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#Parenting

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Luiza Bertunes Zaboto (second left) with her mum Regiane, sister Helena and dad Leonardo, following the conclusion of chemotherapy treatment in CHI Crumlin in August 2024</p>

parenting

'I thought my six-year-old daughter had a vomiting bug — it was a brain tumour'

Two years on from her daughter’s brain tumour diagnosis, and then surgery and chemo, Regiane Zaboto is hopeful

<p>Bernard O'Shea: "The parent can convene a special 8.30pm emergency family meeting in the kitchen, usually triggered by (a) a missing remote, (b) an empty biscuit tin, or (c) someone not flushing. These gatherings are high drama: chairs are dragged in, tears shed, and a motion is passed to 'find out who left the back door open again'."</p>

people

Bernard O'Shea: Five things the President of Ireland can do that parents have to do all the time

3156119_1_org_Julie_Jay_Circle_headshot

Julie Jay: Parents, like doctors, should take blood in their stride

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Joanna Fortune: My children have been caught up in family row with grandparents

Tots to teens: Nature art competition — and Great Space Week events to check out

parenting

Tots to teens: Nature art competition — and Great Space Week events to check out

3156119_1_org_Julie_Jay_Circle_headshot

Julie Jay: My IQ has most definitely plummeted since having kids

Student

Joanna Fortune: My 13-year-old is struggling to make friends in secondary school

"The transition from primary to secondary school can be particularly challenging for children. Many are still in transition mode because we are only a few weeks back at school, everything is new, and a period of adjustment is needed."

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Poster trend sketch template 3D photo collage of college knowledge education back to school two young girl chatting smartphone s

Colman Noctor: Why are voluntary smartphone codes not working in all schools?

"A phone offers a parent peace of mind in an uncertain world. However, that argument needs to be balanced against social pressure, safetyism, and an increasing body of research suggesting that early smartphone ownership poses risks to children’s mental health."

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Tots to Teens: Shannon Bear takes off to raise funds

Tots to Teens: Shannon Bear takes off to raise funds

"Throughout 2025, the Shannon Airport Group is partnering with Clare Crusaders and Little Blue Heroes, organisations that support children with additional needs and families of children undergoing long-term medical care."

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

A boy has a stomachache from food poisoning.

Dr Phil Kieran: What can I do to help my child have regular bowel movements?

With neurodiversity, some of the sensations that most of us take for granted can be difficult to interpret, and responding to these can manifest in strict dietary preferences and aversions to certain tastes or textures.

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Student connecting online using his laptop

Colman Noctor: Sport and study are not opposites but partners in academic success

From 8.50am until 4pm, they are expected to sit at desks, listen, absorb, and produce work. By the time they get home, they’ve already spent six or seven hours in a sedentary mode.

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Understanding gut health in children with tummy troubles

Understanding gut health in children with tummy troubles

Many kids suffer from stomach issues, which are often triggered by stress. Emerging research suggests that supporting their digestive health can help ease their symptoms

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Close up photo of plantar wart on man's foot. Verruca plantaris on the heel.

Dr Phil Kieran: What is the best way to treat my son’s verruca?

A verruca is a wart on the foot. These can differ slightly from warts elsewhere in that they tend to be flat or even grow inwards, due to the pressure on the foot preventing it from growing outwards.

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Adorable caucasian girl playing with telephone toy sitting on floor at kindergarten

Joanna Fortune: My four-year-old doesn't want to share her toys

Her only-child status may be more ‘correlation over causation’ when it comes to her struggles. Many solo-children can turn-take and share, and many sibling-children will struggle just as you describe.

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Count Dracula wearing black and red cape. Cute cartoon vampire character with fangs. Happy Halloween. Flat design. Violet backgr

Julie Jay: Bambi Fury isn’t the only baby vampire in town

A clip of Molly-Mae Hague’s and Tommy Fury’s daughter talking about her love of biting has gone viral, but the reality is biting is totally normal for toddlers

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Tots to teens: Snow time like now to book Santa

Tots to teens: Snow time like now to book Santa

Taking place on selected dates from November 22 to December 23, this immersive Christmas experience will transform the market into a winter wonderland.

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Little boy reading a book in green armchair

Joanna Fortune: My child is struggling with reading in class

Reading is nurtured and developed in school from ages five to eight years (and beyond, of course), which means your son is still very much in the 'learning to read' (and specifically learning to read with fluency) phase of his education.

