CatherineMom's Blog

Heidi Klum says she believes parents rely too much on television to entertain their children. The model admits she’s banned her own kids from watching TV for long periods and encourages them to play outside as much as possible. Heidi says; “I’m old-fashioned, and I feel like technology ran away with everything. I don’t believe in setting your kids in front of something, always. I think...

New research has found one in ten mothers suffer from depression during pregnancy. It was previously thought that pregnancy hormones helped protect against this, but hormonal changes during pregnancy can actually contribute to the development of depression. There are now calls for more to be done to identify and treat the illness in pregnant women, following evidence that shows mental and...

Doctors are calling for a 20% tax hike on sugary drinks in an attempt to tackle Ireland’s obesity problem. With one in four Irish schoolchildren classified as overweight or obese, the Royal College of Physicians is also asking for a review of how these drinks are promoted. Professor Donal O’Shea says: “There is widespread agreement among health professionals, now backed by a convincing body...

A recent survey has revealed that children between the ages of 12 and 15 don’t know all their social media ‘friends’, leaving them vulnerable to online bullying or grooming. As parents struggle to keep up with their kids internet use they are less able to protect them from these online dangers. Surprisingly, the survey found that few devices have the ‘safe search’ settings enabled and...

New research has found eating a big breakfast could help women struggling to get pregnant. The study found that eating the biggest meal of the day in the morning rather than the evening helps to regulate insulin, testosterone and other hormones that can negatively affect a woman’s fertility. Women in the study were divided into two groups; one group eating a big breakfast and the other eating a...

A new study has found one in five songs in the UK Top Ten is glamorising alcohol. Today’s music is more likely to glorify drinking than songs from ten years ago and researchers warn that chart music could be encouraging children to drink. Many songs link alcohol with confidence, socialising or attractiveness rather than with hangovers and health problems. Researchers are calling for warning...

Nearly one in five parents say a school league table has influenced where they chose to live. New research has found almost one-quarter of UK parents with school children would be prepared to pay 2-10% more for a new home in the catchment area of a good state school. And while the link between high house prices and good school catchment areas is already know, this study found parents are making...

A new expert report has recommended that the free pre-school scheme be extended to two years. Currently, the terms of the scheme mean some children aren’t starting pre-school until they’re four-and-a-half years old. The Early Years Strategy proposes that the scheme is opened to children from the age of three, allowing them to benefit from two free years of pre-school. Other measures have also...

A new document to be published by the children’s minister will advise that fathers should be allowed share a year of paid parental leave with mothers. The latest research found that less well-off working mothers were more likely to return to work after the six months of paid maternity leave were over. Currently mothers are entitled to an extra three-and-a-half months of unpaid leave after these...

The government has told the UN that it has no plans to introduce a law to ban slapping or “reasonable chastisement” of children. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child have previously called on Ireland to outlaw all forms of corporal punishment in the family. What do you think? Should slapping children be made illegal?