Today Tile Triggered Content

The book Flow: The Psychology of Happiness by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was published in 2002.^[1] Since its publication finding ways to achieve flow has been the focus of research in everything from sport to workplace performance, and recently in parenting.  

Flow is achieved when you’re fully involved in what you’re doing, to the point where you don’t notice time passing. Activities where you experience flow feel good!  

You might have heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” but for lots of different reasons we don’t always feel we’ve got a village – especially in the early days of parenting.

In the app, you’ll find lots of ideas to support your child’s development, and more information if you are interested in understanding the science behind their skills.

You can't beat a good podcast, whether it's your precious half hour of down time or you're keeping busy while listening to something motivational. Along with our own podcast which you can read about below, we keep our ears open for other great ones that we think parents will get a lot out of. Here are a few to keep you going. 

For inspiring insights and frank conversation about the things parents want to know: My First Five Years podcast

Launched in November 2022, our myth-busting podcast dives into the issues facing parents of children under five today, helping them to navigate the most rewarding and challenging role they will ever have.

Hosted by Jennie and Alistair, who are sometimes joined by other experts, they discuss the latest scientific research on child development – in clear, down to earth language – along with tips and advice that real parents can relate to.

Episodes cover key topics like sleep, nutrition and challenging behaviour, as well as the thought-provoking subjects of lockdown babies, gendered play and the importance of creativity, to name just a few.

Listeners often comment on the authenticity and warmth of the discussions; it's been described as feeling 'like a warm hug.'

Search for My First Five Years wherever you listen to your podcasts.

For a bit of parenting, pop culture and powerful reality: Motherhood in Black and White

This brilliant podcast is hosted by two mums, Kaanji Irby and Tara Campbell. They talk about so many topics with episodes that cover a huge range of the things we parents think about, as well as lots of chat about pop culture. 

This sturdy book is a brilliant way to enjoy Axel Scheffler’s joyful illustrations in a whole new way, and mix up story time with a game that’s great for supporting your toddler’s visual development! 

Now that your toddler is more interested in noticing similarities, they will start to understand – and feel achievement in – matching things. In My First Search and Find: On The Farm by Axel Scheffler, they can turn the pages using the big tabs (making it easy to find the pictures they like most).  

While your baby plays, whether this be on their tummy, back or perhaps more recently when sitting, they’ve been finding out how to use their arms and hands to reach for and pick up objects. Their arm and hand movements are now becoming more controlled and planned, and this is due to developments in both their visual skills, muscles and coordination.  

Lots of day-to-day playful tasks are now becoming more manageable for your baby. Their improved coordination and control allows them to move their hands and place them where they are needed.^[1] This is going to be so helpful for them when playing and finding out about finger foods! 

Toddlers learn tons about their world through their sense of touch. Thankfully for them, their hands are becoming very handy tools and your toddler can use them for different jobs like squeezing, stroking and moving small things between their fingers. Playing with dough is perfect for this stage in your toddler’s sensory development; let’s look at what dough can be and why it’s so good! 

Dough is very versatile; it can take a few different forms and offer your toddler various textures and stiffnesses to get to grips with. 

Sensory processing makes up a large part of everyday life; we continually decide how much space there is, how something feels, or assess whether something can be reached. We use senses including vision, proprioception and touch to make these decisions. Your toddler is currently learning how to interpret all this information, and they do this by having direct contact with objects in their environment. 

Your toddler’s central nervous system adjusts their movements based on feedback from touch, proprioception and vision.  

Todd Parr creates colourful books with simple messages that really resonate for families. His books are all designed to be supportive and uplifting, and to help our toddlers understand the love that’s around them.  

The I LOVE YOU book is, as you might expect from the title, all about how very much parents love their children. It reinforces the message for your toddler that, no matter what, they are loved. 

We love a silly tale and The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was none of his business, by Werner Holzwarth and illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch, is one of the best.  

There are many (many) brilliant picture books about poo out there, but this story about a little mole who wakes up one day to find someone has done their business on his head is a true classic.