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Getting to Know Your Baby videos have been designed to help parents, caregivers, and health professionals to know how to support the development of a baby’s emotional wellbeing. See categories for more videos:

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Baby Sleep Info Source

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Research-based information on baby sleep for parents and practitioners, covering normal infant sleep, sleep safety, where and how babies sleep, SIDS and SUDI, parental sleep and free resources.

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Use your languages - The more of your language(s) your baby hears, the more they will speak and understand. Give them the chance to listen to the languages that are important to you as often as possible.

Children can learn more than one language - Children can develop good language skills in any and every language that they hear - no matter what those languages are!

Speak in the languages you're most comfortable with - This will give your child the best chance at learning language. They will learn English from the community later.

Multilingualism is a positive - There are advantages for well-being, learning and thinking.

There is no one right way - Every family is unique. Do what works best for you!

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Use your languages - The more of your language(s) your baby hears, the more they will speak and understand. Give them the chance to listen to the languages that are important to you as often as possible.

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Practical advice based on personal experience and results of scientific research

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Bringing up a Bilingual / Trilingual child - Best working Languages Strategies.

You have a list of languages you would like your child to speak, but you do not know how to go about it and how to introduce the languages.

The typical questions of parents who are "freshmen" in the field :

Strategies:
There are two very successful and popular strategies in raising bilingual children, that with some modifications also apply to trilingual and multilingual children.

It is also called One Parent One Language or OPOL strategy.
One parent always speaks one language to the child and the other always speaks another.
For instance, the father always speaks Italian to the child and the mother always speaks Russian. The country language can be either one of the two, or the third one - English. You can read about my family strategy.

2. Minority Language at Home strategy (ML@H).

When both partners and family members speak one language at home, and the child learns the community or dominant language outside the house walls.

As an example, all family members (the household) speak English at home, when country language is Italian.

These strategies can be used with some modifications in raising multilingual children.

3. Time and Place strategy (T&P) for separating two and more languages.

In Time and Place (T&P) approach parents can assign a specific language to a day of the week (let's say every Sunday family speaks Spanish) or to an activity (speaking English while bathing or watching German news on TV). One parent can speak two languages to a child: one language in the morning and another language in the evening or take longer time for each language and switch them every other day or week. You would need to experiment and see what works best for you and your child. Many parents have reported that two week interval works best, because both child and the parents have enough time to adjust after the language switch. I provide some more tips in "Bilingualism and speech delay. How can you help?" article.

If families relocate and parents support child's new or previous language acquisitions, the child can become from bilingual to trilingual, quadrilingual and multilingual even if the parents speak only one language.

What language should I speak to my child?

Here there is no right or wrong answer. It is always best to speak the language you are more proficient in, which is normally your mother tongue.
From the mother's point of view, I suggest to stop your choice on your mother tongue, because all the lullabies and nursery songs you heard, when you were a baby yourself, were in that language.
When you have your child in the arms, the songs and the words you heard as a child naturally come out from you.
It might be hard to start speaking the language you have not used for a while. I had experienced it myself. You just need to start speaking to your child all the time, since he is born, using your mother tongue and eventually you will feel confident using that language.

You might speak a language in which you see no benefit for your child in learning. Please first ask yourself if your child needs that language knowledge to communicate with the grandparents or relatives? Do not take away this possible bound and enjoyment from your child!

If, after giving it a good thought, you still decide not to teach your child your mother tongue, know that you still can help your child dramatically by joining your spouse and speaking his or her mother tongue to the child ( this is the case when it is different from the community language). You can even benefit as a family from sticking to Minority language at home strategy. Having a normal conversation as a family, without interruptions for translation is a plus.

When should I start speaking to my child the targeted language?

I would say from the birth onwards. The earlier you start the better edge you will have over the dominant language. Start reading to your child early, when he is still a baby. The time is crucial here, as you need to create a language base in the minority language, before the majority language becomes stronger and starts taking over. The more time and energy you invest in your child, the better is the result.

What languages should speak other members of the family to the child?

Ask the ants, uncles, grandparents to support you in your task of raising a bilingual or multilingual child by speaking only the minority language.
If your relatives are fluent in some other minority language, you can ask them to always speak it to your child. Consistency is key even here. Decide together with the relatives what language they would speak to your child.

Do I need to do anything particular to reinforce the child's language knowledge?

