Today Tile Triggered Content

Buying your baby’s first pair of shoes is a big step. There are lots on offer and it can feel tricky to find exactly what you are looking for. Your baby’s feet need good support and shoes that are suitable for them and their needs. Here are a few tips to help. 

Where to buy 

One of your baby's biggest accomplishments will be locomotion. We're not talking chirpy pop songs here; we mean the body moving from one place to another. It is not simply movement – locomotion requires the body to travel. 

Locomotion that has gone before 

An interesting study was carried out in 2021 into what motivates babies to walk. According to most studies, babies walk because they want to reach a destination: a person, a place or an object. But is this actually true? Here we look at this new study, and the conclusion it came to. 

Learning to walk in the home 

Parenting is hard work; it's important to step back when you can and take some time for yourself.  

Taking some time to focus just on you can be a great boost for your mental health. Parents often find that they struggle to put themselves first as they are just so busy. There can be times when constantly being on-the-go and putting yourself on the backburner can become overwhelming.  

First words bring lots of excitement to the whole family, and once we hear them everyone is eager to encourage more. But have you thought about what comes before that first magical word? Your baby’s learning to talk starts much earlier... 

Before a baby is even born, they have understood the pitch and rhythm of their mother's voice; once they are here, they learn to distinguish voices and the melody of language to find words in speech.  

Baby Dance takes a nineteenth century poem by Ann Taylor and brings it to life with illustrations that will make you want to move!  

This is perfect for you and your baby if you love to dance. The illustrations show a dad dancing with his baby and will no doubt inspire you to get swinging and swaying too.

Why not read the book with your baby, then stand up and gently dance with them as you say the words of the poem over again.  

Sensory experiences are an important part of your baby’s development, and if you and your baby love a bit of gloop, go for it. But stimulating your baby’s senses doesn’t need to involve elaborate activities or undressing your baby and placing them in various mixtures or in a splodge of paint! Read on to find everyday things that give your baby all the sensory stimulation they need.  

Going outside 

Have you ever been told you need to do something with your baby to make sure they behave in a particular way when they are older or as adults? Writer Oliver Burkeman suggests that by focusing on the future you might miss the power of the present.  

Oliver Burkeman’s book, Four Thousand Weeks, is about life, not just parenting; but it can help us resist some of the pressure that often comes with being a parent.   

We love building blocks – they’ve been around for years, are brilliantly versatile and can support babies’ learning in multiple ways. It got us wondering when they first came into use as toys... 

When children earned their keep