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• Household paraphernalia offers loads of play potential - saucepans, egg cartons, yoghurt pots etc.
  
  
• Use the plastic dishes inside supermarket ready meals for baby and toddler meals on the move.
  
  
• Introduce things your child is afraid of gradually, for example, by letting your child watch safely from a distance while Daddy starts up the lawnmower.
  
  
• To help your child learn to share, when you have friends over, give her a plate of biscuits and encourage her to offer them to the visitors first.
  
  
• Ask you child questions that need more than a yes or no answer to develop her language skills.
  
  
• Don't be overly ambitious when planning party food - young children are fussy and never eat as much as you think they will.
  
  
• Drink a cup of peppermint tea after a heavy meal or before going to bed. It's a great way of preventing indigestion or heartburn.
  
  
• If you're having twins, buy everything you need for the babies by 28 or 30 weeks. After that you'll be too heavy and tired to shop and the first few weeks after the birth will be hectic.
  
  
• Don't add any bubbles to your baby's bath until you're confident about holding her. She'll be less slippery in plain water.
  
  
• Don't worry if you don't manage to bath your baby every day - if you're too tired, you won't enjoy bathing her and the odd day without a bath won't do her any harm.
  
  
• Drink fennel tea if your breastfed baby is colicky - via your breast milk, it will soothe her digestion.
  
  
• The more relaxed you are when it's your baby's bedtime, the more likely it is that you will both get a good night's sleep.
  
  
• Your baby can't regulate her temperature in her first month, so dress her in one more layer than you and check her temperature by feeling the back of her neck with the back of your hand
  
  
• When removing a splinter, numb the area with an ice cube first.
  
  
• Weaning can be messy if your baby keeps grabbing the spoon and smearing food everywhere. Try giving him his own clean spoon. He can practice putting that spoon in his mouth, while you feed him from the spoon you're holding.
  
  
• Weaning tip - go for basic designs when choosing feeding equipment. Introduce a training beaker at around 6 months but stick to one style or your baby will get confused. Go for flattish spoons and bowls that are sloped at the sides so it's easy to get food out. Aim for your baby to be using normal equipment by a year.
  
  
• You can give your growing baby or toddler an exciting turnover of different and fascinating toys to complement her favourites by joining your local library.
  
  

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