April 2019 - The Parenting Cafe

Developing a Curious Child

April 29, 2019/in 1 - 3 Years, 3 - 5 Years, 4 - 12 Months, Intellectual, Motor Developement, Social - Emotional /by Sonja Preston

“Oh he’s into everything” complains a Mother. “She’s always pulling things apart”, states a Dad. It’s always said to me like a complaint, as if it’s a bad thing to have a curious child!

Curious children are GREAT – it means their developing brain is seeking to understand, to know how and why things work (or don’t work), to understand ‘what happens if I do xyz…..’ and does the same thing happen if I do it twice, or 12 times? A curious child is the result of a learning brain, and that’s a GREAT thing! People who are curious are the ones who become explorers, researchers, musical composers or inventors. This may be in any field of science, music, the environment, the arts etc Or it may be in the social world, or understanding how people interact or communicate – so many possibilities!

How do we assist the growth of curiosity in our developing children?

Communicating with Babies – What Parents Need to Know.

April 15, 2019/in 1 - 3 Years, 4 - 12 Months, Birth - 3 Months, Language /by Sonja Preston

Babies begin communicating with us from the moment they are born – it’s just that we may not understand what they are saying yet!

It’s interesting isn’t it that if you were going to have an extended holiday in Spain or France, you’d probably make the effort to learn even a few basic words and phrases of Spanish or French. Yet when we are pregnant not many people learn how to communicate with the ‘soon to be here’ baby!

I’ve personally seen the huge benefits parents get when they DO learn how to do this, and the spin-off benefits to their baby such as: Read more

When Do I Move my Toddler into a Bed?

April 8, 2019/in 1 - 3 Years, 3 - 5 Years, Parents /by Luke Hopkins

This is a question many parents wonder about. There is no ‘right’ time to move them into a bed, and your decision may be based on a variety of things….

You may have a new baby arriving and know that they will only sleep in a bassinet for the first few months;
You may be concerned that your toddler is attempting to climb out of their cot;
The toddler may be indicating that they want a big bed like their sister/ brother/ cousin, or
You may be renovating and want to include the child’s bedroom in that.

There are many reasons ‘why’ you might want to move them. From a safety point of view, they can stay in the cot until they are getting too big for it, or until they start to climb out – as then they may be at risk of falling or injury.

Whatever your reason for moving them, here are a few suggestions to make the transition easier:

Every day when I spend time with you, my life gets better and better.

April 1, 2019/in 1 - 3 Years, 3 - 5 Years, 4 - 12 Months, Birth - 3 Months, Parents, Social - Emotional /by Sonja Preston

Yesterday as I was walking along the street in the mall area, I was walking near a Mother and her daughter aged about 4. They were holding hands, and the Mum looked at the little girl and said: “Every day when I spend time with you, my life gets better and better.” The daughter beamed a big smile to her Mum.

I said to the mother: “What a beautiful thing you just said to her – it’s such a positive message.’ And the Mum beamed back to me.

There are two things which are truly wonderful about the happening…..

The first is that the mother clearly cares deeply about her daughter and is taking steps to ensure that the daughter knows she is loved and valued, on a regularly basis. She told her daughter that this continues to happen each and every day – giving her daughter the message that their love and connection will continue, and that it is an important thing. Read more

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