Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, has made his official predictions at the 131st celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, an occasion made world-famous by the eponymous 1993 movie starring Bill Murray, saw the weather-predicting rodent emerge from his burrow to see his shadow today; meaning Americans will endure another six weeks […]

10 years ago

A secondary school in the UK are proposing starting the day an hour later because their students aren’t getting out of bed on time. Blatchington Mill School and Sixth Form College, which is located in Sussex has suggested a consultation on the matter that will begin this month and close before the school’s Easter break; a […]

10 years ago

Ready to introduce your baby to the wonderful world of solid foods? The official recommendation by the HSE is that you “should start giving your baby solid foods when they are around six months old, as well as breast or formula milk”. In our book however, only you’ll know for sure when the timing is right. Once […]

10 years ago

Donald Trump’s so-called ‘muslim ban’ has prevented a four-month-old baby girl from entering the United States for urgent heart surgery. Little Fatemah, who has a serious heart condition, and her family were due to fly to the United States to attend a surgical consultation at Oregon Health Science University hospital. However, according to KPTV, the Iranian family […]

10 years ago

Kim Kardashian and her husband Kanye West have revealed plans to launch their own line of children’s clothing. Kim took to her Snapchat account to reveal a glimpse of the new collection, beautifully modelled by the couple’s three-year-old daughter North West. It seems that little North is not only a model, but also a collaborator as […]

10 years ago

Gardai are appealing for the public’s help following a serious sexual assault in Killiney on Monday evening. A woman in her forties was said to have been viciously attacked by a lone man while walking in the Bayview Estate area in the South County Dublin suburb. The attack occurred at approximately 5.45pm after the woman […]

10 years ago

Spring is on its way, despite the dreary grey skies this weekend. But there’s brightness and sun to come (there is, there is). And that means it’s almost time to start peeling off the layers, revealing some skin and bouncing into summer with boundless energy. Sounds easy, right? Eh, no. It fills us with the fear too. We’re clutching on to hibernation mode […]

10 years ago

You know that in-between phase when you have had your little baby and are completely allergic to maternity clothes?  That period where none of your old clothes fit and you spend your time in Zara sighing and buying another floaty top to cover that muffin top that is not going anywhere just yet. We feel […]

10 years ago

Children who had complications shortly before or during their birth, including birth asphyxia and preeclampsia, are more likely to develop autism, according to a new study. Researchers examined the health records of 594,638 children born between 1991 and 2009, and found that children exposed to complications during birth were ten percent more likely to develop autism […]

10 years ago

Navan dad Keith Russell is planning to run the Dublin City Marathon next October, while pushing his daughter Alanna the full 26.2 miles in her specially-adapted jogging buggy. Alanna (7) has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy meaning that she can’t walk or talk and is PEG fed. The 33-year-old dad of four says it is his first marathon and the […]

10 years ago

New estimates released from the British Heart Foundation today show that around 620,000 people in the UK are carrying a faulty gene that puts them at high risk of sudden death. The heart health charity says that the overall figures could be much higher due to underdiagnosis and undiscovered faulty genes which can increase a […]

10 years ago

A mum from Singapore has filed a complaint with German police after police at Frankfurt airport told her to ‘prove’ she was lactating by hand-expressing. Ms Gayathiri Bose, 33, was stopped by airport security after luggage x-ray screening showed a breast pump in her carry-on bag. The mum, who was travelling alone and making her way to her Paris-bound flight, […]

10 years ago

Fancy winning a €200 voucher to shop at Aldi? Of course, you do.  Who doesn’t want to win a week’s worth of shopping? It’s super-easy, just fill in this form (it takes minutes!), and we’ll keep you posted on a winner! Good luck everyone. Fill out my online form.

10 years ago

Women only make up twenty percent of the Oscar nominees in non-acting categories, a shocking figure which is down two percent from 2016. An analysis carried out by the Women’s Media Centre showed that, from 2006 to 2015, women received just 327 nominations in behind-the-scenes roles that include producers, writers, directors, and cinematographers, compared to 1,387 […]

10 years ago

Researchers from Cambridge University have identified traces of what they believe is our earliest known prehistoric ancestor, and the microscopic, bag-like sea creature ain’t good looking. A tiny sea creature that lived about 540 million years ago has been identified from microfossils found in China and boffins think it may be the earliest known step on an […]

10 years ago

Gardaí are seeking the public’s assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 42-year-old Aoife Petrani. Aoife failed to return to her home at St. Patrick’s Gate, Outrath Road in Kilkenny from her work in Dublin on Tuesday, the 24th of January. The last known sighting of Aoife was at The Aishling Hotel, on Parkgate Street in […]

10 years ago

January is almost over – huzzah! Soon we’ll all be talking about the ‘grand stretch in the evening’, Valentine’s love will be in the air and Spring will generally be springing. There are few places better than Ireland for a cheap and cheerful family weekend. Whether you and your family are obsessed with water sports, […]

