Toddlers can't read, so why do we bother with reading them books?  The answer is simple: one day they will have to learn to read and if they like books, associate them with fun and good experiences, they will be more inclined to want to learn about letters and sounds and eventually reading.

Being able to read a book is a huge and marvelous gift.  It opens the world up for little children and allows them to enjoy the fantastic stories that are available and help them learn at school.  So, by reading to the toddlers and even babies, you're helping them for when they need to learn to read at school and indeed helping on their journey through school.  Plus, even more important at this stage, introducing them to a wonderful world of stories and adventures!

So, what to do to make books fun!  Here are a few tips:

1. Read as often as possible!  You can read a book in bed, while on a journey, in the morning.  Have some cuddly time together when you read and make it cosy and comforting for you both!
2. Try and bring the stories to life by using lots of expressions and funny voices!  It will make your child laugh and will help you get through all the kiddie books without getting bored yourself!
3. Talk about the stories together and try and guess what is going to happen.
4. Let your little on choose the books.  Read the favourites as many times as they want!  Children love things that are familiar so they love hearing books over and over again!
5. Try and encourage the children to say the rhyming bits with you or the catch phrase.
6. Try and get as many book as you can!  Go to the library, book sales, car boot sales and get a wide selection.
7. Allow children to handle books all the time.  Yes, teach them to be careful, but get board books if they are heavy handed and let the look at the pictures, feel the pages and turn the pages.  You don't need to have a shelf of pristine books that no one is allowed to touch.  Better a shelf of books that have been used, and read, and enjoyed for many years!

Today is Mother's Day in the UK and Ireland and although Mother's Day is celebrated in most countries around the world, different countries celebrate it on different days of the year.  Indeed a Mother's Day falls in some country during nearly every month of the year.  One universal feature is that the celebration is Mother's Day rather than Mothers' Day - the distinction being that we are celebrating the achievements of our own individual mother, rather than of all mothers collectively.

The ancient Greeks and Romans celebrated festivals to Mother's and such a celebration features in most religions too.  In the UK and Ireland, Mother's Day falls on the Fourth Sunday in Lent, suggesting that its origins lie with the Catholic Church celebrations of the Virgin Mary.

In the USA, Anna Jarvis began a campaign to establish Mother's Day which was eventually recognised as a national holiday in 1914, falling on the second Sunday in May.  However the holiday was quickly commercialised and Jarvis quickly came to regret what had become of it, spending the rest of her life campaigning against the commercialisation of the festival.  Today Mother's Day is worth over $4bn to the US economy!

Whatever your feelings on whether it's an important celebration or all commercial hype, no one can deny that Mothers deserve to have their achievements celebrated, so take some time to reflect on your own mother, and let's be grateful for all they have done for us!

There are lots of activities you can do with your child to introduce them to reading, that don't necessarily involve learning to read in the traditional sense.  Here are some tips to make learning to read an easy, fun and inspiring time for both you and your children!

1. Look at the pictures: Look at the cover, the pictures throughout the book.  Discuss the style, colour scheme, characters depicted.
2. Look carefully at the title of the book.  Explain to your child what the title is.
3. Look at the characters throughout the book.  What are they doing?  What do they look like?  Do they remind you of anyone you know?
4. Talk about the sequence of pictures in the book.  Look for differences and talk about why may be happening.
5. Chat about what might happen in the book.  Predict a story together and what the ending might be.
6. Make up a story with a different ending and describe what the picture might be if your ending was used instead of that actually in the book.
7. Start looking at the words together.  Follow the words with your finger and then with your child's finger.  Chat about what letters begin each word and sound out the words together.
8. Look at the pictures for clues of what's going on in the story.  Show your child how the pictures can be a great help when learning to read.
9. Focus on the easy words and brush over the hard words or those that are not easily read by new readers (the, said, giraffe).
10. Chat about the book the day after and see how much you can remember together.

Most importantly, have fun when reading with your child.  Don't get annoyed if they don't understand immediately  or struggle on words they knew yesterday.  Certainly don't force them to read or make them do it if they're tired or not in the right mood.

Enjoy... learning to read can be so much fun and they will make you so proud when they try hard and make progress.

Children learn from their surroundings, and are informed by the people the interact with, parents, teachers and carers - make sure that your children are being given a model example because otherwise they will pick up traits and habits that you don't like!

