After 15 years of clinical experience working with babies and toddlers we have a whole new take on play. Play is the way children learn and as paediatric clinicians we use it to assess where our babies and children are at, and to support the development of new skills. We teach parents how to connect with their babies and children through play in order to better understand and support their...
The short answer? Yes, absolutely!
There is SO much that goes on for your baby in their first year.
The milestones that stand out?? Rolling....sitting....crawling....standing.
All the gross motor ones!
As a Paediatric Speech Pathologist I get a bit miffed sometimes that the gross motor skills get so much attention.....because what about all those amazing communication skills too?!
Sure, the gross motor skills are more obvious. Plus if your baby is stuck with them, you'll often know about it because they'll be frustrated. And they are absolutely important.
But so are communication skills in the first year too!
This is when your baby lays down the foundations for saying words, and more importantly being able to communicate with others (which is so much more than saying words!).
From the moment...
Active play is important for everything from building strength and motor skills to regulating and improving mental health… YES the benefits of exercise are there for BOTH you and your kids!
The World Health Organisation has some lovely clear guidelines for all of us! More here but in a nutshell...
At all ages variety is...
First words. Such a big and wonderful milestone for your little baby! What will it be? Mama? Dada? Or something random (one of my baby's first words was 'light'!).
You'll typically start to hear your baby's first word anywhere from 9-14 months of age. If they haven't produced any words by 18 months, we'd recommend seeing a Speech Pathologist for further assessment.
Those first words won't be very clear. It can therefore be tricky to tell if it is a word or not! You might be saying to each other.....'did she say....?' 'I swear he just said......!'.
Around 6-8 months of age, your baby will start babbling. As they get better and better at this skill, they will...
Starting out and setting up
This year was a big one for our very first WT baby model Miss E who started kindy. My focus for the year was setting up some smart systems to make getting out the door each morning and juggling all the extra school information (man there is a lot of it!!) easier.
I hit the laminator hard and after trialing a couple of options we have a morning checklist and a week plan that have made a BIG difference in getting out the door on time with everyone still in a good mood!
If you too love a good system, particularly a visual one try out our free printable visual timetable cards. You can download them FREE here and find out all the details from Chiara about why...
When evaluating good quality supportive footwear for very young children, we are looking at everything we can see and touch, and then also what we can’t see with naked eye – everything that was used in making of the shoe.
Here are our tips for 5 ways to spot the supportive shoe that is right for your baby;
1. Heel Counter- the part of the shoe that accommodates the heel. Heel counter provides stability to the foot, and also gives the shoe its shape (and keeps it that way long term). You can...
Here are our top tips for getting the most bang out of your buck when it comes to toys
Some of the benefits of music for your baby include:
Here are our ideas on how to play with instruments with your baby or...
Why is reading together with your baby or child so important?
Chiara's number 1 tip... You don’t have just read the book from front to cover though….here’s some different ways to change up your book...
1. Moving on; vertical kneeling play- 2 point kneeling is kneeling upright on the knees. This is a great preparation for standing as your baby is learning to stabilise their position with the muscles around the hips and pelvis. Squigz stuck to the mirror, door or fridge will entice your baby into this position. Even trickier...
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