Jaundice is a common condition that affects around half of newborn babies, usually coming on about two days after birth.  Premature babies are more susceptible, 75% of premature babies go on to develop jaundice after birth.  Jaundice is caused by too much of a naturally produced serum, bilirubin, in the body.  Bilirubin is created by the body breaking down red blood cells, and is then converted into a form that the body can dispose of as waste by the liver.  However, babies break down significantly more red blood cells than an adult, producing proportionately more bilirubin, and the organs of a newborn baby aren't fully developed.  Their body may produce more bilirubin than their liver can handle.

The symptoms of jaundice are a yellow tinge to the skin and in the whites of the eyes; sometimes presence of jaundice must be confirmed through blood tests.  Historically, and wrongly,  it was believed that people with jaundice saw everything with a yellow tint, giving rise to the notion of having a 'jaundiced view' of things.

Jaundice is usually treated by placing a baby under ultraviolet light.  The eyes must be protected as UV light is harmful to them, but other than that, the treatment is simple, painless and in most cases successful over a two or three day period.  In severe cases, a blood transfusion may be offered.

Jaundice suffered in adults or older children is harmless, but in newborn babies the brain tissues are still forming.  Bilirubin can build up in the grey matter of the brain causing irreversible brain damage (called kernicterus) - this may be unnoticeable but in rare cases the damage can be severe, leading to loss of hearing, delayed development and learning difficulties.

Late onset jaundice can arise several days after birth and is more common in breast fed babies.  Late onset jaundice usually clears up on its own without treatment, but look out for the yellowing signs and raise it with your doctor or health visitor if you suspect that your newborn might be suffering from jaundice.

Play is important for every child and for the first few years of their lives, babies and toddlers learn a huge amount during what they consider to be 'play'.  This is why teaching through play is such a great way to guide and educate our children because the message gets through, they learn and yet it all happens while they are having fun, playing!

During play, children expand their understand of the world, their understanding of themselves, and indeed their understanding of other people.  Once children play together, it is also a way to start communicating with other children and sharing ideas and games.

By six months, children have learned, through trial and error, various sequences that they practice.  If they push a ball, it rolls!  They see that something happens and they like the feeling of it happening.   They are learning to grip and drop and use their hands.

By nine months they might push a ball, crawl to get it and push it again.  They master new skills and make the play more interesting and complex for themselves. They use props more and gravitate towards toys they like.

By a year, they are able to be even more accurate with their props/toys.  They know a rattle will rattle and can kick or throw or roll a ball.

Types of play

• Sensory play: As they gain confidence and control their games become even more complex.  They enjoy the sensation of movement such as swings and slides. They will do things over again to relive the experience.

• Pretend Play: Children begin by being adult led and take the initiative from parents when starting out with pretend play.  Once they see what they can do, they may take the lead.  They may take familiar roles of doctor, or Dad when playing.  They may need, props and costumes and will probably be happy making a dressing gown into a super hero cape or tying a scarf round their head to make a princess veil.

• By 4 or 5, pretend play becomes peer focused and they children will happy to share a pretend game together, working out what to do and who is going to be who in the game.  They will discuss the rules of the game, how it will unfold.  They may well guide behaviour by suggesting an action.  "You'll need to drink your tea before you go to work, Dad."  Pre-schoolers will also have to overcome conflict and negotiate.

• Constructive play: Blocks and boxes are used to create a pretend miniature world.  This type of play, allows the child complete freedom to create a world of their own.

• Physical Play: Rough and tumble, running games, chasing games are all popular with pre-schoolers.  They have more control at this age and can jump, run, climb and chase.  Overly aggressive behaviour should be checked, but it's all about learning how to control their body and what they are capable of.

• Organised games: A more logical and formal game arrangement becomes popular between 4 and 5 years old.  They can cope with and understand the idea of having rules and  are able to follow those rules in order to have a fun game.  The idea of competition is introduced and that of winner or loser!  Teams are also introduced and the idea of working together for a common goal.

What's our role?

Observe and comment in a positive way to encourage them.

Play with them especially when they are young,  It affirms the idea of playing and makes them feel worthwhile if you are willing to play too.

Create a playful atmosphere and allow them to play - give them permission to make some noise or a mess!

Make suggestions if they are stuck.

Ensure everyone plays safely ie. the equipment is safe and that the children behave properly too!

It stands to reason that art and craft assists to develop fine muscle control in your babies, and that kicking, running and chasing games improve their physical strength and control, but how do you kick start your baby's ability to think and solve problems?  Funnily enough, abstract thinking and analytical skills are the focus of many toys created for babies and toddlers.  You may not have thought about it, but toys such as shape sorters, simple jigsaws starting with just two pieces per puzzle, old fashioned building blocks and musical instruments all help to develop analytical and thinking skills in babies and toddlers.

