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The Seven C’s: The Essential Building Blocks of Resilience | Fostering Resilience

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The essential seven C’s to build resilience in teens and young people.

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Why Tresillian?

Tresillian is an early parenting service offering families guidance in the early years of their child's life. We support new parents around breastfeeding and settling baby, as well as dealing with post-natal depression and nutrition.

We help Families

Many of our parents tell us what a positive difference Tresillian has made to them, their baby and their lives. See what they had to say...

Each year Tresillian assists close to 60,000 families with young children across NSW. We pride...

Tresillian is Australia's largest Early Parenting Service offering professional advice, educat...

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Tresillian Family Care Centres: Baby Advice & Parenting Tips

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Tresillian is an early parenting service offering families guidance in the early years of their child's life. We support new parents around breastfeeding and settling baby, as well as dealing with post-natal depression and nutrition. Many of our parents tell us what a positive difference Tresillian has made to them, their baby and their lives.

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My Child Doesn’t Listen! (And Why Repeating Yourself Won’t Work) - Happy Families

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Struggling to get your child to listen? Tips for parents to engage children, improve connection, and reduce frustration in communication.

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Rethinking Challenging Kids-Where There's a Skill There's a Way | J. Stuart Ablon | TEDxBeaconStreet

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Why Is My Child Like This? Understanding Your Child’s Behaviour - Happy Families

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Discover why your child behaves the way they do and learn strategies to connect, understand, and build a stronger bond with them.

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The Power of School Belonging for Student Well-Being - Happy Families

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Fussy eaters: what affects toddler eating behaviour Danielle and Jason are MasterChef fans, and feel like they have gotten in touch with their inner ‘foodie’. Their…

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Department of Education Factsheet - Info for Families on the Transition to School

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Department of Education Factsheet - Info for Families on the Transition to School

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Supporting children with disability and additional needs

Children with disability and additional needs may require further support as part of their transition program.

Your child's learning and support needs may be identified before they start school, or at any point during their schooling. Contact your local school to find out how you can give your child the best start to their education.

Visit our Additional needs in primary school page to learn more about how your child can be supported at school.

Reimagine Australia's Ready Set School guide has also been designed to support parents and carers of children with disability and additional needs.

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Transition to school: Information for parents and carers

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Information and resources for parents and carers to help them support their children transition to primary school

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School Lunches Kids Will Eat: Lunchbox Tips for Parents - Happy Families

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Pack school lunches kids will eat without a fuss! Tips for menu planning, freezer prep, and lunchbox solutions that save time and money.

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Managing Back-to-School Overwhelm and Struggles with Seth Perler

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Podcast · Dayna Abraham · Start your journey from surviving to thriving as a family at: calmthechaospodcast.com. Is your child’s challenging behavior leaving you feeling exhausted, defeated, and hopeless? You are not alone, you are not a failure, and your child is not broken. Welcome to Calm the Chaos Parenting — the podcast for parents raising strong-willed, highly sensitive, and neurodivergent children. I’m Dayna Abraham, a parenting expert, and I’ve helped hundreds of thousands of families just like yours. Each week I’ll share simple science-backed solutions to help you feel more grounded, in tune, and deeply connected to your child, no matter what challenge you face. Be sure to follow the podcast on your favorite platform so you never miss an episode.

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About fussy eating

It's common for young children to be fussy about the foods they eat - that is, to not like the taste, shape, colour or texture of particular foods.

It's also common for children to like something one day but dislike it the next, to refuse new foods, and to eat more or less from day to day.

This all happens because choosing what to eat - or what not to eat - is part of children's development. It's a way of exploring their environment and asserting independence. Also, children's appetites go up and down depending on how much they're growing and how active they are.

The good news is that children are likely to get less fussy as they get older. If you offer children a wide variety of foods, they're likely to grow up to eat and enjoy a variety of foods.

How pleasant mealtimes can help with fussy eating

Your child's willingness to try food will depend partly on their eating environment. Pleasant, low-stress mealtimes can help.