Yes!
You would need to to your child. If possible, in the morning and in the afternoon.
Talk to your child in the targeted language all the time from the moment he was born or even during the pregnancy. According to the research published by Psychological Science journal, infants that were spoken to two different languages during the pregnancy were showing interest to both languages compare to monolinguals. It insures the attention and future learning of the languages he has already heard spoken.

You need to insure that your child receives enough language exposure. How much is enough? There is no scientifically proofed number. You just need to make sure that your input is consistent day after day and that your child learns the vocabulary from different life situations. Thus, if you are a working parent, you might think of hiring a nanny speaking less dominant language first, then to send your child to an immersion school. You need to develop a long run plan from the birth onwards, which you will modify as your child grows and according to your family situation.

My best wishes to you in your journey to a happy multilingual family!

Read my answers to other parents in the comments below and in the Question and Answer series.

Also you might have similar questions as the parents, who commented after the post Exposing your kids to languages.

9 Steps of Raising a Bilingual Child Successfully. How to Start So You Don't Feel Giving It Up Halfway Through.

Raising a Bilingual Child (Living Language Series) by Barbara Zurer Pearson

7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child by Naomi Steiner and Stephen Parker

Be Bilingual - Practical Ideas for Multilingual Families by Annika Bourgogne

Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability: Ideas and inspiration for even greater success and joy raising bilingual kids by Adam Beck

Language Strategies for Trilingual Families: Parents' Perspectives (Parents' and Teachers' Guides) by Andreas Braun and Tony Cline

Trilingual by Six: The sane way to raise intelligent, talented children by Lennis Dippel

Raising Multilingual Children (Parents' and Teachers' Guides) by Dr. Jean-Marc Dewaele and Julia Festman

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Bringing up a Bilingual / Trilingual child - Best working Languages Strategies. You have a list of languages you would like your child to speak, but you do not know how to go about it and how to introduce the languages.

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Babble to bilingual - advice on speaking multiple languages

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Babble to bilingual - advice on speaking multiple languages

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Bilingual babies and speaking multiple languages at home - BBC Tiny Happy People

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Will hearing me speak more than one language confuse my child? Is the speech of bilingual children delayed? What language should I use at home? Tips for parents on introducing children to more than one language.

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Stages of Speech and Language Development

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Stages of Speech and Language Development

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0 to 6 months

Hold your baby close and look at them as you talk to them. Babies love faces and will watch you and respond as you talk.

Chat about what you're doing as you feed, change and bathe them.

Sing to your baby - this helps them tune in to the rhythm of language.

Repeat the sounds your baby makes back to them - this teaches your baby lessons about listening and taking turns in a conversation.

Talk in a sing-song voice - this helps to keep your baby's attention.

6 to 12 months

Name and point to things you can both see, for example, "Look, a cat". This will help your baby learn words and, in time, they'll start to copy you. As your baby gets older, add more detail, such as, "Look, a black cat".

Start looking at books with your baby - you do not have to read the words on the page, just talk about what you can see.

Only offer a dummy when it's time for sleep. It's hard to learn to talk with a dummy in your mouth. Aim to stop using dummies completely by 12 months.

Play games like "peek-a-boo" and "round and round the garden". This teaches your baby important skills like taking turns, paying attention and listening.

12 to 18 months

If your child is trying to say a word but gets it wrong, say the word properly. For example, if they point to a cat and say "Ca!" you should respond with, "Yes, it's a cat". Do not criticise or tell them off for getting the word wrong.

Increase your child's vocabulary by giving them choices, such as, "Do you want an apple or a banana?".

Toys and books that make a noise will help your child's listening skills.

Enjoy singing nursery rhymes and songs together as your baby grows, especially those with actions, such as "Pat-a-cake", "Row, row, row your boat" and "Wind the bobbin up". Doing the actions helps your child to remember the words.

18 to 24 months

Repeat words, for example, "Where are your shoes?", "Are you wearing blue shoes today?" and "Let's put your shoes on". Repetition helps your child to remember words.

Use simple instructions - your child will understand some instructions at this age, such as "Get your coat" or '"Shut the door". Keeping instructions short and simple will help your child understand.

Try asking "Where's your..." - ask your child to point to their ear, nose, foot, and so on.

Limit your child's daily TV time to no more than 30 minutes for children younger than 24 months. Playing and listening to stories is more helpful when they're learning to talk.

2 to 3 years

Help them build sentences - your child will start to put simple sentences together at around age 2. Try to reply using sentences that are a few words longer. For example, if they say, "sock off", respond with "yes, we're taking your sock off".

