Living in Ireland we are fortunate that cold snaps and wintry weather don’t tend to happen every winter, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared if it does.

From home to kids outdoors to winter driving, it pays to take a few precautions.

Make sure you have a good supply of essential things stocked up in the house. For example,

• medication
• bottled water
• basic rations – loaves of bread freeze well so you’ll always be able to pull one out if needed
• batteries
• tealights and candles

Think through what would happen if you lost electricity. Do you have enough candles? How would you heat at least one room? Can you cook without electricity? Would your shower work? Planning a little for this eventuality is good.

Insulate your attic pipes, but not the space under your water storage tank, insulate a box around your water storage tank instead. This helps to keep the temperature around your tank warmer.

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It used to be advised to leave one tap running very slowly if you fear water freezing, however nowadays experts say this may compound the problem. So instead here are some things you can do if temperatures plummet and you are worried about your water:

• If you have an attic with tanks leave the trap door open to allow heat to rise there.
• Keep a separate supply of fresh drinking water in case a water pipe freezes or bursts due to the freezing weather.
• Any dripping water taps should also be fixed.
• Cover or seal any gaps under doors and around windows as cold air coming from outside can cause pipes to freeze inside a home.

You can still have a lot of fun in the cold weather, just follow these tips:

• Dress in layers, your child will probably need one more layer than you are wearing yourself to keep warm.
• Pay special attention to the head, hands and feet.
• Going for a brisk walk, say over 15 minutes, will make you feel warmer even in very cold weather.
• There are special shoe grips that make it easy to walk on snowy, icy ground, these are widely available. Invest in a pair, but be careful they will wear out quickly if you walk on cleared pavements, and will damage floors if you wear them indoors. Maybe just pack a spare pair of shoes if you find removing and replacing them a chore.

Ignore the salt with the special packaging in your local garage and throw a bag of dishwasher salt from Aldi or Lidl in the boot instead. A shovel might come in handy too, for clearing deep snow before using the salt.

Keep a spare warm coat in the car, just in case. For long journeys, pack a warm drink and some snacks.

In colder countries, people commonly carry a few tea lights and some matches in the glove box. It’s a useful heat source in a broken down car.

Check your antifreeze, battery, defroster, wipers, windscreen washer fluid before setting out and be sure to clear all snow from your vehicle before you head off.

Only make the journey if it’s absolutely necessary.