maternity & infant

Get set for the start of Halloween with the traditional Lighting of the Pumpkins in Virginia, Co. Cavan this evening!

Growers from around the world are gathering at the second annual Pumpkin Festival today where a street carnival will kick off with fire eaters and exotic dancers. Other attractions will include organic food stalls, crafts, cookery demonstrations and children’s fancy dress Halloween party.

The Festival will also include a Pumpkin Treasure Hunt, choosing the king and queen of the Pumpkin Festival and a fire parade - oh, and if you happen to have a huge pumpkin to hand, you could win a €3,000 cash prize if it’s the largest!!

Artists will include Sharon Shannon, Mundy and Shane McGowan.

The festival ends on Sunday with a fireworks display over nearby Lough Ramor - check it out if you’re in the area!

Paddington Bear, a childhood favourite for generations and star of the recent Marmite ads, turned 50 yesterday. On October 13th 1958, the very first Paddington book was published in the UK.

Special commemorative bears are available from Marks & Spencer (above), priced €23. If you haven’t yet read a Paddington story to your child, both of you are missing out! The very first book, A Bear Called Paddington, is a real children’s classic. I’ve just checked Amazon.co.uk and it’s selling for £2.99 + P&P if anyone needs to pick up a copy.

If you want to find out more about Paddington Bear, his stories and adventures and for lots of child-friendly activities and downloads, check out www.paddingtonbear.com

This year’s Festival was launched today by Derek Landy, Ireland’s internationally celebrated author of Skulduggery Pleasant. The Festival runs from Oct 1st-31st with over 1,500 events taking place nationwide to celebrate children’s books and encourage reading amongst children and teenagers.

The vast majority of Festival events are FREE, although booking is recommended. Libraries, schools, bookshops and community centres will be hosting the widest range of book-related activities the Festival has ever seen, all designed to spread the message that reading is fun and stimulating, accessible and inclusive.

Also as part of the Festival, there is a new ‘Design a Book Cover’ competition, sponsored by The O’Brien Press. Budding young artists can compete for the chance to see their design become a front cover. For details on how to enter and more on the Festival events, visit www.childrensbooksireland.ie

Following the success of recent events, Dundrum Town Centre are running more of their popular Parenting Workshops which centre around an informal coffee morning on Level 3 at Frango’s.

October’s events are as follows:

Liza Crotty from Claphandies will present fun and creative ideas for infants, toddlers and pre-school children, including learning through interactive play and floortime (Thurs Oct 2nd). Baby massage returns with Yasmina Lenehan from Harmonia Therapies who will impart her knowledge and demonstrates a combination of Swedish and Indian strokes as well as reflexology movements that can help improve sleep patterns and enhance development your child’s development (Thurs Oct 9th). Finally, Christine Barnes of Jo Jingles will offer a music class to entertain and educate your children using music, movement, singing and nursery rhymes (Thurs Oct 30th).

All events are FREE. For further information visit www.dundrum.ie

(Pictured above: Baby and toddler nutrition expert Annabel Karmel MBE, with two young helpers, welcoming the return of Parenting Workshops at Dundrum Town Centre from September 2008)

From ghouls and ghosts to long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night…

Try Hayfield Manor, Cork’s first 5-star hotel which happily welcomes children! This Halloween, Hayfield Manor have a special package for families, where the art of storytelling comes alive with Old Irish Ghost Stories in front of a roaring fire!

Little guests are always welcome and we love that there’s a special kiddie afternoon tea with miniature treats, a dedicated dinner menu with kids’ favourites, board games available from reception and an extensive DVD collection of children’s classics. Best of all, pint-sized robes and slippers can be found in your room - with hot milk and cookies served before bedtime!

Mums and dad haven’t been forgotten and can make the most of The Beautique Spa, a swimming pool, gym and access to a personal trainer, as well as fine dining at Orchid’s Restaurant or more relaxed fare at Perrotts Garden Bistro.

A 2-night luxury break in a Manor room with full Irish breakfast and a 5-course gourmet dinner on one evening is €245 per person sharing - and you’ll receive €50 off treatments at The Beautique Spa per booking! Children’s accommodation (under 12s) is free with this package, if sharing with parents.

For more information, check out www.hayfieldmanor.ie or call (021) 484 5900

Some of the cutest Halloween costumes around have just crossed my desk - all courtesy of Tesco!

Whether your little one wants to be a pumpkin fairy (pictured above) or something more sinister and scary, Tesco has a great selection of costumes and accessories. We LOVE this pumpkin fairy costume (€10.50 in sizes 6 months-3 years) which is perfect for even the tiniest trick-or-treaters!

