Advice and support for parents and families

Child health

It is vital that you still seek medical assistance if your child becomes unwell. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has put together an infographic showing what to do if your child is unwell and where to go to seek help.

Visit the Thrive website for a range of advice on children’s health.

Coping with a crying baby

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust is sharing blogs and vlogs covering a range of topics to support parents. The first is how to cope with a crying baby.

Information on tips to soothe a crying baby is available on the NHS website.

The NSPCC has published a guide on how to stay calm, handle your baby and cope with crying. The you don't have to go through it alone guide includes useful links to information for families with young babies.

Public Health England has partnered with ICON to develop a short animation focusing on preventing traumatic head injury in babies.

No matter how stressed or frustrated you feel, you must never shake your baby. For more information visit the Bracknell Safeguarding Board website.

Immunisations and screening

Newborn advice

It is very important that you continue to go to antenatal and newborn screening appointments. Screening is time critical to make sure of early detection for some medical conditions and safe referrals to the correct care pathway. The health professionals involved in these screening programmes will be taking every possible precaution to make sure of the safety of people attending.

Childhood immunisations

Please take your child for routine immunisations. it is very important to maintain good coverage of immunisations, particularly in the childhood programme. As well as protecting the person, this will avoid outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases that could increase further the numbers of patients requiring health services.

For further information visit the NHS webpages on vaccinations and screening.

Older children

Visit the Thrive website for information and advice on how to keep older children safe and entertained during the coronavirus pandemic.

Parenting guides

If you live in Bracknell Forest you can access 4 free online parenting guides which include top tips from childcare, education and NHS health experts.

The online guides contain advice relevant to expectant parents, parents, grandparents and carers of children of all ages including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The guides are also available in different languages. Visit the In Our Place website and apply access code (parenting).

Additionally, to support the wellbeing of children and young people during the pandemic, the NHS has produced three concise guides for parents and carers and for children and young people themselves.

The guides list some of the best reliable and free sources of information and advice to help children, young people and their families to cope with life under lockdown. The guides are available on the East Berkshire CCG website. 

Safety

The child accident prevention trust has a parent pack with advice on keeping your children safe. 

Safe sleeping

The Lullaby Trust has published a range of information about safer sleeping and how to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The NHS has developed advice aimed at new dads on the importance of safe sleeping. Visit lift the baby for more information.