Is This Normal?

This week on Is This Normal, hosts Sarah and Sheena are joined by Bernard McCloskey, Head of Education for NI Screen. Bernard chats through the endless possibilities for young people in Northern Ireland who are passionate about gaming, coding, film and technology and explains how screen time is not all bad and can have some real educational value for kids.

Sheena and Sarah are joined by Dr Kirsty Porter.  From making mealtime more fun, to what foods to avoid or encourage, Kirsty talks through the highs and lows of a toddler's diet.

On this week’s episode of Be’s parenting podcast hosts Sheena and Sarah chat with Agata Young from Simply Grow on how important play time is for children's development. Agata provides some brilliant tips for play ideas and how to make the most out of everyday items that most families already have in their home.

All mothers have different experiences with breastfeeding and on this week’s episode of Be’s parenting podcast, hosts Sheena and Sarah chat with Breastfeeding Lead at the Public Health Agency, Janet Calvert on some of the obstacles and joys of breastfeeding, as well as some useful tips and advice. Janet is passionate about the benefits of breastfeeding and said that she began her journey as she felt that “every mum should be able to get all the help that they need to be able to succeed.

In Episode 3 of Be's parenting podcast Is this Normal? hosts Sheena and Sarah chat with Vicki Campbell from KeepaBeat NI on the topic of first aid. Finding yourself in an emergency situation with a child is every parents worst nightmare but Vicki provides some invaluable tips and guidance on what you should do if you’re faced with an emergency including newborn breathing, choking and burns. She also advises on the must have items for your first aid kit. On the topic of choking Vicki said she has a simple rhyme to help parents recognise when they should intervene. She said: “If they are loud and red we let them go ahead, if they are quiet and blue they need help from you. Series 2 of Is This Normal? is packed with advice from experts on a wide range of parenting topics. Coming up in the series, the girls will also be chatting to experts on screen time, nutrition and breastfeeding.

Becoming pregnant and preparing to give birth is a wonderfully exciting time for many new mums but it can also come with a whole range of worries and fears. Then add a worldwide pandemic into the mix and a whole new range of emotions can take over. But as we start to look beyond the pandemic and our emergence from lockdown, we spoke to a dedicated Antenatal Education coordinator who gave us some great tips for preparing for labour and how NI health trusts are continuing to support expectant mums round the clock, despite Covid-19 challenges. Gemma Winter, Antenatal Education Co-ordinator for the Southern Trust chatted to Be's parenting podcast Is This Normal? about all things pregnancy.

Sleep is one of the most popular topics of conversations for parents. From the moment you bring your little one home, people will ask if they are a good sleeper. But sleep issues are not confined to the newborn stage as challenges continue for parents throughout the toddler years and beyond. Speaking on the first episode of the second series of Be's parenting podcast, Is This Normal, Erica Hargaden, a paediatric sleep consultant with her private practice Babogue, describes sleep in the first three years of a child's life as a "roller coaster". For more info from Erica, visit her Instagram or Twitter.

Season 2 of 'Is This Normal' starts this Wednesday 9th June.

Part 2 of our bonus episode as part of Belfast Live and Electric Ireland's Power of Pause campaign, looks at children and parents entering school age and beyond, with guest Dr Malie Coyne. Malie has written her first book 'Love In Love Out' a guide to empower parents to understand and recognise anxiety in their children. Links to resources mentioned; Headspace Compassionate mind approach Netmums Infant Mental Health The Invisible String

In this bonus podcast as part of Belfast Live and Electric Ireland's Power of Pause campaign, hosts Sheena McStravick and Sarah Scott are joined by Dr Malie Coyne. Malie has written her first book 'Love In Love Out' a guide to empower parents to understand and recognise anxiety in their children. In part one of this two part podcast Malie talks about parenting and infant mental health in the years before school. Links to resources mentioned; Headspace Compassionate mind approach Netmums Infant Mental Health The Invisible String Part two of the podcast will be released 4th December.

