Today Tile Triggered Content

When you hold your baby they may take a little weight on their legs, and they might seem to prefer being held in a standing position. If you're thinking about getting a baby walker as they become stronger, you'll be interested in what research into baby walkers has found.

Your baby is developing control of their movements now, and they might be discovering that they can put their feet in their mouth. Let's take a look at why those tasty toes are so good for your baby's self awareness.

Your baby might not have been very keen on tummy time, but now as they are getting stronger they might start to enjoy playing on their front a bit more.  

We all frequently hear about how tummy time supports our baby’s development, but having time in other positions also helps them to develop balance, strength and control.  

In the months leading up to your baby’s birth, you may have had an increasing number of (probably well-intentioned) people sharing their words of parenting wisdom. Now that your baby is here, you might find even more advice coming your way. Some of this will be welcome, of course, but although it might not always feel like it during these first days and weeks, you are the expert on your baby.

All the That’s not my... touch and feel books are fabulously fun for very young readers. They are brightly illustrated board books with lovely, clear and tactile images on each page.  

These books explore many topics, from animals to seasons, so there really is something for everyone. Each book has touchy-feely pages with different textures and lovely big pictures.  

The beat of a piece of music can be likened to a heartbeat, keeping time all the way from beginning to end. Marching around to the beat of music, feeling the rhythm as they go, has many benefits for children. Their body and mind are working together as your child stays aware of the beat and marches in time. 

Music is woven into the fabric of our lives. Listening, playing, dancing (things most of us enjoy all our lives) start here: marching or dancing around your home to the beat of a song. 

We asked our My First Five Years community what key advice they would give for the early days of parenthood, and this is what they told us... 

Much of the research we read about babies involves studies of mothers and babies, with fathers often left out of the picture. But increasingly, researchers are including dads in their work and finding more about the ways everyone who cares for your baby plays an important role in their development.   

In 2014, Adrienne Burgess, CEO and head of research at the Fatherhood Institute, outlined five myths about dads, which (in most cases) are untrue.^[1]  

Music is magical. It has the power to move us to joy and sorrow, to bring back memories, to make us move and dance and to let us sing out loud – whether we’re alone or not. Many occasions in our lives are accompanied by music, and a song can bring us back to a particular moment in time. But does it also play a part in your child’s development?  

Your child will have been hearing the music they’re surrounded by since before they were even born, and as they’ve grown you might have noticed they have a preference for certain songs or rhythms. They may even be enjoying singing along, or making up their own words, to favourites.