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Welcome to the My First Five Years Blog. Here you will find all sorts of information, ideas and activities that will help you to support your child.

Sign About Meal Time by Anthony Lewis – learn some British Sign Language signs and chat with your baby about food

This simple board book is part of a series that looks at how we can make signing a part of our everyday activities, from getting up in the morning to a trip to the park.

As the title suggests, Meal Time introduces some signs that you might use with your baby when you eat together. The illustrations are a great conversation starter. You and your toddler could learn some signs together and chat about the food and drink the babies in the book are eating.

1 min read Read Now

Play Ideas,
Babies,
C16.2

Open-ended resources – what are they and how can you use them?

You might have come across the term ‘open-ended’ resources. It’s a phrase widely used in early years settings and on some social media sites. Now your baby is getting older, you’re likely to start hearing it more.

‘Open-ended’ resources is a broad term for toys or objects that can be played with in a variety of ways.

What can open-ended resources be?

2 min read Read Now

Sleep,
Babies,
C6.1

Are they sleeping through yet?

Have you been asked if your baby sleeps through? Seen the TikToks of parents telling everyone how their baby has slept through every night since a week old (or something like that)?

Sleep is one of the first aspects of a children’s development that tests our determination not to compare. If your baby wakes multiple times a night you might be desperate for the secret to uninterrupted sleep!

What IS the secret?

2 min read Read Now

Language,
S5.2,
Babies

What babies and birdsong have in common

Incredibly, scientists have observed that many of the skills babies use when they are learning to babble are similar to those of some songbirds learning to sing.^[1]

1 min read Read Now

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Latest Babies Posts

Sign About Meal Time by Anthony Lewis – learn some British Sign Language signs and chat with your baby about food

This simple board book is part of a series that looks at how we can make signing a part of our everyday activities, from getting up in the morning to a trip to the park.

Open-ended resources – what are they and how can you use them?

You might have come across the term ‘open-ended’ resources. It’s a phrase widely used in early years settings and on some social media sites. Now your baby is getting older, you’re likely to start hearing it more.

‘Open-ended’ resources is a broad term for toys or objects that can be played with in a variety of ways.

Are they sleeping through yet?

Have you been asked if your baby sleeps through? Seen the TikToks of parents telling everyone how their baby has slept through every night since a week old (or something like that)?

Sleep is one of the first aspects of a children’s development that tests our determination not to compare. If your baby wakes multiple times a night you might be desperate for the secret to uninterrupted sleep!

What babies and birdsong have in common

Incredibly, scientists have observed that many of the skills babies use when they are learning to babble are similar to those of some songbirds learning to sing.^[1]

Today Tile Triggered Content

Trending

Early reminiscing with your child may help them share feelings in the future

Can it really be time to think about a potty? Yes, and it's not as scary as it sounds!

Big news in the world of potty training! And you might want to read about it sooner rather than later...

Time for potty training? Here's the latest advice on how to manage it

The importance of touch for your newborn's emotions

Hands, mouth and brain – why your baby explores their hands with their mouth

Have you heard of Elimination Communication toilet training? Here’s a quick explainer...

Let’s pretend – the power of imaginative play

Latest Babies Posts

Sign About Meal Time by Anthony Lewis – learn some British Sign Language signs and chat with your baby about food

This simple board book is part of a series that looks at how we can make signing a part of our everyday activities, from getting up in the morning to a trip to the park.

Open-ended resources – what are they and how can you use them?

You might have come across the term ‘open-ended’ resources. It’s a phrase widely used in early years settings and on some social media sites. Now your baby is getting older, you’re likely to start hearing it more.

‘Open-ended’ resources is a broad term for toys or objects that can be played with in a variety of ways.

Are they sleeping through yet?

Have you been asked if your baby sleeps through? Seen the TikToks of parents telling everyone how their baby has slept through every night since a week old (or something like that)?

Sleep is one of the first aspects of a children’s development that tests our determination not to compare. If your baby wakes multiple times a night you might be desperate for the secret to uninterrupted sleep!

What babies and birdsong have in common

Incredibly, scientists have observed that many of the skills babies use when they are learning to babble are similar to those of some songbirds learning to sing.[1]

Incredibly, scientists have observed that many of the skills babies use when they are learning to babble are similar to those of some songbirds learning to sing.^[1]