Play
All tech and no play for our tots
Alex McClintock Oliver Roach is 20 months old but he already knows how to put on and play a DVD. He is among a growing band of toddlers teaching themselves to use computers, games consoles and other devices.
The importance of play
Maja Pitamic As adults we often underestimate the value that play has in developing children both mentally and physically.
Games to play with toddlers
Play is a vital part of growing up and helps your child engage and learn about the world! Here are some games toddlers love to play, each involve simple items from around the house.
Play it safe with car seats
Fiona Surtees The rules are out of date, exposing our children to danger because they are not in appropriate car safety restraints, Fiona Surtees warns.
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.
Do babies and start-up entrepreneurship mix?
Tony Featherstone Is the challenge too great to launch and build a fast-growth venture, and raise babies and toddlers at the same time?
Blind eye to driveway danger
Rachel Browne About a dozen children are killed in Australian driveways each year and hundreds more are severely injured, child safety experts say.
Preschoolers not active enough
Julia Medew Most preschoolers spend 85 per cent of their waking hours inactive, research has found.
Don’t be afraid to get dirty
Brooke Wells The media know how to play on the fear of parents that germs are the source of family illnesses and infections. But is the opposite in fact in true?
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.
The value of reading
Carole Disseldorp By reading to our children, we are fostering curiosity, imagination and creativity and increasing the chance of academic success and positive life experiences.
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!...
A flurry of activity
Jen Kelly Lake Mountain is a perfect run for families with young children, writes Jen Kelly
Glued to the set - taming the television
Tania Andrusiak and Daniel Donahoo It could be any household, any evening, anywhere: fights over the remote, battles about unfinished homework, another skirmish lost against reality TV, tired parents wondering if it’s ever okay to use...
Blurring the role of Mum and Dad
Rachelle Unreich Stay-at-home dads, working mums: modern parents are slowly, sometimes uncomfortably, blurring the traditional lines between breadwinner and caregiver.
New wave childrens' entertainment
Clare Kermond Move over Wiggles, a new wave of childrens' entertainment hits the stage. By Clare Kermond.
Environmentally-friendly toys: Is there such a thing?
Vicki Harding The busy world of parenting can make it virtually impossible to keep up with the latest news about the environment.
Early pointers to autism identified
Julie Robotham Toddlers who later go on to be diagnosed with autism use fewer gestures, such as pointing, Victorian researchers have discovered, in findings that may ultimately become part of an autism screening...
Growing up no easy thing for those born before their time
Nick Miller Toddlers are more likely to get anxious, depressed or have eating or sleeping problems if they were born 10 or more weeks premature, research has found.
Extreme mothering
Alison Cameron A preschooler feeding from his or her mother's breast can raise an eyebrow or two. But those who adopt attachment-parenting techniques, such as extended breastfeeding, communal sleeping and "wearing"...