Walk into a toyshop and so many of the toys available today were available in a similar form in our own childhood - many were available in similar form during our parents and grandparents childhoods too!  Science has long told us that interacting with such toys helps us explore the world and develop our thinking, perhaps what is more surprising is that there are so few innovations in childrens toys over the last two generations.  That comes down to the fact that human development hasn't evolved in that time, and for a long time we have had a pretty good understanding of it.

When nurturing your chilren, or children that you work with, introduce a good balance of 'thinking' games and activities.  This is only one area of child development, but it can be easy to overlook the importance of this area if you particularly enjoy more physical activities.  That is one reason that the Early Years Foundation Stage is so important - by following the guidelines and ticking off boxes for areas that you have pursued, you will automatically be delivering a well balanced development plan to your little ones.  If you aren't the most creative person and struggle for ideas in areas of EYFS, or you simply want ideas that you can adopt and develop, then sign up to ToucanLearn now!  We offer hundreds of activities concentrating on key development skills, and for premium members we link them all to EYFS too so that you can track progress with your little ones.  If you are toying with the idea of subscribing to ToucanLearn, then there are several hundred good reasons for doing so!

It's always alarming when your baby is unwell, especially if they are really tiny, but what signs should you look out for to determine whether calling the doctor is the right course of action?

Every baby is different and responds differently. For brand new parents it hard to know what is normal and what is not... here are some signs to look out for which might indicate you baby needs medical help. But remember, a baby's state can deteriorate quickly, so if you are concerned in any way, don't hang around, call for medical advice immediately if your baby or child...

• Is unresponsive: you know what they are normally like, so if they seem unresponsive to a favourite game or toy then they may be ill.
• Has a persistent high temperature: if they seem warm and the temperature won't reduce despite cooling them.
• Refuses feeds: if your baby is still feeding and refuses one feed and then refuses a second feed.
• Vomits: if they vomit up their feed twice in a row or the vomit seems discoloured in any way (ie is greenish or has blood in it).
• Has diarrhoea; if it is blood stained or persistent.
• Shows signs of lethargy: very tired all the time and weary.
• Has a rash: any kind of rash.
• Is irritable or restless: if they won't settle or relax or sleep.
• Has breathing difficulty: if they are struggling to breathe or are breathing in an unusual way.
• Is coughing: unusual or painful coughing
• Has a bulging fontanelle: if there is a bulge at the forehead.

You know your baby best.  If in doubt, call the doctor or NHS Direct!

A baby's cry can go on and on - it can be loud and so relentless and sometimes no matter what you do it seems it will never stop.  However, we must remember that a baby's cry is a useful tool as a means to communicate.  During the first few weeks a baby is completely helpless and has only one way to let you know he or she is not happy... and that is to cry!

Babies cry on average about 1 - 2 hours a day and we must realise that it is completely normal!  If your baby is crying much more than this then perhaps you should seek expert advice, but for the most part it is okay!  What makes it hard is when a crying baby cannot be comforted.  No amount of cuddles, food, songs, rocking or pushing round in a buggy will make the crying stop.  This is when it get stressful and difficult to cope with.

In order to stop the crying, we need to ascertain why it started int he first place... so here are a few reasons why babies cry.

Baby is hungry. Yesterday they were happy with small feeds, today they want more!  So, in the first instance offer more milk.  Their feeding needs fluctuate and growth spurts can catch you off guard.  During a sudden growth spurt, feeding will often be more frequent.

Baby needs a cuddle. Perhaps baby is unsettled and hasn't had a cuddle for a while.  Give a lovely warm cuddle and hold him for a while.

Wind. Perhaps he has some trapped wind which is making him uncomfortable.  Try and burp him.

Dirty nappy. Perhaps she needs a change.  Some babies don't even notice a dirty nappy.  Others do.  Sometimes just the activity of changing a nappy can distract a baby and stop the crying.

Temperature. He may be too hot or too cold.  If he is warm and rosy, he may be overheating, so remove a layer.  If he is pale and has cold feet, then put another layer on and make his warmer.  The ideal temperature for a baby is around 20 degrees Centigrade.

Too much going on. A loud noise, a bright light, a police car siren, these unusual disturbances can unsettle a baby.

Bored. Even babies need a bit of stimulation.  A teddy, a mobile, a ball in the cot or some nice music may soothe and entertain a new baby.