Get your child's attention by saying their name at the start of a sentence. If you ask a question, give them plenty of time to answer you.

Teach them about words that go together - for example, you could show them a ball, teddy and a rattle and then say the word 'toy'.

Start using sounds with meaning (symbolic sounds), like saying "whoops" or "uh-oh" when you drop something accidentally, or saying "meow" while showing them a picture of a cat.

Switch off the television and radio - background noise makes it harder for your child to listen to you.

Talk as you clean - children this age love to help. Chat about what you're doing as you do chores like shopping, cooking and cleaning together.

The I Can website has more information about stages of speech and language development at different ages.

Think your child may have a speech or language problem?

If you're worried about your child's speech or language development, talk to your GP or health visitor. If necessary, they will refer your child to your local speech and language therapy department.

If you prefer, you can refer your child to a speech and language therapist yourself.

The I Can website has answers to common questions about speech and language assessments and also information about the assessment services it offers.

How to help your bilingual child

Lots of children grow up in a family where more than one language is spoken. This can be an advantage to children in their learning. Knowing another language will help the development of their English.

The important thing is to talk to your child in whatever language feels comfortable to you. This may mean that one parent uses one language, while the other uses a different language. Children adapt to this very well.

Video: when will my child start talking? (12 to 30 months)

In this video, a health visitor talks about when you should expect your child to start talking.

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Hold your baby close and look at them as you talk to them. Babies love faces and will watch you and respond as you talk. Chat about what you're doing as you feed, change and bathe them. Sing to your baby - this helps them tune in to the rhythm of language.

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The first stop for information on children’s communication

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Welcome to I CAN’s Talking Point. Here you can find information to help you understand and support children and young people’s speech, language and communication

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Small Talk is a pilot project from the National Literacy Trust

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Words for Life | National Literacy Trust

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Activities and support for parents, children and young people to improve language, literacy and communication skills from home.

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This article discusses the following subjects related to baby development, milestones, stages, communication and play:
Music and rhythm
Active play with your baby
Discovery play with your baby
Sensory play with your baby
Books and stories with your baby
Using different languages
Being together
Further information

Babies can learn a lot through play and all interaction between you both is valuable. During the first few months of life, your baby will be developing and learning to smile, look and laugh.

Although he may not be able to respond to you very early on, getting used to hearing your voice and learning to interact with you will always be stimulating. For instance, you can enjoy early 'conversations' with your baby where you talk or make a noise while you have eye contact with him and your baby may respond with a noise or movement themselves.

As your baby becomes older, he will be able to respond to you more and also start to become curious about the world around him. Baby play will become more sensory with him touching, banging and grabbing objects. He will develop emotionally too and you will see his playtime activities becoming more imaginative.

There are lots of ways to enjoy spending time with your baby and help him to develop his communication and understanding of the world. Fitting in some special quality time - switching off the television, phone and computer - and getting down to your baby's level to follow his lead and play a game, can be really enjoyable for you both.

It's important to remember that babies are also individuals - just like their parents - and what fascinates one, might not interest another. This is another aspect of their development and you will see this over time, as they start to have favourite games, books or activities at particular points in their early years.

Many things make different babies happy so it is a good idea to try out different ways of interacting with and playing with your child.

Music and rhythm

Rhymes and songs are wonderful sources of early learning and enjoyment which can encourage your baby's development. Rhymes help your baby to understand the importance of sounds, and repetition means the words are easily learnt. Older babies love action songs and rhymes with stronger beats and rhythms.

Look for new songs as he gets older but go back to the old ones too, especially if he is tired or not well. The familiarity is welcome and comforting.

Active play with your baby

From an early age, babies enjoy physical contact and movement. Discovering their hands and feet allows them to explore using their senses. They learn from physical interaction with you, watching and copying your facial expressions, and reacting to your touch and tickles.

Older babies enjoy more energetic play, such as bouncing on your lap, sitting on your shoulders and 'flying' in the air. As they become more mobile and start to roll, crawl, climb and reach, each of these activities will encourage the development of your baby's strength and agility.

Physical play also improves motor skills, keeping children fit and active.

Discovery play with your baby

Young babies are captivated by contrasting shapes and colours and will use their mouths to investigate different objects in their grasp. Enabling your baby to explore different, safe objects is key to helping their development.
A box with wooden spoons, different sized pots, cotton reels on string and bits of textured materials can be a useful and fun discovery tool for your baby.