Here are tips:

Make mealtimes happy, regular and social occasions. Try not to worry about spilled drinks or food on the floor.

Start small. Put a small amount of food on your child's plate, or put all foods in the centre of the table and let your child serve themselves.

Never force your child to try a food.

Make healthy foods fun - for example, cut sandwiches into interesting shapes, or let your child help prepare a salad or whisk eggs for an omelette.

Turn the TV off so your family members can talk to each other and focus on enjoying the meal.

If your child is fussing about food, try to stay calm. This will help your child think of mealtimes as enjoyable and relaxing.

Set a time limit of about 20 minutes for meals. Anything that goes on too long isn't fun. If your child hasn't eaten the food in this time, take it away without fuss or comments.

Sometimes children are too distracted to sit at the family table for a meal. If this sounds like your child, try giving your child a 5-minute warning or quiet time before meals so they can calm down before eating. Even the ritual of hand-washing can help.

Offer a variety of nutritious foods from the 5 food groups at each family meal. Go for variety yourself - show your child that you're willing to try new foods and that you enjoy them too. Healthy family food and an eating environment that encourages a positive attitude to food make a great start for your child.

How food independence can help with fussy eating

It can be a good idea to support your child's need for independence when it comes to food. You provide healthy food options for your child. But let your child decide how much they'll eat.

You could also let your child make choices within a range of healthy foods. Just limit the options to 2-3 things, so your child doesn't get too confused or overwhelmed to eat. For example, instead of asking your child to pick what they want from the fridge, you could ask, 'Would you like carrot or cucumber?'

Another top tip is getting your child involved in preparing family meals. For example, your child could help out with:

They'll feel proud of helping and be more likely to eat something they've helped to make.

Sometimes your child might refuse food to see how you'll react. If you stay calm, it will be less interesting for your child, and they might be less likely to do it again.

How to introduce new foods and discourage fussy eating

If you have a child who doesn't like trying new food, these tips might help:

Keep offering a new food. It can take 10-15 tries (or even more) for children to become familiar with, accept and enjoy new foods.

Put a small amount of new food on the plate with familiar food your child already likes - for example, a piece of broccoli alongside some mashed potato.

Show your child how you explore food - for example, touching, smelling or licking.

Make food attractive and fun. Offer your child a variety of different colours, shapes and sizes, and let your child choose what they eat from the plate.

Serve your child the same meal the family is eating but in a portion size your child will eat.

Offer different foods from each of the 5 food groups. For example, if your child doesn't like cheese, they might enjoy yoghurt instead.

Try not to let your child fill up on drinks or 'sometimes' foods before introducing new foods. They're more likely to try food if they're hungry and don't have the option of something else to eat.

When possible, look for opportunities for your child to share meals and snacks with other children - they might be more willing to try a food if they see other children eating it.

It can be tempting to offer your child food treats just so they eat something - for example, 'If you have a carrot, you can have some chocolate'. But this can make your child more interested in treats than healthy food. It also sends the message that eating healthy food is a chore.

Fussy eating facts

These facts can help you understand why children sometimes fuss about their food:

Children's appetites are affected by their growth cycles. Even babies have changing appetites. At 1-6 years, it's common for children to be very hungry one day and picky the next.

Children have different taste preferences from grown-ups.

Life is too exciting for children sometimes, and they're too busy exploring the world around them to spend time eating. Eating also uses energy - so when they're tired they might be less interested in eating.

Children learn by testing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. They can be very strong willed when it comes to making decisions about food (to eat or not to eat, and what to eat). It's all part of their social, intellectual and emotional development.

If your child is healthy and has enough energy to play, learn and explore, they're probably eating enough. But if your child eats only a very small range of foods or won't eat entire food groups for longer than a few weeks, see your GP, your child and family health nurse or a dietitian.

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Fussy eating is common in children. Tips to help include making mealtimes pleasant and stress free, and giving your child a choice of healthy food options.

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Toddler not Eating? Strategies for Support

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Toddler not Eating? Strategies for Support

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Toddler not eating - or not eating enough?

