The First 2000 Days
What happens during the first 2000 days your child’s life (pregnancy until their 5th birthday) has a huge impact on how they grow, develop, and learn.
Children grow, develop, learn, and communicate faster in the first 5 years than at any other time in their life.
The early years lay the foundation for good child health and wellbeing now and in the future.
We want all children to have the best possible start in life. The information and resources provided here, aim to support you, your family, and community to thrive.
- A.B.C Connect with Me help your child thrive from pregnancy to five
- Australian Breastfeeding Association
- Blue Book child health and development
- Brighter Beginnings Parent and Carer Information Hub
- Building Brains and Bodies child health and wellbeing
- Emerging Minds supporting baby wellbeing
- Growing healthy eaters
- Karitane infant feeding, sleep, child development, mental health, and parenting
- Love Talk Sing Read Play (LTSRP) child health and social/emotional development
- Making the most of everyday moments video tips to help children learn
- Milestones Matter child growth and development
- Munch & Move Fact Sheets physical activity, healthy eating, screen time
- Our Playtime video parent/carer relationships
- Pregnancy, Birth & Baby The First 1000 Days
- Raising Children Network: First 1000 days health, wellbeing, relationships, self-care, supports
- Raising Healthy Minds child health and wellbeing
- Red Nose Safe Sleeping
- Reimagine Australia for children with a disability and/or developmental delay
- Safer Baby steps to take for a healthier pregnancy
- Skin-to-skin contact builds better brains breastfeeding
- The Grow & Go Toolbox Helping Under Five breastfeeding and nutrition
- Tresillian infant feeding, parenting, sleep/settling, mental health, nutrition
- 13 Yarn support 24/7 to yarn
- Aboriginal Fathers Stayin' On Track a place to yarn up about being a Dad
- Australian Breastfeeding Association for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
- Baby Coming You Ready App? cultural support and tips for families
- Brighter Beginnings Parent and Carer Information Hub
- Deadly Tots Love Yarn Sing Read Play child health and wellbeing
- Get Up & Grow: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people healthy eating and physical activity
- Raising Children Network First 1000 Days for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
- Red Nose Safe Sleeping
- SMS 4 Deadly Dads phone messages just when you need it
- Stronger Bubba Born tips to reduce the risk of Sorry Business Babies
- Aboriginal Fathers Stayin' On Track a place to yarn up about being a Dad
- A Dads Guide to the Toddler years
- Beyond Blue parenting and relationships
- COPE for Fathers & Partners parenting, mental health, self-care
- DadSpace mental health and practical support
- Karitane Becoming a Dad infant feeding, parenting, mental health, self-care, relationships
- PANDA Support for Dads mental health, parenting, self-care
- Right Mate: supporting men's mental health
- Raising Children Network Fathers feeding, mental health, relationships, parenting, self-care, physical activity, and more
- SMS 4 Dads phone messages just when you need it
- Gidget Foundation self-care tips
- Gidget Foundation support for Dad
- Tresillian Just for Dads infant feeding, sleep/settling, nutrition, relationships, mental health, self-care
- ACON services and supports
- ACON mental health support
- Australian Childhood Foundation mental health support
- CESPHN Health and Community Service LGBTIQA+ Directory
- NSW Health LGBTIQ+ resources and supports
- PANDA Mental health support
- Rainbow Families supports, milk feeding, early years guide, mental health, parenting
- Raising Children Network LGBTIQ+ Families resources, services and supports
- TransHub Pregnancy and reproductive information for transgender individuals
- Australia Breastfeeding Association information in Arabic and Simplified Chinese
- Blue Book translations child and family health and wellbeing
- Building Brains and Bodies child health and wellbeing: Arabic, Bangla, Mandarin, Vietnamese
- Baby Map: A guide for you and your 0–3-year-old child health and wellbeing in 13 refugee languages
- Embrace Multicultural Mental Health multiple languages
- Growing a Healthy Baby steps for a healthy pregnancy
- Helping your child learn two languages - Arabic | Bangla | Chinese (Simplified) | English | Nepali
- Love Talk Sing Read Play (LTSRP) Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Mongolian, Nepali
- Milestones Matter child growth and development in many languages
- Multilingual and bilingual children: questions and answers
- Munch & Move Fact Sheets physical activity, healthy eating, screen time: Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog (Filipino), Vietnamese
- Our Playtime video Arabic, Bangla, Chinese (Simplified), English, Nepali
- Raising Children Network
- Red Nose Safe Sleeping
- The Grow & Go Toolbox Helping Under Five breastfeeding and nutrition
- Transcultural Mental Health Centre
- WayAhead Perinatal Depression and Anxiety
- 13 YARN for First Nations Families and communities
- ACON
- Beyond Blue
- COPE Centre for Perinatal Excellence and Ready to COPE App
- Embrace Multicultural Mental Health
- Emerging Minds child mental health
- For When support for expecting and new parents
- Health Direct Mental Health helplines
- PANDA Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia
- Raising Children Network services and resources
- Sands miscarriage, stillbirth. newborn loss support
- Transcultural Mental Health Centre for multicultural families
- WayAhead mental health information and support
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding - the foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing
- Adjusting to parenthood
- Healthy relationships with children
- Child health and development
- Talking, Yarning, Reading, Singing
- Play and physical activity for children
- Child and family mental health and wellbeing
- Breastfeeding and healthy nutrition
- Safe environments
- Self-care for parents and caregivers