Table manners present a host of unwritten rules that we want children to abide by: remain seated until everyone has finished; finish all the food on your plate; no toys at the table; eat with your cutlery; arms and elbows off the table.  You may wish to impress some or all of these rules but whatever your stance, make sure that you follow them yourself.  Your children won't understand if they aren't allowed toys at the table but that you use your mobile phone at the table.  Why should they eat everything on their plate if you don't finish everything on yours?  Why should they remain seated if you disappear mid-meal to make a phone call, start washing the dishes or take on another chore?

This illustrates just how easy it is to contradict yourself, and can is mirrored in many other areas of a young toddlers life!   Be aware of such contradictions in any regimented environment where we expect our children to conform to rules or manners, and especially to the language that we use and the ways in which we address others.  If we lead by example then our children will naturally follow.

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.

If you live in England or Wales, you have access to fantastic medical resources in NHS Direct and NHS Direct Wales - particularly useful for families with new babies and are uncertain as to whether a cough, splutter or wheeze is normal or the sign of an important medical condition!

NHS Direct was announced in 1997, and rolled out between 1998 and 2000, giving faster access to direct medical advice.  Most enquiries are made by telephone (0845 4647), calls are switched to dedicatedcall centres staffed by trained medical staff.  They will ask questions relating to the symptoms, and then advise on what action you should take.  They will advise whether you should make an appointment with your doctor; if they perceive there to be a serious risk, they might advice you to seek urgent medical attention in a hospital or even to dial the emergency services.

The NHS Direct website contains a lot of valuable health advice and information, as well as a symptom checker to help you to diagnose your symptoms online.

Scotland is served by NHS 24 and Wales by NHS Direct Wales, Northern Ireland has its own NHS service but doesn't appear to offer a similar direct telephone service.

NHS Direct will give you immediate assistance and will funnel you to the correct service.  Given that most of us don't have medical training, it is reassuring to know that help in assessing any medical situation is just a phone call away.

Children can be very inquisitive, often asking very good questions, and it's easy to brush off or ignore ones we can't answer, but if they ask a question that you don't know the answer to, seize the opportunity to explore the topic and both you and your children will learn something new!

The internet gives us the most amazing resource imaginable - at our fingertips are the answers to almost any question on the planet, and certainly to any questions that our children will pose!  If a challenging question comes your way, take time to research the answer, and encourage the inquisitive, learning nature of your little ones.

The internet is not the only resource at hand.  Perhaps a question might lead to a trip to the library, a museum or the zoo?  You don't have to answer just a single question, take the time to explore the topic area more broadly and that way your children will learn so much more.  Young children absorb facts in an astounding way, but they also need to hear the conceptual reasons behind something as they build up their knowledge and understanding of the world more broadly.

Of course, your children won't understand scientific reasoning behind complex answers, your job is to couch  explanations in terms that they will comprehend.  Reference things that they do understand, and explain things using examples and experiences from everyday life that your little ones will understand.

Well, why is the sky blue and why do fish live in water?

The sky appears to be blue because air molecules scatter more blue light than other colours, until the sun sinks on the horizon at which point the light is coming indirectly and more red, yellow and orange light is scattered, sometimes leading to glorious sunsets!

Fish don't have lungs, but gills - these have developed to filter oxygen out of water rather than taking oxygen from the air.

Now, try explaining those in terms that a four year old will understand!

It has been said that Grandparents are taking the lead when it comes to teaching our children traditional values and standards of behaviour.   Over half of those questioned said they learned good manners and values from their grandparents.  Many considered their grandparents to be like second parents, and said that they considered the parents to be confidants.

As the structure and dynamics of families change, it seems that grandparents are now playing an even greater role in children's lives.  Grandparents provide more and more childcare, support in financial or emotional ways and seem tp play an increasing role in the family life.

However, the role of grandparent changes as the children grow.  They may be carer in the beginning, baby sitter as they are older and friend and teacher as they grow up.  Here are a few ideas of the roles a grandparent can play.

Respected ancestor: grandparents are our link with the past.  They are the head of the family and living proof of the family's history.  They can talk about 'the old days', share stories of how life used to be and create a whole new world for little ones who love to listen to their grandparents (often embellished!) tales.