Many parents worry about whether their toddlers are eating enough food. It's common for toddlers to eat only very small amounts, be fussy about what they eat, and refuse to eat at all.

There are a few reasons for this:

Toddler appetites vary constantly because of growth spurts and changing activity levels.

Growth slows down in the toddler years, so toddlers don't eat as much as they did when they were babies.

Toddlers have small stomachs.

Toddlers are very interested in the world around them, so they have short attention spans for food.

Toddlers want to push boundaries and show how independent they can be.

Liking a food one day and refusing it the next is common toddler behaviour. It's one of the ways that toddlers show how independent they are. It can help to think of it this way: you provide healthy food options for your toddler, and your toddler decides how much food to eat - or not eat.

Appetite ups and downs: how to handle them

Keep offering healthy meals at regular times through the day.

If your toddler won't eat or won't eat whole meals, you could try reducing the amount you're offering. Your toddler can always ask for more if they're still hungry after the first serve.

Avoid trying to force your toddler to finish everything on the plate, because this can make mealtimes stressful. And try not to comment on what your toddler is and isn't eating.

At regular times between meals, you can offer your toddler nutritious snacks like fruit or vegetable sticks. This will give your toddler extra energy if they're eating only small amounts at main meals.

Try not to worry if your toddler doesn't eat very much sometimes. It's common for toddlers to need only small servings at mealtimes, and children are very good at judging how much food they need. And if you encourage your toddler to trust their own appetite, you're setting them up for healthy eating later in life.

It can help to judge your toddler's food intake over a week or more rather than over a single meal or single day. It's OK if your toddler eats less today or this week - they might be hungrier tomorrow or next week.

Trying new foods: tips

It's common for toddlers to refuse or avoid trying new foods. Here are ideas that might help.
Creating a positive eating environment

Make mealtimes a happy, regular and social family occasion. Sit together to eat with your toddler whenever you can.

Show your toddler how much you enjoy eating the food you've prepared.

Get your toddler involved in helping to prepare and cook family meals.

Offer new foods when you and your toddler are relaxed and your toddler isn't too tired or distracted by other things.

Set a time limit of about 20 minutes for a meal. If your toddler hasn't eaten the food, calmly take it away. Don't offer an alternative snack or meal. Just offer regular drinks of water until the next snack or mealtime.

Avoid bribing your toddler with treats just so they'll eat some healthy food. This can make your toddler more interested in treats than healthy food and sends the message that eating healthy food is a chore.

Serving new foods

Keep offering a new food. It can take 10-15 tries (or even more) for children to become familiar with, accept and enjoy new foods.

Serve your toddler the same foods as the rest of the family. If your toddler sees you eating the food, they're more likely to try it. They'll also get the nutritional benefits of a wide range of foods, and accept new tastes and textures as part of your family's eating routine.

Offer new foods with foods that your toddler already knows and likes.

Following your child's lead

Let your toddler touch, lick and play with food, and expect some messy eating as they learn.

Let your toddler feed themselves, and give them some help if needed.

If you think your toddler isn't eating because they're unwell, watch them carefully and take them to the GP if necessary.

Once you've found something your toddler eats and enjoys, it can be tempting to keep serving it up. But your toddler needs to eat a wide variety of foods to get all the nutrients they need for growth and development.

Offer a variety of nutritious foods from the 5 food groups at each family meal. Go for variety yourself - show your toddler that you're willing to try new foods and that you enjoy them too. Healthy family food and an eating environment that encourages a positive attitude to healthy food make a great start for your toddler.

Signs toddlers might need help with food and eating

If your toddler is generally healthy, is growing well and has enough energy to play, learn and explore, they're probably eating enough.

But check with your GP, your child and family health nurse or a dietitian if you're concerned about your toddler's growth or overall nutrition or your toddler:

eats only a very small range of foods

won't eat entire food groups for longer than a few weeks

consistently refuses food.

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Toddler not eating? That's common. It can help to think of it this way: you decide what healthy food to offer, your child decides how much to eat. Read more.