Sensory play with your baby

Babies are fascinated by their home and the world outside. Young babies can enjoy lying outside underneath a tree, feeling the wind on their faces and watching the tree branches move. Some older babies will love to sit on the grass and feel different textures.

Exploring natural materials such as wood, sand, water and stones are all part of your baby's growing experiences of the world. This type of play stimulates their sense of touch and sound. It is here they begin to notice the different feel of things - wet, sticky, muddy - and hear how things make different sounds, the 'whoosh' noise of water, and clunk of pebbles, for instance.

In addition, when you begin to introduce solids into their diet, letting them 'play' with different types of food, allowing them to experience a variety of textures through touch and taste, can be fun and useful for them.

Books and stories with your baby

Looking at books and simple stories together is a great activity and you can begin reading to your baby as soon as you like. This can also be a signal that it is time to calm down and have a restful period, perhaps before bedtime or a daytime nap. Enjoy this opportunity to cuddle up and talk together.

Children's books are available in every shape, size and style. Some are deliberately chewable, or waterproof for taking in the bath. You may want to think about whether you'd like some books kept in good condition to be looked back at later.

Using different languages

Many families use more than one language. Consistency is important so agree with your partner and other family members who will speak in what language to help your child understand and separate the languages. It's best to talk in the early days in whichever language you are most comfortable and fluent. In this way, your child will learn a wide vocabulary and how to use language easily.

Later on it will be easier for him to learn another language because he has had the early experience of your fluent speech. Bilingual children in general benefit from their knowledge of two or more languages and learn others more easily.

Being together

It isn't always easy to find the time or energy to play with your baby - you may be trying to balance work and family life, and have domestic chores to get done. It can help to remember that one of the most important ways babies learn is simply by watching and listening to the people they love.

Parents can sometimes worry that they should be playing or communicating with their baby in certain ways to encourage their development. But if you focus on enjoying your time with your baby, and doing the things that you both like to do, his development should progress normally with no problems.

Further information

Our support line offers practical and emotional support with feeding your baby and general enquiries for parents, members and volunteers: 0300 330 0700.

You might find attending one of NCT's Early Days groups helpful as they give you the opportunity to explore different approaches to important parenting issues with a qualified group leader and other new parents in your area.

Make friends with other parents-to-be and new parents in your local area by seeing what NCT activities are happening nearby.

Words for Life, a dedicated website from the National Literacy Trust, provides clear information about early communication skills and is a great resource for ideas on bringing these skills into your baby's everyday life.

NHS Choices provides a guide to Learning and Playing with your child in its early years.

Playday organises the National day for play and has information on events nation wide.

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Your baby's development: communication and play | Baby & toddler articles & support | NCT

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Playtime has a significant role in your baby's development. Here we discuss baby play and communication and tips for interacting together.

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By three months, your baby will have reached some exciting milestones. She will be making cooing noises, smiling, and even copying how your facial expressions sometimes.

Milestones

Babies like to look at faces and hear voices, so try to look at your baby when you speak to her. She will try to copy your sounds and expressions. When she does this, make the noise or expression back. This is how babies learn to communicate.

At this age, see if:

Your baby looks at you when you speak.

Your baby looks at your face when you speak.

Your baby coos or gurgles to themselves.

Your baby smiles or has different cries for how she feels.

By six months, your baby will be growing more curious about the world around them. They will try to copy you with babbles, facial expressions and movements. It's good to listen and respond to them at this age as they learn to communicate.

Milestones

By six months your baby will love spending time with you and hearing your voice. Being face-to-face with your baby helps them learn about expressions. This is also a great age to play games like peek-a-boo or sing songs to your baby.

At this age, see if:

Your baby laughs when they play.

Your baby makes sounds when somebody speaks to them.

Your baby makes different noises to show different feelings, like when they are happy, excited, hungry or tired.

Your baby smiles when someone smiles at them.

Concerns?

All babies are different, and your baby will develop in his own way. If you are worried about how your baby is getting on, speak to your Health Visitor or Children's Centre. They may suggest a hearing test or a visit to your GP.

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By three months, your baby will have reached some exciting milestones. She will be making cooing noises, smiling, and even copying how your facial expressions sometimes. Milestones Babies like to look at faces and hear voices, so try to look at your baby when you speak to her.

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Stages of Speech and Language Development

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Stages of Speech and Language Development

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From Babycentre.co.uk

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Follow your baby's development from a tiny mass of cells through to a fully developed baby. Our illustrations show how your baby is growing inside your womb (uterus), while our Inside pregnancy videos take a 3D animated look at a baby from conception to labour and birth. And see the whole nine months in one timeline!