Unsettled. Perhaps your baby is facing a new situation that they are not used to?  The first sessions with a new childminder and away from Mummy, or any other environment that is new could cause uncertainty and distress. Ease your baby gently into new situations.

If the crying seems unusually pitched or doesn't stop, then do seek medical advice - you recognise your own baby's cry better than anyone else and are best positioned to notice any abnormality.

When a new baby arrives so much of the focus is on Mum, but what about things Dad can do with baby!   The relationship with Daddy is very important too!  Here are a few ideas to get Dad involved and feel an important part of the family.

• Monkeying around - play peek-a-boo, blow raspberries, pull funny faces, make a teddy talk. Remember all your boy-ish larking around but this time take baby with you!
• Get informed - do a bit of research into babies, and have a good idea of what is required and what is going on.  It will be a great help to Mum and will make you feel an important part of those early days.
• Hunt for your favourite book - try to recall what you liked as a child. If you still have any old books in the attic then pull them out, dust them down and start reading them to your little one. If you can't find a particular title, pop to the library and see if it's there. Or, choose a new book you like the look of and make it a special book you read to your child together.
• Go for a walk - grab a sling and go for a walk together on your own. Mum will be happy for a bit of rest. Touch leaves, rest on a sunny park bench, sit on the grass and spend easy time together.
• Stand Up for Yourself! - don't let a mother or mother-in-law undermine you or your role as a Dad.  Stand up for yourself!
• Feeding friend - if mummy is breast feeding you can't really help to feed baby, but how about bringing a nice glass of juice or a snack to keep her going.  It will be appreciated!
• Snap! - take lots of photos. Time goes so quickly, snap whenever you can of everything to do with your baby - even feeding, or sleeping! You'll love seeing them again in years to come when bottles and cots have gone!
• Go shopping - buy a toy from you and give it to your baby as a gift. Let no one influence you - just choose your own toy and present it to your baby! Buy a new set of clothes too - why not!? Again,choose what you would like and not what you think might be right or acceptable!
• Don't Give Up - if you are not too good at nappies and baby seems to cry every time you hold her, don't give up!  Keep at it and you'll get to know each other better and you will get to know what baby likes!

Enjoy your new baby!

Observing children forms a fundamental part of the Early Years Foundation Stage, childminders are required to observe children and make notes.  This helps to record each child's progress through EYFS and also helps you to plan ahead and work out what areas of learning to focus on for the medium term.  Key to observing children is simply that - watching what they do without offering any external direction, or offering only minimal interaction.  Childminders are so used to interacting with their wards that it can feel a little strange just stepping away and watching!

Make notes of what you observe; you might choose to do this straight into a diary, or you might prefer to take notes whilst you watch and later write them up more formally.  A written record creates an invaluable resource both for you and to share with parents, or indeed to carers in other settings.

When you undertake your planning, go back though your diaries of observations and work out what areas of learning you need to concentrate on over the coming weeks.  Compare your notes over time to ensure that your children are progressing.  Although keeping a diary seems a big chore, if you write it regularly you will quickly find that it takes very little time and becomes part of your routine.  A number of ToucanLearn members are using their private blog spaces to record their observations and this is an area that we intend to improve to facilitate better records for professional childminders and diligent parents alike!

Dolls and Teddies all over the country are being called upon to help little ones get through the discomfort and soreness of having jabs!  Its a great way to prepare your toddler or pre-schooler for having dreaded injections and it really can help!  Role play can make a trip to the doctor more familiar, prepare even the littlest children for injections and prevent them being too traumatised about it.

All you need is lots of willing dollies and stuffed toys, some old bandages and a doctor or nurses outfit if you have one.  Show your little one how to wrap up poorly arms and legs with bandages.  Use real cotton wool and plasters if you can spare some.  This makes them feel more grown up and makes the items more familiar for when they go into the doctor's surgery for their own injection.

Make sure you pretend to settle the dolls, calm them and say nice things to them... get your toddler doing the same.  If you have a doctor's set, get that out too and play with all the bits and pieces. When you're finished, don't forget to award the patients some stickers for being so good!

If your child is a bit older or understands more, explain an injection by saying its medicine to stop them from being poorly.  Tell them all children must have the medicine and it shows how grown-up they're getting. Have a few chocolate buttons ready - tell them they're going to get them if they're brave - and make sure you don't forget to hand them over immediately after the jab.

It is important to prepare them.  After all, even toddlers understand so much, but make sure there are plenty of cuddles and kind words when its over... and not forgetting the all important chocolate buttons for you both!

Research has found that babies put into incubators when first born are less likely to develop depression as adults - something known as the incubator effect!

