Early risers, the bane of many parents' sleep-deprived existence. If you've found yourself struggling to keep up with your little one's crack-of-dawn wake-up calls, take heart you're not alone!

Early morning wakings can feel like a never-ending battle, but fear not! In this blog I’ll give you some practical strategies to help you reclaim those precious morning minutes and establish a more sleep-friendly routine for both you and your child.

Bedtime! That eagerly anticipated part of the day when parents envision their little ones drifting into a peaceful slumber. But for some parents, bedtime can morph into a nightly challenge, leaving both baby and parent frustrated. If you find yourself caught in the midst of bedtime battles, take heart – you're not alone.

In this blog we look at why your baby may be resisting going to sleep at bedtime and delve into strategies to help you and your baby.

In the realm of parenthood, there is one particular challenge which looms like a dark cloud – sleep deprivation.

The pursuit of a good night's sleep can often feel like an elusive dream, leaving tired parents dealing with the consequences of being woken multiple times during the night.

But what is the true impact of poor sleep on both parents and their babies and toddlers?

Let's look at the evidence, dispel myths, and uncover the reality of this sleep struggle.

There is one fundamental element that plays a pivotal role in shaping your children's emotional and social development - attachment.

The bond between you and your baby or toddler holds immense power, influencing how they perceive and interact with the world around them.

This blog looks at the importance of attachment in parenting and how it lays the groundwork for a strong, secure, and thriving future for our children.

Alloparenting, deeply rooted in diverse cultures, refers to a collective approach to parenting. It’s like having a village of support in your parenting journey and extending the circle of care beyond just you, the biological parent.

And you know what's so amazing about alloparenting? It brings a whole bunch of practical benefits to both us and our children.

As The Parent Rock, I believe in empowering parents to trust their instincts and navigate parenthood with confidence. That’s why I set up my Facebook group, "The Parent, Baby and Toddler Community." This space is designed to connect parents, share experiences, and provide invaluable support on your parenting journey.

Parenthood is a remarkable journey filled with joy, love, and countless memorable moments. However, it is also relentless, repetitive and downright tiresome! Parenting comes with more than its fair share of challenges which you’re told you need to deal with calmly, confidently and capably.

And this is the thing. When you’re facing the umpteenth tantrum of the day or your baby is refusing to go down for a nap you know they desperately need, it’s incredibly hard to be that calm, confident and capable parent.

In this blog I’ll look at simple practical strategies that you can put into place to help you effectively manage stress when you are coping with parenthood with little or no support from others.

Attending a wedding with children can be challenging, and sometimes things don't go as smoothly as planned. Wedding schedules shift and children are unpredictable.

In this blog post, I’ll provide you with some practical tips and show you how with preparation taking children to a wedding can make for a lovely experience for everyone involved.

Starting school is a significant milestone in a child's life. It marks the beginning of a new chapter filled with learning, growth, and independence. As a parent, you play a crucial role in preparing your child for this journey.

As well as going through this process with my own four children, I’ve also worked as a professional helping children prepare to move from their early years settings to school, and supporting reception children to settle into their new class. So I’m in a perfect position to give strategies and tips to help ease your child's transition into school and set them up for a successful start.

Protecting our little rays of sunshine from the sun is at the forefront of parents’ minds during the warmer months. However, the reality of facing an octopus of a toddler is a challenge even for the most experienced of parents!

This blog covers some tips which hopefully will not leave you feeling as though you’re going for gold in an Olympic sport!

Sibling showdowns! Navigating the turbulent waters of sibling rivalry can leave you feeling exhausted, upset and basically gets on your nerves!

This blog looks at why it is common for toddlers to have conflicts with their siblings along with tips on how to deal with sibling rivalry.

When your toddler appears to be surviving on just air, it’s natural to be concerned and feel frustrated.

You’re worrying that they’re not eating enough to grow and stay healthy.

You start to dread meal times as they tend to turn into battles.

You’re struggling to keep parental control as your toddler is demanding more freedom over their food choices.

But food refusal is common behaviour among many toddlers.

This blog looks at why your toddler is not eating so well and how to manage a fussy eater.

Sleep regression. A term that has become popular throughout the infant sleep industry over recent years. It’s commonly used whenever a baby or toddler who was sleeping well at night suddenly starts waking more frequently and/or takes longer to fall asleep at bedtime.

As a parent, one of the most challenging experiences is dealing with a little one waking up in the middle of the night. Sleepless nights are an inevitable part of the parenting journey. However, waking up multiple times at night can be exhausting for parents and make it difficult to function optimally during the day.

The purpose of this blog is to emphasise the importance of not only keeping your young children safe near roads but also starting early to teach them road safety skills which they will need when they’re older.

The first thing I’d say about going away with young children in tow is to lower your expectations! Naturally we look forward to a break away but in the build up avoid forming images in your head of how wonderful it’s all going to be.

So what are the essential items for a holiday with a baby or toddler?
Read on to find out.

Dummy, pacifier, soother, binky, whatever word you like to use, can be a lifesaver!

All good until the day comes along that you decide it’s time to wave goodbye to the dummy. Perhaps it’s becoming more of a hindrance than a help.

You have two options in making the dummy a thing of the past. Firstly just go cold turkey or secondly take it slowly!

In this blog we’ll have a look at the most common mistakes parents make during potty training. And in all honesty I made quite a number with my first child!

As your baby approaches nine or ten months you’ll notice that they are mastering the art of moving food around their mouth in order to chew it. The muscles babies use for chewing also play a part in speech development which makes this skill even more important to learn early on. They may even have some teeth to help them. Also the pincer grip, being able to pick up small objects between the thumb and forefinger, should start emerging.

So your baby is now enjoying one, possibly two meals a day, and is around seven months of age. Time to embark on stage 2 (this is roughly between the ages of seven and nine months)

You can move on from offering your baby simple meals with just a few single ingredients, to combining foods from different food groups. Not just for taste but texture too.

Time to get down and messy…..the weaning journey commences!

I personally would start with a pureed sweet vegetable or fruit, like carrot, sweet potato or apple. This is because babies naturally have a preference for sweet rather than bitter tastes, so they will be more likely to eat your offering.

Some parents choose to go with baby-led weaning right from the start. Baby-led weaning is what it says on the tin - the baby feeds themselves finger-sized pieces of food. Or you can of course combine the two approaches. There is no one size fits all so do whatever suits you and your baby.

Weaning conjures up many emotions - sadness at the passing of those small baby days, excitement at the prospect of your baby joining in with family meals, and trepidation, thinking about the whole process and of course the inevitable mess! Even with second, third and in my case fourth babies, these emotions still resurface and are completely normal.

In this blog we’ll look at when your baby is ready to start solids and cover the low down on the necessary weaning gear!