Energy, fun and what to do with it!
And your toddler is off. Here comes another blast of energy... wouldn’t it be great if they could share some of it?! Yet children actually tire far quicker than adults,[1] they just might not recognise it. When your toddler’s energy seems limitless, here are some handy hacks to help you through...
Join them! Your energy levels may feel low but being energetic often brings with it more energy
Sleep... what’s that then?
Sleep is essential for our health. It's probably fair to say you've spent quite a lot of time worrying about your toddler's sleep and that your own sleep is still a work in progress. Going from monitoring your baby's sleep to monitoring your own sleep – is there such a thing as a good night's sleep?
Humankind has been interested in sleep for some time now and many different methods to promote sleep have been developed, whether that be a black-out blind, eye mask or the use of background noise.
Responsive feeding when weaning – advice from Lucy Upton, Paediatric Dietician and Feeding Therapist
Responsive feeding (encouraged by the World Health Organization) is a way of feeding that is considered to have many benefits, including supporting children's health and development, wellbeing and long-term feeding habits. Here, Lucy shares some ways to apply responsive feeding when it comes to solid foods
What does responsive feeding involve?
Lucy Upton, the Children’s Dietician, answers more questions about weaning
Thinking about weaning and wondering how to start? We asked Children’s Dietician Lucy Upton to answer some common questions…
To find out about when weaning (introducing solid food into their diet) might be right for your baby, you can read more of Lucy’s great advice here. The questions we put to Lucy below focus on weaning foods.
What foods should you start weaning with?
Settling your baby to sleep – Lauren from Little Sleep Stars shares her tips
As your baby grows and is no longer a ‘newborn’ should their sleep be changing? When should they settle themselves, and how can you help them to sleep? We asked Lauren Peacock from Little Sleep Stars to tell us more.
How sleep changes during infancy and beyond
‘Don’t forget, while you are busy doubting yourself, someone else is admiring your strength’ Kristen Butler*
Here’s a takeaway for you. Focus is often on the things we are not proud of; it’s part of human nature. Yet out there are plenty of people who are full of praise and admiration for you being you. Reflecting on ourselves in a different way might be the key to shifting the way we think. What would happen if your thoughts worked this way instead?
- If something goes wrong (in your eyes), it is seen as a learning curve.
- When you are utterly exhausted, you know it’s your time to rest.
- Believe that your thoughts are just that, they are not facts.
- Know there is no need to be perfect, you just need to be you (what is perfect anyway?)
- Think about what you would do, not what others would do. Trust yourself.
- You don’t need to justify yourself to anyone.
- Doing nothing is actually looking after yourself.
- Remember that this is YOUR life, and no one else's.
Shifting the way we think isn't always easy. It can take time, love, care and support. But taking a moment to focus on something good might just make your heart do a little flutter, and it feels great.
Growth charts – Children’s Dietician Lucy Upton answers common questions about babies’ growth
One of the questions we’re often asked after our baby is born is how much they weighed, and you might have heard people talking about centiles or following a line – but what does all this mean, and how often should your baby be weighed? We asked paediatric dietician and feeding therapist Lucy Upton to answer some common questions about growth and growth charts.
How do we monitor a baby or child’s growth?
Your baby and responsive feeding – advice from Lucy Upton, Paediatric Dietician and Feeding Therapist
How much a baby or child is feeding, eating or drinking can be a big source of anxiety or worry for parents. It can be easy to get caught up with totting up milk feeds, volumes in bottles and comparing portion sizes when you start solids. Whether a baby is ‘getting enough’ is something that most parents worry about at some point in the early years.
What is responsive feeding?
Laying the foundations for positive wellbeing and good mental health
The Children’s Society publish The Good Childhood report each year. In the 2022 report, they found that children’s happiness with ‘life as a whole’ was significantly lower than 10 years earlier.[1] We know that early experiences lay the foundations for future wellbeing and positive mental health – so what can you do to support your toddler now (and in the future)?
We know lots about how important early experiences are for future learning – but sometimes the connections between both physical and mental health and our early experiences can seem to be forgotten.
