Pregnancy can certainly be a bumpy road at times – sometimes literally! In this blog post, we’ll look at when to use baby/child seats, why it’s so important to do so, and how to choose the correct seat. Seven Years In Australia, following the law means having a car seat for your child from the day they are born to their 7th birthday. Yes, this applies to taking your newborn home from the hospital, so make sure to plan ahead and purchase your first car seat before your water breaks! Why is This Important? During a car crash, a young child is significantly more likely to sustain a serious injury if they are using a regular seat belt rather than a kid-friendly restraint. In fact, a proper seat belt can actually be the cause of harm during an accident, as these are not designed to fit or protect little bodies. Different Stages, Different Seats Seven years is a long period and your child will grow a lot during this time. As such, you should regularly check if your existing seat is still suitable and upgrade if necessary. Alternatively, you may be able to find a ‘convertible’ seat that can be adjusted to suit your child throughout the seven years. Up until turning six months old, your baby should travel in a rear-facing seat or a baby capsule. After this, their seat can be either rear- or front-facing, but there must be a harness built into it. Once your child is four years old, you can move to a booster seat if you prefer (just be sure to use this in conjunction with a correctly fastened seat belt). These age brackets are great guidelines, but every child is different. If your son or daughter is unusually tall, you may need to move to the next phase sooner. If you have any questions or uncertainties about keeping your child safe while travelling, please don’t hesitate to send us a message and we can point you in the right direction of where to get the right advice. Alternatively companies such as Kidsafe offer […]

After countless interrupted nights and screaming marathons, you’ll be ecstatic the first time your baby’s communication evolves beyond pure crying. But no infant simply starts talking one day – it’s a complicated process of observing and learning. Gibberish From about 4 months old, your baby will start making word-like sounds without any clear meaning. This is the beginning of an important phase in which your child tests out what sounds he or she can make. Around the 7-month mark, your baby’s babbling will start to become more sophisticated, with changing intonations and more pronounced speech patterns – which you may recognise from your own way of talking! First Words For most babies, the first word spoken (with knowledge of what it means) occurs around the first birthday. From here, he or she will continue growing their vocabulary – learning words much more rapidly than they can actually say them – until they start actually stringing together short sentences between their second and third birthday. How You Can Help Your baby will be learning to talk from observation and example, so have conversations with him or her regularly – even if it feels a bit silly! Reading to them from a book can also help (and this might feel less ridiculous than telling them about your day). Also, practise being a good listener. Show interest in what your baby is saying – even if it makes no sense at all – and leave gaps in your ‘conversations’ for him or her to absorb your words and ‘respond’. If you notice at any point that your baby has stopped making progress with their speaking or has reverted to an earlier stage, it’s important to make an appointment with your doctor and/or a speech pathologist. If you need any general guidance on your child’s early development, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Dr Ken Law is a Brisbane Obstetrician specialising in the management of pregnancy and delivery. For more information and to discuss your specific situation, please contact Dr Ken Law to arrange a consultation at Greenslopes Obstetrics and Gynaecology.