An Introductory Guide for Parents
Today, we discuss the potential benefits of storing children’s stem cells when they’re born. Rather like the building blocks of life, these are miraculous cells that have the ability to change into other types of cells. This includes blood and platelet cells, bone marrow, muscles, skin, and many other organs in the human body. By harvesting and storing children’s stem cells, they can be available later on for potentially life-saving treatments should the need ever arise. What’s more, the stem cells will be a perfect match for the child and will be immediately accessible. That’s hugely beneficial, in stark contrast to cells from unknown donors, which usually require significant time to search for, often without success. It’s even more of a challenge for children of mixed heritage, where matches on public registers are usually significantly less numerous.
Parents who decide to store their child’s stem cells often consider it rather like an insurance policy for their child’s health, safe in the knowledge that the stored cells will be a 100% match for their child should they be needed. What’s more, they could even be a match, or partial match, for a child’s siblings and other family members. That’s a potentially life-saving lifeline for families to possess.
At the time of writing, and according to experts, it’s believed that some stem cells can remain viable for as many as 27 years¹ if suitably stored. It’s feasible that this timeframe may increase as technology and techniques progress.
When Is the Best Time to Collect a Child’s Stem Cells?
According to experts, the best time to collect a child’s stem cells is when they’re born. They’re collected from blood from the child’s umbilical cord and placenta, where the stem cells are particularly concentrated. The process takes just minutes. And, because the timing is at birth when the baby is going to be separated from the placenta anyway, harvesting the stem cells does not interfere with delivery, is non-invasive, and is free from pain and risk.
What Can Stored Stem Cells Be Used For?
Stem cells are already used, as standard, to treat over 85 conditions and have been used in over 50,000 transplants in recent decades — more than 2000 each year in the UK alone.
Two key types of stem cell are can be collected at the time of birth, each of which has the potential to cure life-threatening conditions:
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- Hematopoietic stem cells can treat conditions that involve blood. For example, they can repair or even remake white and red blood cells and platelets to cure conditions like leukaemia, anaemia, bone marrow cancers, platelet abnormalities, immune system disorders, and even some tumours.
- Mesenchymal stem cells can develop into different kinds of tissue. For example, they can develop into muscle, fat, and bone.
Scientists hope that, as research develops, more and more conditions will be treatable using cord blood stem cells. Conditions like Alzheimer’s, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Type 2 Diabetes, and Osteoarthritis are already among the 300 or so conditions undergoing new clinical trials using such cells.
Collection & Storage
Immediately following birth, the harvested cord blood and, if applicable, a section of the umbilical cord itself, will be placed into a special storage kit designed for the purpose. This is usually then collected by a medical courier and transported to the receiving laboratory. Here, the blood will be processed to separate out the cord stem cells. These are then cryogenically frozen, i.e. at an extremely low temperature, to preserve them potentially for years and years.
Private vs. Public Stem Cell Storage — & Fees
Parents have two key options when it comes to storing their children’s stem cells.
- The first is a private stem cell bank where, for a fee, a child’s stem cells will be stored and be available only for that child/family. There may be an annual storage fee in addition to the initial up-front price, although some private providers offer the option of a bundled number of years from the outset (we’ve seen up to 25 years). Please note that parents should do their own due diligence when selecting a provider.
- The second is a public stem cell bank, which is usually free. However, with public cell banks including the NHS Cord Blood Bank in the UK, the stem cells will be available to any patient who needs them. Parents interested in donating can contact the NHS Cord Blood Bank directly or start the process via their antenatal team. Follow the bold blue link for some additional useful information, caveats, etc.
Final Thoughts
Saving your baby’s stem cells is certainly worth considering. Whether you choose a private stem cell bank or a public one, there seems to be no downside to harvesting and storing stem cells. They’re miraculous little things that can transform and even save lives many years after they were collected — incredible! So, if you are planning a family or are already expecting a baby, consider learning more about storing stem cells from your baby once they’re born. You’ll need to plan ahead to make the appropriate arrangements. And, who knows, they could one day save lives!
Little Cedars Day Nursery
A High-Quality Nursery Providing Weekday Childcare in Streatham
Little Cedars is a high-quality nursery based in Streatham. Our team of early years professionals delivers a first-class childcare service for babies, toddlers, and children under five. The setting is a warm, safe and nurturing environment that brings out the best in them. Operating on weekdays almost all year round, we are ideally located for families living in Streatham, Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Tooting, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury, and Colliers Wood. We have a good Ofsted rating and support funded places for eligible children and babies.