Conception

See what happens inside you during the conception process.

One month pregnant

Your baby is an embryo consisting of two layers of cells from which all her organs and body parts will develop.

Two months pregnant

Your baby is now about the size of a kidney bean and is constantly moving. He has distinct, slightly webbed fingers.

Three months pregnant

By now your baby is around 7 to 8 centimeters (3 inches) long and weighs about the same as a pea pod. Her tiny, unique fingerprints are now in place.

Nine months pregnant

Your baby is almost due. At birth, the average baby is more than 51cm (20.5in) long from head to toe and weighs approximately 3.4kg (7.5lb), but babies vary widely in size at this stage.

Month by month with ultrasound images

See our summary of how your baby is developing from two months. Within each month, 3D ultrasound images give you an idea of how your baby may look.

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Follow your baby's development from a tiny mass of cells through to a fully developed baby. Our illustrations show how your baby is growing inside your womb (uterus), while our Inside pregnancy videos take a 3D animated look at a baby from conception to labour and birth.

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A short animation that shows how the baby grows and develops over the course of the pregnancy

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From Babycentre.co.uk

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To give you the best experience, BabyCentre's website and emails use cookies and similar tracking systems to personalise the content and ads we provide to you. We use your health information to make our site even more helpful. By clicking the button, you agree to our policies and to get emails from us.

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To give you the best experience, BabyCentre's website and emails use cookies and similar tracking systems to personalise the content and ads we provide to you. We use your health information to make our site even more helpful. By clicking the button, you agree to our policies and to get emails from us.

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Information from the British Liver Trust

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ICP: Symptoms and Diagnosis

Symptoms

Itching is often the only symptom of ICP. The itching typically begins on the arms, legs, hands and soles of the feet. It may also occur on other parts of the body such as the face, back and breasts. It is usually worse at night, leading to sleeplessness and exhaustion.

Some women scratch themselves so frantically that they make themselves bleed. A few lose their appetite and feel generally unwell. A number of women (thought to be around one in ten) will develop jaundice in pregnancy. However, most women with ICP do not have jaundice.

Itching is not uncommon in normal pregnancy. However, some women may not be aware that they have ICP because they are told that itching is normal in pregnancy. This can be misleading.

Diagnosis

Your doctor should ask about your medical and family history to aid diagnosis. If close female family members have been affected by ICP then you may be at increased risk.

It is also important to exclude all other possible causes of your itching, such as allergies or eczema (but it is possible to have a skin condition and ICP). Other signs such as pale stools or dark urine may indicate a problem with your liver, including ICP.

Liver blood tests

Your doctor can diagnose ICP from blood tests called liver blood tests and a serum bile salt test. Liver blood tests are performed to gain an idea of how your liver is functioning. A number of separate properties of your blood will be examined. Your doctor should use pregnancy-specific reference ranges to interpret your blood test results.

In OC/ICP, doctors will be looking for abnormal levels of the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Sometimes levels of another enzyme, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), will also be raised. The most specific test involves measuring serum bile salts. In most UK hospitals raised levels would be a measurement of greater than 14µmol/L. However some hospitals may ask you to fast before the test. In this case a fasting level of greater than 10µmol/L would support the diagnosis of OC/ICP.

In most women with ICP, both ALT and bile salt levels will be raised, but just one may be raised at the first test. If the tests are within normal limits and you carry on itching, it is important that the tests are repeated. Unfortunately the serum bile salt test is not available in all hospitals. Your doctor may need to send a sample to another hospital for diagnosis

Hepatitis C and ICP

Women with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing ICP during pregnancy. A small number of women with ICP may therefore have undiagnosed hepatitis C. If your test results do show that you have viral hepatitis, or another liver condition, you will then be able to be referred to a specialist in liver disease (hepatologist) and receive treatment.

ICP is only completely confirmed when symptoms disappear and liver tests go back to normal after delivery.

Pregnancy and itching
It is important that if you are pregnant and itching, you should check with your doctor or midwife. A simple blood test (see below) is required to diagnose ICP . It may be helpful to take a copy of the leaflet below with you.

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Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) - British Liver Trust

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Itching is often the only symptom of ICP. The itching typically begins on the arms, legs, hands and soles of the feet. It may also occur on other parts of the body such as the face, back and breasts. It is usually worse at night, leading to sleeplessness and exhaustion.

