Best Beginnings

Why Reading Starts Before a Child Can Read | Laura Henry-Allain MBE

Reading enjoyment among children is at a 20-year low. Only one in three children now say they enjoy reading in their free time. So what will it actually take to reverse that decline and why does it start in the earliest years? In this episode, Babyzone CEO George Looker is joined by Laura Henry-Allain MBE, creator of Jojo and Gran Gran, the first Black British animation produced for CBeebies, National Year of Reading ambassador and one of only 49 educators worldwide named a Global Master Leader in early care and education. In this episode we talk about:  The National Year of Reading and what going all in really means  Why parental confidence is one of the biggest barriers to reading at home  The Jojo and Gran Gran origin story and what it took to get a yes from the BBC  Dyslexia, neurodiversity and a lifelong love of reading  Why representation in children's books benefits every child  What children understand that most adults have lost Best Beginnings is a podcast from Babyzone, the UK's fastest-growing early years charity, dedicated to giving every baby the best start in life. Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday.

Building the Case for the Earliest Years | Will Quince

The 1001 Critical Days Foundation is one year old. In that time it has allocated £1.5 million in grant funding, published screen time guidance that has been cited internationally, supported the nationwide rollout of Dad Matters and begun advocacy work in Norway and South Africa. For Will Quince, its first ever Chief Executive, it is only the beginning. Will spent nine years as MP for Colchester and served as Minister for Early Education, holding further ministerial roles across health and welfare. He joins George Looker for this episode of Best Beginnings to talk about what the Foundation is building, why it matters and what it will take to make the case for the earliest years stick, not just in Westminster but globally. In this episode they talk about the research the Foundation has commissioned and what it reveals about the state of perinatal support in the UK, why 80% of the human brain is developed by the age of two and what that demands of policymakers, and why the birth rate data of 2026 should be a turning point for how this country invests in families. Best Beginnings is a podcast from Babyzone, the UK's fastest growing early years charity. Every week we speak to the researchers, practitioners and policymakers working to improve outcomes for babies and their families. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and if you found this useful share it with someone who needs to hear it.

The Interaction Engine: How Babies Communicate Before Language | Professor Paul Seedhouse

Before a baby says their first word, they have already been communicating for weeks. Tracking faces, directing gaze, passing objects back and forth and waiting to see what happens next. These are not random behaviours. They are the foundations of everything language will become. Professor Paul Seedhouse is Emeritus Professor of Human Spoken Interaction at Newcastle University and one of the world's leading experts on the interaction engine: the universal communication system every human is born with that predates spoken language by almost 2 million years. In this episode Paul joins George to talk about what the interaction engine is, why every child must develop it before language can follow and what happens when they don't. They also discuss turn taking, screen time, the role of siblings and why the earliest interactions between a parent and their baby matter more than most people realise. Best Beginnings is a podcast from Babyzone about the first five years of life and why they shape everything that comes after. New episodes every Tuesday.

Sophie Livingstone MBE: What Families in Poverty Really Need

Sophie Livingstone MBE, CEO of Little Village and Chair of the Baby Bank Alliance, joins George Looker to talk about what essential items really mean for families experiencing poverty. From slings to high chairs, Sophie explains how practical support changes lives, why dignity is central to everything Little Village does, and what it means to design early intervention around families rather than systems. Sophie also reflects on the stigma around child poverty, the collective responsibility we all share for children's futures and what it would take to put Little Village out of business.

"You're Doing Better Than You Think" | Dr Martha on Parenting, Psychology and the Early Years

Most parents questioning whether they are getting it right are already doing well enough. That is not reassurance. That is what the science shows. Dr Martha is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with children and families. She trained at UCL and the Tavistock, spent 18 years in the NHS and has built an Instagram community of over 290,000 people. Her Sunday Times number one bestselling book is How to Be the Grown Up. In this episode we talk about what babies actually need when they cry, why you only need to be attuned to your child 30 to 50% of the time, how to handle tantrums in public, why your love does not get halved when a second child arrives, why it is never too late to repair your relationship with your child and what she would do if she had a magic wand for parenting policy. Best Beginnings is the podcast from Babyzone, the early years charity supporting families from pregnancy to five. Subscribe for weekly conversations with the researchers, practitioners and policymakers thinking most deeply about how to give every child the best start.