There’s a particular tension that comes with being a baby room leader. On the one hand, you’re absolutely one of the team. You’re changing nappies, settling babies, preparing bottles, supporting mealtimes and trying to get everything done before the end of the day. You’re right there alongside everyone else, doing the same work and facingContinue reading “Leading the Baby Room When You’re ‘Just One of the Team’”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
For Serve and Return to Happen, We Need to Be Ready to NOTICE
Serve and return interactions are the GOLD of the baby room. They are the tiny back-and-forth exchanges that happen when a baby communicates something – an interest, a feeling, a discovery, a desire to connect – and somebody notices and responds in an appropriate way. This enables the baby to respond again, and the interactionContinue reading “For Serve and Return to Happen, We Need to Be Ready to NOTICE”
Baby room educators are made, not born: Why induction matters
There is a phrase I hear surprisingly often when people talk about working with babies: “She’s just really good with babies.” Sometimes it is said about the person who seems completely at ease sitting on the floor with a baby, who somehow knows when to move closer and when to hang back, who can makeContinue reading “Baby room educators are made, not born: Why induction matters”
The Baby Room Improvement Hub is here!
I’ve spent quite a few early mornings this summer building something new. With four children at home, I’ve been getting up most days at 6am (or at least, that’s when the alarm goes off!) to squeeze in a couple of quiet hours before the day properly starts. Slowly, bit by bit, the Baby Room ImprovementContinue reading “The Baby Room Improvement Hub is here!”
Leading a Positive Team Culture in the Baby Room
They say that culture eats strategy for breakfast and in nurseries, this couldn’t be more true. You can have the best-written improvement plans, the most innovative ideas, and beautifully crafted policies. But if the team culture in your baby room doesn’t support those plans, they won’t stick. That’s because culture, not strategy, determines how thingsContinue reading “Leading a Positive Team Culture in the Baby Room”
Discovering the World: Heuristic Play in the Baby Room
If you were to pause for a moment and really look around the environment you’re in, what object would you pick out as fascinating for a baby’s senses? Perhaps the smooth curve of a wooden spoon, the cool texture of a metal whisk, or the crinkle of brown paper. These are not “toys,” but theyContinue reading “Discovering the World: Heuristic Play in the Baby Room”
Fostering Secure Attachment during Settling in
Settling in a baby to nursery isn’t just about routines, paperwork, and polite hellos at the door. It’s a profound emotional process—for the baby, for their family, and for the educator too. When we take settling in seriously, we’re not just easing a transition—we’re helping to shape a child’s sense of safety, belonging, and curiosity.Continue reading “Fostering Secure Attachment during Settling in”
Thriving in the Second Six Months of Life: From Explorer to Communicator
By the time babies reach the second half of their first year, they’re on the move—physically, socially, and emotionally. Development isn’t linear, and no two babies follow exactly the same path. But around 8, 10, and 12 months, we often see a wave of big changes: deeper relationships, more mobility, growing independence, and the emergenceContinue reading “Thriving in the Second Six Months of Life: From Explorer to Communicator”
Thriving in the First Six Months of Life
In the first six months of life, babies undergo an incredible transformation—from tiny newborns adjusting to life outside the womb to curious, active explorers eager to engage with the world around them. But their development doesn’t happen in neat, tidy categories. The wonder and fascination a baby has at two months doesn’t vanish by fourContinue reading “Thriving in the First Six Months of Life”
Supporting Self-Determination in the Baby Room
When we talk about offering rights-based learning and care in the baby room, it can sound like a lofty ideal—something perhaps more suited to older children who can express themselves clearly and independently. But in truth, this approach starts from birth. Babies, just like adults, are full human beings with the right to make choices,Continue reading “Supporting Self-Determination in the Baby Room”