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You can also check out all of our practical videos on our YouTube Channel here - these include nappy changing, making up a bottle, topping and tailing and so much more!
Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. When looking at behaviour related issues, one of the most common strategies or ideas that is given as a solution is a reward system of some kind. This might be a reward chart, a star chart, marbles or pasta in a jar (etc.) - these are all related to encouraging ‘good behaviour’ and, in some situations, these might work.
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Does your child twirl round and round and round all the time or, do they always want to line their cars up in a straight line or, perhaps they want to drop or throw things from a height..?! Do you wonder why this might be?
Children are creatures of habit and it’s with good reason! These repetitive behaviours are all part of your child’s essential brain development, helping them to learn new skills and practice what happens when they do them. As babies you will have seen your child repeating an action until they were able to do it, and, as our children get older, these behaviours become more defined as their interests (and their brains) develop.
Read MoreGetting to know...Hannah Croft IBCLC, Lactation Consultant. Breastfeeding can look different for every family, so my role is to listen to each family’s goals about how they want to feed their baby. Breastfeeding is normal and natural but it can take time, practice and perseverance to help it all fall into place. It’s a bit like learning to dance!
I offer home visits in my local area to families; I go and observe a feed and help with latching and feeding. I also work with families whose babies are on feeding plans due to health conditions or low weight gain.
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Sharing is often something that we want our children to be able to do from a young age. It is of course much more socially acceptable for a child to share things with other children than to snatch or refuse to let them near their possessions. Getting a child to understand that they need to share can sometimes feel like a long and difficult process. It can cause frustration for a child, who has these expectations on them when they might not fully understand, and also for the adults who want so much for their child to share!
Read MoreWritten by Dr Karen McInnes. Play is such a simple activity and is often taken for granted as, after all, all children do it! There are many reasons why children play, one of which is the beneficial impact of play. During these strange and surreal times, it can be quite confusing for children and the importance of play for children’s mental health and wellbeing cannot be overstated. This blog sets out how play benefits children in this way and how we, as parents, can support our children’s play.
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Nappy rash can be a real pain in the bottom (sorry but it had to be done!) for little one and their parents. It can affect children to varying degrees and is not pleasant for anyone involved as it can be painful and sore and cause little ones to be extremely unsettled.
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. *If your child is constipated it is important to get this checked out by your GP to ascertain what might be causing this and then looking at what needs to happen next. If it is put down to constipation because of normal reasons like diet, fluids etc then some of the points below should be of some help!
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. The transition from cot to bed can happen anywhere between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old. My advice would always be that the closer you can get to 3 years old the better! Being closer to 3 they are more developmentally ready for this change and will have a greater understanding of the concept of being in a bed. By doing the transition at this stage it will usually go much more smoothly than doing it when they are very little.
Read MoreWritten by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. At one time or another most parents and child carers find themselves in the position of trying to persuade a little one to eat something and quite often it is something they have previously loved and are now refusing!
We all go through phases and stages of enjoying certain foods but then sometimes just not wanting to eat it. Lots of things can impact on this, from the amount of fresh air that we have had that day, exercise or lack of exercise, number of snacks or size of the previous meal, peer pressure or generally just how you might be feeling! Our children are no different and often they aren’t involved in the process of preparing food, so plates of food are just be put in front of them and sometimes they just don’t feel like eating it!
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