such as peekaboo and pat-a-cake. Encourage your child to keep up their attempts at talking by responding when they speak. Use gestures such as waving goodbye to help them understand the meaning of words.Mums remember their child's first word:'Mama' Carol Dyce, 43

Domonie Moody, 31, form Poole, Dorset is mum to Summer, 3, and Bethany, 6.‘Summer started nursery towards the end of term. There were no tears at all for the first few days. Then it was as if she suddenly thought "I've tried this now - no thanks

Your child probably loves playing superhero games. You may worry that imitating fearless heroes will lead to risk-taking, but this role-play can aid his development.‘It will help your child to explore the difference between fantasy and reality

to run behind him, putting right the chaos he leaves in his wake!'Julia Nighe, 42, mum to Joshua, 22 monthsHush pleaseNew research has found that a noisy childcare environment can hamper your baby's development. Researchers from the University of Maryland

distressed. Nine times out of 10, a child will stop crying after five or 10 minutes. Mum looking anxious only encourages fresh tears.
 If you are worried ring the nursery after 20 minutes for reassurance that your child has settled. Never feel bad about

Your toddler might be talking by now, but there are also other ways you can communicate with her. Watching her body and facial expressions can give an insight into her feelings. Body language expert Robert Phipps says it's important to look at your

GOOD EXAMPLE Toddlers learn how to behave by copying you. If you want her to be kind and considerate, that's how you've got to be. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK We all have days when we feel like a rubbish mum. But it just makes you human and your toddler

's attention. It can be hard to be the parent of this type of toddler, as it takes a will of iron not to succumb to his constant requests just to get a bit of piece and quiet. But you'll need a bottomless bank account if you start giving in. So either develop

When Alison's toddler Ollie hit 2½, he developed a worrying habit. When they were out, he no longer liked to hold hands. If Alison insisted, Ollie would become distraught. But free of the constraints of his mum, he would dash ahead into the road

started nursery or school with poor communication skills, unable to form a sentence and make themselves understood.Tongue-tied totsAnd what's really worrying for mums is that children with poor language skills are more likely to have learning, behaviour