Sensory development is a critical part of an infant’s growth, as it enables them to make sense of the world around them. Understanding the senses through which infants learn, including taste, smell, touch, hearing, and sight, can help caregivers create an environment that encourages the development of sensory skills. Taste is the first sense…
Teething is an exciting and memorable milestone for parents as their baby’s first teeth emerge through the gums. The process is a natural one, and it typically starts around six months of age, with the two front bottom teeth coming through first, followed by the top front teeth and the teeth on either side. The…
How do babies learn? Babies are born into a complex social world. Learning to navigate this is a lifelong process and begins with constant learning as a child. Through active participation in interactions with others, children develop an understanding of the world and of theirs and others actions, intentions, and feelings. The majority of this…
The different stages towards forming proper friendships How do young children learn to socialise with other people? How and when do they start making friends? Your baby’s social skills begin to develop from birth. You and the other people close to your baby are your baby’s first friends. As they get to know…
Tummy time is an essential part of a baby’s development, but it is often overlooked or underestimated by new parents. Tummy time is the time that babies spend on their stomachs while they are awake and supervised. It is important for a number of reasons, including helping babies develop strong muscles, improving their coordination and…
What is “too much” and how will you know? Like Baby Bear in The Three Bears what exactly is “just right”? Last week’s blog was all about surviving Christmas and the first Tip on the list was Don’t overdo it”. What does that mean? How will you know and why does “sensory” not always…
A guide to surviving the festive period If you are going to visit family or have some to stay during the five day Christmas period, here are some survival tips for Christmas with a baby or little one you can use to help make sure both you and your baby or small child will…
Helping your child learn to cope with their emotions Emotional development for your babies starts as soon as they are born, and they will go through many stages in this process. Initially their emotional experience is limited to reacting to painful, pleasurable, or surprising stimuli. These responses are mainly governed by an old, primitive…
Understanding your baby better One of the more challenging (and interesting) aspects of parenting is the realisation that your baby’s personality is not a replica of yours – they have their own unique temperament. This can be even more challenging for you when their temperament traits are completely at odds with your own! What…
Discovery or “Heuristic” Play Babies and toddlers learn best through play and an important part of this learning is through interaction with objects. It is sometimes forgotten that it is vital for your baby to be able to learn heuristically, which means allowing your baby to discover or learn something for themselves. The words “Heuristic”…
You are not alone Having a new baby can be an overwhelming experience for new parents. Many of us struggle at some point during pregnancy or during the first year, in fact statistics show that 1 in 5 mothers experience emotional difficulty during this time period and 1 in 3 partners are also concerned with…
Does it matter and when will you know? It varies from child to child when handedness emerges and at what age they will show a definite preference for one hand. Newborns are born with equal ability in their left and right sides, but over the next few years the adult pattern for handedness…
How to help your baby learn to talk How much are you looking forward to your baby’s first words? My son’s first word was “book” (apart from mummy and daddy of course). Did you know that “daddy” is a more common first word than “mummy”? Babies and toddlers learn to talk and understand…
Guest Article written for Baby College by Nikky Smedley Nurturing and being responsive to babies is important as it helps to reinforce attachment and bonding. The part of the brain responsible for experiencing and expressing emotion develops from the way in which parents interact with their baby. A nurturing environment is vital for healthy brain…
The different stages towards forming proper friendships Written for Baby College by James Woodward, Durham University Helping your children to create lasting relationships with you and other babies is central to our goal at Baby College. A few weeks ago, we explored how you can help your baby to make friends and today we’re going…
Why wait till around 6 months? The World Health Organization and the UK Department of Health both recommend that breastfeeding continues for two years and beyond, introducing complementary solid foods around the middle of the first year. Breastfeeding provides everything your child needs for the first six months, and its nutritional and emotional value continues…
How you can and can’t help As you know babies are born almost completely unable to control their bodies except a few important reflexive actions for survival, but they develop very quickly, and their individuality emerges in fascinating ways. Your parental role in this development is very important and there are many ways in which…
How do young children build resilience? Taken from the Baby College Weekly Handout Article written for us by Dr Nina Politmou, University College London (UCL) In both academic and practice contexts, the meaning of resilience is generally associated with doing better than expected in difficult circumstances. Resilience refers to general coping skills and mechanisms that…
Understanding your baby better One of the more challenging (and interesting 😊) aspects of parenting is the realisation that your baby is not a replica of yourself and that they have their own unique personality. This can be even more challenging for you when their temperament traits are completely at odds with your own! What…
As a new parent coping with the nightly disruption to your sleep is one of the hardest and most challenging aspect to your new parenting role. Understanding how your baby sleeps and why they sleep like they do can be really helpful. Firstly, it helps you become more realistic about the length of time your…