I have written about the importance of play in previous Baby and Child issues and will continue to do so as often as I can. This is because I am slightly obsessed with play: the importance thereof,...

How to help your child decrease screen time
For a parent, nothing eliminates the burden of entertaining your child more than handing them your smartphone. The issues with this are all too familiar. Impaired vision and potential phone...
The benefits of bananas for babies
The children’s song ‘Go Bananas! Eat Eat Bananas!’ carries some good advice for parents. Bananas are a fantastic fruit option for children six months and older as they are soft, easy to eat and they...
How to tie your shoe laces
When I had my first child, I will admit I was an overachieving mom. I made sure my son did tummy time for at least an hour a day, he only got fresh homemade solids at 6 months and I even sent him to...
Tips on raising a bilingual child
Knowing how to speak more than one language is a wonderful gift – particularly when living in such a diverse country like South Africa! But how should you go about doing this? Well here are some...
Planning a party – 6 Tips to keep costs down
Let’s face it moms! Planning your child’s party can be quite overwhelming. Deciding the date, where to have it, who to invite, what to do and the big question – "How much is it going to cost?" If...
The power of playdough
Children are naturally curious and will therefore want to explore anything we put in front of them. A fantastic activity for little fingers is playdough, as it enhances many different areas of...
Learning about shapes – make a star picture
Children love being given creative license to change a plain piece of paper into one filled with colour! There are many ways to encourage and help your child to learn about shapes. Because shapes...
Bubble wrap sensory play
I recently found a cool activity on Pinterest that involves bubble wrap. Don’t be fooled by how perfect everything looks on Pinterest – but this really was a great activity that my baby and I...
7 Learning opportunities using Otees
I love accidental learning, an activity that I didn’t go out of my way to plan, so its super easy, and it turns out to be a bountiful learning experience for my little ones. Here are some fun...
Teaching shapes to kids
Learning a new skill can be very exciting if we make it fun and playful for our little adventurers. Children love to be actively involved in learning something new. So for now, put away the books...
OT is equal to overnight trekking
We are very fortunate to be involved in the running of a family run lodge in Lesotho. We are able to spend school holidays there, where our children can be one with nature. During the holidays, we...
5 Tips on choosing a venue
Celebrating birthdays in our house has always been preceded by much planning and careful deliberation. It’s the time where frantic baking takes place for school friends, colleagues and family...
Jog the Frog goes to uShaka Marine World
During the holidays we took our 2-year-old son to uShaka Marine world for the first time and it was well worth it! The day gave my son a chance to get out the house, have a good walk around while...
Playful ways to express emotions
“Emotions are important and can determine the kind of behaviour your child displays,” advises play therapist and Clamber Club Expert Anna Rodrigues. “A young child does not have the language to tell...
How to speak to your child so that they will listen to your needs
I think we can all agree that parenting was much easier before we had kids and it was much easier to have an opinion about parenting before we became parents. This is one of the most difficult jobs...
Puzzled!
Teaching my two and a half year old how to build a puzzle After mastering the initial chunky knob, pin and one piece puzzles, I’ve started teaching my toddler how to build a real puzzle. We have had...
Why is my child not walking?
Many parents spend the first year of their child’s life focusing on motor milestones and are hugely relieved when their baby starts to sit, crawl and walk. The variety of baby and toddler classes...