Recent Articles in Early years

Preparing Your Child For School
Aug 1, 2018

The few weeks in the summer before starting school are an important time to prepare your child for school, writes Anne Coates.

Starting School and Making Friends
Jul 23, 2018

Parents, children, experts and Disney Junior have come together to create How to Make Friends and Influence Five-Year-Olds, a video guide on how to make friends after research revealed “making friends” was a top concern for parents and guardians when it comes to their child starting school. Plus Linda Blair gives her top tips for parents.

Learning With Timmy
Jun 1, 2018

Today, Aardman the Oscar winning animation studio behind family favourites such as Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep launches Learning Time with Timmy, a fun and interactive learning series teaching English for children aged two to five. Plus they commissioned Dr Sam Wass (The Secret Life of Four and Five Year Olds) to reveal his top tips to parents on how to tell good from poor quality online video content for young learners.

Aveeno Baby Skincare Products
Sep 18, 2017

Naomi Mckeri has tested out a range of oat based products Aveeno has created for babies, recently introduced to the UK. She was impressed. 

The Flavour-led Weaning Cookbook by Zainab Jagot Ahmed
May 1, 2017

The Flavour-led Weaning Cookbook by Zainab Jagot Ahmed reviewed by Naomi Mckerl.

Understanding your young child’s brain and behaviour
Mar 29, 2017

For babies and young children consistent companionship, affection and playful communication provide the foundation for their emergent emotional, social and language development. How a child manages their emotions in difficult situations shapes pathways in the brain, which in turn create the "blueprint" for future emotional responses and behaviours, explains Mine Conkbayir, author of Early Childhood and Neuroscience.published by Bloomsbury.

Babease Baby Food
Mar 28, 2017

Naomi Mckerl has just begun the weaning process with Elspeth and, wanting to know exactly what her daughter is eating, was delighted to discover the Babyease range of baby foods.

Are You Worried About Your Toddler's Screen Time?
Jun 16, 2016

Are you worried about your toddler’s touchscreen time? The National Literacy Trust gives reassurance and top tips on how to make technology beneficial for your child’s early learning.

Swimming Lessons for Babies
Apr 4, 2016

Laura Molloy, Founder of one of the UK’s leading baby swim class companies, Swimbabes, discusses the importance and advantages of teaching children to swim as early as possible.

Meal Portion Size for Young Children
Sep 28, 2015

The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) has revamped its online resource to create a user-friendly, visual guide on how much food to offer young children. The guide is now accessible on all devices including mobile, tablet, and desktop computer.

 

Make sure your disabled child doesn't miss out on early years education
Jul 6, 2015

A new guide, Childcare for families with disabled children, launched today by legal experts Irwin Mitchell and charities Contact a Family, Every Disabled Child Matters and the Family and Childcare Trust will help parents with disabled children seek redress if the childcare system fails them. It forms part of the charities’ new campaign ‘Levelling the Playing Field’, calling for equal access to childcare for disabled children.

"Let's Talk About Poo"
Apr 13, 2015

The children’s continence charity ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence), launches a national campaign called "Let’s Talk About Poo" to raise awareness of childhood constipation among parents of two to four year olds and health and education professionals working with this age group.