Toddlers (1-3 years)

Watch a video to see 3 different whānau share their stories about the rewards and challenges of being parents. We hear how the Well Child Tamariki Ora nurses give them support and advice about caring for your child from 1 to 5 years of age.

Find out about looking after yourself after baby is born and how your whānau (family) and partner can support you.

Communication skills are strongly linked to the development of reading and writing. The better a child's conversational skills now, the easier it will be for them to understand what they read later on.

Find out about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 3. Check some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 3 years. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Find out how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 2. Check some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 2 years. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Find out about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 18 months. Check some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 18 months. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Here is some information about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 1. Below are some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 1 year. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Hearing is a critical part of a child's communication development so it's important to identify any loss as early as possible.

Night terrors are scary to watch but usually harmless to tamariki (children). The most important thing to do when your child has a night terror is to keep your child safe.

If your child is anxious about going to sleep, then 'camping out' may be helpful. You put a chair or camp bed next to your child's bed and gradually remove the chair as your child begins to fall asleep alone.

Vitamin D helps our bodies use calcium to build and maintain strong bones and teeth.

Questions and answers about healthy eating.

It’s possible to have a healthy well-nourished infant or child who eats a vegetarian diet if care is taken.

Avoid giving pēpi (babies) small hard foods or whole foods.

Pēpi (babies) and tamariki (children) can choke on food at any age but those under 5 are at higher risk, and especially tamariki and pēpi under 3. Watch a video about ways to reduce the choking risk.

Plan for 3 meals and 1 or 2 snacks each day, once your baby’s eating a variety of foods and textures. Pēpi (babies) have small stomachs so need frequent opportunities to eat small amounts.