On this week's episode of our parenting podcast Is this Normal? we're chatting to Jillian Johnston from Public Health Agency (PHA) who talks us through babies and kids vaccination programmes, pregnancy vaccines, HPV vaccine for boys and of course the MMR vaccine. This is the last in the current series, so thanks for listening and stay tuned on Belfast Live for series 2 later in the year!

Q Radio host and dad Ibe Sesay joins parenting podcast Is This Normal? He's known for his awesome presenting skills on the radio, but Ibe Sesay is a seasoned dad too, with kids ranging from eight to 16. With two girls and two boys, Ibe opens up about the differences between the genders - and reveals there IS a difference. Ibe also talks about his recent appointment as an ambassador at Parentline NI. For more info visit the Parent Line website, Facebook or Twitter. For all things parenting visit the Is This Normal? hub. 

With a generation of 'digital natives' coming up behind us, NSPCC expert Margaret Gallagher talks to Belfast Live parenting podcast 'Is This Normal?' about the dos and don'ts when it comes to digital. For more info from the NSPCC visit Twitter or their website. 

Aoife Hamilton from Employers for Childcare tells Belfast Live parenting podcast Is this Normal? how mums and dads can find out exactly what they're entitled to when it comes to financial support. For more information from Employers for Childcare visit their website, Facebook & Twitter or call them on 0800 028 3008.

Sleep expert Susan Wallace from Settled Petals opens up to Belfast Live's parenting podcast Is This Normal? about the secrets to a perfect night's sleep with little ones in the house. Susan also reveals the perfect temperature for your baby's room - and explains why new parents need to give up their 'Insta-worthy' life goals and embrace the sleepless nights in those early weeks. For more from Settled Petals, visit their Facebook and Instagram.

This week we talk to paediatric dietician Ailish McVeigh from First Foods Weaning.  Ailish takes us through her tips on how to know when your baby is ready for solids, how to pick between spoon feeds and finger food, and when is the perfect time to introduce allergens into your child's diet.  With useful insight into the true dangers of sugar for the little 'uns, Ailish is an expert who's well worth a listen. For more from Ailish, visit her Facebook and Instagram.

Hosted by two seasoned journalists - and perhaps not so-seasoned mums - the show will delve into all the topics parents across Belfast and beyond are desperate to know more about. Chatting to experts about everything from paediatric nutrition and childcare costs to online safety and getting babies to sleep through the night, presenters Sheena McStravick and Claire O'Boyle will ask all the questions mums and dads want to get to the bottom of. Episode one will hear from nutritionist Ailish McVeigh from First Foods Weaning for the inside steer on what really works when weaning your child. Sleep expert Susan Wallace from Settled Petals will take the reins in episode two, to reassure parents with little ones that sleepless nights are normal - and that they won't last forever. Next up, Is This Normal? will feature Aoife Hamilton from charity Childcare for Employers, to help parents break down the facts and figures to help get the best value childcare they possibly can - and to make sure they're not missing out on any benefits they're entitled to. In episode four, Margaret Gallagher from the NSPCC joins the podcast to deliver some much needed guidance for confused mums and dads about exactly what's OK - and what's not - for our precious little treasures when it comes to tech and online. Claire - mum to Betsy, four, and two-year-old Alice - said: "We're really excited about the podcast. It's the perfect opportunity for us to sit down with some actual experts in all this parenting stuff, and find out the facts. "Mums and dads spend so much time confused and worrying they're getting things wrong, so it's brilliant to get the chance to pin someone down and ask the question we ask ourselves week in week - is this normal?" Sheena, mum to 11-month-old Dáire, said: "As a first time mum I had so many questions that I've turned to Google for and usually ended up more confused than when I started, so the Podcast is a perfect place to get those questions answered as well as chat openly to other parents about the worries and stresses we all have on day to day basis." For more info visit the [website](https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/) and don't forget to subscribe to the feed.