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Information and guidelines including diet, colostrum harvesting and induction.

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I created Gestational Diabetes UK in 2014 as a GD Mum, for other Mums. I'm dedicated to providing information, research and support on gestational diabetes, from diagnosis through to birth and beyond.

I do not show any ads on my website, or have any annoying pop-ups. There are no affiliate links and no financial gain for any products that are mentioned within the content. All links shown are purely for information purposes.

GD UK does not sell any physical products, instead, it is funded by an optional subscription to the website for additional GD UK recipes and 7-day meal plans.

By selling recipe subscriptions, it has meant that the Gestational Diabetes UK website can remain free for all to use.

If you would like to subscribe to the GD UK Recipe Subscription, please use the link below

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Gestational Diabetes UK * Gestational Diabetes UK

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Gestational Diabetes UK is dedicated to offering support and evidence based research to women diagnosed with gestational diabetes in the UK and Ireland

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Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

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A guide to milestones (use with caution - all babies are different!)

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Help us help you get the treatment you need

Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), it can be hard to know what to do if you're unwell. It's important to get medical help if you think you need it.

For help from a GP - use your GP surgery's website, use an online service or app, or call the surgery.

For urgent medical help - use the NHS 111 online service, or call 111 if you're unable to get help online.

For life-threatening emergencies - call 999 for an ambulance.

If you're advised to go to hospital, it's important to go.

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Help us help you get the treatment you need Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), it can be hard to know what to do if you're unwell. It's important to get medical help if you think you need it. For help from a GP - use your GP surgery's website, use an online service or app, or call the surgery.

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Ideas to help your child play and learn

You can give your child lots of different opportunities to play, and it doesn't need to be difficult or expensive.

look at books and sing songs and nursery rhymes with your child. It's fun and will help them develop language and communication skills

use things that you've already got around the house. Try some of the ideas below

get involved yourself. Your child will learn more from you than they will from any toy

Play ideas at any age

Playing with water

Babies, toddlers and young children love playing with water - in the bath, paddling pool or just using the sink or a plastic bowl.

Use plastic bottles for pouring and squirting each other, plastic tubing, a sponge, a colander, straws, a funnel, spoons and anything else that's unbreakable.

Never leave a young child alone with water. A baby or young child can drown in just 5 centimetres (2 inches) of water.

Reading to your baby

You can start looking at books with your baby from an early age - it will help them with their future learning. The time spent sharing books with your baby also allows you to bond with them and is good for emotional wellbeing.

Even before babies learn to speak, they will enjoy hearing you read to them. Listening to you will give them a feel for the sounds, rhythms and rhymes of language. Even small babies like looking at picture books.

Local libraries usually have a good range of children's books. Some run story sessions for young children. Even if it's for just 10 minutes a day, looking at books with your child will help them build important skills and encourage their interest in reading.

Booktrust offers free Bookstart book packs to every child at 2 key ages before they start school. The aim is to help families enjoy reading together every day and get your child off to a flying start.

You will get a Bookstart Baby pack in your baby's first year, usually from your health visitor or other health professional. Your child will also get a Bookstart Treasure pack when they are 3 or 4 years old from their nursery, playgroup or other early years setting.

Visit the Bookstart website to enjoy interactive storybooks and games, and to find out about events at your local library. You'll also find plenty of other book recommendations.

You could also visit Words for Life for reading tips and ideas.

Play ideas from 4 months

Rattles

Wash out a plastic screw-top bottle and put dried lentils or beans inside. Shake it around in front of your child and they will learn how to make a noise with it.

Be sure to secure the lid so that it won't come off as some dried beans are poisonous and young children can choke on small objects.

Play ideas from 18 months

Pretend cooking

Use a bowl and spoons to measure small quantities of "real" ingredients (flour, lentils, rice, sugar, custard powder). You and your child can mix them up with water in bowls or egg cups.

Drawing and painting

Use crayons, felt tips or powder paint. You can make powder paint thicker by adding washing-up liquid and water.

Firstly, show your child how to hold the crayon or paintbrush. If you don't have paper, you can use the insides of cereal boxes or old envelopes that have been cut open.

Sock puppets

Use socks and envelopes to make hand puppets. Draw faces on them or stick things on to make your own characters. Get the puppets to "talk" to each other, or to you and your child.

Walking

Encourage your child to walk with you (you may want to use reins for safety) as soon as they are able to. It might slow you down, but it's a great way for both of you to get some exercise.

