Advice and tips
Why even small children need friends
A good friend is the best thing in the world, as an old German hit from the 30s had it. Then as now, that message holds true, even for small children. Of course, friendship between young children is different from that between adults. Read on to find out how children make friends and the extent [...]
These are your baby’s seven senses
Newborn babies come into the world complete with all seven senses. Some of these have yet to fully develop, while others are even more pronounced than those of an adult. Which senses does your baby have, and how can you gently encourage their development? How many senses does a human being have? The number of [...]
How to childproof your home
When their baby starts to crawl at the very latest, parents should examine their own four walls for potential hazards. Read on to learn about the dangers that lurk in each room and how you can take the necessary precautions. It is lovely when children become mobile and begin to explore their environments, but for [...]
What does the perfect present for a young child look like?
Whether it is their birthday, Easter or Christmas, finding the right present for a young child is not easy; the range on offer is as confusing as it is diverse. The most suitable presents are toys that are not only fun but also as helpful as possible for the young child’s development. This is what [...]
Settling into nursery
The time has finally arrived: Lisa has just celebrated her third birthday and now she is going to nursery. As she leaves her mother she gives her a cheery wave, turns round and hurries over to her nursery group. Her mother is relieved, and at the same time a little sad. Her daughter is getting [...]
Why don’t babies sleep through the night?
How wonderful it would be if babies slept through the night. But infants rarely rest for more than three or four hours at a stretch. It is only from the sixth month that their night-time sleep phases grow longer. Read on to find out how you can gently encourage your baby to fall, and stay, [...]
Why siblings have to squabble all the time
Every parent of siblings knows how it is: not a single day goes by without a squabble. At lunchtime, who gets the bigger portion? In the afternoon, who can play with which toy? In the evening, who can stay up the longest and why? And when peace is finally restored, it doesn’t last long. It [...]
What toy makes the ideal present for a baby?
A baby cannot, of course, tell you what they want for a present yet. But they can make it very clear what they like. With some knowledge of how babies develop and the abilities they have, anyone is guaranteed to be able to find the ideal present for them—one the parents will be delighted with [...]
Bad weather: how do I keep my small child occupied inside?
It is not just adults who get depressed by dismal weather—children struggle with it too. It can quickly get boring for them being stuck inside, especially when they would much rather be frolicking around outside. In keeping with the maxim ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable toys’, find out here how [...]
Help, my child has reached the ‘terrible twos’
Sooner or later, every child reaches a phase when they become defiant. This usually happens when they are around two to three years old. A sudden tantrum can happen anytime, anywhere. How should parents behave when they are confronted with the ‘terrible twos’, and what should they look out for? Why do small children have [...]
Milestones: your baby’s first 6 weeks after birth
The nine-month wait is finally over. Now you are able to hold the long-awaited addition to your family in your arms. You watch this tiny human being excitedly and ask yourself what is going on in the baby’s head. Can they see us? What can they understand? Parents know intuitively that their little miracle has [...]
Milestones: babies at the age of 6 to 8 weeks
Your offspring came into the world over a month ago. Slowly but surely, they have been getting acclimatised to their environment, just as the family has been getting used to its new member. During the first two months of life, babies also learn a lot that their parents might not notice. Here are the most [...]
Milestones: babies at the age of 8 to 12 weeks
Two months have passed. Your child is no longer a newborn baby, but an infant. They are becoming more and more active and their interest in exploring their own abilities grows with each passing day. Here are the most significant milestones in their development. Body movements Your infant’s movements are becoming increasingly fluid and no [...]
Milestones: babies at the age of 12 to 16 weeks
Almost a third of your baby’s first year of life has already passed. Didn’t that go quickly! Your baby has already made a lot of progress in a very wide range of areas. Their movements are becoming more coordinated and they are slowly beginning to understand what is going on in the world around them. [...]
Milestones: babies at the age of 16 to 18 weeks
Your baby is getting bigger and bigger, and at the same time their curiosity to test out their own abilities is also growing. Their individual senses are constantly developing, enabling your child to explore their world more effectively each day. Here are the most significant milestones in their development. Body movements Your baby has already [...]
Out and about with your baby: what to bear in mind
Taking a new baby on his or her first outings can be a tense experience for the whole family: is the baby feeling comfortable? How can we transport them so that they feel secure outside the home and we don’t get stressed? Promoting your baby’s physical comfort starts with your choice of transport: In the [...]
