Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast

What happens when the parenting journey looks different from the one you imagined?  In this episode, Kate and Amelia talk to physiotherapist and disability advocate Sam Boag about supporting children with disability and their families.  Sam is the founder of the active play program Ready, Steady Go Kids and is now the Managing Director of I Can Jump Puddles disability support service.   In this ep...

Kids are always moving, right? So how could they possibly not be getting enough active play?  In this episode, Kate and Amelia talk to Professor Hayley Christian from The Kids Research Institute about why active play is so important for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.  Hayley explains why active play isn't about organised sport or exercise, but about playful movement, including those short burs...

Being a working parent can feel like a constant juggle. Between work deadlines, school and childcare hours, sick kids, drop-offs, pick-ups and everything that happens in between, making work work alongside family life isn’t easy.  In this episode, Kate and Amelia are joined by Lucinda McKinn and Lauren Trawick from the Ready or Not podcast for an honest conversation about what it really means to b...

There’s a whole network of free support available to parents and caregivers in the early years, but many families don’t know what’s there or how to access it.   In this episode, Joanne Turley, a paediatric nurse from South Australia’s Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) with 30 years’ experience joins Kate and Amelia to explain what’s available across the country.  We explore breastfeeding sup...

What makes a great children’s book? And how do you know which ones are right for your baby, toddler or preschooler?  In this episode, Kate and Amelia are joined by two very special guests from Raising Literacy Australia - our very own Alyson O’Brien and Bec Hughes - to get the inside word on books, stories and early literacy.   Aly is the Publishing Director of Little Book Press, the not-for-profi...

Connection, connection, connection. If there’s one thing that parent educator  Genevieve Muir  wants us to take from her, it’s that it all comes back to connecting with our child. With her trademark good humour and keeping it real, Gen talks to Kate and Amelia about surviving and thriving in today’s parenting world of information overload. Gen shares practical tips for cutting through the noise, t...

New parenthood is joyful, but it can also be overwhelming in ways you never saw coming. For some parents, that overwhelm can tip into something more serious. In this deeply personal episode, Kate and Amelia are joined by Gia Hogarth, a former journalist and host of  Mum Mind Unpacked  podcast.  Gia speaks openly about her own experience with perinatal anxiety and depression, the signs that somethi...

With the age of first-time parenthood rising in Australia, what’s it really like for teens and young people becoming parents? In this episode, Kate and Amelia speak with teen mum Katelyn and her Brave Foundation mentor Brooke Whitehead about the realities of young parenthood.   Katelyn shares her story, the challenges and joys of becoming a parent at a young age and how support from Brave made all...

From the first days of fatherhood, dads have an incredible opportunity to shape their child’s development – but how do they navigate the challenges and make the most of those early moments? And what programs, supports and strategies exist to build confidence and connection? In this episode, Kate and Amelia explore the experiences of new fathers with community leader and social entrepreneur, Thomas...

There’s no denying it’s been a really difficult year for parents of children in childcare. In this thoughtful and timely episode, CEO of The Parenthood,  Georgie Dent , joins Kate Ellis and guest co-host Daniela Ritorto to unpack the complex emotions many families are facing after recent revelations about poor quality care and alarming allegations of abuse.  With honesty and care, Georgie explores...

In a world full of screens and endless entertainment options, books remain crucial to the human experience, sparking imagination, curiosity and connection. So how do we ensure we are raising the next generation of readers?  Kate and Amelia sit down with  Ali Durham , children’s picture book author, illustrator and early childhood educator. Ali shares her passion for nurturing early literacy and th...

It’s one of the biggest buzzwords in early childhood, but what does attachment really mean? In this powerful episode, Kate and Amelia are joined by clinical psychologist Rachel Samson to unpack why parent-child attachment matters so much in the early years and how it shapes a child’s emotional and psychological development.  Rachel shares achievable ways to foster secure attachment, gently reassur...

