It’s not often in life that we get something free that’s also high quality and incredibly useful. Today, however, is an exception! Aimed at parents-to-be, those due to give birth imminently, and those who have recently had a child, the Complete Antenatal Course is currently available for zero cost. That’s despite it having an RRP of £175 and containing 8 hours of fabulously informative content. Access to the entire course is attainable quickly, without needing to add any kind of payment method. Other than there being some brief commercial interludes from the course’s sponsor, there are genuinely no strings attached. So, if you’re interested in learning about everything on the journey from pregnancy, through labour, to breastfeeding, infant care and first aid, this is for you. What’s more, the video format allows you to dip in and out at times to suit you. Read on to learn how to gain easy access to the Complete Antenatal Course today.
How to Get Free Course Access
To get access to the Complete Antenatal Course, visit this link and sign up free. We managed it in just moments and did not have to enter any payment details whatsoever. In no time at all, we had full access to the course. Easy!
Free? Is There a Catch?
There is no catch other than there being a couple of unobtrusive commercial clips from the course provider’s commercial sponsor (Joie) — but that’s really it!
About the Course Provider
The free antenatal course is provided online by NowBaby, who provide online courses and in-person antenatal education to expectant parents in the UK. NowBaby works in partnership with the NHS antenatal clinics too, and has done so for over two decades. Their website states that courses are provided by experienced midwives and healthcare professionals, however parents are urged to do their own due diligence as we cannot make guarantees about third parties. That said, we’ve looked through the modules in the 8 hour course and were thoroughly impressed. The course is easy to access and is available free — assuming, of course, that no premium upgrades are chosen when applying. If required, though, parents can choose to upgrade so they have access to speak with midwives or take part in Q&A sessions during the course.
Course Content
Presented by experienced midwives and healthcare professionals, the course is provided in convenient video modules that you can peruse at your own leisure. You’ll have received a login during the sign-up process, so will be able to log in and out at will. We also found the course remembered where we’d got to in the previous session, thereby making it easy to continue where we left off.
The course has 10 modules, which are each divided into convenient sub-sections — it’s all very convenient and user-friendly. The modules and sub-sections covered include:
Pregnancy
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Preparing the Mind & Body for Birth
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Labour & Birth
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Pain Management
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Induction of Labour
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Caesareans
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Postnatal Recovery
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Newborn Care
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Breastfeeding
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Infant First Aid & Medical Conditions
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That’s some scope, isn’t it? We thought it was fabulous and packed with high-quality content, hence sharing it with you today. If you give it a try, we’re sure you’ll feel better informed and equipped for your parenting journey. We hope that it empowers you during every stage of pregnancy, through birth, and well into parenthood. Our very best wishes to you and your little one.
Little Cedars: High Quality Childcare in Streatham
A Weekday Childcare Nursery for Babies & Children Up to Five
Little Cedars Nursery is a high-quality childcare provider in Streatham, providing excellent weekday childcare to families in Streatham, Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, and Streatham Park as well as those nearby in Tooting, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury, and Colliers Wood. The nursery has a good Ofsted rating and is happy to support government-funded childcare for eligible families with children as young as 9 months of age.
Get in touch today to find out more about a nursery place for your baby or child at Little Cedars Nursery:
At the heart of Gentle Parenting is empathy, kindness, respect, and a close bond between a parent and child. Such connections are given priority over control and obedience, and there are no punishments as such. Instead, gentle parenting uses a type of “positive discipline” where children’s behaviour is guided softly, in a measured way, without fear, threat, or punishment. ‘Gentle’ parents work with children to solve a problem collaboratively while, of course, acting to keep them and everyone else safe.
Authoritative parenting is often seen as a strong, nurturing foundation for early childhood. It’s balanced somewhere between permissive parenting and authoritarian parenting.
Authoritarian parenting is a style that’s highly structured, but low in emotional flexibility. With this parenting style, parents expect blind obedience without question, don’t often explain the reasons for rules, and are highly controlling.
Permissive parenting (sometimes also known as ‘indulgent parenting’) utilises a loving and warm approach towards children, but is often under-structured due to a reluctance to enforce rules.
Helicopter parenting means that parents are very involved — sometimes too involved — often micromanaging the child’s every move.
Velcro parenting denotes a strong level of closeness and a slow level of separation — a kind of hyper-involvement.
Uninvolved parenting (also sometimes known as ‘neglectful parenting’) is evidenced by low engagement, a low level of warmth, and limited support for the child.
Except for Safeguarding, the new Report Card will show Ofsted’s evaluation of each of the assessment areas as one of the following:
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.
In today’s world, electronic screens are everywhere — from TVs and smartphones to tablets and games consoles. Even our youngest children are growing up in increasingly digital environments. While technology brings many conveniences, intentionally unplugging can offer profound benefits for little ones and their families. Whether it’s for a day, a weekend, a holiday, or even longer, the value gained from a ‘digital detox’ may surprise even the most dubious amongst us. Today’s post investigates.
Research consistently shows the positive effects of stepping away from our screens. Studies report that a digital detox can lead to decreased stress and anxiety, improved mood and well-being, and even better physical health through healthier, less sedentary, lifestyles. Pausing the use of electronic screens can even help reset our perception of time, making days feel longer, fuller, and more engaged.
When families go screen-free, the benefits extend well beyond the individual. Removing screens often rekindles face-to-face interactions and facilitates more laughter and unfiltered conversations within the family. Parents who’ve tried it report a renewed sense of connection and deeper engagement with their children. Even short periods of unplugging can turn into lasting changes—more shared stories, more creative play, and more real presence.
Better sleep for everyone with children tending to drop off more easily and adults feeling more rested.
Begin by designating screen-free boundaries, such as bedrooms or mealtimes, and/or set a daily screen-free hour in the evening.
The evidence clearly shows: families who have periods free of electronic screens will benefit. A digital detox enriches and elongates days. It enhances sleep quality for children and adults by facilitating their natural rhythms. Days feel more spacious and calm without digital distractions and imaginative play soon steps in and thrives. In the absence of screens, children are also likely to get outdoors more often — and benefit from everything nature and outdoor play have to offer. Mental health and even academic grades are also likely to improve when this happens.
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!
Work at least 16 hours or more per week at the National Minimum Wage