Early Years
Toddler tantrums are a developmental stage, not a discipline failure
A two-year-old having a meltdown in a shop is doing something neurologically normal. That does not make it easier, but it changes…
Early Years
Newborns to preschool, and the long stretch where nothing is routine yet.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 2
Early Years
Newborn sleep is not a problem to be solved in week one
Almost every piece of newborn sleep advice assumes a baby that has already developed a rhythm. In the first weeks, none exists yet.
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Early Years
Starting solids is a skill, and milk is still the food
For the first months of eating, almost nothing is swallowed. That is the point, and it changes what counts as a good meal.
Early Years
Potty training runs on readiness, not on a date in the diary
Starting before the physical signals arrive mostly buys a longer process and more laundry. The signals are easier to spot than the…
Early Years
The normal range for talking is wider than the milestone charts imply
Two children with a year between their first sentences can both be developing typically. The things worth watching are mostly not…
Early Years
Screen time under five is a question about what it replaces
The published hour limits are cautious estimates rather than measured thresholds. The clearer effects run through displacement and…
Early Years
Choosing childcare when every option has something wrong with it
The comparison is rarely between good and bad. It is between different sets of compromises, and the ones that matter are not the…
Early Years
Babies are not taught to crawl, and floor time does most of the work
Gross motor milestones arrive through maturation plus thousands of failed attempts. Most of the equipment sold to help subtracts…
Early Years
Separation anxiety arrives because something went right
A baby who was happy with anyone and then suddenly is not has just acquired a new cognitive skill. It is miserable, and it is a…
Early Years
The nap that disappears takes the whole afternoon with it
Nap transitions are the least discussed and most disruptive part of the early years timetable, and there is a long stretch where…
Early Years
Settling into nursery takes longer than the settling-in week
Most settings offer a few short visits and then a start date. The real adjustment runs for weeks, and it shows up at home rather…
Early Years
What parents are actually watching for when a small child is ill
Temperature is the number everyone fixates on and one of the least informative signs. General information only — your national…