Wellness – Page 2 – First 1000 Days

Exercise classes for babies & toddlers

Physical activity at any age can help build muscle strength and fitness, and in children young and old develop skills of balance and co-ordination. Getting your little one involved in a form of exercise from an early age will help establish healthy lifestyle behaviours, which can last a lifetime. Active children are more likely to … read more >

Dads: Bonding With Your New Baby

First 1000 Days Team

For many dads the arrival of a new baby can be both exhausting and a complete shock to the system, especially if it’s your first. There’s a tendency to focus more on mums bonding with their baby, so it is very normal for dads to take a little bit more time to feel that special … read more >

Taking care of yourself with a new baby

First 1000 Days Team

Once baby arrives it is easy to turn all of your attention and time over to them and to forget about yourself. But a happy mum means a happy baby! Here are a few tips to bear in mind for those first few days.

Toddler Swimming

Deirdre Casey, Aquababies

The core foundation of toddler swimming class is to teach key elements of learning to swim that relate to children’s stage of physical and social development, whilst having fun! Toddlers are a bit more aware of their surroundings so a different approach will be required and a responsive swim teacher to work at the child’s pace. Toddler classes are action packed, with nursery rhymes & games and word association and toys to make it as much fun as possible that will eventually lead to independent swimming.

Pelvic floor exercises

Maeve Whelan

By Maeve Whelan, Specialist Chartered Physiotherapist

The pelvic floor muscles are a sling of muscles attached from the pubic bone at the front to around the rectum at the back. Exercising the muscles both during pregnancy and after birth has been shown to have beneficial effects in prevention and treatment of urinary and bowel symptoms.

What is the First 1000 Days?

First 1000 Days Team

1000 days. Doesn’t sound like an awful lot does it? But the fact is that the first 1000 days of your little one’s life are a uniquely special time that can have a very real influence on how they develop, grow and learn — not just now, but for his or her whole life. Watch … read more >

Sleep tips for pregnancy

Lucy Wolfe

Achieving good sleep when you are pregnant can really be a challenge. It is usual in the first trimester to experience extreme tiredness and then you have the promise of the second trimester when you should begin to feel vital and well. However, this isn’t always the case and as your pregnancy progresses and you … read more >

Planning for a baby — getting it right before pregnancy

First 1000 Days Team

Before you even become pregnant and embark on the exciting First 1000 Days journey, it’s a good idea to start thinking about nutrition, fitness and lifestyle — all important factors in setting you and your future baby up for the best possible experience. And that goes for your partner too.

Swimming with baby

Deirdre Casey, Aquababies

There is no hard fast rule to this, it really is a case of whenever you the parent is ready to start. It is never too early or late to take swim lessons as you can begin from only a few weeks old in a hydrotherapy pool. Very young babies can get cold quickly as they do not have enough body fat so make sure that the pool is heated to a suitable temperature. The pool temperature should be a minimum of 32 degrees for babies under 3 months old or 30 degrees for babies over 12lbs.

Making the move from cot to bed

Lucy Wolfe

Just with most parenting strategies and ideals what works for some may not work as well for others. Having your young child sleep in a cot for the first 2.5-3 years of life is typically a good idea for a lot of families. Many parents will choose to transition their child from the cot into a bed at a much earlier age, for a variety of reasons.