When a new baby joins your family, children might feel excited – but also a bit left out. Giving children lots of love and attention helps lay the groundwork for a positive relationship with their new sibling.

Between the ages of three months and one year, there is a lot happening with baby language development. You can expect your child to coo and laugh, play with sounds, babble and begin to communicate with gestures.

Key points A positive bedtime routine can calm and soothe your child in the 20 minutes or so before bed. A bedtime routine involves doing similar activities in a similar way each night. These activities can include having a bath, brushing teeth and reading. If your child is settling to sleep later than you’d like, start the routine a bit earlier every few days, gradually moving towards your preferred time.

Key points Babies bite, pinch and pull hair to work out cause and effect. Toddlers often do it to express feelings they don’t have words for. Respond to this behaviour by saying ‘No’, but stay calm. Give the behaviour as little attention as possible. For toddlers, try to understand the reason for the behaviour. This can help you decide what to do next.

Children with dyslexia have serious difficulty with reading and spelling. Dyslexia is most often diagnosed in school-age children. Talk with your child’s teacher if you’re concerned about your child’s reading and spelling, especially if there’s a family history of learning difficulties. Support at school and home can help children with dyslexia improve their reading and spelling.

Key points Reduce pestering by making sure your child knows what behaviour you expect, and praising him when he behaves well. If your child pesters while you’re shopping, try to stay calm. Don’t change your mind if you’ve said no. Try to minimise the advertising your child sees.

When children have unusual difficulties with speaking and/or understanding, it might be language delay. If you think your child might have a language delay, see your doctor, nurse, your child’s teacher or a speech pathologist. Support for children with language delay might include special group programs, pictures and books.

It is normal for typically developing children to have many different feelings about siblings with disability. Their feelings might be positive and negative. Children can find it harder if siblings with disability have challenging behaviour or communication difficulties. Your child’s age, personality, temperament and birth order can affect how he feels about having a sibling with disability.

Language development in children is amazing, and it is a development that many parents really look forward to. The secret to helping children learn language is very simple: talk together very often and listen very often.

Key points When your child asks for something, listen and think about it before you answer. If you have to say no, try to negotiate first and always give a reason for refusing. The way you respond to your child’s requests teaches your child about communication, respect and compromise.