in maternity, paediatrics and baby products, with more than 100 retailers and exhibitors including sleep consultant Lucy Wolfe, Dr Seamus Linnane from Allergy4All and Siobhan Berry from Mummycooks. Early bird tickets are €8 from Ticketmaster; for more information see www.pregnancyandbabyfair.ie

Student gifts: If you would like to give a gift for someone starting college or school the Kilkenny Shop has a range of accessories and stationerysuch as the pretty Baker & Taylor Retro Birds Notebook, €3.95; Memo Cubes, €5.95 and the stylish Spot or Tweet Insulated Lunch Totes, €14.95 from Ulster Weavers.

For little ones, there’s also Melissa & Doug crayon sets — truck or princess — €4.50, with free delivery on online orders over €40 at www.kilkennyshop.com

Smart supplements: Omega 3s are an essential back to school nutrient, helping with memory and concentration and often something that we don’t get enough of from diet alone. Eskimo Kids is a natural, essential fatty acid supplement, formulated specifically for children up to the age of 12 with added vitamin D and E. It comes in tutti-frutti and orange flavours, €11.80 from pharmacies and health stores; www.eskimo3.ie

Summer fun: Hamleys Dundrum are planning some exciting activities to ensure this summer goes out on a high. On August 30, Barbie will be in the store for photos from 12pm. There’s also an opportunity to win an exclusive brunch with Barbie earlier in the day, if you enter the competition on their website by August 18. Optimus Prime from Transformers will be rolling in on August 22, with a full-scale replica of the truck on the grass area outside of the Pembroke District. The store’s entertainment team are transforming into superhero characters, offering free activities like story time and mask-making from 12pm-4pm, Monday to Thursday throughout the month and on August 23, there’s a comic book writing workshop for six to 12-year-olds, €15. For more information, see www.hamleys.com/explore