The findings suggest that babies put into an incubator when they are born are three times less likely to develop anxiety or depression in later life.  The results surprised the researchers, who expected to find that infants taken away from their mother so early, and placed in the incubator for long periods of time, would be more inclined to feel anxious and experience mental health problems when adults.   Separation at birth has always been considered a major contributing factor to behavioural problems in adolescence and adulthood.

The long term study took  a sample of 1,200 children, in Quebec, from 1986 through to 2006.  Full results were published in the medical journal, Psychiatric Research.  It may be due to the incubator having an impact on brain cell development or perhaps that poorly babies were given more close attention and care.

Interesting findings!

New, and slightly worrying research, suggests that having a healthy diet containinging plenty of fibre has a detrimental effect on your chances of having a baby. This is something women trying for a baby will be horrified to hear.

Wholemeal bread, brown pasta and brown rice when eaten in large quantities seem to effect the hormone levels of women and therefore may impact on fertility levels.  The more wholemeal food women ate, the lower the levels of vital hormones that influence the reproduction process.

The research was carried out in America, using a sample of 250 women of childbearing age, over a two year period.  They made two important discoveries when looking at the women and their fibre intake:

• Hormone levels were less in those with a high fibre diet
• There was an increase in something called anovulation (which is when a women goes through her menstrual cycle but her ovaries fail to release an egg)

Anovulation is known to occur when hormone levels drop due to anxiety, stress or extreme exercise.

This is the first time that a healthy diet has been deemed to impact on a person in a negative way.  Serious claims!

In the first few months following birth, your baby is experiencing the world through its senses, and it is those experiences that help form connections inside the brain and these connections that shape the individual mind of your baby.  At birth, a baby is barely able to see but they have an acute sense of smell.  At three days old they can recognise the smell of their mother's breast milk and the odour of their parents, yet they can still see only centimetres in front of them.  They have an innate ability to recognise faces and are attracted to faces close by.

By three months their brains have developed considerably and they are able to control themselves better - they can choose where to look rather than being fixated on moving objects nearby.  They might move their arms and legs seemingly randomly, but this is helping them to build up muscles, an essential component on the way to being able to roll, crawl and later walk.  This movement allows them to interact with their physical surroundings and this intensifies the rate at which the brain develops as it is exposed to new experiences.  Research shows that babies who are denied the opportunity to interact physically with their surroundings develop at a slower rate so it is particularly important to work with babies suffering physical or mental disability to ensure that they can develop as best they can.

Interacting with your baby is especially important even during these early months - try to spend time with your newborn baby stimulating them.  Stimulate their vision by exposing them to high contrast patterns and making movement in front of them; stimulate their hearing by playing background sounds and music, and rattling toys in front of them.  Stimulate their sense of feel by touching stroking them and letting them hold your fingers and baby toys.

It would be easy to ignore your newborn baby and leave them lying in another room for their first few months while you get on with the chores you have to do, but the more time you can spend with your baby, the more rewarding for both you and your little one!

Don't forget that here at ToucanLearn we have activities suitable from birth onwards.  Our early activities are simple and aimed at helping to stimulate early development in your child.  All our activities link into the Early Years Foundation Stage Areas of Learning and Development, so you can monitor that you are giving your baby a broad range of activities even at this early stage.

Shapes and colours are amongst the first concepts that babies learn and learning them helps to stimulate connections in the brain that will continue to serve your baby as they learn throughout their childhood.  Learning both shapes and colours with your baby can be fun for both of you.  Here's a fun idea on how to familiarise your baby with both.

Take two potatoes and cut them in half so that at least one of the cross sections makes a circle.  Now carve the other faces into a rectangle, square and triangle. You now have four large stampers!

Dip the face of the potatoes in finger paint and stamp different coloured shapes onto a large sheet of paper.  Practice the stamping and discuss each shape with your baby - count the sides on the shape and point your finger around each shape as you show them.  Start with a single colour and state the colour with each stamp: 'red circle', 'red square', 'red triangle', 'red rectangle'.  Wipe the paint off the face each time and then start on another colour.

When you have played with these for a bit, show the effect of mixing colours; demonstrate how two colours mixed together create a different colour.  Try mixing various combinations of colours to create a varied array.

Playing with shapes and colours will help to cement these concepts in your child's mind and start them on a learning path that will set them up well for school in a few years!

The Baby Show commissioned research into the patterns around conception for 1,000 babies, their findings were interesting, but don't concur entirely with our own information!  You can read the full article here; it produces some fun facts such as that last year 20% of conceptions were unplanned and that nearly half the respondents conceived outside of the bedroom!

