The Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for children from birth to five

• When you talk to babies, make sure you are face to face.
• It's important to share quiet moments together. Babies enjoy the intimacy of being close and looking at each other. They are learning about people and themselves as they do so.
• Comment when babies move or make sounds, for example, when a baby burps, say "Do you feel better now?".
• Touch is very important. Stroking, tickling and cuddles all help babies to become aware of you and enjoy being with you and listening to you.
• Keep close and encourage babies to feel or look at your face. Let them feel your lips when you're talking or making play noises. Young babies find faces very interesting.
• Copy the sounds, mouth movements and facial expressions that babies use. Sometimes they'll start to copy you too.
• Copy any sounds and gestures babies make while they're watching you.
• Watch out for how babies show frustration or discomfort and for how this changes once they're comforted or satisfied. When babies cry, lift them up and reassure them.
• Rock babies rhythmically to songs and music.
• Watch out for how babies show that they've had enough and want to stop interaction. They may start to cry, stiffen, lean away from you or close their eyes and mouth. Give the two of you a break – they will show you when they're ready to play again.
• Call a baby's name gently as you approach them and say "Up you come!". Wait to see if they can show you that they want to be picked up.
• 'Mirror' a baby's feelings through your voice intonation, body movement and facial expressions. This shows them that you are 'tuning in' to their moods.

• Maintain face-to-face contact, looking at babies as you talk about what they are doing. You might say "Was that a yawn? You're tired!".
• Share quiet moments together - this allows babies to enjoy the intimacy of looking at each other and to learn about other people and themselves.
• Respond by lifting and soothing babies when they cry - this helps them to learn that they are communicating their needs to you.
• Comment when babies move or make a sound, for example, when they burp, you might say "Do you feel better now?".
• Use touch - stroking, tickling and cuddles are all important parts of early communication. They help babies to enjoy being with you and listening to you.
• Listen out for different cries indicating hunger, wetness and tiredness. Respond to what you understand babies to be communicating in this way.
• Make it clear when you are talking to a child by using their name or by touching their arm.
• Copy the sounds, mouth movements and facial expressions babies make while they are looking at you. Sometimes babies will begin to copy you too.
• Think about how some routines such as nappy changing and feeding start to have game elements with repeated patterns (maybe tickles) and comments such as "You! Are you laughing at me? Are you?".
• Remember to leave pauses or gaps in your 'conversation' with babies so that they can do something to begin taking a turn.
• Think about how you talk and use child directed speech, with short, simple sentences and repetitive words or phrases. Vary your intonation patterns and use animated facial expressions to attract and maintain the attention of babies and children.
• Enjoy anticipation rhymes and games together, for example, hiding your face and building expectation such as "Boo!" or "Here I come".

• Try singing while feeding and bathing babies.
• Rock babies rhythmically to songs, music and good-night routines.
• Make your voice fun to listen to by varying your intonation and facial expressions. Use stress and intonation to highlight parts of speech, for example, "What a good girl!".
• Use higher pitch and vary your pitch to attract babies' attention. Add contrast to your speech, for example put higher pitch and emphasis on "Up we go!" and "Down the stairs".
• As you walk around with a baby in your arms, talk about the different sounds you hear in the setting.
• Talk to babies in quiet situations. It's more difficult for them to hear your words in a noisy environment.
• Copy the sounds the baby makes.
• Repeat familiar words and phrases, such as "Here's your milk", "Where's your Mum? Ooo, there she is!".
• Play with sound-making toys, such as rattles and drums and other noisy things around the setting.
• Repeat rhymes and play routines, as babies will enjoy listening to the patterns of your speech.
• Play music to and with babies.
• Share books with babies, repeating key phrases and noises as you do so.

• When you talk to babies, make sure you are face to face.
• Use plenty of facial expression, as babies will be interested in the movement of your face, eyes and lips as you speak and play.
• Gently touch babies by stroking their cheeks or tummies. Talk as you do this and be aware of how they show their enjoyment of this close physical contact.
• Try the following types of games to help babies become aware that the world is three dimensional:
  – 'touch and tickle' games - tickling arms, legs and tummy;
  – bouncing babies on your knee or rocking them;
  – holding babies up in the air;
  – moving babies' arms and legs up and down or from side to side.
• When babies smile, laugh or move their limbs in response to games, respond with words, facial expressions or repeat the game.
• Encourage babies to be aware of their own bodies by touching their face, counting their toes and fingers or giving them your finger to grasp.
• Bring toys and interesting objects, including books, close enough for a baby to look at and reach. Talk about what they are looking at or reaching out for.
• Give babies time to explore on their own. Babies enjoy things they can grip or swipe at, such as rattles or toys and mobiles dangling on their pram.
• Choose toys in a range of textures, fabrics and with mirrors to build on babies' interest.
• Develop babies' awareness of turn-taking by making play highly repetitive, so that they see again and again how their actions have an effect on adult behaviour. In this way babies make some very early discoveries about cause and effect.
• Use rhyme and songs, linked to rhythmic movements such as rocking, bouncing and swinging. This creates a strong link between the rhythms of speech and the pace and rhythm of physical movement.

