When we think of the baby room, we often picture bibs, cribs, and heaps of nappies and a space packed full of routine tasks! But beyond the daily routines, the baby room is full of little people who are desperate to learn, even if they can’t express it just yet! Stepping into this environment as a new practitioner can be daunting! While the baby room might seem like just a space for feeding, sleeping, and nappy changes, it’s actually the most amazing space of early development potential.

So, why is the baby room so important? Research tells us that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life—from conception to age two—are crucial for brain development. In fact, although what happens later matters, child’s development at 22 months old can predict their academic outcomes as adults. So, by the time your babies leave your baby room, the work that you have done to support their development, alongside the experiences that their parents have given them, has hopefully set them on a trajectory of success. So, while on a day-to-day basis what you see is a baby playing reaching out for a rattle or a ball, what they are actually doing, below the surface, is so much more. Their brains are super busy building their foundations for lifelong learning. Every time you interact, chat, and giggle with that baby you’re helping their development. As a new practitioner, your challenge is to look beyond the routines and recognise the learning potential in every moment you share together.

But there’s so much to do!

The baby room can be overwhelming. You’re managing multiple babies all with different needs, balancing their care routines, and catering to the requirements of each child’s parents. It’s easy to feel like you’re just trying to keep everything together spinning heaps of plates. On top of that, thinking of how you actually help each child’s development can seem one step too far!

But

When you know how, supporting the babies’ development can be easy.

Here’s how you can start: