Your baby’s brain is developing through everyday movements and interaction
Your baby is learning so much and their brain is going through extreme development. They are starting to gain head control, vision, posture and balance, while working out early social, emotional and linguistic forms of communication.
Love your baby
Defining ‘play’ – it's so much more than just filling time
Play is essential for children’s development, so much so that it has its own section in The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, outlining the right for all children to have access to “rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.”[1]
Making sure your toddler has plenty of time for play can transform a day, and be positive for your relationship with them. But sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what play is, and there are times that what we think of as play might not be quite what it seems.
Childhood amnesia - how much does your toddler remember?
What is your earliest memory? When asked, most adults can’t recall memories from toddlerhood (we might think we remember things, but this is often a memory of a family story – not the event itself). Does this mean your toddler truly won't remember their early experiences?
What is childhood or infantile amnesia?
Why following a point is an important step in communication
When your baby looks towards something that you are pointing at, they are showing that they understand that communicating involves shared attention.
It might take a while for them to follow your point, but talking about the things you notice them looking at will help them to develop shared attention.
Fantastical play and the potential for enhanced thinking skills
Scientists are researching fantasy play and the effect it can have on a child’s cognitive and creative abilities. They are investigating if pretend play, and particularly ‘fantastical pretend-play', helps children to develop their executive function skills: those that help us to think and solve problems.
Typically, children start their imaginative play based on real experiences; as a toddler they might have made a cup of tea or pretended to be a family pet.
Did you know, your toddler is learning to understand what people think, feel and believe
Theory of mind is the understanding that there is a difference between the self and others.[1] It’s the ability to consider what other people might think and feel in a certain situation, as well as that other people have different beliefs, thoughts and feelings. This develops in early childhood and your toddler will start to understand that other people have different points of view.
New research has explored how neurons will help our understanding
Tips for understanding the development behind behaviour
Your toddler is learning a lot about themselves, the people around them and the world in which they live. They’re learning about how people behave in different situations; how to get along with other people; how to regulate their emotions and how to make decisions about what they’re going to do.
Sometimes we might feel we need to manage our toddler’s behaviour through disciplining them using punishment, but for toddlers to learn about behaviour it is much more important to think about teaching, not telling off.
Your baby's teasing is their sense of humour shining through
The development of humour shows us little hints about your baby’s social and cognitive skills. From laughing when they notice something unexpected, to offering a toy and then taking it away, to giggling when anyone says the word “poo” or “knickers”, your baby’s sense of humour changes during their first five years.
Your baby is now starting to realise they can do something you don’t expect and that you might find it funny.
Looking after your baby changes your brain
Scientists talk about brain 'plasticity', meaning that our brain structures can change throughout our lifetime. There are periods when our brains demonstrate particular fluctuations, and one of the times that this occurs is when we become new parents.
Parents of newborns show a high level of variation in the part of the brain that helps us to process emotions, in particular, increased levels of oxytocin, sometimes known as the bonding or ‘cuddle’ hormone.
Why bouncing, rocking and swinging help to develop more than just balance
As your baby develops more control of their head and body and can hold their head upright, they might enjoy gentle bouncing, rocking and swaying games. As well as being a new way to play together, these movements will support your baby’s developing sensory systems.
To develop balance, we need to move
