My First Five Years

“Often walking doesn’t have anything to do with legs and feet, walking really starts with their brain and their core.” 

Join My First Five Years app co-founders Alistair Bryce-Clegg and Jennie Johnson MBE to hear why no two children share the same journey to walking, where crawling fits in, whether it’s possible to walk too soon and which are the best type of shoes for new walkers, as well as five hacks to encourage your child to walk.

Read "Genetic and Environmental Influences on Developmental Milestones and Movement: Results From the Gemini Cohort Study"

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 25 books.

“We know that babies can attach to more than one parent equally, and also that the attachment that fathers have with their children not only is good for the children, but also is good for the dads. It actually physically changes the makeup of your brain.”  

In this Father’s Day special, My First Five Years co-founders Jennie Johnson and Alistair Bryce-Clegg are joined by Jason Heron and Jordan Piano from the Parenting Tools Podcast to celebrate dads, to abolish myths around the role of fathers and to discuss what it means to be a ‘good’ dad. You’ll hear about dads’ wellbeing, how research is challenging our assumptions about the role of fathers, and five top tips for dads in the early years.   

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 25 books.

“Sometimes just saying no... becomes like a habit, and actually what we're going to talk about is if you just think slightly differently, everybody might benefit.”  

You’ll hear how pausing for thought before saying “no” can make everyone happier, and how it could even lead to your child landing their dream job! My First Five Years co-founders Alistair Bryce-Clegg and Jennie Johnson cover the importance of choice and how small tweaks to your language can make a big difference, as well as offering five hacks for alternatives to saying “no” all the time! 

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 25 books.

“Holidays are a mixed blessing. They’re lots of prep, and they can be a little bit stressful, but I know I look back on many of them with really fond memories. It's worth the drama!”  

Find out how to prepare your child for a holiday to take the stress out of it for them, as well as for you. You’ll hear tips on how to avoid a holiday horror show with My First Five Years app founders Jennie Johnson and Alistair Bryce-Clegg, from taking the sheets from your child’s bed at home to promote better sleep to talking to your child about the sounds they might hear on an aeroplane. From car journeys to air travel, this episode is packed with hints and tips to make your journey that bit easier. 

Safe sleep advice when travelling - Safe sleep charity the Lullaby Trust's advice is that it's ok for your baby to fall asleep in a car seat when travelling, but they should be taken out of the car seat as soon as you get to your destination, and placed onto a firm, flat surface to sleep such as a cot or Moses basket. Click here to read more on their website.

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 25 books.

“Number one - don’t say don’t! Try and find other ways or other words to use instead of don’t, because you’re starting with a negative.”

“Right, so you’re just making it easy for a child to be defiant, because you’ve immediately given them something that they now want to do?!”

It’s six months since hosts Jennie Johnson and Alistair Bryce-Clegg launched the My First Five Years podcast. To celebrate we’ve put together a selection of some of the ‘best bits’ of advice from these first episodes, including how to tackle challenging behaviour, tips on helping your child get into a sleep routine and - perhaps the most important - how to be a realistic parent! 

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 25 books.

“Newborn babies are very aware of their body... What happens with disposable nappies is that brain-body connection is eroded, and so then we have the very difficult problem that parents want to use a potty and the child has a very steep learning curve to assimilate all the skills that they'll need to be able to do that effectively.”  

In this potty training special, you’ll hear the latest research about when to start and how to help your child – spoiler alert, it happens much earlier than you may think! My First Five Years founders Jennie Johnson and Alistair Bryce-Clegg are joined by Rebecca Mottram, Children's Nurse and Potty Training Consultant at ERIC, the Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity, who shares tips on when to start potty-training, the lowdown on being dry at night, and how to put your child at the centre of the process and engage them in it.

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 23 books

“One key message that I want to get across from all of my experience working in Early Years over the past 30 years, is that by trying to push children ahead, you often set them way further back. And actually, when you hold your nerve and follow your child's lead, when they get it, they will fly with it.”  

You’ll hear why writing is so much more than just putting pen to paper and how it involves everything from swinging on the monkey bars at the park to talking together, as well as top tips to make learning to write joyful and fun, with early childhood experts Alistair Bryce-Clegg and Jennie Johnson, creators of the My First Five Years app. 

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 23 books

“The term ‘sleeping through’ has so much to answer for because it suggests that some children go to bed and sleep until they wake up in the morning, and no human being sleeps like that.”  

Did you know we all wake in the night multiple times, and that the so-called four-month sleep regression is actually a sleep progression? In this sleep special, you’ll hear the lowdown on children’s sleep from child sleep expert Lauren Peacock, with hosts Jennie Johnson and Alistair Bryce-Clegg. It’s packed with plenty of hints, tips and hacks to help you navigate your child’s sleep and find what works for your family.  

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 23 books.

This Bonus Episode is from our episode with sleep expert Lauren Peacock, it's all about how to make the most out of nap time for your under 5.

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 23 books.

“What’s wrong with the idea of giving girls dolls and boys trucks is the idea that we are separating girls and boys. We can give children dolls and also give children trucks. It’s not the object, it’s the societal expectation that comes with the object... We are all conditioning our children constantly.” 

Find out how the toys you give your children to play with can impact them in the long term. Early years experts and creators of the My First Five Years app Alistair and Jennie discuss why gender, play and toys are important, answer your questions and give five easy hacks to help children explore more gender-neutral play.

For more information and tips on your child’s early years, download the My First Five Years app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-first-five-years/id1567551364

Jennie Johnson MBE founded the well-respected company Kids Allowed, best in class multi-award winning and top position on independent national league table for quality. Passionate about impact, high performing teams and having fun. Doing well by doing good.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg has had an incredibly successful career in early years, being a headteacher for ten years as well as establishing an internationally renowned consultancy. He is recognised as a leading voice in the sector, having done a TED talk and published 23 books.