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Access each resources in a range of languages.

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Red Nose Australia - Parents, Carers and Health Professionals

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Red Nose Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land in which our families, volunteers, staff, Board and committee members work, live and visit. We pay our respects to the Elders of those many nations from past and present, recognising their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

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Red Nose Australia - First Nations Resources

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Red Nose Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land in which our families, volunteers, staff, Board and committee members work, live and visit. We pay our respects to the Elders of those many nations from past and present, recognising their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

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How to deal with temper tantrums | Online parenting program | Triple P

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Does your child have temper tantrums or meltdowns? Does a screaming, crying child who stamps their feet or holds their breath sound familiar? Understand what tantrums are & why they happen. Do Triple P Online to get positive parenting solutions & strategies that help tame tantrums for a calmer family life.

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Child Development

Ann Cahill

Teaching and Learning Lead - Teaching, Learning and Safety, Goodstart Early Learning

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Aggressive Behaviour In Children: 5 Parenting Tips

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Aggressive Behavior in Children: 5 Parenting Tips

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From athletes to aviators, scientists to spies. From the deep blue sea to the dark, black skies. Australia is full of girls who dare to do things differently. Adventurous girls. Girls with guts and spirit.

You know what they are? They're FIERCE.

And these are their stories.

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Toilet Training Resources The Continence Foundation of Australia has several resources available to help your child reach those important development milestones and gain greater toileting independence. All our resources are user friendly with pictures and easy to follow steps, providing a general guide for parents and caregivers. Download your free copies today.

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Helping kids navigate friendships, bullying, and social challenges

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The positive parenting program that’s already used in 40+ U.S. states

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Neurodiversity, neurodivergence and children

Neurodiversity is the idea that there's natural variation in how people's brains work and how people experience, understand and interact with the world. This means there are natural differences in the way people learn and communicate.

Most children's brains develop in ways that are seen as typical for their age and stage. These children can be described as neurotypical.

About 1 in 5-6 children have variations in their brain development. These variations include those seen in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and dyslexia. These children can be described as neurodivergent.

Embracing neurodiversity

Embracing neurodiversity is about accepting, including, celebrating and supporting neurodivergent children. Their differences are part of natural variation and don't need to be treated or changed.

Embracing neurodiversity involves:

acknowledging that neurodivergent children might do things differently from neurotypical children

adjusting tasks and activities so that neurodivergent children can fully participate

making the most of neurodivergent children's skills, especially the skills they're proud of

helping neurodivergent children develop ways of managing everyday tasks and activities that feel natural to them

not expecting neurodivergent children to change behaviour that doesn't interfere with their everyday activities, like stimming

making sure that schools, sports clubs, social groups and community organisations include and support neurodivergent children.

Neurodivergent children can be disabled by noise, light and other things in the environment. People's expectations can be disabling too. But it's not up to neurodivergent children to change. Rather, environments and expectations need to change to better include and embrace neurodivergent children's differences.

Why it's important to embrace neurodiversity

When families and communities embrace neurodiversity, it's good for neurodivergent children's mental health, wellbeing, sense of self and identity.

Embracing neurodiversity takes away the pressure for neurodivergent children to behave in neurotypical ways, hide behaviour like stimming, mask or hide who they are, or cope with sensory overstimulation. This kind of pressure can be physically and mentally exhausting. And it can make it hard for children to focus on schoolwork and take part in social activities.

Embracing neurodiversity is also good for society. Just like the planet needs a diversity of plants and animals to survive, society needs neurodiversity to thrive. Neurodivergent people bring many strengths to society. These include strengths in creative, innovative and analytical thinking and expertise in areas of special interest.

How to embrace neurodiversity in family life

You can embrace neurodiversity as part of everyday family life. You don't have to be neurodivergent yourself. Here are ideas:

Talk with your children about neurodiversity, neurodivergence and acceptance. For example, you could say, 'Some people's brains work differently from other people's. This means they learn and make friends differently too'.