Play ideas from 24 months

Dressing up

Collect old hats, bags, gloves, scarves, nighties, lengths of material, tea towels and curtains. Ask friends and relatives or try jumble sales.

Make sure there are no loose cords, strings or ribbons that could wrap around your child's neck or trip them (or you) up.

Paper plates or cut-up cereal packets make good masks. Cut slits for the eyes and attach them to your face with string or elastic.

TV

It's best to limit your child's daily TV time to no more than half an hour for under-2s and an hour for 3- to 5-year-olds.

TV can entertain your child and give you a bit of time to do other things. Try not to have it on all the time, though. Always know what your child is watching. When possible, watch with your child, so that you can talk together about what you're watching.

Play ideas from 30 months

Junk modelling

Collect cardboard boxes, cartons, yoghurt pots, milk bottle tops and anything else you can think of. Buy some children's glue (the type that comes with a brush is easiest to use) and help them to make whatever they like.

Toy safety

When buying toys, look for the British Standard kitemark, lion mark or CE mark, which show that the toy meets safety standards.

Visit the Which? website to see the different safety symbols.

Take care when buying secondhand toys or toys from market stalls, as they may not meet safety standards and could be dangerous.

Toys usually have age warnings on them. If a toy is marked as "Not suitable for children under 36 months", don't give it to a baby or toddler under 3. Check toys for sharp edges or small parts that your child could swallow.

Button battery warning

Some electrical toys contain small, round batteries called button batteries. As well as being a choking hazard, these can cause severe internal burns if swallowed or lodged in your child's ear or nose.

Keep button batteries well away from your child and make sure that battery compartments on toys are properly secured with a screw.

If you think your child has swallowed a button battery, take them to A&E straight away or call 999.

Toys for children with special needs

Toys for children with special needs should match their developmental age and ability.

If your child is using a toy intended for a younger age group, make sure that it's strong enough and won't get broken.

Children with a visual impairment will need toys with different textures to explore with their hands and mouth.

Children with impaired hearing will need toys to stimulate language, such as puzzles that involve matching "finger-spelled" letters to appropriate pictures.

The Living made easy website has lots of play and leisure ideas and equipment for disabled children.

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You can give your child lots of different opportunities to play, and it doesn't need to be difficult or expensive. look at books and sing songs and nursery rhymes with your child. It's fun and will help them develop language and communication skills use things that you've already got around the house.

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Babies are born learning. Very young children are learning through play, the active exploration of their environment, and, most importantly, through interactions with the significant adults in their lives.

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Babies are born learning. Very young children are learning through play, the active exploration of their environment, and, most importantly, through interactions with the significant adults in their lives.

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Your baby will reach milestones at a rate that's unique to them. They'll get to each development stage when they are ready so try not to compare them with others.

It's fascinating to see your baby grow and develop before your eyes. You will have plenty of exciting baby's firsts to look forward to in the coming months. The following are the baby development stages you can expect.

Grasping and grabbing

Your baby can grasp an object like your finger from the moment they are born. At birth it's a reflex and by the time they're around three months old, it's a skill they're keen to develop.

You'll notice your little one's increased hand-eye coordination, as they discover their hands are part of their body and start to gain control over them (Murray, 2014).

As your baby develops their arm and hand muscles they will start to reach for objects (Public Health Agency, 2018). It's a good idea to make sure hot drinks are out of their reach. Your little one will begin to reach accurately and quickly, not only with both hands but with their entire body.

By four months, your baby will probably have finally mastered this game and be able to get his thumb to his mouth and keep it there (Murray, 2014). Many people say this movement is one of the most important ways for your baby to self-sooth and calm down. So try not to cover your baby's hands or prevent them from sucking their thumb if they want to.

Kick, wriggle and roll

If your baby enjoys kicking, wriggling and rolling, let them have enough space to move around. Make sure they aren't constricted by clothing that's too big or too small.

At first your little one's movements may appear jerky and meaningless. If you observe your baby closely, you'll see they are communicating through limb movements and facial expressions (Kelly, 2014).

Babies sometimes prefer to feel contained, recreating the feeling of being in the womb. Some babies might fling out their arms or try to push themselves up to the sides of their cot or Moses basket. This is a short phase. To create that security, you could tuck your baby in, or carry them in a sling.

Rolling over is usually the next stage of baby movement. So be careful about putting your baby on a bed or a high surface in case they start demonstrating their new skill.

