Positive parent-child relationships are important for all areas of children’s development. By being in the moment, spending quality time and showing warmth, care and respect, you can strengthen your relationship with your child.

You can’t ‘spoil’ a young baby. If your newborn is crying, it’s because he needs your help. If you respond calmly and consistently, it helps your baby learn that the world is a safe and predictable place.

Bonding and attachment happen when you consistently respond to your newborn with love, warmth and care. Bonding and attachment are vital to your baby’s development.

Your baby’s body language can tell you how she’s feeling and what she needs.Look for baby cues for tiredness, alertness, hunger, discomfort and more.Watch the videos below to see baby cues in action.

Crying – all babies and children do it, and some cry a lot. But knowing this doesn’t always make it easier to cope with crying. The good news is that children tend to cry less as they grow and develop.

Safe sleeping: put babies on their backs to sleep

Put your baby to sleep on their back.

Children having tantrums might cry or scream, become aggressive or run away.For young children, tantrums happen when they have trouble with ‘big’ feelings.Older children might have tantrums because they’re still learning to self-regulate.Reduce tantrums by tuning into children and helping them talk about feelings.Behaviour strategies like consequences can help children aged 3-4 years and older.

Family rules help everyone in your family get along better.Good family rules are positive, specific and easy to understand.Make rules about things like physical behaviour, safety, manners, routines and respect.Rules will probably need to change as children get older and your family situation changes.

Smacking, or spanking, isn’t good for children’s wellbeing and doesn’t help them learn to follow rules.Give your child opportunities to behave well, and use consequences for children over three years old.Learning to manage your own strong feelings can help you avoid hurting your child. Get help if you need it.

Discipline is about helping your child learn how to behave.Discipline works best if you have a warm and loving relationship with your child.Babies need warm and loving care to feel safe and secure.For toddlers and older children, discipline means setting limits and consequences and encouraging good behaviour.