Start your child’s nursery journey today by contacting the Little Cedars Nursery team — we’d love to receive your nursery application, show you and your little one around, or answer any questions:
[1] Hal Broxmeyer, Larry Luchsinger, Rona Weinberg, Alexandra Jimenez, Emeline Masson Frenet, Wouter van’t Hof, Maegan Capitano, Christopher Hillyer, Mark Kaplan, Scott Cooper, James Ropa, Abstract 16 Insights into Highly Engraftable Hematopoietic Cells from 27-Year Cryopreserved Umbilical Cord Blood, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, Volume 12, Issue Supplement_1, September 2023, Page S18, https://doi.org/10.1093/stcltm/szad047.017
Each year on 20 November, families, nurseries, and schools around the world mark World Children’s Day — a global celebration of children and a reminder that every child deserves to be safe, loved, and heard.
At Little Cedars Nursery, we believe childhood should be filled with discovery, laughter, and a sense of belonging. Each day presents countless opportunities for children to explore their world, build friendships and develop confidence in who they are.
The values behind World Children’s Day are deeply woven into the early years. When children feel valued and respected, they learn to value and respect others. Through play, they develop empathy — comforting a friend who feels sad, or cheering when someone else achieves something new.
Even the youngest children have ideas, preferences, and opinions — and part of our role is to listen carefully to them. That might mean noticing a baby’s cues and interests, or responding when a toddler points out something new they’ve discovered.
While World Children’s Day falls just once a year, its spirit is something we celebrate every day. Each time a child is encouraged to speak up, to show kindness, or to follow their curiosity, they’re practising the values that shape a fair and caring world.
Tantrums are a common part of life with toddlers and under-fives, but when they happen, they can be very challenging! Whether it’s a meltdown at dinner time or a dramatic on-the-floor outburst in the middle of the supermarket aisle, they can test even the most patient of parents and carers. However, it’s important to understand that tantrums aren’t a sign that something is wrong — they’re actually a normal, healthy stage of child development.
In their early years, children are still learning how to manage big emotions. There’s a mismatch, though; their brains are developing rapidly, but they haven’t yet mastered language, impulse control, or emotional regulation. So, when they’re tired, hungry, overstimulated, or frustrated, it can all become too much for them. 
When a tantrum starts, staying calm yourself is key. Your child will take emotional cues from you, their trusted adult. If you can remain steady, even if you’re feeling flustered inside, you send the message that you’re in control—and that they’re safe.
Avoid reasoning or explaining too much during a tantrum. When a child is overwhelmed, they’re unlikely to take much in. It’s often best to wait it out and stay close so they know they’re not alone. For some children, a gentle touch or hug might be helpful. Others may need a bit of space before they’re ready for comfort.
Offering limited choices — like “Would you like to wear the red jumper or the blue one?” — can also give them a sense of control without overwhelming them.
Concepts involving numbers and counting can sometimes be tricky for some preschoolers to grasp. Making sense of such concepts is important, though, because many aspects of children’s day-to-day lives will require an increasing understanding of numbers as time passes. Whether it’s knowing if a quantity of something is more or less than something else, how much of an ingredient is required in a mixture, or what change to expect from a purchase, children will need to grasp number-based concepts — and understand their real-world applications. What’s more, they’ll need to do this sooner rather than later if they’re to thrive, not least when they leave early years settings to begin school.
Making ‘number cards’ with your child will be a fun and useful first step. These could be as simple as small pieces of paper or card, each having a single large number written clearly on them. Alternatively, your child could take the opportunity to get more creative. For example, you and your child could make the numbers bright and colourful, have patterned in-fills, or even be made to look like animals or number ‘characters’ that have eyes. For the very young, start with numbers up to 5, or go to 10 or even 20 for older and more advanced children. Size-wise, perhaps aim for cards sized at about A6 (a quarter of an A4 sheet) or even A7 (A4 divided into 8).
A more advanced form of the number cards could depict the correct number of dots (or other drawn objects) instead of — or as well as — the actual written number. So, for example, the ‘3’ card could show a column or row of 3 round dots or squares or even something like 3 drawn strawberries — whatever your child likes! In a way, it’s a bit like traditional playing cards where each has both a number and the right amount of hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades on it, to match the number.
This next game will require a set of dominoes or, if you don’t have a set, they’re also easy enough to make in a similar way to the number cards. As you may know, each half of every domino has a number of dots, most commonly from 1 to 6. So, for example, there might be two dots on one end and five on the other, with the dot formations being rather like those you’d see on dice.
Understanding whether a quantity of something is more or less than something else is an important concept for children to grasp. Similarly, being able to estimate a quantity is a useful and practical skill for little ones to master. Such concepts can easily be highlighted, and the skills mastered, using simple estimating games. Some examples follow.
Pretending to be a shopkeeper or a shopper buying from one is a great next step for children. What’s more, they’ll naturally love playing shops having, no doubt, accompanied parents to real shops. This is where they can put all the things they’ve learned from the games above into practice. They can check they have the right quantities, weights or volumes or products, check they’re giving the shopkeeper the right amount of money, ensure that any change is correct — and so on! Playing shops is such a great way to master numbers, counting, estimating, weighing, addition, subtraction and more!