Parents
Getting through the first year: what nobody tells you
A collection of things that are true, are widely experienced, and are almost never said aloud.
Baby Care Talks — What the guidance actually says
Parents
Preparing for a second baby
The logistics are different, the older child needs preparing, and the second time is genuinely easier in some respects and harder in others.
Latest
Browse everything →
Parents
Single parenting in the first year
The practical problem is that everything falls to one person, and the solutions are structural rather than motivational.
Health & Safety
Colds, coughs and what to give
Most over-the-counter remedies are not recommended for young children, and the things that help are unglamorous.
Health & Safety
Rashes and what they mean
Most childhood rashes are harmless, a small number are urgent, and the distinguishing features are learnable.
Development
Behaviour in the second year
Tantrums and defiance are neurological rather than moral, and the responses that work follow from understanding why.
Sleep
Dropping to one nap and giving up naps
The nap transitions are the bumpiest periods in toddler sleep, and rushing or resisting them both cause problems.
Newborn Care
All newborn care →
Newborn Care
The six-to-eight week review
A structured check with a specific list of things being looked for, and the only appointment many parents get for themselves.
Newborn Care
Constipation and gut problems in babies
Straining is usually not constipation, real constipation is common and treatable, and a few presentations are emergencies.
Newborn Care
Newborn reflexes and what they mean
Babies arrive with a set of automatic responses that are checked deliberately, because their presence and their disappearance both matter.
Feeding
All feeding →
Feeding
Vitamins and supplements for babies
A small number are genuinely recommended, the specifics vary by country, and most of the rest are unnecessary.
Feeding
Family meals and eating together
The association between shared meals and child outcomes is one of the more robust findings, and the mechanism is not the food.
Feeding
Weaning off milk feeds
There is no required end point, and how it is done affects comfort, mood and the child considerably more than when.
Sleep
All sleep →Sleep
Dropping to one nap and giving up naps
The nap transitions are the bumpiest periods in toddler sleep, and rushing or resisting them both cause problems.
Sleep
When sleep problems are medical
A minority of persistent sleep difficulty has a physical cause, and behavioural approaches will not fix any of them.
Sleep
What sleep training is and is not
The methods differ substantially, the evidence is better than critics claim and narrower than advocates suggest.
Development
All development →Development
Behaviour in the second year
Tantrums and defiance are neurological rather than moral, and the responses that work follow from understanding why.
Development
Autism, ADHD and early signs
Some features can be recognised in the second year, assessment routes vary, and early support does not require a diagnosis.
Development
Temperament, and why babies differ
Some of the variation between babies is constitutional, and recognising it changes how parents interpret their own competence.
Health & Safety
All health & safety →Health & Safety
Colds, coughs and what to give
Most over-the-counter remedies are not recommended for young children, and the things that help are unglamorous.
Health & Safety
Rashes and what they mean
Most childhood rashes are harmless, a small number are urgent, and the distinguishing features are learnable.
Health & Safety
Hygiene, germs and how much to worry
Some hygiene practices matter substantially for infants and others are theatre, and the difference is well characterised.
Parents
All parents →
Parents
Preparing for a second baby
The logistics are different, the older child needs preparing, and the second time is genuinely easier in some respects and harder in others.
Parents
Getting through the first year: what nobody tells you
A collection of things that are true, are widely experienced, and are almost never said aloud.
Parents
Single parenting in the first year
The practical problem is that everything falls to one person, and the solutions are structural rather than motivational.
About Baby Care Talks
Newborn care, feeding, sleep, development and infant health — with the official guidance quoted, the uncertainty admitted, and the three-in-the-morning version up front. We publish explanatory articles rather than news, which means an article here is written to still be useful a year from now. Every piece is bylined, sourced and read by an editor before it appears — the full process is set out in our editorial policy.