With a planned procedure (e.g. tonsils removed) you have a bit of time to pack some entertainment and make sure you have everything you need.

Read the information provided by the hospital, especially regarding fasting. Often the child will have to fast from the night before, this means when you reach the hospital in the morning you will have a hungry (and cranky child).

Something to watch stuff on is very handy. It used to be portable DVD players but now it’s tablets or phones. Just make sure the programmes or movies they watch are not about food (Peppa Pig & Family seem to eat in every episode!); the trick is distraction and variety.

Bring some new toys and games and take out new one every so often. There can be a lot of waiting around so you want to pass the time.

Also, make sure you have their favourite cuddly toy or blankie with you.

A new colouring book with pens or crayons in a tin or pencil case can be a good distraction.

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Cards are good, e.g. to play Snap or Go Fish, basically keep them occupied and not thinking about food or drinks.

Have some new pyjamas for your child for the experience.

For the parent who is staying you may not have a bed, so wear a tracksuit that is comfortable to sleep in, sleeping in jeans is not fun.

Pick a book with a few stories in it to save bringing several books with you

“When our child had her tonsils and adenoids out, the lifesaving book was the Usborne Book of Little Stories that we had brought. The stories are not too long and one of them was even about going to hospital which was great”, Jill

We called the anaesthetist the “sleepy doctor” and explained to our child that they would go into a room where a doctor would help make them sleepy for the operation.

The nursing staff may want to wait to make sure all is ok so avoid promising food straightaway.

They may be very disoriented and sore after recovery, so don’t overwhelm them with new toys etc, give them their favourite teddy and let them snuggle until they feel a bit better.

Later on you can give them their new toy for being brave :).

And don’t forget to allow yourself to feel emotional as it can be hard to see your child in this state, that’s ok!

Children’s wards often have a playroom, but the times may be limited to week days only, and if your child is in isolation they may not be permitted to enter. The play specialists will bring toys to the children, where they are in for a longer stay.

For the unplanned trip to the hospital it is doubly stressful, both parent and child are upset.

Make sure you know where your nearest emergency clinic is located. For example, in Dublin the VHI Clinic can be used to save a trip to Temple Street (you don’t need to be a VHI member).

If you are heading in alone with a sick child, arrange for someone to come in with a change of clothes for parent & child and allow time to arrange childcare if needed for other children.

Each emergency visit to the hospital is different, but try and keep calm and keep your child reassured that the doctors and nurses will help them.

Who said exercise and moving around has to be boring! Inject some fun with this kids’ fitness challenge that creates a different routine or series of actions for each child.

It’s so simple – just spell out your name, find the activities for each letter, and then get moving.

For example, if your name is Daisy, your fitness challenge would be:

• D = Dance to your favourite song for one minute
• A = Act like a monkey for 30 seconds
• I = Inspect the garden for insects for one minute
• S = Skip down the hall and back
• Y = Jump up and down like a yo-yo 12 times

For a bigger challenge, include your surname, middle name, nickname, etc. Or pick a favourite character to change things up – some good ones are Buzz Lightyear, Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Lightening McQueen or Sleeping Beauty.

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So get the kids into some shorts or sports gear and have a bit of fun with our What’s Your Name Kids’ Fitness Challenge! You can download the exercise challenge here, which is great to stick on the fridge and encourage quick daily sessions.

Remember, it’s not a competition and there’s no pressure. It’s all about moving a bit more than normal and, most importantly, making it fun!

Mood swings can lead to frustration, imbalance and a lack of concentration. Often, these moods can be avoided by simply cutting out (or cutting down) sugar. Give them foods high in protein, whole grains and foods with natural sugar, such as chicken, eggs, oatmeal and fruit.

Start the day right with a healthy breakfast and make sure their lunchbox is filled with healthy, nourishing food too. Don’t forget some healthy after-school snacks too, as this if often when the sugary options are most requested.

More than just to help them focus, use food to boost your kids’ immune system – this is a fantastic way to keep your child healthy.

Foods rich in Omega-3 and fruit high in vitamin C; raw vegetables and legumes like barley are all power foods that will help to keep them from getting sick every other week.

