What is Sensory Play? Babies and young children explore and learn about the world using their whole body and all their senses. As adults, we tend to rely on just one or two senses at a time but for babies, the more senses that are being used and stimulated, the easier it is for them to integrate the information the senses are receiving and start to understand the world around them. Research shows that babies learn much more from interacting with their environments than they do from passive observation, and sensory play encourages the development and integration of the senses through exploration. Sensory play is the exploration of the world through any of the 5 senses: touch; smell; sight; he

A Life Changing Experience No one can quite prepare you for the impact that having a child has on your life. You may have thought you had a good idea beforehand, perhaps you spent a lot of time around young children already or had close family with babies, but it is just not the same as looking into the eyes of your brand new addition and realising that you are their whole world, and nothing will be the same again. Very often is it from this moment that many parents tell us their priorities in life suddenly change, and there are whole lot of things that need to be re-evaluated. Towards (or sometimes at) the top of that list is likely to be work. When considering a return to work after having

Your baby was hardwired to communicate from the moment they were born. Initially the only way they could converse was to scream at you. These high pitched cries have a very important purpose, it is the way they let you know that they are hungry, tired or uncomfortable (although sometimes it feels like understanding the meaning behind their tears requires a degree in code breaking). In this post we will explore the stages your child goes through from those early cries to chit chat and what you can do to support them on their communication journey. 3 – 6 months When your baby is roughly three months old they may begin to make more distinct and purposeful sounds and babbles. They may make noise

A newborn baby needs very little; it will be some years before they start demanding bikes and computer games. Apart from feeding and cleaning one of the most important things you can do for your baby is to hold them. A newborn has a lot of adjusting to do; they have previously spent their entire existence tucked up warm and cozy with all of life’s desires on tap. Now they are out in the big wide world and your touch will reassure them that it’s not that it’s not as scary as it might seem. Early human contact is essential for both physical and psychological development. Studies have actually examined the neurochemical effects of touch on a baby and the results are astounding but not surprisi

You are not alone. While you may like the idea of going to a baby class, we know that actually attending can be a different matter entirely. Firstly we want you to know that it’s OK, we get it, mainly because we have been there too. There are a few things that might be stopping you from getting through that door and in this post we hope to alleviate some of these concerns, reassure you that they are very normal, and give you the confidence to take that first step. 1) What if I can't get out the door on time to make the class? When you have just had a baby, the prospect of managing to get yourself and your baby dressed and out the door at a specified time seems absolutely impossible, especial

We all love a good massage and our babies are no different. As new mums the idea of a spa day may seem as likely as a good night’s sleep but a little bit of focused pampering for baby can have a peaceful effect on us too, and with the demands of being a parent surely we should take any relaxing opportunity we can get! The easiest way to learn how to massage your baby is to go to a class where you will be guided through a range of massage strokes and learn more about how these support your little one’s development. When done effectively the benefits of baby massage are enormous for yourself and your little one. Here are a few more reasons to give baby massage a try. Why Should I Take My Baby

With the New Year upon us, and the weather taking a turn for the worse you may be thinking about trying some new activities with your little one and a baby class can be a great way to do this. If you haven’t tried a class before though you may be wondering what to expect, and if it's really worthwhile for you both. Lisa felt the same as a new mum, and shares her experience here of how she benefited from attending classes such as Tots Play with her children. “When I had my first baby I was so afraid of taking her to a baby class. I was worried that she would get too hot, too cold, be exposed to millions of germs, get attacked by a rouge child; quite frankly the risks seemed endless. To add to

As your baby gets older and toddles their way into toddlerhood it becomes more important that they have opportunities to interact with children the same age. They have to have experiences on which to build their social learning upon in order for social skills to develop. Children learn from their environment so the best things you can do for their social development is allow them to thrive, learn and grow around other children. Confidence grows as your toddler socialises When you allow children to play alongside others their age they grow in confidence which is a major building block to success in all areas of life. When a person lacks in confidence they limit their own learning, development

At Tots Play we love to share the benefits that baby massage can bring, both for your baby and you, and through our Baby Development course, teach a lovely relaxing full body massage routine for you to enjoy together. If you are just getting started with massaging your baby, find out more about the benefits HERE. Massage doesn’t need to stop as your baby grows though, but you may need to adapt it to suit your more mobile and inquisitive little one. This is where Story Massage comes in. What is Story Massage? Essentially story massage provides the structure for you to massage your little one alongside the soothing and familiar tool of your voice. The massage strokes are simple so that you ca

As the sound of Auld Lang syne is still ringing in your ear, the New Year it is the perfect time to explore if a Tots Play franchise could be right for you. This is the time that we naturally reflect on where we are in life and set intentions for the next 12 months. We often ask ourselves what we want to change, what we want our lives to look like and what we need to do to move to the next level. Most of the time these questions result in half soaked resolutions from losing weight to drinking less wine but what if this year you made a decision that really, significantly changed your life? The decision to start your own business. There are many benefits to doing this through a franchise but i