Playing with small children: enjoy role play together
There comes a time when parents realise that their baby’s way of playing has changed: they are no longer playing to grab things, to learn about the attributes of objects or to obtain a picture of the world. All of a sudden they are imitating everyday life: they feed a doll with a spoon, pick [...]
Good toys: look for durability and functionality
Toyshop and supermarket shelves are filled with products for children: toys of all colours, shapes and materials for children of all ages. Navigating this jungle and picking good, suitable toys appropriate to your child’s age and stage of development is, as a result, not always easy. Even if the nature and particular taste of the [...]
Does a baby have to learn how to play?
If we take the time to watch a baby, we can see how they occupy themselves: they look around wide-eyed, perhaps stopping here and there to focus on a particular object. If they see another person, they look into the person’s face and imitate their facial expression. When they are bigger, they grab at the [...]
The right sleep environment for my baby
There are few topics that worry parents as much as their child’s sleep and the ideal conditions for sleeping. The way your baby or child sleeps—whether for a long time or a short one, and whether they are a night owl or an early bird—is essentially predetermined: we cannot teach babies to sleep because in [...]
What does a baby see?
Theoretically, babies can already see when they are still in the womb. However, in contrast to auditory perception, sight is the least developed sense. We explain how a baby’s ability to see evolves in the first months and which toys are appropriate. When new-born babies first see the “light of the day”, they initially see [...]
How picture books can make bookworms even out of babies
Books allow people to immerse themselves in different settings for a short period of time. In the process, they help in the understanding of different perspectives and in gathering new experiences. Here we explain how babies from as young as six months old can discover the world through colourful picture books. Baby’s first picture book: [...]
What level of intelligence does my child have?
Parents naturally question how intelligent their child is. But what precisely is “intelligence”? And why are there not just one, but as many as nine different types of intelligence? Intelligence is the sum of different abilities For most people, intelligence is primarily a number: the intelligence quotient (IQ). This was developed at the beginning of [...]
The children’s room: from baby to small child. What do you need to be aware of?
It feels like one moment you have a baby, and the next they have turned into a small child: time flies and, together with the size of the child, the requirements for furnishings in their room grow. Here we provide you with four tips to enable you to plan for sufficient space for sleeping and [...]
Toys with noises for babies: what should you be aware of?
As an adult, one often craves moments of peace in the noise of everyday life. The same is true for babies, who are exposed to acute sensory overload after having had only a muffled perception of sounds while they were in their mother’s womb. Their ears are considerably more sensitive than those of an adult. [...]
Setting up the nursery properly
There is a baby on the way! During the pregnancy you have plenty of time to think about how to set up the nursery. We offer four key tips about how you can find appropriate, child-friendly equipment for your new arrival. Tip 1: start putting together ideas for the nursery early Pink, blue, cottage-style, vintage [...]
Do babies need toys in their first six months?
What could be better than going shopping full of anticipation for your expected newborn? Some nurseries look like a warehouse even before the baby comes into the world. And after the birth friends and family give toys in all sizes and materials, from rattles to teddy bears. But what do babies really need to play [...]
How do you clean wooden toys properly?
Wooden toys have to put up with a lot: they are treasured, squeezed, thrown around, scattered about on the floor, and taken along to the playground or kindergarten. Babies also love to examine the features of their wooden grabbing toys extensively with their mouths. However, there is no need to be afraid of germs and [...]
When do babies start doing what?
Your little charge makes huge developmental steps in the first months. Your child will never again learn anything as fast as at the start of their life. What are the stages of this learning process? And what are the most significant monthly milestones? Every baby has their own speed In their first year babies develop [...]
How to find toys which are really safe for your baby
Babies explore their environment with all their senses and using their entire body. Toys are no exception, which could pose some hazards. But how do I know that a toy is totally safe for my baby? We give you eight tips that you should keep in mind when buying toys. Tip 1: observe the recommended [...]
Which colours do babies love?
Pink is for girls and blue for boys? Or is that just what adults want, while their child doesn’t care? The myth that babies can only see grey still lingers, however it has been proved to be false. Which colours does your baby really like? Babies see in colour right from the start The sense [...]
Why do children need imagination?
Today a princess and tomorrow an astronaut! The toys suddenly come alive and the child is in control of what happens next. Where does a child’s imagination come from, why is it so valuable for their development, and how can it be stimulated? Real life is practised in a world of fantasy The ability to [...]