• Give babies the experience of lying in different positions, for example, lying on their backs or on their tummies (while you are with them), sitting propped up and lying on their sides. Moving in different positions will make babies aware of the muscles in different parts of their body.
• Move babies' arms and legs around when playing to give them an awareness of movement.
• Lifting or turning the head is one of the first controlled movements that babies make. Encourage babies to lift their heads while lying on their tummies by:
  – talking to them from in front and above with your face close to theirs;
  – tickling or kissing them under their chins. Some babies find it easier to lift their heads if their arms are brought forward;
  – tickling or gently massaging the muscles on the back of their necks and upper bodies;
  – placing an activity mat or textured blanket underneath their chests.
• Encourage babies to turn their heads to each side by:
  – talking to them from different positions and taking their hands to your face;
  – varying the side you carry the babies on and encouraging them to turn towards your face and voice.
• Motivate babies to hold their head up while being carried upright at your shoulder by having someone behind talking to them or shaking a rattle to attract their attention.
• Gently massage babies to help them become more aware of their bodies.
• From two or three weeks of age, you can give babies an experience of movement in space by rocking them to give them a sense of motion in your arms or by carrying them in a sling so they experience your movement.
• As head and neck control becomes established, lifting babies through the air helps them develop their sense of position in space.
• Give babies the experience of lying on different surfaces, for example, on a soft bed and on a firmer floor.

Feeding:

• While holding a baby, introduce the teat of the bottle across the baby's cheek. This helps them to prepare for something coming towards their mouth. Young babies automatically turn to the side that has been stimulated. Let the teat rest gently on the baby's lips so that they can smell and taste the first drop of milk. Pause until the baby opens their mouth.
• Let babies know you are about to feed them by using consistent actions. Pause and wait to see if babies begin to anticipate the bottle by opening their mouths before the teat touches their lips.
• Later, say something like "milk time" and let them see you shaking the bottle when you're getting ready.
• When using a bottle, guide both of a baby's hands to hold the bottle when drinking. Gradually reduce the amount of support you give until they can support it independently. This also encourages their hands to work together. Bottles are easier to handle when not too full.
• When you begin spoon-feeding, use a plastic spoon with an easy grip. As babies begin to be able to grasp objects, let them hold a spoon and play with it, even when not feeding.
• Before you start, make sure you and the baby are comfortable and that you have everything you need to hand, for example, bib, cloths and kitchen paper. It's easier for babies to swallow in a sitting position, so sit with them on your knee if they have stable head control, or in a baby chair with enough support.
• Let babies have enough time to take the food off the spoon with their lips and palate so that they're in control of the speed of feeding until they become confident about feeding from a spoon.
• At first, babies push food out of their mouths, but with experience, they learn to swallow in a more co-ordinated way. They often splutter, spit or gag on food, but keep offering it in a calm and encouraging way. Try to leave a drop on their lips so that they have a taste of the food being offered.
• Make sure that all caregivers in your setting who feed children use the same approach.

Washing:

• Make washing routines as calm and cosy as possible. It's a time when you can awaken babies' sense of smell as well as awareness of their bodies. Use pleasant smelling baby bath products, and gently massage their skin using oils or lotions.

Changing nappies:

• Lie babies on a familiar surface such as a changing mat, soft towel or rug to change their nappies. This will help to build up a sense of security and routine.
• Make the routine pleasant and fun. Keep babies warm and comfortable. Change clothes and nappies in an unhurried way while gently talking to them about what you're doing.
• Follow the same sequence every time you remove or put on clothes to help babies anticipate what's going to happen next. Keep routines pleasant and unhurried so that babies enjoy these times with you.

Sleeping:

• Newborn babies' body clocks do not distinguish between day and night and are initially dependent on feeding routines. Longer periods of sleep come more easily as the result of familiar routines that stimulate babies during the day and are more calming at night.
• Try to tire babies during the day by being active and stimulating when they're awake, so that they begin to establish regular sleeping patterns at night.
• Use a calm and consistent routine to settle babies down for a nap during the day.