Use books to learn and talk about neurodiversity and neurodivergence. For younger children, try Some brains by Nelly Thomas, The brain forest by Sandhya Menon or Just right for you by Melanie Heyworth. For older children, try The spectrum girl's survival toolkit by Siena Castellon or The autism and neurodiversity self advocacy handbook by Barb Cook and Yenn Purkis.

Find meaningful ways to include neurodivergent children in your social activities. For example, if you're inviting an autistic child to a birthday party, you could ask the parents how you can accommodate their child's needs. Or you could include some 'What to expect' information with the invitation.

Look for appropriate ways for your child to communicate with neurodivergent friends. For example, you could help your child use pictures and drawing to communicate with a friend who doesn't use words.

How to embrace neurodiversity in the community

Here are ideas for embracing neurodiversity in the community:

Be aware of the language you use. It's OK to ask if you're not sure. For example, 'Do you prefer 'autistic child' or 'child with autism'?'

Challenge unhelpful attitudes. For example, you could speak up if you hear someone criticising a parent whose child is having a meltdown in the park.

Avoid assumptions. For example, there could be many reasons why a child is eating only packaged snacks at a picnic or wearing headphones at the supermarket.

Look for ways to make your community more inclusive. For example, you could be part of a petition encouraging the local supermarket to opt into one 'quiet hour' a week, when lights are dimmed and no music is played.

Talk respectfully about neurodiversity and neurodivergence. You probably know people who are neurodivergent, even if they haven't told you.

Neurodivergent people and neurotypical people have different ways of experiencing the world and communicating about their experiences. To build understanding and prevent misunderstanding, you can try to see experiences from other people's perspectives. You can also try thinking about other people's communication preferences. It's OK to ask how people like to communicate too.

How schools can embrace neurodiversity

Schools can adjust things so that neurodivergent children can participate fully in learning and socialising at school. For example, you might notice that your child's school has made changes like these:

Changes to the environment for children with sensory sensitivities or high levels of anxiety - for example, perhaps the school uses quiet spaces, adjusts lighting, allows children to use sensory items like squishy balls in class, or allows variations to the uniform.

Use of diverse teaching methods to suit diverse learning styles or needs - for example, perhaps the school lets some children do video presentations instead of class presentations or participate in sports day by planning rather than competing. Perhaps teachers give both written and verbal instructions.

Support for all children to include neurodivergent children in interactions and play - for example, perhaps the school includes lessons on neurodiversity in citizenship lessons or has games clubs for all children interested in a game like chess.

When children understand more about how neurodivergent children communicate and play, it can encourage all children to interact respectfully and on equal terms. This helps to get rid of the expectation that neurodivergent children should change.

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Neurodiversity and neurodivergence: a guide for families

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Neurodiversity is the idea that there's natural variation in how brains work. Embracing neurodiversity is good for neurodivergent children and society too.

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feedAustralia is a world leading nutritional promotion and preventative health initiative that provides early childhood education and care providers with a free and seamless ‘business as usual’ online menu planning tool, built and trialled specifically to integrate with Federal Child Care quality regulations.

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Autism Awareness Australia resources page

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Research tells us that being a parent of an Autistic child can be challenging, regardless of whether we are an Autistic parent or not, and whether we are new to Autism... or not. These challenges don't necessarily arise because our child is Autistic, but because we have to parent our Autistic child within systems, like the education system, that are not designed for Autistic people. We also know that parents of Autistic children can find extraordinary joy, satisfaction, and growth in parenting their Autistic children. For an Autistic child, their parents are often their "safe" people (the people they trust to know and meet their needs), and the people with whom they share the deepest and most abiding connection.

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I am the parent of an autistic child - Reframing Autism

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From 3 to 5 years your child is becoming more confident and independent. Children learn by playing, pretending and experimenting with things. This is building their coordination, their confidence and helping them prepare for starting school. Spend some quality time together each day doing things your child likes, even for a short time. Your complete attention will make them feel special and is the thing they crave the most. This page has services and resources to help you support your child through their preschool years.

