- Find out from parents how their baby communicates needs. Ensure that parents and carers who speak languages other than English are able to share their views.
- Be ready to support babies when they experience changes in exploration energy and suddenly need adult attention: this response enables the physiological basis for later self-regulation.
- Use feeding, changing and bathing times to share finger and toe plays such as ‘Round and Round the Garden’.
- Allow enough time for respectful care, ensuring that babies know what is going to happen next, watching for their cues and allowing them the opportunity to participate in age-appropriate ways.
- Make sure that clothing enables mobility and does not present any hazards, for example, jeans and dresses can prevent crawling and cause trips.
- Help babies use their feet in crawling and standing by removing footwear whenever possible.
- Explain to parents how supporting self-directed movement provides the basis for motor planning, self-regulation and lifelong wellbeing.
- Share toddler’s interest in noises in the environment when outside, helping them to locate and understand the sound they have picked out.
- Discuss with parents about jointly taking care of teeth as they appear, introducing a cleaning routine that is enjoyable and links with nutrition.
- If infants are not crawling, help to prepare them by putting them into an all-fours position.