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Families encouraged to help clean their local coastline as part of Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean

Families encouraged to help clean their local coastline as part of Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean

This weekend, volunteers and their families will remove the litter from our shorelines as part of the annual Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Birthday cake

Julie Jay: When birthday celebrations become a week-long jubilee

We all want to mark these milestones, but even by my Kardashian standards this birthday has gone completely out of control

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Mother Doing Head Lice Inspection On Daughter

Dr Phil Kieran: How can I treat my long-haired child's head lice?

Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to prevent lice, but understanding how they spread can help reduce the risk somewhat

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Tots to Teens: GAA fuelling young sports players with its new healthy eating pack

Tots to Teens: GAA fuelling young sports players with its new healthy eating pack

And Culture Night for kids — events on near you this Friday, September 19

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Cute girl using tablet with virtual assistant hologram

Colman Noctor: Raising children in the age of artificial intelligence

With AI, we are not merely competing with entertainment, we are also competing with another type of AI — artificial intimacy

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Little boy swimming crawl in pool

How to help your child stick with a new hobby or skill

Most children are excited to learn a skill or hobby, but some will struggle to stay the course. It’s all part of the learning process

Sun, 14 Sep, 2025

Low angle view of pensive little girl in pajamas looking away at home

Joanna Fortune: What happened to my sweet little girl?

"So much is written and said about the critical early years of our children’s lives, and again when they reach those tricky teenage years, but very little attention is given to the middle stage of childhood, the years between eight and 12."

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Colman Noctor: What 'The Traitors' can teach us about honesty in the real world

Colman Noctor: What 'The Traitors' can teach us about honesty in the real world

"As entertainment, it’s gripping. As parenting material, it’s complicated. What does it mean when the same adults who insist that honesty is the best policy also cheer when their favourite contestant lies skilfully? How do we reconcile the values we want to instil in our children with the cultural messages we enjoy for leisure?"

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Healthy Homemade Milk Babyccino

Julie Jay: I'd prefer to stay at home but someone has to pay for our babyccino lifestyle

Despite having a childminder sent from the childminding gods, my youngest has been kicking up such a fuss in the mornings you'd swear I was delivering him to a gulag

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Tots to Teens: Have a field day with this model-farm toy

Tots to Teens: Have a field day with this model-farm toy

"The toy was inspired by a request from Roscommon man Padraic Cuddy’s young son, Tommy, who wanted a field for his animals to graze, and his father obliged by building a realistic toy field, complete with hedging and a wooden gate."

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Coming Home from School

Julie Jay: Forget their first day of school, the second day is the real test of fortitude

Whilst I was all tough talk on the first day of school, the second day was for me, the moment when I seriously considered scooping up my newly initiated junior infant and making a break for it

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Football concept

Joanna Fortune: My son has stopped playing football since he was called 'crap' by a friend

Since then, he has become very withdrawn and finds it hard to go outside even to play with friends, as he doesn’t feel good enough now

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Redhead Male on Phone

Colman Noctor: Why many young people do not recognise they have been bullied

Research shows that, while bullying remains a widespread experience for children, many choose not to tell an adult. It’s particularly likely to happen with 13-year-olds, with one in four of them staying silent

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Tots to Teens: Healthy lunches, Harvest Festival, and a Belfast fairytale

Tots to Teens: Healthy lunches, Harvest Festival, and a Belfast fairytale

A Belfast Fairytale by Mel Carroll is a fun-filled picture book for young children. It retells the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff in a Belfast setting

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Baby eating mother's milk. Mother breastfeeding baby.

Aoife Hearne: I'm worried about giving formula milk to my baby

Research suggests that breast milk has a favourable influence on the infant's gut and microbiome, which protects against the development of allergies. The majority of research focuses on exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Hearing a father's advice

Colman Noctor: Supporting your child during the limbo days between results and CAO offers

For parents, too, these days can be a test of patience and perspective.