Tummy time

Giving your baby supervised tummy time will help them to strengthen their back, arm and neck muscles (Pin et al, 2007; Hewitt et al, 2017; NHS Choices, 2017a; Wittmeier and Mulder, 2017). It also encourages them to roll over and get a different view of the world.

You can practice 'tummy time' with your little one once or several times a day (Pin et al, 2007; Hewitt et al, 2017; NHS Choices, 2017a). It's best to do it when your baby is awake and alert.

Some babies don't like being put on their tummies. This is perfectly normal and may change as your baby develops week by week (Pin et al, 2007; Hewitt et al, 2017; NHS Choices, 2017a). Read more in our article about tips for tummy time.

Sitting, crawling and bottom shuffling

Babies learn to sit, first supported and then unsupported (Public Health Agency, 2018). Your little one might enjoy holding your hands and attempting to pull up to a sit.

Some babies find it difficult moving from sitting to crawling and they can hurt themselves. Your baby might get stuck, so it's a good idea for someone to be close by and keep an eye on them.

When your little one decides to crawl for the first time, it's likely to be towards something or someone that interests them. You can encourage them by putting a favourite toy just out of their reach, or by calling them from a few paces away.

Try to place your baby on a soft blanket or carpet and be prepared for them to wobble a little. As they may still be too young to support their own body weight on their arms.

Some babies crawl sideways, backwards, or even with one knee up. Others will shuffle around on their bottom instead of crawling, this is normal for some babies.

If your little one is a bottom-shuffler they may propel themselves using one hand and one leg or both hands and legs. They might even bounce themselves along.

Standing and cruising

Some babies will crawl for months before walking, others may move on quickly (Public Health Agency, 2018). You can encourage your little one to walk by supporting their underarms with your hands and bouncing them up and down. You might notice them stiffen then relax their legs, stand on their tip toes and sometimes resist being put down.

At this age your baby might stand up and not know how to get back down, so they may call out for help. You can teach them to lower themselves onto their bottom by pushing them down gently.

Once your little one has learned how to stand, it won't be long until they are cruising. This is when your baby starts grabbing onto furniture to pull themselves up and for support as they shuffle along a few steps (NHS Choices, 2017b). So always keep hot drinks out of reach.

Cruising is one of your baby's last steps to walking completely independently. Remember some slips and falls are inevitable and all part of learning.

In the beginning, your baby might walk with their feet at a slight angle; this can happen while the muscles in their legs get stronger (NHS Choices, 2017b). If this continues, seek advice from your GP.

It's a good idea to do another baby safety check around your house. You might need to move small items up another level out of your baby's reach or put them away. Make sure that any dangerous items like cleaning products are out of your baby's reach.

Walking

Some babies will spend plenty of time cruising as they gain confidence, while others quickly move on to walking. Learning to walk is a huge baby milestone.

Seeing your little one take their first steps on their own is an incredible feeling and they will be delighted too. Before you know it they will be running, jumping and skipping, and you will be chasing after them.

Baby milestones

Babies will choose when they feel comfortable rolling over, sitting, crawling, standing or walking.

If your little one is learning a new skill, it's better to leave them to master that stage of development rather than push them onto the next milestone (Plooij and van de Rijt, 2013).

Sometimes your baby may seem to lose a skill due to concentrating on gaining a new ability. Once they have mastered the new skill, you will see that the old ones are still present (WHO, 2006).

Similarly, if your little one is ill, they might temporarily regress with their movement. As soon as they're feeling well again, they'll have the energy to pick up where they left off (WHO, 2006).

There's no rush, most babies will do things when they're ready. You can help by making sure they can move around and practice their new abilities freely, easily and safely.
This page was last reviewed in October 2017.
Further information

Our support line offers practical and emotional support with feeding your baby and general enquiries for parents, members and volunteers: 0300 330 0700.

We also offer antenatal courses which are a great way to find out more about birth, labour and life with a new baby.

Make friends with other parents-to-be and new parents in your local area for support and friendship by seeing what NCT activities are happening nearby.

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Your baby's development: physical stages | Baby & toddler articles & support | NCT

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While babies develop at different rates here are the milestones you might expect. Get ready for rolling, crawling, cruising and more.

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An interactive timeline full of information on how and why your baby is growing

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From thewonderweeks.com

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The Ten Leaps - What are the 10 Mental Leaps? - The Wonder Weeks

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All babies go though the same changes in the mental development at the same time. This is called a mental leap. In al 10 leaps your baby learn new things.