Parent Info Hub

Early Parenting Support, Videos, Links and Activities

Tweddle has developed a one-stop information hub for parents of babies and toddlers.

In addition to Tweddle’s ‘Parenting Babies and Toddlers’ App available in the Apple App Store and Google Play store, Tweddle has gathered the following links to help with everything from sleep and settling issues, feeding, nutrition and weaning concerns, first aid, mental health and relationships issues, maintaining your child’s social, emotional and physical development, disability, through to translated health resources and special needs supports.

We have also included links to our Sleep Play Bond videos and online books, activities and parenting helplines.

Sleep, Settling and Cues

Sleep and Settling Fact Sheets (babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers)

List of tired signs/cues in babies and toddlers

Sleep and settling help for babies and toddlers

Having problems with toddler and baby sleep and settling? Read how professionals can help with baby sleep, and find out where to get the help you need. Suitable for: 6 months-3½ years

Patting settling technique to help babies sleep

Need help with settling baby? Try patting settling. It’s a hands-on settling technique that involves gentle, rhythmic patting to help baby settle for sleep. Suitable for: 0-18 months

Newborns: sleep, settling & routines

Get reliable information and tips on newborn sleep routines, feed-sleep schedules, techniques to help newborns settle to sleep and more.

Settling babies for sleep: tips and strategies

See how to settle babies by rocking, patting, singing, walking and more. If you try different baby sleep and settling strategies, you’ll find one that works. Suitable for: 0-6 months

Babies: sleep, settling & routines

Get reliable information on baby sleep routines, independent sleep for babies, wrapping, dummies, night weaning and more.

Baby waking and settling problems: causes

Problems settling baby and getting baby to sleep? If you know what causes baby settling and sleep problems, you can work out what to do. Read more. Suitable for: 6-18 months

Toddlers: better sleep & settling

Get reliable information on better sleep and settling for toddlers, plus articles on sleep routines while travelling and night weaning.

Camping out: baby and child sleep strategy

Problems with baby sleep and settling, or toddler waking? The camping out baby sleep strategy gradually reduces the settling help your child needs. Read how. Suitable for: 6-18 months

Bedtime and Settling routines for babies and toddlers

Feed Play Sleep Routine

Responsive Settling videos including Settling, Hands On Settling, Comfort Settling and Toddler Settling

Sleep and Toddlers – Sarah Blunden

Toddlers and touchscreens – Justin Coulson

Sleep and screen use – Sarah Blunden

Sleep and Settling – Karitane

Early Childhood Science Explained (brain development, building social connections, developing sense of self, managing our emotions and social networks

There is a staggering link between mental health in adulthood and early childhood development and attachment. In fact evidence shows that by age 5, our brains are 90% of their adult size. Between the ages of 0-5, our relationships and environment shape how we will go on to trust, see ourselves and cope with stress throughout life. The more we understand the link between early childhood and mental health as adults, the better placed we are to start reducing issues in adulthood.

The Shaping Us video explains the importance of the early years in shaping lifelong mental health for babies and children.

Positioning and attachment information:

Baby-led attachment video

Breastfeeding Positions in pictures

How to breastfeed – written information

Expressing breastmilk – PDF

Breastfeeding – your baby booklet

Resources for Dads

Blokes Psychology – Blog, resources, clinicians and videos

Dads Information Centre

Beyond Blue – DadVice

Indoor activities and online books

Indoor activities for toddlers

100+ indoor activities for children

More free online books for babies and toddlers

Even more free books online

Free online audio book library

Baby bounce are fun, interactive stories, song & rhyme sessions every Thurs & Sat at 9.30am from the State Library of Victoria. You can watch the session from a video link displayed at the start of the event or check back in to hear some of your favourite songs & rhymes.

Mental Health Support

Tools for managing worries during COVID-19

Managing parenting stress

Strategies for managing stress and anxiety

New Parents New Possibilities – an LGBTIQ+ Parent Booklet

This parent booklet is a transition to parenthood resource from the wisdom of LGBTIQ+ families, for LGBTIQ+ families.