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Piano, ballet, football and all the other extracurricular activities are all opportunities for your kids to acquire new skills – but it’s important not to overload their schedule. At the end of the day, a kid needs to enjoy some free time, which brings us to the next point…

It’s perfectly fine for your kids to get bored. In fact, experts encourage unstructured time for kids because it teaches them to come up with creative ways to pass the time. Boredom gives children a chance to develop their imagination, to think and to daydream.

Looking after your child’s mental health and reducing the stresses of their busy life is an essential aspect of keeping your child healthy too – so make time for relaxing, for going on a walk, for cuddles and chats.

When they spend hours sitting down at school and more hours playing video games at home, inactive children can gain weight, they can feel more frustrated, nervous and stressed.

Investing in active toys that encourage them to move, such as a small trampoline, a hula hoop or a jump rope, will help your kids unwind and move in a fun way.

It can prove impossible to forbid them from using gadgets, but you can set time limits so that they don’t spend hours glued to a screen. Despite how entertaining and educational apps and games can be for children, too much screen time can lead to anxiety, problems with sleep and weight problems

Screen time undoubtedly has a whole range of benefits, but it is very easy for it to be unproductive and for the time to just fly by. Take a look at the pros and cons of screen time, as well as some great recommendations from Mom Loves Best:

Sometimes, worries about school, difficulty with their homework, or a fall out with a friend can stop them from thinking of anything else. Keeping their hands busy, through fun crafts or by helping you with easy chores, is a helpful way to keep their mind off the serious issues for a little while. Thus giving them a mental break.

Whether it’s siblings playing outside or two friends meeting in a park, playing and interacting in the real world, more than interacting through social media, is a must for many reasons.

Playing outside in nature will give your child a much needed mental break. Moreover, it’s a good way of meeting peers and having a laugh or venting out their insecurities, so that they will feel reassured that they have a support system outside of the family.

We all want our kids to excel academically, but giving priority to play, where our kids can rest, is essential to see them grow happy, healthy and enjoying their childhood.

Sleep can cure everything — mood swings, a headache and even help them forget an embarrassing memory that happened at school. Your kids will be more focused, happy and less likely to get sick when they get enough hours of sleep.

And if you’re unsure how many hours of sleep is needed each night to keep your child healthy, here’s how much sleep your kids should be having for their age.

Unlike some other combs on the market, the Nitty Gritty Comb has twisted prongs which help to catch the nits and ensure you get them off the hair. I really think combing is the way to go and many mums that swear by this particular comb.

To have the best chance of getting rid of all the nits and lice, use conditioner on dry or damp hair, and comb the conditioner through using the nitty gritty comb. Wipe it after each brush on a white tissue and wash the comb thoroughly with soap after use.

Nitty Gritty also have a range of natural remedies to prevent and get rid of lice and nits.

Quick acting, the Hedrin All in One shampoo was a popular choice. Parents and kids liked that there is no ‘chemical’ odour to this shampoo, and it does not contain any pesticides, which the lice could become immune to.

Tip: The trick with over the counter products is to only use them if you are sure there is an infestation, as overuse of these products is causing nits and lice to become immune to their effects.

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The Fairy Tales Goodbye Lice Survival Kit is also widely used. The kit comes with the nit terminator comb, a Lice Goodbye mousse to treat lice, and a spray to repel nits once hair has been treated. Best of all, it is totally natural.

Parents found NitWits Head Lice Treatment Spray easy and mess-free to use, particularly with younger children who found sitting still for intensive combing hard.

Other parents use tea tree conditioner, such as Dr Organic Tea Tree Conditioner, which contains tea tree oil and peppermint extracts.

Parents recommended leaving the conditioner in the hair as they have found that their children have avoided getting head lice altogether as a result.

Parents responded that this Lice Zapper electronic comb was a chemical-free choice for getting rid of head lice, however still found that it required a thorough combing and repeated treatments.

