For their first few months, baby's don't interpret that something exists unless they can actually see it.  If you cover your head with a blanket, your baby will think that you are no longer there.  Only at around 6 months do they begin to realise that yo… more »

Babies spend an awful lot of time lying in their cots, staring at the ceiling!  Give them something to stimulate their senses and hang a mobile for them!  You can readily buy wind-up or battery operated mobiles that turn and play tunes, but if you don't… more »

The brain of a newborn baby weighs 400 grams, but by the first birthday, it has grown enormously to 1000 grams!  An adult brain weighs 1400 grams, and by 2 years old, your baby's brain is 80% of that size.  So it's no wonder that children absorb informat… more »

Over the last few decades we've seen enormous advances in the design of toys for babies, with most toys aimed specifically at stimulating the senses of a newborn baby.  If you read the manufacturers' descriptions, you would think that we have only just l… more »

Before the age of two, toddlers don't interact or play directly with other children, but that does not mean it is not important for children of this age to play together.  Early on you will see 'solitary play' where children play with toys almost in isol… more »

Few parents will not be concerned about the continuing global spread of swine flu, or H1N1 virus to give it its proper name.  Already swine flu has led to the deaths of a number of babies and toddlers and there is every reason that parents will be concer… more »

Drawing is an activity that toddlers enjoy from an early age. During their early years, drawing is all about learning movement rather than creating representations on paper. Ask a toddler 'What is it?' and they may reply, 'A house' or 'It's Mummy', but they don't really have the concept of drawing to represent real world things. Instead of asking what they have drawn, ask about the colors, and praise them for the shapes. Toddlers enjoy the experience of freedom when they draw - of swirling their arm. At the early stages they don't have the control to start and stop a line at particular points. This comes with practice as they refine their fine motor skills - the ability to control small movements in their arms and hands. Drawing is a great learning tool for your toddler - it lays the foundation for writing letters and numbers, and for doing representational drawings as they grow older. more »

Memory is a tool that improves with practice.  The more we challenge ourselves, the more we can improve our memory.  Memory is also an important foundation for further learning.  This means that the more you expand your childrens' memory, the better they… more »

Laughter has been proven to improve your immune system and help relieve stress.  Research has found a number of biological benefits, all pointing to increased activity in the immune system and an overall decrease in stress hormones.  I've talked before a… more »

Everyone dreams!  Observation of babies sleeping suggests that even babies dream, although no one knows what dreams they experience.  People who have been blind from birth dream, they tend to have heightened dreams of senses other than sight, such as sme… more »

Wow! I've migrated my Blog over to a grown-up blogging tool!  This gives all the fabulous features that you'd expect from a proper Blog!  You can now post comments against our postings, subscribe to feeds, and it's easier for me to write my entries!Pri… more »

Nursery rhymes have been chanted by young children for generations. The origins of many rhymes are disputed, and a considerable body of research exists into their history. The earliest nursery rhymes still known today date back to the 18th century and mo… more »

Research suggests that babies who blow bubbles develop language sooner than babies that don't! Blowing bubbles, licking lips and other complex mouth movements help to develop essential control required for language. Making hand gestures, waving or making… more »

Sometimes, our use of everyday language can be very confusing to toddlers who are still picking up the nuances of our language. How often have you asked 'Would you like to pick up your toys?' or 'Shall we go for a walk?', when actually what you mean is '… more »

We've taken some time out to refurbish the Store in ToucanLearn - we've expanded the viewing area to make it much easier to navigate through the thousands of baby and toddler related merchandise all available through our retail partner Amazon. If you're… more »