Baby Psychology Basics

11/07/2025

📚Book of the week 📚

Why should I share? By Katie Daynes

This is a fun, lift-the-flap book all about sharing. It’s used a question and answer style to help children understand why and how to share (and also when not to share).

I think this is a great book for preschoolers and 4-6 year olds. It’s quite wordy; whilst the flaps will appeal to toddlers, I’d say the language and detail of the content is more appropriate for 4-6 year olds.

26/01/2025

📚BOOK OF THE WEEK📚

‘Bodies are cool’ by

It’s been a long time since I’ve done book of the week, but I just read this and had to share it. This is a lovely, fun and inclusive book which normalises and celebrates all bodies. It has a great rhyme and rhythm to it, which will help to keep younger ears engaged.

Reading books like this to our children is a good antidote to the less healthy messages about body ideals that they’re exposed to, throughout childhood and beyond.

03/05/2024

Thank you for keeping it real Care It Out Sleep Consultant 🧡 Listen to us talking about parental mental health - link is in the post ✨

This was our first day home from hospital.

I was absolutely ecstatic to be home + holding my baby in my arms (and finally wearing a clean pair of knickers!)

AND I was utterly UTTERLY exhausted from 4 days of labour, little sleep and hardly anything to eat + drink. Hands down I’d never felt tiredness like it.

As new mothers we’re often told that we should enjoy every single moment and be grateful for every memory made.

However that’s not healthy and it’s unrealistic because as a new mother we experience a wide range of emotions. It can also mean that we stop talking about how we really feel which can massively impact our mental health.

But I’m always honest here and the biggest thing I’ve learnt from motherhood is that two things can be true at exactly the same time.

I can want a break from Bets AND don’t want to leave her even for a bit

I can want some space for me AND don’t want to miss a single moment

I can be full of rage and resentment AND full of love

I can find it hard AND I can find it easy

I can be lonely AND never feel like I’m left alone

It was earlier this week so I’m sharing this in case you need to hear this too 🫶

🎙 Me and Baby Psychology Basics talk more about maternal mental health here:

www.careitout.com/podcast/episode-46-parental-mental-health-during-a-sleep-crisis-with-dr-fiona-jeffries

09/03/2024

The next online Baby Psychology Basics workshop is next week and there’s still time to book your place. Tickets are just £5 💫 Book via the link in my bio.

❓ What’s the Baby Psychology Basics workshop about?

👉An overview of key, evidence-based information to help you understand & support the emotional development of your baby.

👉 An online workshop for parents-to-be and parents of babies. Run by an experienced Clinical Psychologist, the session will cover key topics including:

💜Bonding with your baby: Understand attachment and how to build a healthy baby-parent relationship.

💜Baby brain development: An overview of how babies’ brains develop and how parents can support their baby to grow into a happy and confident child.

💜Perinatal mental health: Looking after your own mental health as parents as well as identifying when it might be useful to reach out for further support.

💜Sleep: Understand the biology of baby sleep, how to optimise baby sleep and debunk common myths about baby sleep.

💜Recommended resources: Useful books, websites, products and more.

Suitable for first-time parents and those who already have children.

08/03/2024

Reposting this very apt image from for all the busy parents today!

🎨:

06/03/2024

💜 Bonding with your baby 💜

It’s a common myth that everyone feels an instant connection to their baby when they’re born. Some people do get that instant ‘falling in love’ feeling, but it’s normal for this connection to take time to strengthen - just like in any new relationship, it takes us time to feel close to someone.

If you’re interested in learning more about bonding, the parent-baby relationship, baby development and lots more, come along to the Online Baby Psychology Basics workshop in March. It’s only £5! Book via the link in my bio 💫

05/01/2024

Happy new year 🥳

I’m slowly getting myself out of Christmas mode and back into work mode! I haven’t had as much time for Baby Psychology Basics recently and I’m having to pause the in-person workshops for a little longer, but I’m excited to be planning some online workshops and other events for the year ahead 💥

I’m also going to be continuing to share bitesize nuggets of evidence-based information about baby development and parenting. What would you like to hear about?

Baby brain development?

Parental mental health?

Bonding with baby (in pregnancy and after birth)?

Myth busting?

Sleep?

Toddler years?

Let me know any questions or ideas you have in the comments below, and I’ll use them to guide my content over the next few weeks 💜

#2024

31/10/2023

🎶 I had a great conversation with a client last week about how music works wonders to soothe their baby, who is in discomfort due to medical issues. So, I thought I’d repost this post I did last year….

Who loves music? I do 🙋‍♀️ We’re a musical family and love nothing more than a Sunday afternoon kitchen disco. We had a laugh-out-loud moment last weekend when a friend asked our 4 year old what her favourite music was and she replied, ‘drum and bass’. (My partner used to be a DJ, so he was very proud).

If you play a lot of music in your household, you might find it interesting to hear that research shows:

❤️ Slow, repetitive, soft music slows downs the heartbeat and can therefore help to soothe babies.

🥰 Singing lullabies helps parents to bond with babies and reduces parental stress.

