Let your toddler’s eye for detail run wild with this fun board book!
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).
Practice makes perfect – your baby’s muscles and movements have reached new heights!
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!
I doughn’t believe it! Discover the sensory benefits of dough play
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.
How your toddler learns from bumping into things
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.
Why we love The I LOVE YOU book by Todd Parr
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.
The Story of the Little Mole – a book guaranteed to get everyone giggling, and maybe talking about the toilet too
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.
Troubleshooting potty training – we answer some common questions
If you’ve started potty training, or struggled to start, you probably have lots of questions swirling around your mind about how to cope with tricky moments. We’ve reviewed the latest advice (based on scientific research into potty training and bladder and bowel health) [1, 2] and answered some of the most common questions people ask us.
Potty training is one of the areas of parenting which feels incredibly important, and can also be a little daunting. There’s a heap of information out there being shared online, by friends and family and by professionals. The quality of advice, and research, can vary enormously and can also become outdated quickly as new research is carried out.
Potty Power! Helping you prepare for potty training
As your baby moves towards becoming a toddler, you might find yourself thinking more and more about potty training. Whether this makes you shiver in fear, or jump for joy at the thought of no-more-nappies, there is lots of support out there to make the transition go smoothly. Read on to find out how you, and your baby, can start to get ready for when the time comes by embracing potty learning, and then potty training.
Potty training is one of the areas of parenting which feels incredibly important, and also potentially quite daunting. There’s a heap of information out there being shared online, by friends and family and by professionals. The quality of advice, and research, can vary enormously and can also become outdated quickly as new research is carried out.
Big news in the world of potty training! And you might want to read about it sooner rather than later...
We make a point of not sharing content which reinforces parenting myths, or relies on outdated ideas to make you feel you should (or shouldn’t) be doing something as a parent. We know our stuff, and only share advice which is well researched, and based in scientific evidence. Sometimes, we find we have to dig deep to discover what the science is saying now, especially when research can vary in quality or availability.
In some cases, we find the research can actually make your parenting decisions more confusing, especially when new findings suggest that approaches we have all been using for years might not be the best way any more.
Time for potty training? Here's the latest advice on how to manage it
“It’s time to potty train.” The moment many parents look forward to and dread in equal measure. On the one hand, no more nappies! No more dragging a changing bag everywhere! On the other hand, accidents in pants! Having to find another way to carry your snacks (and wipes, and gloves, and purse and...)! Teaching your toddler how to use the toilet can be daunting, so we’ve investigated the latest guidance (informed by scientific research) and gathered what you need to know.
Potty training is one of the areas of parenting which feels incredibly important, but potentially challenging too. There’s a mountain of information out there being shared online, by friends and family and by professionals. The quality of advice, and research, can vary enormously and can also become outdated quickly as new research is carried out.