Mindfulness

Smiling Mind – Mindfulness meditation

Headspace – Mindfulness meditation

A quick mindfulness exercise:

Inhale Deeping through your nose, expanding your stomach, for count of four
Hold in that breath for a count of four
Slowly exhale all in the air through your mouth, contracting your stomach, for the count of four
Hold the empty breath for a count of four
RepeatFocus on your breath. When your mind wanders, as it will do, just bring your attention back to your breath. You might like to say ‘thinking’ when you notice your thoughts and just gently shepherd your attention back to your breath.

Children’s Health & Development

Royal Children’s Hospital – Fact Sheets by category

Serve and Return – brain building for babies and toddlers

Translated Resources

https://healthtranslations.vic.gov.au/

https://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/publications

Autism, Disability & Additional Needs

https://www.amaze.org.au/support/resources/

https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/ndis/services-support/disability-services

https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/how-can-we-help

Thrivary is a free App that connects parents, carers, early childhood and parenting practitioners to real time guidance, information & learning on all thing’s early childhood development, disability and early intervention (0-8yrs). You can track milestones, enter notes and communicate with health professionals.

Help Lines & Websites

Parentline 13 22 89

The Maternal and Child Health Line 13 22 29

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 (online chat online)

LifeLine 13 11 14

PANDA 1300 726 306

Relationships Australia

Pregnancy Birth and Baby helpline 1800 882 436 available 7 days a week over the phone or via video call between the hours of 7am and midnight.

ForWhen Helpline Call 1300 24 23 22

Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families 13YARN – Call 13 92 76 | 24 /7 Crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

Pride Centre – Rainbow Families Victoria

Switchboard Victoria – This is a telephone counselling, information and referral service for LGBTIQ+ people in Victoria. Phone 1800 184 527, 3 pm-midnight, seven days a week.

Parenting Babies & Toddlers – App

Tweddle’s Parenting Babies & Toddlers App is now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play store by searching ‘Tweddle’. The App offers support and information around 7 critical themes, Sleep and Settling, Crying Babies, Mental Health & Mindfulness, Attachment, Brain Development, Adjusting to Parenthood and Fatherhood. Tweddle thanks the Collier Charitable Fund, Dreamwalk App Developers and the Raising Children Network for supporting Tweddle’s Apps4Attachment project.

Tweddle’s Sleep Play Bond video series

Tweddle has developed three 8 minute videos that explain how parenting brings together a range of everyday moments to provide the foundation for good mental health throughout life. The videos cover; Sleep – How feeling secure helps your child to sleep, Play – Helping to build your child’s brain through activities, Bond – Developing secure attachment through everyday moments. Thank you to staff and families who participated, and to the State Trustees Australia Foundation and Lifebuoy Video for supporting this educational series.

The Sleep Play Bond series uses evidence based research and the extensive clinical experience of Tweddle to highlight the importance of a loving attachment relationship with the primary carer in an infant’s brain development, including their social, emotional and cognitive development. While this scientific research is well known by health professionals and academics, the videos provides a practical and easy to understand application for parents in the early years.

Sleep Play Bond – Sleep

Sleep Play Bond – Play

Sleep Play Bond – Bond

Tweddle Parenting Resources

Dads Information Centre

Parenting Videos – Raising Children Network

Tweddle also provides affordable telephone consultations across Australia, residential programs, day stay programs and in-home support.

Circle of Security resources

The following Circle of Security ‘Being-with and Shark Music’ video helps parents to explore how uncomfortable feelings left over from experiences from their own past can influence their current relationship with their child and the way they think and feel about parenting.

Occupational Therapy Student Booklets

Tweddle provide placements for Maternal & Child Health Nurse students, Social Work students and Occupational Therapy students. Many of the students work on projects which provide family friendly information on community facilities, seasonal play activities, baby food and nutrition, sensory play, family violence and staff photo projects.

Student Projects & Resources

Seasonal Play Brochure Tweddle 2019 Jade Cabraja and Lauren Caulfield

Food pouch booklet Tweddle 2019 Stephanie Mackinnon and Ween Min Kang

Keep in touch with us via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for information, research, resources and practical support tips.

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