Get to Tesco now as this year’s costumes are sure to fly out of stores!

Have you discovered Imaginosity yet?

Located in the Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford, Imaginosity is Ireland’s first interactive children’s museum where under-10s can make the most of the ‘hands-on’ philosophy that encourages them to get involved.

Well worth a visit, and perfect for a rainy day - check out the workshops and classes that happen throughout the day (free with admission). Tickets cost €8.50 for children and adults, €6.50 for toddlers and €2 for infants (under 6 months are free) for a 2-hour visit.

To celebrate their first birthday, Imaginosity are running a series of special events this weekend!

Saturday Sept 27th
The Banyon Puppet Theatre present The Elves and the Shoemaker at the Kids Stage with shows at 6.30pm and 7.30pm (each show is 45 mins). Suitable for 5-11 year olds. Tickets are €8 for children and €11 for adults.

Sunday Sept 28th
The Fanzini Brothers offer a FREE performance and circus workshop in the Plaza outside Imaginosity. Workshop 1 (5-7 yrs) takes place at 11.30am and Workshop 2 (8-10yrs) will follow at 2.30pm. FREE Fanzini Brothers circus performance ‘Deathwish’ will take place at 1pm and 3.30pm. Each workshop and performance lasts 45 mins.

Also visiting on Sunday 28th is Scottish storyteller Susie Minto who will hold session on the Kids Stage throughout the day - 10.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 4.30pm and 5.30pm (Free with admission).

To book your tickets, visit www.imaginosity.ie or call (01) 217 6130

What a horrible day! Not only is it lashing rain, it seems to bounce up off the pavements and get blown sideways so there’s no hope at all of staying even the tiniest bit dry! Hopefully you’re faring better than we are here in wet and windy Dublin 2, but if not, here are some cheap and cheerful ways to keep harmony in the house this weekend!

1. Let the kids play dress up! Grab a bunch of old clothes (the more wacky and wonderful, the better!), some sturdy costume jewellery, hats and bags and let them loose! Little girls will feel very grown-up dressing like mum, and little boys can create great charater costumes.
2. Hold your own puppet show! You can make your own with some socks, a few buttons for eyes, wool for shaggy hair or whiskers, cotton wool - so many things lying around the house will come in handy for this and just let your imagination run wild!
3. Cook up a storm! Regular readers will know that Annabel Karmel recipes are brilliant for kids and teaches them lots about patience, measuring, time, and lots more. Check out Annabel’s site for some inspiration!
4. Get crafty! Arts and crafts will keep your child entertained for hours! With some paper, glue, child-friendly scissors, glitter, crayons, stickers and scraps of material (anything to be honest!), you can be very MacGyver-esque and create just about anything!
5. Create a collage! Use up all your old magazines, or even some family photos, and let the kids cut out pictures and words to make a masterpiece. Even little toddlers can get involved and can cut out particular colours and make a rainbow. It’s a great way to make the most of your old magazines (not maternity & infant, of course…!) before they hit the recycling pile.

Hope this helps your weekend plans!

BTkids - the ultimate for little fashionistas - has opened in Brown Thomas Limerick!

The official launch takes place on Saturday Sept 13th from 12-5pm with lots of activities to keep the kids entertained - including face painting and a kiddie nail and tattoo bar!

Designer brands making their presence known in Limerick will include Baby Dior, Burberry, Catimini, DKNY, Gant, Kenzo, Miss Sixty, Murphy & Nye (exclusive to Limerick), Pepe, Ralph Lauren and Ted Baker.

BTkids is also available in BT2 Grafton Street and Brown Thomas, Cork.

I can’t believe it’s September already - where has the “summer” gone?? I hope you’ve all had a wonderful break - despite the awful weather! - and best of luck to all heading back to school today.

If you’re in need of something to entertain the troops this week,
you’re in luck - Dundrum Town Centre is hosting a series of child
and parent events all week, including seminars from psychologist David Coleman who will advise parents on child behaviour issues (Sept 4th @ 11am); best-selling author and child nutrition expert Annabel Karmel who will share lots of tips and tricks to ensure any fussy eaters get a balanced diet (Sept 5th @ 12pm); a look at vaccination programmes and childhood obesity with midwife and public health nurse Grainne Ryan; and baby massage with Leticia Merin (Sept 3rd @ 11am).

Throughout the week, there’s plenty of other activities to keep little ones entertained - music workshops, playtime, yoga, learning games, facepainters and story time are just a few! All events are free and on a first-come basis. Ticket requests can be made by emailing info@dundrum.ie

Have a good week!