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Your toddler will be starting to develop their own personality, including their likes and dislikes. It's a normal step in learning how to become independent later on.

Spend time with your child doing the things they like to do. They're building their confidence to explore and to have ideas of their own. Your child is learning to be more independent but still needs you there encouraging them.

There are services and resources to help you in your parenting journey.

info

In serious and life threatening emergencies, call 000 for an ambulance

For urgent problems, go to your nearest emergency department

If it is less urgent, contact your doctor or local medical centre. You can also call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for free health advice, 24 hours a day.

Health and development

Every child develops at their own rate. But there are things that most children can do by a certain age.

Health and development checks are very important. They help track how your child is growing and developing by looking at how they play, learn, speak, act and move.

Take your toddler for their check at your child and family health service or doctor at:

12 months

18 months

2 years

3 years.

You know your child best. Do not wait if your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills or if you have other concerns.

It's also important to keep your child's vaccinations up to date.

13QUIT (13 78 48) provides information, tools and helpful hints on how to quit smoking and/or vaping. Quitting smoking and or/vaping reduces your child's risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - NSW Government

Healthdirect call 1800 022 222 for free health advice 24/7 - Australian Government

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby call 1800 882 436 or video call to speak to a maternal child health nurse, available 7am to midnight (AEST), 7 days a week - Australian Government

Easy activities for your toddler's development

Try these free and easy activities with your child to help their development. You can build them into the things you do every day as part of your normal routine.

Try doing a mix of activities together so they can learn in different ways. Here's some fun screen-free ideas.

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Creative play

Put out craft items like paper, crayons, egg cartons and stickers.

Make sock puppets together and tell stories with them.

Give them playdough to squish and make shapes with.

Why this is important

Develops your child's creativity, curiosity and problem-solving skills. It also builds their fine motor skills. Playing with different textures develops their sense of touch.

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Active play

Roll a ball to each other and say 'wow, look how far you rolled the ball'.

Go for a walk outside and see who can spot different objects first.

Try walking or jumping on different surfaces, like grass or sand.

Why this is important

Helps your child develop movement skills, confidence and independence. It teaches them how to take turns and communicate. Walking on different textures helps develop their sense of touch and balance.

Musical play

Why this is important

Helps your child develop their sense of rhythm and their fine motor and movement skills. It also develops their listening skills, memory and ability to express emotions.

Toddlers are still learning what foods they like. You can do simple things to encourage healthy eating habits.

Make it family time

Why this is important

Builds social skills and teaches your child how to take turns. Shows that spending quality time together is important to your family. Gives them a sense of belonging.

Try new foods

Why this is important

Encouraging your child to try new things without forcing it helps them develop healthy eating habits. It also builds their sense of touch, taste and smell. Creates a sense of independence as they learn what they like.

Help in the kitchen

Why this is important

Helps your child develop fine motor skills and an interest in how healthy food is made. Introduces new words and concepts like measurement and teamwork.

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Safety in the kitchen

Never leave your child unattended in the kitchen while you're cooking.

Have them stand or sit in one spot away from the stove and other dangers.

Make sure there are no knives, sharp objects or anything hot within reach.

Lock cleaning products safely away in cupboards.

Toddlers need 11 to 14 hours sleep a day, including naps. A consistent night routine can help them get enough sleep.

Get ready for bed

After their bath or shower, help them put on pyjamas and brush their teeth.

Instead of screen time, listen to music or ABC Kids listen.

Ask them to pick out a book to read together before bed.

Why this is important

Helps your child relax and get ready to sleep. A routine is reassuring as it helps them predict what will happen next. Being able to choose gives them a sense of independence.

Share story time

Why this is important

Spending time together helps you connect with your child. It also builds language, listening and storytelling skills. They learn to recognise objects and how to predict what happens next.

Spend time together

Why this is important

Quality time together as part of your nightly routine makes your child feel secure and loved. It helps them know what to expect, which can get them ready for sleep. It also builds listening, language and social skills.