• Tea Tree Oil – When we asked our parent audience for their tips on getting rid of head lice, tea tree was one that came up over and over again. Many parents buy tea tree oil and dilute it with water to spray behind the ears as a prevention method.
• Aloe Vera and Jojoba – Mums told us that they use aloe vera and jojoba shampoo and conditioner on their kids and they have avoided head lice.
• Oil and Vinegar – As a natural remedy, one parent suggested coating infected hair with vinegar and leaving on for 20 minutes. Add olive oil and leave on for another 20 minutes and then comb to get rid of nits and lice. Afterwards wash thoroughly with your regular shampoo. You may need to do several washes to get the vinegar and oil solution out of the hair. The vinegar helps to dissolve the gummy solution that holds nits in place on the hair shaft.
• Mayonnaise – Another natural method is to coat the hair with mayonnaise, which contains both oil and vinegar. For it to work best, coat the hair with mayonnaise and cover with a shower cap or old swim cap. Leave in for at least an hour and overnight if possible. After removing the cap, comb through the hair and then wash well with your usual shampoo. The result will be shiny, healthy looking, nit-free hair. Repeat treatment after 3 weeks.

Patience and time spent combing hair seems to be the best method to get rid of head lice and keep them gone. Checking once a week and spending time combing hair with a nit comb and some conditioner does seem to work.

Also have a chat with your child about keeping their heads away from other children, keeping long hair tied up and not sharing hats, combs or brushes.

It is the final day of our 21 day challenge and you might find yourself wondering ‘where do I go next?’. And we’re going to make a plan and go right back to the beginning!

Your challenge for today is to go back and write down the movements that you’ve enjoyed and the nutrition changes you’ve made over the past few weeks.

• What is different for you this week compared to three weeks ago?
• What changes have you made that have allowed you to feel better?
• What has allowed you to potentially feel more mobile or to feel stronger?
• Have you kept up the press up challenge?
• Have you kept up the shoulder mobility?

From there, I’m going to suggest that over the next couple of weeks you repeat the 21 day challenge. Go back to the beginning and start all over again – you may find yourself at a different level, you may find that what you’re doing is a little bit easier, but that’s exactly what we want.

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Our environment and the people in it have a profound impact on our behaviours. Let me put it this way, if all of your best friends love a gin and tonic on a Wednesday night, well it’s not going to be long before you like going for a gin and tonic on a Wednesday night with them. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you want to be getting up and going to the gym or going for a walk or doing some food prep, it can be difficult to go against the grain.

So here is your challenge for today, I want you to go through your friends, your partner, your kids, your colleagues – whoever is in your immediate circle that you see every day – and look at what their behaviours are.

How do you see those individuals? Do you see them as the active people that you would like to be, do you see them as healthy eaters, do you see them as really fit people? Are these the values that you align with?

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You knew this chat was coming! Today, we’re going to talk about water consumption.

This idea of between five and eight glasses a day is difficult – what size glasses and how are you supposed to know? I think that optimal water consumption is really down to how much you’re moving throughout the day and how active you are.

So what are the signs of dehydration? How do we know that we’re dehydrated and that we need to consume more? Well, urine colour is the obvious choice, and if we find we are not going to the bathroom frequently throughout the day or if we find that it is darker than straw colour (a pale yellow), then we probably need to consume more water throughout the day.

The other thing is if you’re waking up with a headache in the morning, that can be a sign of dehydration.

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Dehydration doesn’t just happen in the summertime when the sun is blazing and we’re sweating loads; bear in mind, if you have the heating on throughout the winter and your house is really warm, dehydration could be a factor.

So how much water should you drink? I usually go through about four 500ml bottles a day, that’s two litres for me if I’m not training. I’m also cognizant of the fact that my herbal teas and my coffees contribute towards my overall fluid intake across the day as they also contribute to the daily total.

Your task for today is to have a quick look back and see how much fluid you are drinking, and go and get yourself a new water bottle if you don’t already have one. Aim to drink and refill the bottle three or four times throughout your day.

If you have any questions throughout the Challenge, email Fiona or send her a message on Instagram, Facebook and use hashtag #mkt21days to let us know how you are getting on with the Challenge!

If you love a good cup of coffee as much as I do, then this one is going to be hard for you! I’m sorry but I too at one stage had a questionable caffeine habit and I didn’t recognize or realize at the time, but my caffeine consumption of maybe four or five cups a day was impacting my sleep. I didn’t think it was impacting my energy levels throughout the day, because caffeine is supposed to give you energy right?

Without going into the science of it, there are receptors in our brain and in our system that attach to a chemical, mop it all up and we don’t feel sleepy anymore and we move on throughout our day. But caffeine also binds to these receptors and when we drink our coffee first thing in the morning and then that coffee wears off, that’s how we end up having that slump where we need coffee and chocolate.

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