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

adorable child playing with tennis racket and ball

Julie Jay: A tennis match is no place for a crying baby who is making a racket

The controversy surrounding a crying baby at the Cinncinati Tennis Open has once again ignited a debate around how far we should go to include parents and children at major sporting events

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Heinz x Barnardo’s Campaign

Tots to Teens: Teach young kids to cook 'grate' meals

Plus: Heinz has reunited with Barnardos for the fourth year in a row to launch limited edition Heinz Meanz Mealz Beanz three-packs to raise funds for vulnerable families across Ireland

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Closeup beautiful young asian woman applying cream and lotion onto foot dry on bed, beauty asia girl moisturizer and treatment c

Dr Phil Kieran: Could stabbing pain in her heels be plantar fasciitis?

"Foot pain is a problem we often see in general practice and can be due to a wide array of causes. Plantar fasciitis is a fairly common condition, which is why people often hear about it."

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Little girl playing xylophone

Music therapy has huge benefits for children but it's still not officially recognised in Ireland

Despite the practice showing many benefits, Ireland has yet to recognise the treatment. It is time for that to change

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Young family having fun outdoors

Joanna Fortune: How do we explain to our young children that daddy is out of work?

"The best thing you can do for your children in the meantime is to take care of yourselves and each other. Focus on maintaining open communication and connection, and ensure you have a support system you can activate for yourselves: Friends, family, professional therapy, etc."

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Teen boy wipes his nose with a napkin

Dr Phil Kieran: Should we worry about my teen's nosebleeds?

Anything that irritates the inside of the nose can cause bleeding. The most common of these is direct trauma from itching or picking (which is much more common than most people think, with a study showing that 91% of us do so).

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Reading is Fun!

Preschool: How to help your child navigate a brave new world

"Pre-school asks a lot of children, says Teresa Heeney, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland. “It’s a very significant transition that involves adjusting to a new physical environment, different routines, new children, and new group dynamics."

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Tots to Teens: All the fun of circus at a Cork fort

Tots to Teens: All the fun of circus at a Cork fort

"All sorts of circus performers will provide the entertainment, including aerial acrobats, dancing Disco Dragons, and stilt walkers. Cork’s 96FM will be on hand to provide the music."

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Starting secondary school: How to cope with a steep learning curve

Starting secondary school: How to cope with a steep learning curve

On the cusp of adolescence, we leave behind the familiarity of one teacher to join ‘big school’. We ask prominent people how they coped

Sun, 17 Aug, 2025

plastic model of a human jaw with white teeth and a brown teddy bear with a wooden toothbrush

Julie Jay: Trips to the dentist can often be a kick in the teeth

"Our new dentist’s reception area is so instantly soothing, I was almost envious of the patients waiting for a root canal. The sparkling floors scream, ‘We don’t reuse toothpicks here,’ while the funny ornaments, depicting old-school dentists, complete with monocles, tell us this dentist also knew how to have fun."

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

woman shaving her armpit with red shaver

Dr Phil Kieran: How can we stop our daughter’s painful skin infections?

Hidradenitis suppurativa is also known as acne inversa and is a recurring condition

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Tots to Teens: Cork on a Fork Festival is a recipe for a good time

Tots to Teens: Cork on a Fork Festival is a recipe for a good time

"...hands-on cooking classes will teach children how to make pizza, pasta, and sweet treats, like carrot cake balls, apple doughnuts, and smoothies..."

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Mother comforting her crying little girl. Parenthood, family, support concept

Joanna Fortune: A trial visit to playschool didn't go well, I'm dreading the real thing in September

My three-year-old daughter is very attached to me. She's an only child, and we do almost everything together. She got distressed when I attempted to leave her at playschool in June, so I stayed with her. What would you advise?

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Hearing a father's advice

Colman Noctor: Strategies for supporting teens anxious about returning to school

A 2020 study in the Journal of Adolescence found that school-year transitions significantly affect adolescents’ mood and behaviour, especially after long breaks.

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Parenting teenagers: When to choose a conflict — and when to let it go

Parenting teenagers: When to choose a conflict — and when to let it go

Everything from the clothes your children wear to the state of their bedroom can bother you but there is a time to get tough and there's a time to look the other way the experts tell Helen O'Callaghan.

Sun, 10 Aug, 2025

Playing on a Video Game

Joanna Fortune: My son lost contact with his pals when he quit the local football team

I've suggested taking up a new sport, but he says he's not interested. What would you suggest?

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

Tots to Teens: Back-to-school and off-to-college — info and supplies

Tots to Teens: Back-to-school and off-to-college — info and supplies

And an end-of-summer picnic coming up at Fota House and Gardens

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025