Music matters, especially for growing brains. In this episode Kate and Amelia chat with  Dr Anita Collins , a neuroscientist, award-winning music educator and author of The Music Advantage.   With a PhD in neuroscience and music education, Anita shares the extraordinary ways music supports language, cognitive development and emotional growth in young children, priming the brain for learning.   Fro...

Is your toddler stuck in the notorious ‘beige phase’? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! In this episode, Kate and Amelia are joined by  Anna Ritan , an accredited pediatric dietitian and nutritionist with over a decade of experience, to chat all things food, nutrition and child development.  Together they explore why nutrition in early childhood is so crucial and how a balanced diet supports cognitiv...

Parenting babies is a universal experience, but every country and culture does it a little differently. What can we learn from different ways of raising children, especially when it comes to creating the supportive ‘village’ many of us crave?   Global early childhood policy powerhouse Ana Nieto takes Kate and Amelia on a trip around the world, exploring some of the incredible ideas other countries...

Do dummies affect speech development? Exactly how much should we be talking and reading to our babies? Which speech issues will resolve themselves and when should we be concerned?   Kate and Amelia get a wealth of practical advice from Helen Smith, Senior Speech Pathologist at Children’s Health Queensland.   Helen has over two decades of experience as a speech pathologist working in both health an...

Play is the work of childhood, as the saying goes. But are we denying our children opportunities to learn valuable life skills by making modern-day play not just safe, but ‘too safe’? That’s the view of Dr Justin Coulson, who believes risky play is vital to raising confident and resilient children. In a conversation that definitely challenged Kate and Amelia, Dr Coulson explains what risky play is...

As one of Australia's most loved children’s performers, ⁠Dr Emma Watkins⁠ has made an extraordinary contribution to early childhood development. Emma shares with Kate and Amelia how her years performing live as the Yellow Wiggle inspired her to do more to support deaf and non-verbal children.   She explains how she created ⁠Emma Memma⁠ for children of all abilities while completing her PhD, and as...

Who doesn’t love a cute baby video! But do you know what’s happening in your baby’s brain every time you make them laugh or they mimic a sound? Early childhood expert Dr Dan Wuori shares videos of loving interactions between babies and parents with his hundreds of thousands social media followers to explain the developmental and attachment neuroscience behind these everyday moments.   Dr Dan Wuori...

Our babies have a remarkable ability to communicate from birth but not every baby will do so in the same way or at the same time. If parents have a feeling or an instinct about their child’s development, how can they best respond?  Kate and Amelia put the question to one of Australia’s leading researchers Professor Andrew Whitehouse, who was instrumental in the development of the Inklings program....

Kate and Amelia are diving straight into the tumultuous world of infant emotional regulation – in other words, tantrums!  Guiding us is an expert on coaching kids and parents through the tough stuff, ⁠Madhavi Nawana Parker⁠ . Madhavi teaches us what to do in that meltdown moment, what's going on, why, and how finding connection helps us as much as our toddlers. Madhavi is a behaviour consultant, c...

Screen time – it’s the battle of our parenting age, especially when guidelines recommend zero screens for children under two. How much is ok, if any? Is zero screen time realistic? What’s the harm of storytelling cartoons like Bluey? What about the educational apps that teach literacy and numeracy?  Dr Mary Brushe led a groundbreaking study on how screen time can interfere with children's language...

From the moment they’re conceived, babies’ brains are building the foundations for lifelong learning. But what exactly do they need to grow strong, healthy brains? In this episode, Kate and Amelia dive into developmental neuroscience with Dr Sally Stanton, breaking down the latest research on how babies learn and what we can do to support them.    Dr Staton is a Senior Research Fellow in the Scien...

Welcome to Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast - LAUNCHING APRIL 2! We are so excited to be bringing you this series on early childhood development for parents, presented by Kate Ellis and Amelia Mulcahy.  Did you know your child’s brain grows faster in the first 3 years than at any other time? Kate and Amelia chat with Australian and international experts, breaking down brain science into easy everyd...