Toddler Clinic

Development

Babies and books

It’s never too early to stimulate a love of words and images through books. To help you on your way, a wonderful set of presents lies in store from Bookstart. It begins at your baby’s eight-month health check, with a canvas bag containing two baby books and various goodies, followed by another bag of books at 18 months and a treasure chest of books at 3 yrs. (If you’ve missed the health visitor, fear not, just contact your library or go to www.bookstart.org.uk.)

Booktrust

The Bookstart programme was set up by Booktrust, a brilliant charity dedicated to encouraging people to engage with books and the written word.

At their children’s books website, www.booktrustchildrensbooks.org.uk, you can find features, links, news of events and awards, and a gallery of top illustrators, along with over 2,000 book reviews (searchable by age group and genre). Booktrust’s campaigns include Bedtime Reading Week, to encourage parents to share bedtime books with little ones, and The Big Picture to highlight the talented new illustrators whose books may become tomorrow’s classics.

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BornFree – the natural approach to bottles

ReadingZone: best new books published in June

Being a good sharer

Preparing your child for school

Counting with your child

Encouraging your child's imagination

Key nutrition basics