Sleep
When the Ability to Fall Asleep Independently Develops
Parents are often told that a child "should" be falling asleep independently by a specific age. The reality is more nuanced: this capacity develops ov...
2 min read
20 articles found
Sleep
What Self-Soothing Skills Are
"Self-soothing" is a term used frequently in infant sleep discussions, often without clear definition. Understanding what it actually means — and what...
2 min read
Sleep
Sleep Regression: What It Is and Why It Happens
Few terms in infant sleep are used more frequently or more loosely than "sleep regression." Understanding what a regression actually is — its biologic...
2 min read
Sleep
Sleep Regression After the First Year
Many parents assume that sleep regressions are an infancy phenomenon that resolves after the first birthday. In reality, the toddler years contain the...
2 min read
Sleep
Sleep Positions by Age
The back sleeping recommendation and the tummy time recommendation are sometimes presented as contradictory. They are not — they apply in completely d...
2 min read
Sleep
Night Wakings After Six Months
Night wakings at six months look different from night wakings at two months. The feeding imperative has reduced; the developmental picture has changed...
2 min read
Sleep
How Sleep Structure Changes After Six Months
The sleep of a six-month-old looks very different from that of a newborn — both in its structure and in its expression. The transition from infant to...
2 min read
Sleep
Sleep in Children Aged 12–18 Months: Key Changes
The period from 12 to 18 months is one of the most complex for sleep, combining a major nap transition with a developmental regression and the emergen...
2 min read
Safety
Screen Time and Safety for Children Under Three
Screen time in early childhood raises concerns beyond just the technical aspects of device safety. Time spent viewing screens is time not spent in act...
7 min read
Safety
How to Create a Safe Space for a Crawling Baby
When babies begin to crawl—typically between 6 and 9 months—they gain access to new areas of your home and new hazards. Creating a safe space for craw...
5 min read
Safety
How to Choose Toys by Age
Choosing toys that match your child's age isn't just about what they'll enjoy—age appropriateness also ensures toys are safe for their developmental s...
8 min read
Play
Why Pretend Play Is Important for Development
In an era of structured learning activities and educational apps, pretend play can seem like a soft option — what children do when there isn't somethi...
3 min read
Play
Why Playing With a Parent Matters
The developmental value of a parent playing with their child is often underestimated because it looks ordinary. It's not. The parent in a joint play s...
2 min read
Play
Why Play Is the Primary Way Young Children Learn
The idea that play and learning are separate — that children play when they are not learning, and learn when they are not playing — is one of the most...
2 min read
Play
What Building Play Develops in Early Childhood
When a toddler knocks over a tower and immediately starts rebuilding, they are engaged in a form of learning that decades of research consistently rat...
2 min read
Play
Why Repetition in Play Is Important for Development
"Again! Again!" is one of the defining expressions of toddlerhood. The same book, read for the fifteenth consecutive night. The same song, requested u...
2 min read
Play
Why Overly Educational Toys Are Not Always Better
The word "educational" on a toy box triggers a premium price and parental approval — but it often signals a toy with less, not more, developmental val...
2 min read
Play
Music Time: How to Use Music in Play
Music does not need a dedicated instrument, a playlist, or a scheduled activity time. It can be woven into feeding, nappy changes, transitions, and pl...
3 min read
Parenting
Why Young Children Lie and What to Do
A 3-year-old covers a stain with a pillow, then says they have no idea how it happened. A 4-year-old claims they brushed their teeth when they clearly...
6 min read
Parenting
Why Parenting Style Is a Process, Not a Label
Parenting style frameworks are useful for understanding approaches. But they can become limiting if you treat them as fixed labels. "I'm an authoritat...
3 min read