Bed

Transitioning your toddler to a big bed

Richie Young As your baby gets bigger and older, you’ll notice changes creeping into their sleep patterns and this will be your signal to help them begin their transition into a bigger bed.

Never too early for a piggy bank

Bina Brown It is never too early to learn the value of money and how to budget and save. The earlier you teach children about saving versus spending, the better prepared they will be to manage their own money.

Teaching kids to get organised

Sonja Walker Parents and teachers commonly complain about kids’ inability to plan and execute even the simplest of tasks.

A world of their own

Jim Kellar Welcome to the world of autism, a lifelong developmental disability that affects one of every 160 people in the general Australian population.

Preparing a sibling for the new arrival

Gill South When my mother was seven, her baby sister was born, to her absolute shock and horror. She had been having a perfectly nice time getting full attention from both her parents and this new arrival was...

Encouraging your pre-schooler to rest and sleep

Carole It is to every family member’s advantage if we can encourage sound resting and sleeping habits in our youngsters.

Curse of a certain surfer

Simon Webster With a three-year-old boy who makes it to the toilet for one poo in 10 and as such believes he is too grown up for nappies, we live in a constant state of anxiety, bordering on terror.

Ten tips for surviving international travel with children

Anthony and Ronit After three long haul trips with kids we've have picked up some great travel tips along the way. Read our list our ten items to take on your family trip.

Are we spoiling our children?

Gill South Our children are all angels of course, but other people's children or as my husband calls them, OPCs, can be hard to bear particularly when they are, in our eyes, spoilt little so and sos.

Mum, please try harder

Jane Willson Jane Willson grills British nutritionist Amanda Grant about her "secret" to raising healthy eaters. It's one of those details you don't share or — if pushed — utter quietly.

Fun girls' party themes

I’m not sure who gets more excited about planning a little girl’s birthday party – mum or the Birthday Girl. There are just so many spectacularly gorgeous things to buy for a little girl!

Great books for kids under five

Fiona Kyle-Russell Hit the library or bookshop and stock up on Essential Baby's list of great books for kids under five.

Fuss-free toilet training tips

Lisa Wachsmuth Toilet training can be frustrating for parents and toddlers alike. Read Essential Baby's fuss free tips.

Nursery Rhymes

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Twinkle, twinkle, little star,How I wonder what you are,Up above the world so high,Like a diamond in the sky, Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!...

How to beat night terrors

Allison Tait Night terrors and nightmares - while both presenting as similarly noisy and sleep-depriving - are two different things.

Nagging and Shouting

Carole Disseldorp You realise that your 4 year old is capable of tidying her room and you don’t want to do it yourself as you have a lot of cleaning of your own to do.

Working parents: what children think

Amanda Woodard Working parents fret about the hours they spend away from their children. But how do the kids feel about it? Amanda Woodard reports.

Fathers raising the bar

Louise Turk In the past decade fathers have taken an increasingly active role in their sons' lives, says child psychologist Steve Biddulph, and they're thriving from the attention. He talks to Louise Turk.