Today Date Triggered Content

In this week's podcast, you’ll hear why your child repeatedly throws food on the floor, what to do when your child won’t share or grabs another child’s toy, why the naughty step should be given the heave-ho and why giving your child their preferred cup is so important! Our early childhood experts Alistair Bryce-Clegg and Jennie Johnson discuss challenging behaviour in young children and give five parenting hacks to support your child. 

You will have read the news stories currently dominating headlines about scarlet fever and Strep A, and that a number of children in the UK have recently died of complications relating to a particularly aggressive form of Strep A called invasive Group A strep (iGAS). 

We’ve been working on this range for many, many months and are thrilled to have these toys ready for you in time for Christmas. From marvellously mirrored stacking doughnuts to smooth, wooden stacking rings, each item has been thoughtfully designed to support your child’s development.

Fancy some easy, wholesome fun this Advent? We do too, so have created a My First Five Years Advent calendar. Twenty-four ideas of cheap (or free) activities that you can do together throughout December. 

Fear not, this doesn’t have to be another thing to add to your to-do list (or feel guilty about if you don’t). For each day, not only will you find an activity relevant to your child’s age BUT we’ve also broken the ideas down by the time required. From grabbing five minutes to play a Christmas tune using some pots and pans through to heading out to a charity shop to choose a present, we’ve tried to cover all bases.  

Children don’t need much to be happy and playful, but parents, grandparents and family members often enjoy buying Christmas presents for little ones. With this in mind, we’ve created the My First Five Years gift guides. 

With separate guides especially for babies, toddlers and older children, they are packed full of gift ideas your children will love, that will really last, and that won’t end up at the bottom of a box by January. 

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the My First Five Years podcast, which helps you find the joy in parenting, and ditch the guilt and worry. 

The My First Five Years podcast dives into the issues facing parents of young children today, helping them to navigate the most rewarding and challenging role they will ever have. Hosted by early childhood experts Jennie Johnson MBE and Alistair Bryce-Clegg, who have decades of experience with young children between them, you’ll hear the latest scientific research on child development and get expert tips that actually work.  

Have you remembered that the clocks will go back in the UK this weekend? For many parents this brings uncertainty, and indeed dread. If your child is already an early riser, the idea of getting up at 4am is unlikely to sound appealing.  

“The clocks are going back in a couple of weeks, bring on the extra hour’s sleep!” said no parent, anywhere, ever.  

We know that lie-in is more likely to become an early wake-up, because children don’t care about clocks, and their usual 7am wake-up will be 6am when the clocks change. 

Halloween conjures up thoughts of witches, pumpkins, ghouls, spiders, dressing up and sweets – lots of sweets. 

Sounds like heaven for a child, right? Maybe not. 

Some children love Halloween, but for babies and younger children (and some older ones too), it can be frightening.  

Do you have some pumpkin left over from carving and aren’t quite sure what to do with it? Try this tasty houmous recipe, perfect for dunking peppers and warm, soft pitta bread. This is also great for a Halloween party snack or treat! If you don’t have pumpkin, you could replace it with butternut squash.