Their research also suggests that April is the most popular month to conceive in, and September the least popular.  Well, we have a data sample just shy of 3,000 children (but growing daily!) which agrees that April is the most popular month, by a considerable margin.  However, trailing as the least popular month in our data is July - our data places September right in the middle as a pretty average month!

It's all a bit of fun and we're sure you will find lots more interesting things at the next Baby Show which falls on 19th - 21st February at ExCeL in London.

We are all so conscious of dangers when we take children out: cars on the road, tripping on pavements, falling from a swing.  However there are 400 children admitted to hospital every WEEK with injuries following accidents in the home.  This is a staggering number - especially when this is just those under the age of five!

What we have to remember is that children and toddlers and babies are constantly growing and experimenting and exploring.  The way they learn is to watch and copy us.  So, we need only take a look through their eyes to see what they might see and then we'll realise how accidents - that are totally avoidable - can happen.  And, we'll see how easy it is to prevent those accidents taking place.

Tablets and pills - many toddlers can take off the child-resistant caps on bottles of pills. The child-resistant caps make it more difficult to open, but are not impenetrable for a child.  A simple adult painkiller could poison a child.  They see you take a few, and it helps your headache.  If they get hold of them, they take a few and it could be disastrous.  Toddlers may think they are sweets, that they taste nice, that Daddy has them so why shouldn't I, that they make them grow strong.  So, keep bottles of pills well out of reach. 

Lighters and matches - children can ignite lighters by accident and can cause a match to inflame by just playing with them  They don't realise the danger they could cause.  There are 6,000 house fires every year caused by children under ten!  When they look at a match or lighter, children see the flash of light, the spark, it's like magic.  Keep the matches and lighters out of reach.

Stairs - About 800 under fives are taken to hospital each WEEK having fallen down stairs.  They develop the climbing skills need to get up stairs very quickly... almost without you noticing they could suddenly be able to get up a few steps. It can be dreadfully dangerous if they fall down.  Kids think its fun to go up, it's a challenge and everyone else does it so why shouldn't I?  Well, if they do they might fall and hurt themselves, get a stair gate and remember to use it!

Knives and utensils in the kitchen - It's so easy to forget that little ones can one day reach kitchen surfaces.    Make sure all knives, and heavy utensils are well back just in case they reach up and something comes crashing down.

Hot Drinks - tea and coffee can scald and burn a baby's skin.  Don't put hot drinks on low tables or on unstable surfaces.  Tea and coffee is made with boiling water and stays hot for a long time.  If they they go to try your tea without you seeing, and pour it over themselves by accident - it could scar your child for life!

It's not all gloom and doom!  But being very aware of potential dangers is vital in order for you and your child to have a relaxed home!  If you make just a few changes to the way you do things and if you just keep one step ahead if you can... you'll be okay!

A few final tips:

1. Fit a smoke alarm and TEST it frequently.
2. Keep all medicines, cleaning fluids in a locked cupboard out of a child's reach.
3. Fit stair gates and safety guards round fires.
4. Keep hot drinks on tables that are out of reach.  Don't drink hot tea with your baby in your arms.
5. Keep saucepan handles, electric flexes etc well out of reach.

Music is an important part of a baby's development but at different stages in their early life it can be used in different ways.

Newborns love music played softly.  Prepare a nice warm room, cuddle up with your baby and put on some lovely relaxing music.  Rock slightly to the rhythm and enjoy some quiet, peaceful time together.

3-6 month old babies love looking at you and your face so this is a great time to introduce singing to your little one.  They will enjoy hearing your voice (no matter how good or bad you are at singing!) and will love to be near your face as you sing.  Perhaps tap the beat of the music gently on their feet too!

6-9 month old babies are looking for a little more stimulation so this is a good time to introduce actions to your songs and rhymes.  Gently hold their hands and guide their arms through the songs.  Bounce them on your knee in time with the music and perhaps introduce puppets or teddies that dance along to the music too!

9-12 month old babies will be able to hold rattles and instruments when they are doing their 'singing'.  Get hold of some nice bells or wooden rattles and shake in time with the music.  See if baby can copy the sounds you make when you sing or the sounds the instruments make. Don't forget to have a dance around together to music.  Sway, bounce, and even jig if you feel like it!

12-18 month olds will enjoy moving around a little more to music.  Play all sorts of music - not just kiddie songs.  Put on your favourite tracks and see how your little ones like it.  Do some fast dancing, or slow dancing too.  And, don't forget to have some relaxing time together too.  Listen to the music in a comfy chair and have some down time.

Have fun and enjoy yourselves!