Do you struggle to fit your child’s car seat and then worry that your child isn’t travelling safely? Are you unsure if the child car seat you’re using is the right one for your child? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, many parents have problems with fitting their child’s car seat and up to 3 out of 4 parents get it wrong.

For the past seven years, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has offered a free expert checking service to parents, guardians and grandparents through their ‘Check it Fits’ Roadshow to give them the peace of mind that their child or grandchild is travelling safely in the car. And in a couple of weeks, the RSA ‘Check it Fits’ Roadshow will be on the road again from Wednesday 9 May to Sunday 13 May to provide ... click to read full post & comments

Sleep – who needs it?

Posted by School Run Mum on 24/04/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

Young school children – that’s who. But according to recent research, over two-thirds of school children are not getting enough sleep and the average six-year-old doesn’t go to sleep until after 9.30pm.
Reading the article, these two facts alone were enough to shock me into an open-mouthed stare. We usually start making ‘bedtime’ noises at 7.30pm and try to have everyone in bed by 8-8.30pm at the latest (my children are 4 and 6). But perhaps the more shocking piece of information to arise from this recent article in the Irish Independent, is the following ... click to read full post & comments

Former athletes to discuss tackling childhood obesity

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 19/04/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Two of Ireland's most revered athletes are set to present proposals on how to tackle obesity in children through sport.

The Journal reports how senator Eamonn Coghlan and chief executive of the Irish Sports Council John Treacy will address the Oireachtas Committee later today (April 19th).

... click to read full post & comments

Financial pressures fail to reduce Communion spending

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 18/04/2012.
Tags: Parenting Parenting Kids

The average amount spent on a First Communion is expected to increase by €75 this year, despite many people facing financial pressures.

New research by the EBS building society found the total spent on clothes, parties and presents by most families comes to €554 per child, the Irish Times reports.

... click to read full post & comments

Survey reveals 1 in 5 kids go to school hungry

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 17/04/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health Teachers

The results of a new survey have revealed one in five children in Ireland have gone to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food at home.

According to the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey 2010, younger kids and those from lower social class groups were significantly more likely to go without food.

... click to read full post & comments

Kids to be weighed on first day of primary school

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 16/04/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

A proposal has been put forward that would see children weighed on their first day of primary school in a bid to target obesity.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation, consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Tallaght Hospital and head of paediatrics at Trinity College Dr Edna Roche revealed the plans.

... click to read full post & comments(5)

Minister announces Anti-Bullying forum

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 16/04/2012.
Tags: Education And Politics Parenting

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., today announced details of a forum to explore ways to tackle the problem of bullying in schools.
The Anti-Bullying Forum is due to take place on the 17th of May 2012 and will bring together a range of experts, support groups and representatives of the schools sector including parents and students.
The Forum will consider what changes to existing practices and policies in schools may be ... click to read full post & comments

Study finds 1 in 5 secondary school kids hear voices

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 12/04/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Research has revealed one in five 11 to 13-year-old children in Ireland claim to have heard voices in their head.

A study conducted by the Department of Psychiatry at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin found auditory hallucinations are less commonplace in adolescents, with only seven per cent of those aged between 13 and 16 reporting noises.

... click to read full post & comments(4)

Big Mother

Posted by School Run Mum on 11/04/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

For years now, I’ve been warning my kids about ‘The Man’. You know, the one who watches them and will come and arrest them (or something like that) if they throw food in restaurants or climb up, instead of down, the slide in the playground. ‘The Man is watching,’ I whisper, pointing to a Security Guard or someone similarly officially-attired. ‘I’d behave myself, if I were you, or he’ll be coming over to have words.’
The threat of ‘The Man’ generally works. I have also used the ‘eyes in the back of my head’ trick which always seems to impress.

However, a recent report in The Independent, suggests that an extra ... click to read full post & comments

Up to 64% of second-level schools may drop Leaving Cert subjects in 2012 

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 04/04/2012.
Tags: Education And Politics Parenting Techers News

Sixty-four per cent of second-level schools are considering dropping one or more subjects from their Leaving Cert programme as a result of Budget 2012 education cuts, a study commissioned by the ASTI has found.
The Leaving Cert subjects most likely to be dropped by schools in September 2012 are accounting, chemistry, physics, and economics. Amalgamation of higher, ordinary and foundation level classes is another likely response to Budget cuts. Fifty-seven per cent of schools indicated that they are likely to ... click to read full post & comments

Violent video games 'can damage young minds'

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 27/03/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Computer console use can not only have a detrimental effect on a child's health but also on their minds, it has been claimed.

