0-2 years: What can I do as a parent? - More help
What can I do?
1001 days (conception until 2 years) are critical in a child’s life. This period directly impacts on their development and future outcomes.
Your child’s brain will be developing rapidly during the first 2 years of life.
Positive relationships are important. Consistent loving care from parents and carers are crucial for optimum development. Knowing your baby and toddler is especially important. Recognising when they are tired, hungry or want a cuddle can help. Offering your child comfort and understanding helps them to feel safe and secure.
Babies are born primed for social interaction. They will be familiar with your voice at birth and recognise Mum’s face a few hours later.
Skin-to-skin contact at any time a baby needs comforting, can calm your baby. It can help develop a close, loving relationship. Your new born baby loves faces. From the moment they are born your baby will love you to smile, talk and sing to them.
Babies and children need to live and play in a healthy home environment. Everyday positive experiences will help shape their brain. It can provide opportunities for them to learn and grow.
You do not need expensive toys. The best kind of support you can give your baby and child is:
- interacting with you and other important people in their lives,
- playing with them
- chatting and helping them to explore their world safely.
Before your child’s 9 – 12 month review you will be sent an Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) to complete. This allows you time to observe your child's development in the familiar surroundings of your own home.
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Introduce your child to stimulating groups. These will provide opportunities for your child to communicate. They are run by local groups, Staffordshire libraries, Stoke on Trent Libraries or Staffordshire Children’s Centres. Attending baby and toddler groups is a great way of promoting your child’s social development and speech and language. It also allows you as parents/carers to get to know others, which could prove to be a supportive network to you. More information can be found on Staffordshire Connects and SEND Local Offer.
Fun activities to try with your child
Sign up to Hungry Little Minds Staffordshire for updates on what to expect and how to support your childs development
Together for Two’s - small things to do with your child to make a big difference
Top Tips for Parents - to support your child's development
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Children’s Centres run sessions for children and parents. They have regular activities taking place. Find out where your nearest Staffordshire children’s centre and what is available.
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Staffordshire Libraries hold a range of different sessions each week. Baby Bounce and Rhyme sessions are held in most Staffordshire Libraries. These sessions actively encourage loud singing, jangling of musical instruments and roaring (if a lion is seen!). Free and fun, these sessions are a great way for parents and carers to make new friends and help their under 5s develop language and communication skills through nursery rhymes and songs.
Stoke on Trent Libraries offer a range of activities:
- Singing Bears – free weekly rhyme sessions in all libraries
- Bouncing Bears – free weekly sessions for active toddlers in selected libraries, comprising music, movement, stories and rhymes
- Story Bears – free weekly story sessions in selected libraries
- Early Years ad-hoc events held across libraries
Activities can be booked at:
Facebook page or Librariesonline
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Library services. Learning in the home is really important for children. Parents play a key role in helping their child to learn and develop new skills.
Books
Babies don’t need to understand all the words. They will love to listen to your voice, look at the pictures and hold the books. Picture Books can help ‘late talkers’ develop early language skills. It's good to start sharing stories, books and rhymes with your child from as early an age as possible. Just ten minutes shared reading a day can help your child grow into a happy, confident learner.
As they develop they will love to share books with you. Make them fun using different voices and facial expressions. Talk about the pictures and using props or finger puppets to help bring stories alive.
Bookstart. Gives free books to every child in England and Wales at two key stages before school. They also offer:
- free packs for children with additional needs
- tips and guidance on reading together,
- resources and activities
- and much more.
You are never too young to join the library! Your baby can have a library card from birth, just ask at any Staffordshire Library or join online. Library membership is free. There’s no need to buy books when you can borrow them free from our libraries. There are no overdue charges if you take out children’s books on a child’s library card. There are also no lost and damaged charges for children’s books for under 5s borrowed on their library card. Staffordshire libraries love it when you visit the library with your child. We don’t mind how noisy they are.
Stoke on Trent Libraries
Stoke libraries offer the following:
- Free library membership – New customers can join the library online
- Board books and picture books to borrow and share, including dual language books
- A sensory room at City Central Library – free for library members to book and use
- Bookstart Newborn Pack gifted by health visitors at 6 week check. Bookstart Baby (including dual language and additional needs packs) gifted at 12 month check. Packs are administered through libraries. Health visitors will signpost new parents to library activities.
- Enquiry service, including signposting to other services
- Mother & Baby eMagazine available on RBdigital
- Little Library Van visits to early years and community settings
- Stoke Reads 25 Reads reading challenge for children aged 0-5
Family Hubs
Your local Family Hub is a virtual space where you can find advice, support and connect with others in your area. They offer a range of information, support and advice for families at a local and county level communicated mainly through the Family Hub Facebook pages.
We also have produced a wealth of in-house support which has been created by the Early Years Coordination team. This includes topics such as Family Hub Cooking, Family Craft Hub, Community Crates Fun and School Readiness to support your child’s learning and development within the home.