Toddler

Toddler Development

A child sitting in the W position.

What you need to know about W-sitting

When Katie noticed that her son Jack was sitting with his legs folded underneath him in a 'W' shape she didn't think much of it. "I'd seen other kids sitting that way, so I just assumed it was a toddler thing and nothing to worry about," she recalls.

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Tablets can be good tools for play and learning, provided you get the right apps.

How iPad screen time can be good for kids

Depending on the sources you read, handing an iPad to a small child is akin to throwing them a packet of cigarettes. But this is not the necessarily the case.

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It is normal for a two-year-old to be scared in some situations.

We're afraid our toddler is too fearful

Q: Our 2-year-old is scared of many things: using slippery dips, going on ferris wheels with his parents, playing in ball pits, even riding a merry-go-round on his dad's lap. He seems to be hyper-aware of his surroundings.

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Life with a Toddler

Noah was not impressed with the situation.

Toddler throws epic carseat tantrum on live television

The carseat toddler tantrum - it is an unfortunate reality that every parent experiences at one stage or another. However usually it is just other shoppers in a supermarket carpark who witness the chaos, not a live television audience.

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Toilet Training

Some children have trouble toilet training because they are afraid of the toilet.

When toilet training doesn't go to plan

The books make it seem easy. You start toilet training, and within a few weeks, your child is no longer wearing nappies. In reality, things don't always go as planned.

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Toilet targets

Toilet training products

From the clever to the strange, we've found a selection of products to help you toilet train your toddler.

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There is a Monster under my bed who farts

Toilet humour books for little kids

There's something about toilet humour and 3-year-olds - at an age where they're learning about the human body, this topic is an endless source of comedy. If your little one is captivated by bums, farts and wee, check out some of these books.

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Toddler Health

Education & Play

The baby fell facedown before flipping onto her back.

Baby's water survival video divides viewers

Is it responsible parenting, or is this baby being subjected to unnecessary distress? That's the question dividing viewers of a video showing a six-month-old girl fending for herself in a swimming pool after being enticed to fall into the water.

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Malo

Baby's future imagined in cute photo series

A French dad has captured his 3-month-old daughter, June, in a series that shows her in outfits of different professions in order to show the possibilities ahead of her. The dad, Malo, says that he, his wife and a few friends work quickly to avoid tiring the baby out.

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Toddler Products

Childcare

The number of children in childcare has risen significantly over the past decade.

Four reasons your childcare bill is so high

We know that childcare costs are ever rising, but the latest data - from the Melbourne Institute, which has been tracking the changing nature of how Australians live since 2001 - sets out the pressure on household budgets clearly.

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Who decides when it's time to start a family? Not the dad.

The real costs of starting a family

Rising childcare costs are heaping more financial pressure on Australian families at a time when soaring house prices mean many are struggling to buy their first home or pay off a big mortgage.

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Evidence of the trim.

Childcare cuts girl's hair without asking parents

When mums and dads drop their child off at daycare they realise their little one might come home a bit dirty after a day's play, have paint on their clothes, or even a scratch on their knee if they took a tumble during the day.

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Lower income families and those on very high incomes would gain under Labor, according to modelling.

Childcare: Most families better off under Labor

Most families using childcare would be better off over the next two years under Labor's policies, largely because of the Coalition's tied cuts to family payments, an independent new analysis has found.

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