🗣 Listening to music can help babies understand the rhythm of speech.

💉 Music can help soothe premature babies after painful procedures.

If you’re interested in learning more, UNICEF have made a great video ‘Is your baby getting enough music’ (link in highlights). I’ve also put references in the comments.

Do you like playing music with your baby or toddler? Do you find it helps to soothe them? What’s their favourite music? Let me know in the comments 👇

30/09/2023

📢 CALLING ALL COLCHESTER PARENTS AND PARENTS-TO-BE

I can highly recommend this FREE event coming up in November. I’m usually there with Baby Psychology Basics, but sadly can’t make this one. There will be so many great local pregnancy and baby related businesses to explore, and this time there’s some really interesting panel discussions going on too.

Posted • .colchestersling 💜 Bump to What Now?! Nov 2023!! 💜

The next FREE bump and baby event is happening on 4th Nov! There are lots of amazing businesses who will be showcasing their offerings for you, as well as refreshments, a raffle for charity, a chance to have a mini photo shoot, a relaxation area and some discussions helping you plan your pregnancy, birth and postnatal period!!

For more information head to the link in my bio and make sure to claim your free tickets!

I am fully booked for stalls now, but if you are a bump or baby business and would like some advert space in the program, please contact me for details 😊

I can't wait to bring this to you again!

22/09/2023

Hi! 👋

It’s been a while since I’ve posted - personal and professional circumstances have meant I’ve had less time than I’d like for Baby Psychology Basics. I’ve recently taken on a new role, which I’m very excited about (more about that another time!) so I’ve had to take a temporary step back from BPB. It means I’m not running any in-person workshops for a few months, but I’m still staying connected to BPB (my third baby 😂) by continuing to offer teaching and training to professionals (looking forward to another Q&A next week!). I’m also going to be offering a few FREE online workshops for parents, the first of which will be in November - link in bio to book. In-person workshops will resume in 2024 - watch this space 💫

****

❓ What’s the free Baby Psychology Basics workshop about?

👉An overview of key, evidence-based information to help you understand & support the emotional development of your baby.

👉 A free online workshop for parents-to-be and parents of babies. Run by an experienced Clinical Psychologist, the session will cover key topics including:

💜Bonding with your baby: Understand attachment and how to build a healthy baby-parent relationship.

💜Baby brain development: An overview of how babies' brains develop and how parents can support their baby to grow into a happy and confident child.

💜Perinatal mental health: Looking after your own mental health as parents as well as identifying when it might be useful to reach out for further support.

💜Sleep: Understand the biology of baby sleep, how to optimise baby sleep and debunk common myths about baby sleep.

💜Recommended resources: Useful books, websites, products and more.

Suitable for first-time parents and those who already have children.

02/08/2023

“There is no such thing as infant, there is an infant and someone”

I love this quote from Donald Winnicott, who was one of the most influential paediatricians in the field of child development.

It effectively sums up what I think is one of the most important messages around infant mental health. When we think about how to support the emotional, cognitive, social and behavioural development of babies, we can’t just think about the baby alone. Babies are part of a partnership - they need adults to help them in all these areas of development. Babies’ brains literally can’t develop properly without the input of caring adults.

The quote highlights the importance of looking after babies’ caregivers. It’s so important that we think about parental mental health and parental support. It’s important because parents deserve to feel happy and supported in their own right, and it’s important because when parents are thriving and well supported, it’s easier for them to respond to the needs of their children.

💜

24/07/2023

🏝 Helping babies and toddlers to settle in on holiday 🏝

Not all children need help to settle in to holiday. Many children just need the presence of their parent(s) and some familiar toys. However, some babies and toddlers find all the change a bit unsettling. If you think your baby might fall in this category, then here’s a few ideas:

✈️ Help them understand what’s going to happen. If you’ll be travelling by plane, show them pictures and videos of planes. Babies as young as 9 months old can benefit from this. If you have an older baby or toddler, read books about going on holiday, or show them pictures/videos of where you’re going.

👨‍🍼If you have a young baby, be prepared for them to want to stay close to you until they feel comfortable in their new environment. Slings can be a lifesaver on holiday!

🙉 Some children find new environments overwhelming. The new sights, sounds and smells can be a little scary at first. Don’t pack too much into the first couple of days and give yourselves time to acclimatise.

😴 Keep the bedtime routine as similar to home as possible. Take their usual night light, books etc, so that even if they go to bed later, the steps before sleep are the same. This might not be necessary - I know many people whose children will happily fall asleep in the buggy beside the dinner table (sadly mine do not!).

💜 Set your expectations. Children don’t suddenly sleep more or become less full-on when they’re away. Keeping that in mind can help it feel less frustrating when you’re trying to coax your toddler back to bed at 4am.

🧸 Take plenty of age-appropriate activities for travelling and for when you’re out for meals. has great ideas for toddlers and older children. For younger babies, take their favourite teethers, books and sensory toys.

🥱 If you’re crossing time zones, have a plan for how you and your child are going to cope with the jetlag (look out for a post on that soon).

Have you taken a baby or toddler on holiday? What helped them to settle in?