Mental health and wellbeing

Children feel safe and loved when they have secure emotional relationships with their caregivers. This helps build a healthy attachment with others and positive mental health. You won't spoil your child by giving them your attention and spending quality time together. In fact, you are laying down foundations for their mental health and wellbeing. It's ok to need help.

A guide for dads caring for family during perinatal mental illness available from pregnancy until your child turns 2 years old - NSW Health

Child mental health and wellbeing resources for parents and carers - Raising Children Network

WellMob provides social, emotional and cultural wellbeing resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People - WellMob

Yarn Safe resources are for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that may help you or somebody else, when going through a hard time - Headspace

Payments and rebates

Explore these services and resources to find out about the different financial support options available.

Family Assistance Payments - Services Australia:

Sleep and settling

These services and resources can support you if you need more help with sleep and settling.

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Your toddler will be starting to develop their own personality, including their likes and dislikes. It's a normal step in learning how to become independent later on. Spend time with your child doing the things they like to do. They're building their confidence to explore and to have ideas of their own.

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Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby. It may take time to adjust to becoming a new parent. You and your baby are both learning. There are services and resources to help you in what to expect and where to get help, such as with feeding and settling.

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Children’s brains develop rapidly in the early years, when experiences can have a big impact on them. Your baby’s brain will develop through the quality connections you build together. Babies thrive when they feel loved and safe. There are services and resources to help you care for your baby during this time.

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It’s important to look after yourself and your baby during pregnancy. Access to early and regular pregnancy care is important for the health of both you and your baby. There are services and resources that offer support and will answer important questions.

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Inner West Paediatrics Factsheet - created for E&D Leichhardt

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Inner West Paediatrics Factsheet - created for E&D Leichhardt

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Guide to toilet training with StartingBlocks.gov.au | StartingBlocks.gov.au

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An information sheet for parents that answers some of the basic questions about toilet training and tips on how educators can support you.

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Play spotlight: The benefits of expanding our notion of risky play

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Risk-taking is an important ingredient in the optimal early childhood recipe, but we need to expand our definition of risky play to encompass more than climbing trees and knocking nails in with hammers.@@Risky play also involves taking emotional risks, delving into unfamiliar situations and facing social challenges that build emotional resilience. We explore the benefits of all types of risky play, how we can change our mindset around risky play, and how we can support children to take appropriate risks. @

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How to develop positive body image in your child: 2-8 years

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Strategies to promote positive body image in children include role-modelling, celebrating body diversity and managing media. See a GP about body image issues.

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Girls get many messages about how they should look and behave. These start when girls are very young and not all of them are healthy messages. The increasing numbers of sexualised images of girls in the media and on social media suggests to girls that their worth is judged on how they look or their sexual appeal.

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Taryn Brumfitt Reading 'Embrace Your Body'

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I'm excited to report that Explore & Develop recently engaged Tresillian's Professional Practice and Innovation Centre to deliver training to Explore & Develop Educators on 'Safe Sleep and Responsive Settling for Infants and Toddlers.'

Explore & Develop has enjoyed a partnership with Tresillian since 2019 and we are very excited to be an Early Learning service provider to be offered the Tresillian training in Australia!

Tresillian is known as the 'go to' place for specialist parenting advice, offering guidance to parents on baby's sleep and settling, feeding and toddler/preschooler behaviour, along with supporting parental mental health.

I hope that this is one of many more professional development sessions for our Educators and staff.

Kind Regards.

Belinda Ludlow
CEO of Explore & Develop

Reading the non verbal cues

One of the first things you learn with a baby is to look out for 'tired signs' so that you can put your baby to bed before they become overtired. This is good advice because an overtired baby gets grumpy and doesn't feed well or enjoy play and social times.

But, even so, looking for tired signs can sometimes be confusing because they can easily be mixed up with 'I just need a break' cues. And, if this happens, new parents can accidentally put their baby to bed when they're not ready, which can then cause problems settling them.

'The First Three Months', a book by Fran Chavasse and Nicola Brown, guides parents on how a baby's brain controls their sleep, telling their body when it's time to sleep.

