Muscle development in the baby years

By Cozette Laubser | For many parents, the first time they consider their child’s physical development is when a professional like a teacher, nurse, pediatrician or […]

Encourage your baby to crawl

Research shows there are numerous benefits to exploring the world on all fours. Dr Melodie de Jager shares her insights. Between seven and 12 months of […]

A body that is ready to master emotions and words

By Cozette Laubser | Let’s listen up and be reminded of a few practical pointers that will ensure strong bodies and smart brains. In this article […]

‘n Lyfie wat leergereed is vir emosies en woorde

Deur Cozette Laubser | Kom ons spits ons ore en raak gou van nuuts af weer bewus van ‘n paar praktiese beginsels wat sterk lyfies en […]

Kies ‘n kleuterskool vir jou kind wat ouderdomsgepas breinontwikkeling sal verseker

Deur Cozette Laubser | Hoe kies ‘n mens ‘n kleuterskool? Liewe aarde, daar is baie faktore om in ag te neem! Vir baie ouers kom die […]

Die Babaklas – Die Jaar wat die Brein Drievoudig Vergroot

Deur Cozette Laubser | Die eerste lewensjaar is die jaar van alle ontwikkelingsjare, dit is DIE jaar om breinontwikkeling te prioritiseer. Sjoe, jy het nie daardie […]

The Baby Class – The Year the Brain Triples in Size

By Cozette Laubser | The first year of life is the proverbial holy grail of all developmental years, it is THE year to prioritise brain development. […]

The young child’s physical, emotional and cognitive needs

Supporting your child’s fundamental needs contributes to feelings of belonging, purpose and joy! By Cozette Laubser Children are the most amazing gift, but raising them comes […]

A dad’s role in brain development

By Cozette Laubser | Most of preparing for pregnancy, birth, and parenthood revolves around the mother and baby. Certainly, for good reason and especially because so […]

Starting Solids – A Developmental Perspective

By Cozette Laubser | It is a cold and miserable day outside, I am longing to head out towards my favourite coffee shop where I will […]

Why movement is important for the brain

By Dr Melodie de Jager | International research has shown an increase in difficulties with both behaviour and learning. These difficulties seem to be associated with […]

Nature’s Innate Strategy for Brain Development is PLAY

By Dr Melodie de Jager | Have you recently watched puppies, lion cubs and human babies at play? Obviously, not all playing together. It is quite uncanny […]

From Surviving to Thriving – Making the Most of Month 3 to 4

By Cozette Laubser | For so many families the first 12 weeks are really tough. For our family, who recently welcomed a second baby boy into […]

Word wakker baba!

Maande lank het jul uitgesien na baba se koms. Nou is die perfekte mensie hier. Sy het twee ogies, twee oortjies, ’n wipneus en ’n tuitmondjie. […]

Will any crawling style do?

By Dr Melodie de Jager and Cozette Laubser | Crawling (on all-fours) is a powerful BRAIN-BOOSTING milestone. Crawling on all fours requires incredible strength, balance and […]

Choose a pre-school that will develop your child’s brain age-appropriately

By Cozette Laubser | How does one choose a preschool? By golly, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration! For many parents the […]

From Nappy to Potty – A Developmental View

By Dr Melodie de Jager | Potty training is similar to learning a brand new language: it takes time, and two people – mom/dad/caregiver and child. […]

Developmental toys and gift ideas, 0 – 3 years

By Cozette Laubser | ‘Tis the season! Celebrating Christmas with your baby for the very first time is such a memorable day, it is therefore no […]

Does baby’s date of birth matter?

By Dr. Melodie de Jager | Oh YES, a baby’s date of birth matters! PREMATURE BABIES If baby was born premature, baby has ONE date of […]

Baby and Toddler Sleep – An Encouraging Perspective

By Cozette Laubser | Sleep is probably the number one topic parents read about, talk about, complain about and sadly lie about. This article isn’t about […]

Play is serious learning

By Dr Melodie de Jager | Margot Sutherland, a British Psychologist, says one of the biggest complaints from adults about their own childhood, is the lack […]

The Skin, Feeding and Early Speech

By Dr Melodie de Jager and Cozette Laubser | Your skin is your largest and some would say most important sensory organ in your body. Our […]

Get the most out of feeding-time (and not just breastfeeding-time)

By Lorraine van Niekerk and Cozette Laubser | Any mother that has read a little bit about babies, even if it is just the label on […]

Is my baby hyperactive?

By Dr Melodie de Jager and Cozette Laubser | Hyperactivity and ADHD are feared words. Without even really knowing what they mean, we all know we […]

Milestones – what’s all the fuss about?

By Dr Melodie de Jager | “My baby walked at 9 months” and “My baby talked at 12 months”, “My baby uses our iPad” and “My […]

THE LOVE MILESTONES

Nothing makes a parent’s heart beat faster than a spontaneous smile, hug or kiss from their young child. These little signs of love are often what […]

Mylpale in my eerste lewensjaar

Liewe mamma, my eerste lewensjaar is vol opwindende mylpale. Ek het vir jou ’n brie­fie geskryf sodat jy sal weet wat jy in die eerste 12 […]

Jou kind se eerste 1000 dae – Gaan vir goud!

Het jy geweet dat daar ’n “goue tydperk” in jou kind se lewe is wat deurslaggewend vir sy of haar toekoms is? Ons 1 000 dae-gids […]

Birth and brain development – a flawless design

As vital as oxygen is to the brain, the brain does not develop without stimulation. The brain – the power house of the human being, starts […]

Babataal

Taal is ‘n belangrike hoeksteen in baba se fisiese, emosionele, sosiale en kognitiewe ontwikkeling en daarom moet mens mooi dink voor jy praat. Taal is ook […]

If movement develops the brain, why is hyperactivity a bad thing?

  Everywhere you turn you can find an ad for a movement based programme that promises to be the cure for all ills – dyslexia, poor […]

STIMULATION – The Goldilocks principle

    A baby’s brain is vulnerable. At birth a baby is used to the same environment where the in-utero conditions are more or less the […]

Magical Milestones for Healthy Baby Development

{Wherever he or him is used to refer to a baby, she or her is also implied} Milestones – An overview Motor milestones are beacons of […]

What caresses the nose, hugs the heart

The first 1,000 days between pregnancy and your child’s 2nd birthday, offer a unique window of opportunity to build healthier brains and happier hearts. Nutrition and brain […]

The vagus nerve and its role in feeding

The vagus nerve is called a wandering nerve because it is the longest cranial nerve and ‘wanders’ to the pharynx, heart, lungs and entire digestive tract. […]

Growth versus Development: Your Baby’s Brain and Body Working Together

Dr Melodie de Jager and Cozette Laubser explore the connection between babies’ physical growth and their ability to reach developmental milestones. Neuroscience indicates that babies are […]