10 years ago

Hard to believe but the Albert Square legend that is June Brown (AKA Dot Cotton) will be celebrating her 90th birthday on the 16th of February. To celebrate June’s milestone birthday the BBC have announced plans to broadcast a special half-hour documentary next month titled ‘June Brown At 90 – A Walford Legend‘. The show will […]

10 years ago

Educate Together have slammed Education Minister Richard Bruton’s plan to divest over 150 primary schools to multi-denominational or non-denominational patron bodies, calling the process “unfair and unworkable” in its current form. Educate Together are proposing an alternative plan that they say will “put parental wishes where they should be – at the centre of the process.” The […]

10 years ago

Police in the UK have launched an appeal to find Linzi Davis and her eight-year-old son River Bain, who were last seen on Friday near a train station in the Scottish Highlands. The mother and son from Auldearn, a village situated close to Nairn train station where the pair were last spotted, have not been in contact […]

10 years ago

The American Psychological Association tracked hundreds of children from playschool through to secondary school and found that chronic or increasing levels of bullying were related to lower academic achievement, a dislike of school and low confidence by students in their own academic abilities. The study, published today, found that bullying was more severe and frequent between […]

10 years ago

Bacteria in a woman’s vagina and cervix may increase the risk of premature birth or protect against it, according to new research. Groundbreaking results from a new study by the University of Pennsylvania’s school of medicine suggest that doctors could learn how to prevent premature birth, either by eliminating ‘bad’ bacteria, or increasing the ‘protective’ good bacteria in […]

10 years ago

My two boys arrived first so when my much longed-for (yes I’m using the cliché sorry-not-sorry) little girl appeared, I couldn’t get enough of the pink shopping. I bought tulle dresses, shoes with bows, tutus, and the entire pink floral contents of Cath Kidston for her room. But the girly bits I bought the most […]

10 years ago

An Irish homelessness charity have warned that the country’s crisis is deepening as new government figures report over 7,000 homeless for the first time. The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government’s homeless report for December 2016 found that 7,148 (including over 2,500 children) were homeless nationwide. The report states that housing authorities assisted […]

10 years ago

The European Health Consumer Index, published today, has found that Ireland has the worst hospital waiting times in Europe. The EHCI is now the leading comparison for assessing the performance of national healthcare systems in 35 countries. The report analyses national healthcare on forty-eight indicators, looking at areas such as patient rights and information, access […]

10 years ago

Excellent news. Very few shows gripped the world in the way that Making a Murderer did when it was originally released. After Netflix officially announced that there will be even more episodes of the Emmy-nominated series, speculation has been rife about this might involve. Given that the cases of Brendan Dassey and Steven Avery are literally unfolding at […]

10 years ago

“I share the concerns of other EU partners” That was the statement from our Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan today when asked about the executive orders that were approved by President Trump. “While US immigration policy is a matter of fact for the US authorities, it is clear that the most recent […]

10 years ago

A community effort.. Home-sharing company Airbnb is offering free accommodation to refugees and travellers that have been barred or left stranded in the US. Brian Chesky, co-founder of the company, has tweeted his disapproval of the recent executive orders that were approved by President Trump. The executive order signed by President Trump has barred citizens of […]

10 years ago

It is a big responsibility. Choosing a school for your child that will reflect your ethos as a family and that will suit your child on a social level as well as an academic level is flipping hard. Bullying, fitting in, exam pressure and making friends are among the biggest things we fear for our […]

10 years ago

Comedy writer James Breakwell is no stranger to the HerFamily pages. We just about LOVE every single one of his tweets. He has a unique way of painting a picture of fatherhood that just gets us every time, and like us, he is not afraid to let it all out, every honest post at a […]

10 years ago

Parenting, it’s really goddamn hard at times. Trying your best every day with huge demands placed on you and your time, it can really test your patience and stamina. Not to mention how judged we all feel while we’re trying to do our best. Judge-y looks, throw-away comments about our parenting from others that cut […]

10 years ago

Know any vodka experts? Much like wine connoisseurs or craft beer experts, vodka aficionados will know that there’s a difference between a decent bottle and an excellent one. Before you ask, price isn’t the only difference! As you may know, vodka is defined as a neutral spirit, i.e. one “without distinctive character, aroma, taste or colour”, but an extremely well-educated […]

10 years ago

Last weekend in January, folks, it’s hardly a shocker that it’s going to be absolutely baltic. But we’re looking at the pros – Sing is out in cinemas this weekend, so that’s the perfect excuse to eat popcorn and have fun with the kids, and maybe it’s a good excuse to stay in and snuggle up […]

10 years ago

A lot of mamas say that when they’ve become pregnant, they’ve somehow instinctively known it. They’ve felt some kind of change in their body, and even before they’ve taken the pregnancy test, they’re already mentally preparing for the baby on the way… This doesn’t seem to be the case for the woman in this advert for […]