The book also reveals how at each stage of a baby's development, the Tresillian Sleep Formula, along with their non-verbal cues, can be used to determine whether a baby is tired and ready for bed.

The Sleep Formula formed an important part of the recent 'Safe Sleep and Responsive Settling for Infants and Toddlers' workshop, which focused on:

Current recommended practices in safe sleep and responsive settling for infants and toddlers,

Re-thinking tired signs, responsive settling strategies and when and how to intervene with sleep difficulties.

The professional training builds on the existing expertise that our qualified Educators have, and will equip them with best-practice of when and how to intervene with sleep difficulties, identification of tired signs and effective settling strategies.

The additional knowledge that our Educators gain will be put to good use daily in settling babies and toddlers at our Explore & Develop services, in conjuction with supporting families with their individual routines.

"At each age and stage of a baby's development, the Sleep Formula can be used, along with non-verbal cues, to determine whether a baby is tired and ready for bed. The more carefully you watch your baby, the more you will learn about your baby's individuality."
Fran Chavasse and Nicola Brown in 'The First Three Months'

Settling babies over six months of age

It's not just infants that need assistance with settling and sleeping. Reassurance and support can be given to babies older than six months while helping them to discover their own way of going to sleep. This can be achieved by:

Talking quietly and cuddling your baby, which can help make them calm.

Putting your baby on their back in the cot awake (when they are calm/drowsy).

Comforting your baby with gentle 'ssshhh' sounds, gentle rhythmic patting, rocking, or stroking until baby is calm or asleep.

As your baby calms, moving away from the cot or leaving the room.

If your baby starts to become distressed, returning and comforting your baby before moving away or leaving the room again.

You may have to repeat the steps above several times before your baby is able to settle to sleep. As your baby learns to settle, it will take less time to calm your baby.

Most babies take time to settle and it's helpful to use the same options every time when establishing a good sleep habit for your baby. More information on strategies to assisting babies and toddlers to sleep can be read here.

References

'The First Three Months' A Tresillian guide to caring for your newborn baby by Fran Chavasse

'The Importance of Sleep' Parent Resource from the Explore & Develop web site

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Every Baby Deserves to Sleep Like a Baby - Explore & Develop

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Explore & Develop engaged Tresillian to deliver training to our Educators on 'Safe Sleep and Responsive Settling for Infants and Toddlers.'

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The Importance Of Sleep - Explore & Develop

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Learning how to go to sleep is a skill babies usually develop during the first year of life with help from their parents.

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Toddler Sleep | How To Get A Toddler To Sleep | Tresillian

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If your toddler is overtired or won’t sleep at night, find out how to teach them to settle and sleep with Tresillian’s responsive settling technique.

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Need help with a crying baby who is not settling? Here you’ll find Tresillian’s top baby tips and advice on how to help your baby sleep.

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Modelling healthy body image - Butterfly Foundation

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One of the most empowering ways to support development of positive body image, is to show what a healthy body image looks like.

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How Every Child Can Thrive by Five | Molly Wright | TED

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Rights of the Child Segment 1 - What are Childrens Rights

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How to Help Kids Who Are Too Hard on Themselves - Child Mind Institute

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Is your child self-critical? Child Mind Institute offers parenting tips for improving your child’s self confidence and freeing your child from negative thinking.

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The Zones of Regulation Information and Visuals 

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What is bilateral coordination and why is it important?

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Bilateral coordination refers to the ability to coordinate both sides of the body at the same time in a controlled and organized manner; for example, stabilizing paper with one hand while writing/ cutting with the other. Good bilateral integration/ coordination is an indicator that both sides of the brain are communicating effectively and sharing information. […]

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Crossing the Midline: A Crucial Skill for Child Development and School Readiness

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IWP - Transition to school slides (March 2026)

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IWP - Transition to school slides (March 2026)

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If you didn't have an opportunity to join us at our 2026 transition to school evening - the slides are attached.

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OT Transition from Preschool to Kindergarten Inservice 2024.pptx (1)