Friend: children feel happy to discuss things with grandparents who often appear more relaxed and permissive than parents.  Children seem more likely to discuss things freely with grandparents and even talk about injustices that they feel with their parents.

Hero: being older, wiser and having lived for so many years, children can see grandparents as their heroes, full of stories and experiences of days gone by.

Teacher of practical skills: they can teach how to polish shoes, how to skip, how to knit, how to do the washing-up.  Grandparents have so many skills and the time to teach them!  They therefore become a role model for children.  They can can be a mentor and guide children in a spiritual way.

Constant, reliable focus: in a world where divorce and separation is becoming more and more common, children look to grandparents as a constant in their life.  They provide a nurturing and reliable place to go and feel wanted and cared for in an unconditional way.

Teachers of social skills: teaching children how to behave in public, how to look after themselves and how to communicate with adults.

Playmate: the magic that a grandparent can bring to a little child's life is priceless!  The simplest of tasks become an adventure with a bit of inspiration and the fresh take on a situation that a grandparent can have.  Children adore the excitement that grandparents can create and the games they have together.

In short, the role of grandparent has many layers, and indeed changes over time.  Being a grandparent is what you make it and with a bit of time and thought it can be such a positive inspiration and a vital part of a child's life.

You don't need fancy toys or equipment in order to be a good grandparent, though.  You don't need lots of brilliant ideas and complicated activities lined up for a visit.  You just need some time, a little creative thinking and be willing to listen to what your grandchildren ask you for.  The most important thing a grandparent can offer is a friendly ear and someone to listen!

The biggest annual celebration of books and reading is coming soon - 4th March will see the 15th World Book Day event in England and Ireland, but the origins can actually be found in Spain!

On 23rd April 1616 one of Spain's most famous authors, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, died.  Better known simply as Cevantes, he wrote Don Quixote. On that same day in England, William Shakespeare, our most celebrated author also died.

But it's not just because of these two authors we celebrate 23rd April - it is also St George's Day which is very significant because in Spain on 23rd April it is customary for men to give roses to their lovers.  Since 1925 it has become the custom for the women to give their men in return, a book.  Many booksellers today still carry on the tradition is Spain, you'll often get a rose in your  new book if bought on this day.

It is for these reasons that UNESCO deemed this date most appropriate to celebrate books in all their glory.  Children especially are encouraged to take a book and read it!  Children all over the world will do so each year!

In the UK the date was revised in order for World Book day to fall in March when children are mid term at school rather than on school holidays.

Nowadays it's an important part of the calendar and schools and children celebrate it all over the country.  Some will wear costumes to school dressed as their favourite characters, others will dress in their pyjamas to stress the importance of the bedtime story.  Whatever you do, just don't forget to do something with a book on 4th March - and make it fun!

It may seem draconian to institute 'house rules', but if children are expected to behave in certain ways, you have to let them know what the rules are! House rules are those simple rules that ask your family to comply in certain ways, such as always taking shoes off when you get home, washing your hands before meals, remaining at the dinner table until you have finished your meal, keeping your bedroom tidy and so on.

When teaching your children the discipline you wish them to follow, you need to state your rules clearly. There's no need to write them down, indeed, young children won't be able to read them even if you do! But giving clear guidance as to what they should or should not be doing makes it easier for your children to learn and abide by your rules.

House rules might be based on manners or good behaviour; growing children learn by knowing what the rules are or where boundaries lie. Once they have a clear set of rules in mind, their broader behaviour will also be guided by these principles. Many rules will be obvious and simply reinforce good behaviour, you may have your own quirky rules that other parents might not apply; there's no harm in that at all, but do ensure that you apply any such rules consistently in your own home.

It is quite legitimate that parents be exempted from rules - children must learn that adults enjoy privileges that they one day will also grow into. However, if the rules don't apply to yourself or other adults in your home, then make sure that your children are aware of this so that they don't see non-compliance from adults as a green light to ignore rules themselves!

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!

What's the best way to handle the situation when your toddler says a bad word and why did they say it in the first place?

Using bad language is fairly common in toddlers.  They pick up new words from other children at nursery or school and suddenly you hear them say things you've never heard before!  Using a bad word is a way of expressing frustration or anger.  They may say it because they think it's funny or because their best friend at school said it.  But, what ever the reason behind saying that word, your reaction is the most important thing.

