When I was young, factor 15 sun cream was what the overprotective mothers put on their kids. Getting sunburned was all part of getting your “base tan” to set you up for the summer.

These days however – we know more. We know that in moderation, the sun provides our kids with so much goodness – it provides them with vitamin D, which helps their bodies absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones; helps brain health and moods; and helps growth and sleep function. But it’s when unprotected exposure to the sun becomes excessive, our children are open to the dangers such as skin and eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer.

Getting some kids to wear helmets can be infuriating. It often as not leads to a stand-off between a grown up and a child, that inevitably ends in a major tantrum, the bike being taken away, everyone losing their cool and being late for school or wherever you were trying to go.

This can cause a major problem, especially when you want your kids to bike and scoot so that they’re getting some fresh air and exercise, and actually using their limbs for good instead of to inflict pain on each other. It’s healthy, gets them outdoors, gets the blood pumping before school, teaches balance, encourages road awareness – and you don’t want them missing out on all of that just because they refuse to wear a helmet.

Of all the battles you have daily with your kids, wearing a helmet should probably be a deal breaker. I let LOTS of stuff slide that I know I should really enforce (wearing pants at the dinner table, eating off the floor, and other such less than ideal behaviours), – but not this one.

Lots of us have been in that terrifying situation when you hit ice, and realise you're not in control of the car anymore. This is all the more scary if you have kids in the car with you.

There are a few important tips to remember if you hit ice when driving- that if you know beforehand - you are more likely to be able to put into action when it happens.