The UK's Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has raised concerns about the consequences of youngsters playing violent video games.

... click to read full post & comments

No chocolate please, Mr Bunny

Posted by School Run Mum on 27/03/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

So, the shops are drowning in Easter Eggs (some have been drowning in them since the week after Christmas, but the less said about that the better). Big ones, small ones, HUGE ones, cartoon character ones – there is pretty much something for everybody. Everybody, that is, who likes chocolate.

My son doesn’t.

Although he would never be prepared to admit it (what child would?), he just doesn’t really like it. He would never refuse a chocolate and will make a very good attempt at ... click to read full post & comments

Schools see rise in sleep deprived children

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 26/03/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Tiredness has become an endemic problem in many primary schools, with 92 per cent of teachers claiming they have encountered pupils that are so sleepy they cannot focus in class.

The Sleep Council's (UK) Better Brains With More Sleep study revealed 38 per cent of educators find sleep deprived youngsters are a daily problem.

... click to read full post & comments

Your views sought on new childrens protection legislation

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 22/03/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Proposed new national standards for the protection and welfare of children are being launched for public consultation today by the Health Information and Quality Authority.

The Draft National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children are grouped under six key headings, and they cover issues such as listening to children, assessment and planning, working with other agencies, the protection of children across a range of settings and the training and support of staff.

Tracey Cooper, Chief Executive of the Health Information and Quality Authority, said ... click to read full post & comments

The unexpected outcome of Lent

Posted by School Run Mum on 20/03/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

So, we reached a decision a few weeks ago. Daddy would give up chocolate, mummy would give up wine and the children would give up watching cartoons. I didn’t give any of us much hope of lasting more than a week, but as we head towards the home stretch, I have to say we have done remarkably well. Especially the children.

The concept of giving something up for several weeks was one they didn’t really grasp, so perhaps their enthusiastic compliance in the ‘no cartoons’ agreement was ... click to read full post & comments

Heavy school bags 'cause irreversible back deformities'

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 13/03/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Carrying overloaded bags is leading to a rise in the number of school children being seen with irreversible back deformities.

This is according to a new study by the charity BackCare, which explained how half of all youngsters suffer back pain by the age of 14, the Daily Mail reports.

... click to read full post & comments

ADHD diagnosis most likely in youngest classroom pupils

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 07/03/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Research has found the youngest children in a classroom are most likely to be labelled as suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A study conducted by scientists at the University of British Columbia and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal revealed youngsters with birthdays at the end of the school year have a greater chance of being diagnosed with the condition.

... click to read full post & comments

Junk Food - time to ditch the ads

Posted by School Run Mum on 07/03/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

We've all experienced those moments in the supermarket when the kids catch sight of something they've seen advertised on TV and start nagging for you to put it in the basket (or just put it in the basket themselves as a surprise for you when you get to the checkout).

It's tough to continually say no. 'No, we can't get that breakfast cereal because it's got CHOCOLATE in it.' 'No, we can't get those because it's not actually chicken.' No, we can't buy that juice because it is practically made of sugar and nothing else.' I definitely come home with more ... click to read full post & comments

Books, Books, Books !

Posted by School Run Mum on 29/02/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

Thursday 1st March is World Book Day in Ireland and the UK. World Book day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading and is now celebrated in over 100 countries worldwide. A main aim of World Book Day is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own by redeeming a book voucher for one of eight books which have been selected for World Book Day 2012.

While it is shocking to think that some children don't ... click to read full post & comments(1)

Giving up?

Posted by School Run Mum on 21/02/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

So, we have somehow already reached Pancake Day and Lent. What’s not to love about Pancake Day – perhaps the only night of the year when I can guarantee that I will have clean plates and the children will have full tummies (we’re going for a record of 7 this year, apparently).

But Lent is a funny one. Obviously, this is interpreted in different ways depending on your beliefs and religious standpoint. For some, it is taken ... click to read full post & comments

First year pupils score in top 30% for European fitness

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 16/02/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

Secondary school pupils in Ireland are among the top 30 per cent of European 12 to 13-year-olds in terms of fitness, according to a new study.

Prof Niall Moyna, of Dublin City University's school of health and human performance, spearheaded the First Year Fitness Challenge alongside RTE Radio 1's The John Murray Show, the Irish Times reports.

... click to read full post & comments

Report finds 1 in 7 school pupils skip lunch

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 15/02/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

New research has revealed one in seven secondary school pupils go without lunch on a typical day.

A study conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU, UK) questioned more than 83,000 ten to 15-year-olds on what they eat for breakfast and lunch, the Irish Independent reports.