How to react

• Try not to react too much. Ignore it if you can the first time.  They might see that there's no reaction from you and never say it again!  Certainly don't go crazy and tell them off as this will get them lots of attention which may be what they are after!  Just explain calmly there are some words we don't say.

• If they are over 2 years and know how to say sorry, ask them to apologise to you or whoever the bad words were directed at.  Explain that it was offensive or hurtful and try to make it clear that it's not nice or acceptable.

• Don't laugh, because they will think you've found it funny and will do it again and again to make you laugh even more.

• Think of other words to say when they are angry.  'Upsy Daisy' or 'Oh Dear' when they fall over or stub their toe rather than anything more aggressive.

• Look around at the environment or the people round your child and see where the language might have come from: an uncle who uses bad language, older cousins who might have said things between themselves and been over heard.  If it's just 'potty' talk, then it is probably just children at nursery, but do have a look at the people who spend time with your child just in case its a family member and you may need to request a "toning down" of their language.

• If they keep using profanities, then you have to make clear what will happen: introduce "time-out" or withdraw privileges as a means to make it clear that you do not approve and will not tolerate the bad language.

• Television may be the cause.  Make sure they watch appropriate programmes!

• If they are using bad language to get something definitely don't let them have it.  Say 'no' and explain that using bad words will not get them what they want!

• If they are copying an older sibling, trying to be like them, make it clear to the older child that it's not acceptable language and show how it's causing problems.  Copying and imitating older children (in language and behaviour) is a way of learning, so it's not something they are doing wrong necessarily.

Make sure you don't use bad language either... watch what you say because they will hear, copy and think it acceptable to be like you!

When it comes to parenting, everyone does things differently, but there are four main styles of parenting that most of us fall into - what sort of parent are you?

Authoritative Parenting sees parents explaining rules and reasoning with their children, and explaining their expectations.  Parents will often forgive their children rather than punish them, but when they do punish, they explain why and take care that the child understands.  Parents accept age-appropriate behaviour but expect a level of maturity and in return, offer a level of independece.

Authoritarian Parenting takes a strict approach, requiring conformity to rules with parents demanding high expectations that their children may find difficult to fullfil.  Such parents may punish rather than reason with their children, and may be less open to understanding to the individual needs of children.

Permissive Parenting takes a more open approach to parenting, allowing children to express themselves as they wish, and giving them the freedom to do as they wish.  Parents are responsive to the needs of their children but do not enforce behaviour.  Children brought up in an indulgent way may find it difficult to accept authority later in their lives but at the same time, may adapt to independent life better than children parented in other ways.

Neglectful Parenting describes a much more hands-off approach where parents are disengaged from their children - they lack warmth and involvement in their childrens' daily lives.  They provide basic needs but neglect to nurture their children or offer the emotional support that other children enjoy.

Childminders also care in similar ways and for the best results, childminders should take on children who are being nurtured in a style similar to their own.  A sympathetic environment beyond their family life will help to comfort children rather than confuse them.  Similarly, if you are seeking a childminder for your children, try to identify your own style of parenting and look for a childminder that appears to work in a similar way.

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.

Doctors are being advised to take parent's fears seriously when it comes to sick children. A parent's instinct is to be considered and taken into account when diagnosing a sick child. The idea that "Mother knows best" may be laughed at by some professionals, but parents can offer important information when discussing their child and doctors should listen, according to research published in The Lancet.

Why should doctors listen to untrained, non-medical parents?

• A parent can be trusted to want the best for the child so are more likely to convey a concern if they think it's important.
• They have probably nursed their child before through other ailments.
• They know the child's 'normal' character and can tell when something is not right.

Previously a parent's view was not officially (or routinely) taken into account, but things may change and guidelines my encourage doctors to listen more to the parent; especially when it comes to serious childhood diseases.

Doctors themselves sometimes use 'gut feeling' for some diagnoses. Rapid detection of serious diseases (such as meningitis and pneumonia) can be vital and quick diagnoses can mean saving a life. If a parent's instinct says its serious, this could help get the child rushed into hospital for medical treatment.

Keep an eye out for:

• Rapid breathing
• High temperature
• Poor blood circulation to the skin especially on fingers and toes
• Lethargy and tiredness

If you feel you're not being heard by your doctor and that your concerns are not being taken seriously - GET A SECOND OPINION!