10 years ago

A couple of years ago I attended a workshop on donor conception delivered by Olivia Montushi and Walter Merricks, founders of the Donor Conception Network in the U.K. and parents of two donor-conceived children. As a psychologist specialising in fertility, I was interested to hear their recommendations regarding telling donor-conceived children about their origins. I was […]

10 years ago

Are you an avid reader of horoscopes? Fancy some celestial input when thinking about baby girl names? Here are my top three picks for each sign. Aries (March 21-April 19) Aries is symbolised by the ram and ruled by the planet of war Mars. Here are some appropriate names for your little warrior: Fianna – An […]

10 years ago

A new study conducted by researchers at New York University, the University of Illinois, and Princeton University has shown that, by the age of just six, girls are less likely to associate ‘brilliance’ with their own gender than boys. The research, published today and led by Lin Bian, of the University of Illinois, and professor […]

10 years ago

Researchers in San Francisco claim to have found a potential genetic key to infantile epilepsy and autism. In new findings released this week, researchers from the University of California have stated that a distinct set of genetic defects in a single neuronal protein can lead either to infantile epilepsy or to autism spectrum disorders. The authors of […]

10 years ago

Research submitted to the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs has revealed that thirty-eight percent of parents are highly concerned about the weight of their child’s school bag. Over three thousand parents expressed their concerns to The National Parents Council Primary, with twenty-two percent stating that one of their children has experienced pain or injury as a […]

10 years ago

Kids, they are priceless, but they are very, very expensive! We know all about it over here at HerFamily. But if you feel like you’re drowning in outgoings each month, have a peek at our nifty tips on how to squirrel away some budget every month.  An interesting study carried out by *Laya healthcare found that 77 […]

10 years ago

Popular television actress Mary Tyler Moore, best known for The Dick Van Dyke Show and her Emmy award-winning The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died yesterday in hospital at the age of eighty. Ms. Moore’s agent, Mara Buxman, confirmed the sad news to The Hollywood Reporter: “Mary Tyler Moore has died at age 80 in the company of her […]

10 years ago

A ten-year-old boy from Kansas in the United States has been taken into custody by police after stealing his parents’ car and driving eleven miles to go to the shops. Police clocked the vehicle being driven erratically and without headlights, leading to a high-speed car chase which ended when the car hit a kerb. Officers said […]

10 years ago

“If you’re not willing to get wet and dirty, you’re coming to the wrong place.” Cork and UCC were represented on the big US TV station the Travel Channel earlier this week. The people working on the show Xtreme Waterparks visited Kilbrittain in West Cork to do a feature on the West Cork Secret – and if […]

10 years ago

Imagine the feeling of waking up this morning with that winning ticket in your pocket. There’s someone in Ireland that’s now €88,587,275 richer after last night’s Euromillions draw. #EuroMillions results are in.Jackpot: €88,587,275 Winner: 1Location: 🇮🇪#ShareTheDream pic.twitter.com/BQrbEZU0A4 — The Irish National Lottery (@NationalLottery) January 24, 2017 The identity of the person or the location of […]

10 years ago

Actress Laura Prepon of Orange is the New Black fame is reported to be expecting her first baby with partner Ben Foster. Despite various media outlets reporting the star’s pregnancy, the couple have yet to confirm the exciting news. The 36-year-old, who shot to fame with her role as Donna Pinciotti in the eight-season sitcom That ’70s Show, is […]

10 years ago

Children’s telly is getting all the A-list action these days. Straight off the back of Tom Hardy reading us a bedtime story (swoon), the BBC announced today that top Irish actor Andrew Scott will voice a character in a new animated preschool series for CBeebies. The Sherlock actor is swapping his evil Moriarty character for something […]

10 years ago

Mel Gibson will need a brave heart (sorry) as he has just become a daddy for the ninth time. Yes, you read that right – the NINTH time. The Oscar-winning actor-director and his equestrian champion girlfriend Rosalind Ross welcomed their son, Lars Gerard Gibson, last Friday. Little Lars weighed in at just over five pounds and […]

10 years ago

A seven-year-old-boy has died from injuries he sustained in a road traffic accident on the 12th of January involving a truck and the car his mother was driving. Daniel O’Keefe (7) and his mother Emma O’Keefe (26) were involved in a collision with a truck just minutes from the family home in Wilkenstown, Co. Meath. The […]

10 years ago

Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace, Wednesday’s child is full of woe, Thursday’s child has far to go, Friday’s child is loving and giving, Saturday’s child works hard for a living, but the child who is born on the Sabbath day is bonnie and blithe and good and gay. […]

10 years ago

A new study of five-hundred dads with daughters under the age of eighteen has revealed the top skills that fathers with a little girl have mastered. Dads of daughters know how to do a French plait, who Barbie’s boyfriend is and all of the words to Olly Murs’ ‘Troublemaker‘ according to a new survey. Girl-daddies also […]

10 years ago