... click to read full post & comments

And They Call It Puppy Love

Posted by School Run Mum on 31/01/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

There comes an inevitable time in every parent’s life when they will see their child develop a crush on a member of the opposite sex. At the age of 25 – I’m hoping, and not before!

But, what should a parent do when their Junior and Senior Infants come home declaring their undying love for a boy or girl in their class and announce, over dinner, that they have made up their mind and that they will marry said person and ... click to read full post & comments

How much does the earth weigh?

Posted by School Run Mum on 24/01/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

Most parents have been stumped at least once, and in my case many, many times by a tricky question produced by the inquiring minds of their children. The ‘but why’ phase seems to start around the age of three and, as far as I can tell so far, probably never stops.
Taking a simple car journey to the shops can result in the most profound conversations as question after question is thrown at you such as how the rain is made, why the moon is out in the day, what a rainbow is made of and what those big pipes at the side of the road are used for. As we attempt to drive, change CDs, ignore our ringing phone and pass drinks and a snack into the back seat, it isn't always that easy to come up with ... click to read full post & comments

Science and maths 'most feared questions' by parents

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 20/01/2012.
Tags: Parenting Parenting Kids

Maths and science are the subjects most parents dread when their children ask for help with homework assignments, a new survey has found.

It revealed two-thirds of adults are frequently puzzled by questions on these topics, with a quarter admitting to feeling frustrated or embarrassed when they are unable to answer.

... click to read full post & comments

Thinking outside the lunchbox

Posted by School Run Mum on 18/01/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

I will never forget the day when I popped into the local Spar for a loaf of bread. It was lunchtime, I was a new mum on maternity leave and I thought this would take a couple of minutes. It didn’t. It took FOREVER because I hadn’t factored in the deluge of kids from the local secondary school who had just descended en masse to buy their wedges and sausage rolls and crisps and pop and sweets for their lunch. I now know to avoid any of the shops at lunchtime!
The fact that dinners are not provided in Irish schools was a shock to me ... click to read full post & comments

Back to life – back to reality

Posted by School Run Mum on 10/01/2012.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

Phew! We made it. Four months of Christmas holidays, over. It was four months wasn’t it? Or was it five? I think it was four – it certainly felt like it.

Yes, yes, I know, it’s all wonderful and lovely and Christmas was, well, Christmas but it’s the bit afterwards that gets me. Unlike in the UK, where they started their Christmas holidays a week before The Big Day, meaning that there’s an opportunity to get involved in loads of pre-Christmas activities and get in the mood, most of our break was spent in that awful no-man’s land of ‘after Christmas’ – a place where nobody really wants to hang out.

So, we sat amid the remnants of selection boxes and ... click to read full post & comments

Govt 'cannot force schools' to offer healthy food

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 05/01/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health

The Department of Education has stated there is nothing it can do to prevent schools installing vending machines that offer unhealthy snacks to pupils.

A spokesperson from the government said it is a matter for each school to draw up guidelines for the food that is available on its premises, the Irish Examiner reports.

... click to read full post & comments

Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative

Posted by School Run Mum on 21/12/2011.
Tags: School Run Mum Education And Politics Parenting

In the recent budget, a proposal was announced to abolish the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative with immediate effect. This incredibly worthwhile initiative supports modern languages in over 550 schools nationally with a core team of just 6 people, providing training, resources and school-based support as well as funding 300 visiting teachers who deliver the language programme in schools nationwide, all within a budget of under €2 million.
 
The proposal to abolish the initiative comes at a time when ... click to read full post & comments

The gift of giving

Posted by School Run Mum on 14/12/2011.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

I saw a Christmas advert recently which made me laugh, albeit sarcastically. It’s the John Lewis one set to the song, ‘Please, please, please let me get what I want.’ In the ad, we are led to believe that the little boy is thinking about all the presents he’s going to get on Christmas morning, but when he wakes up he just steps over the pile of presents at the bottom of his bed and goes straight into his parents’ room with ... click to read full post & comments

Send the gift of Education this christmas with Irish Charity Camara

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 09/12/2011.
Tags: Family And Leisure Parenting Teachers

Camara Education, an award-winning charity and social enterprise, is providing the ideal gift this Christmas to show friends and family how much you care in a unique and meaningful way - by sending the gift of a computer to an African school on their behalf for only €15.

Camara Education is an Irish NGO that works to alleviate poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by using technology to enhance the quality of education in disadvantaged schools. Its vision is that of a world where even the poorest have access to quality education. Education is the key to solving Africa's problems. Harnessing the power of technology in education can ... click to read full post & comments