Have you ever been bored by new parents telling you for the tenth time how cute their baby is when they blink; or sort of smile or make an incomprehensible sound? Well it’s not really their fault. They have been so excited by the arrival of this baby that when it finally arrives and doesn’t react, it is no wonder that they are desperate for any sign of communication. These early months may seem rather quiet but babies are actually going through tremendous internal changes. The brain is developing and reorganising itself, and the muscles and organs continue to develop and mature. It is a very important time for the…

Have you ever been bored by new parents telling you for the tenth time how cute their baby is when they blink; or sort of smile or make an incomprehensible sound? Well it’s not really their fault. They have been so excited by the arrival of this baby that when it finally arrives and doesn’t react, it is no wonder that they are desperate for any sign of communication. These early months may seem rather quiet but babies are actually going through tremendous internal changes. The brain is developing and reorganising itself, and the muscles and organs continue to develop and mature. It is a very important time for the…

Most of you know that marriages can be stressful at the best of time, so the added pressure that comes with having a baby is not easy. Some couples who are going through a rough time think that the answer to their problems is a baby: “a baby to save a marriage.” Unfortunately this decision is more likely to destroy such a marriage than to save it. One statistic to keep in mind is that the state of a marriage one year before the baby’s birth is the best predictor of the quality of parenting. Change is always difficult and the arrival of this new person into a couple’s life…

If you’ve ever had an active interest in psychology than you are bound to have heard of the nature/nurture debate. It involves the degree to which the environment or biology (i.e. genes) determine our actions and our behaviour. There is no clear-cut answer but it has become widely accepted that both play a role in an individual’s life. Some researchers in behaviour genetics claim that the more we learn about genetics, the more we recognise the importance of the environment. Let us look at some of the factors which are or are not inherited. If you are hopeless at figuring out a map then it’s likely your child will be…

One of the big fallacies of pregnancy is that it lasts 9 months. Most mothers start counting 9 x 4 and are waiting for a baby 36 weeks later. The truth is that a full term baby stays in the womb for about 40 weeks. Some babies however are not that lucky and come out early. To what extent this will affect the baby will depend on: how early the delivery was, what the baby’s birth weight is, the type of post-natal care and the environment during the early childhood. From 34 weeks onwards the baby is considered slightly premature but the difference between this and a full-term baby is…

As the weeks of pregnancy go by, mothers are probably beginning to dread the big finale: labour. Decisions need to be made as early as this in your child’s life. The biggest issue is whether or not to take painkillers. If you want the natural birth then you may want to look into techniques like Lamaze that specify breathing exercises to reduce pain (we’ve all seen them on American sit-coms). If on the other hand you have as low a pain threshold as me, you may want to look into the epidural. This is a needle which is placed in your spine that desensitizes the lower area through nitrous oxide,…

So you find out you’re pregnant! You are ecstatic and a little voice inside your head tells you that you only have 9 months (in some cases even less) to brush up on the latest psychological theory on how to avoid turning your child into a psychopath. However your baby’s development starts way before that, in fact from the moment of conception every week is critical to your baby’s development. In the first eight weeks the brain and spine are developing so you should pay particular attention to your health. By the eighth week the fetus (that’s what they call the baby before its out) is responding to touch. At…

There comes an age when kids don’t feel like spending their summer attending summer camps. Also, playing outside becomes a thing of the past. This leaves room for more screen time, mostly spent on social media platforms. But we, as parents, are always looking for a good balance of screen time and outside activities. Every person is different, and teens do not all mature and are not all ready at the exact same age to start tackling their first job. Forteen might be a good age for some to start mowing lawns, watering neighbours’ gardens, walking dogs, baby sitting…etc. These are an excellent start for your teen to experiencing more…

Many of you, whether you are parents or contemplating having children, may be worried about what the morals or values you want to teach your children. There are different psychologists who have theorised about the moral development of children. One of the most prominent theories was put forward by Mark Kohlberg (1963). He believed that morality is learned throughout childhood and adolescence in a set of stages. Kohlberg’s research led him to identify six qualitatively different stages of development that he divides into 3 levels (each level has 2 stages). The first level is called the pre-conventional level. In its first stage the child’s moral choices are determined by whether or not…

Mother’s Day is a time of commemoration and celebration for Mums. It is a time of breakfast in bed, family gatherings, and  scribbled “I Love You”s. It’s a tough day for the daughters though! I mean how on earth do you get to show your mum your appreciation. Above all, how do you show it in a present? One comfort is I am sure our mums know how much we love them and a gift on mother’s day is just a gesture. So we are going to give you a few ideas. Get a hamper and fill it with beauty products like exotic natural soaps, bath milks, essential oils. (There…