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We all know that having a baby is a pretty expensive undertaking, especially when it’s the first baby in the family and you have no hand-me downs and need to get everything brand new.  Of course, friends and family usually want to chip in and buy a present for your new addition to the family and most will ask you what you need, rather than rush out and buy what they like.  However, if this is your first baby, chances are that you won’t know what you need.  All families are differe …

Recent news that children as young as five may have to take a formal baseline test as part of a new drive to support pupils is alarming, to say the very least.  Yes, education is important, especially early years education – it lays the foundation for a well-rounded education that carries on into adulthood.  Kids who learn to learn effectively seem to do much better academically than their classmates.  However, as an early years education specialist, I greeted news of baseline tes …

When it comes to different types children’s furniture, there is so much choice! It can be a struggle to settle on one theme or design, especially whilst trying to juggle your personal taste and your child’s ideas. Once you have set a budget and considered the specific pieces of furniture you may require; one of the main considerations will be whether to buy traditional looking furniture or something contemporary which may appeal more to the kids. There are advantages with both choices and the fi …

Travelling with children can be a difficult experience for parents and caregivers – as well as worrying about the children’s safety there are other considerations such as how to keep them occupied during a long journey and how to make sure that their behaviour doesn't turn the whole experience into the stuff of nightmares.All parents will know that when travelling you need to keep track of where the kids are at all times to keep them safe – this can be quite a challenge when you also need to …

Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy is one of the vital six areas of learning in early years teaching and involves the development of creativity and critical thinking.  Babies and young children look for patterns and connections, learning to sort and match and count as they develop the skills to solve problems and make sense of the world around them.Shapes and spaces, sorting and matching and learning how to use numbers as labels for counting are all part of this area of learning and yo …