Child BBC Radio 4

We get inside the mind of a one year old with Professor of psychology and baby expert Alison Gopnik. What can babies teach us, and how are they influencing their future. We also take a moment think about the village we need to survive that first year and beyond. It’s a cliche, but we know it’s true. The community around a child is one of the most fundamental factors for its development.
Presented by: India Rakusen.
Producer: Ellie Sans.
Series producer: Ellie Sans.
Executive producer: Suzy Grant.
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon.
Mix and Mastering by Olga Reed.
A Listen Production for BBC Radio 4.

Whenever an infant heads to nursery, it can feel like an enormous step. Things are changing for everyone. There are all sorts of feelings flying around - relief, sadness, doubt, fear. But what’s going on behind the doors of nurseries and childcare settings in England? India speaks to Joeli Brearley from Pregnant Then Screwed about the current childcare crisis, child development psychotherapist Graham Music about how childcare impacts children, as well as economist Emily Oster on our choices around childcare. India then meets artists Conway and Young who have found a way to make the invisible labour of childcare pay.
Presented by: India Rakusen.
Producer: Georgia Arundell.
Series producer: Ellie Sans.
Executive producer: Suzy Grant.
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon.
Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King.
A Listen Production for Radio 4.

Lullabies. Simple, soothing… nonsense. Right? Wrong. Here we’re getting behind the importance of music and singing in a baby's development. India speaks to Dr Nina Polytimou about her research into how music can help with speech and communication and also be a powerful tool for bonding. India then visits a Singing Mamas group to hear how coming together as mothers to sing is a powerful, important, and missing slice of community. Kate Valentine, the founder, describes the impact it has on maternal mental health.
Presented by: India Rakusen.
Producers: India Rakusen And Georgia Arundell
Series producer: Ellie Sans.
Executive producer: Suzy Grant.
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon.
Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King.
A Listen Production for Radio 4.

Attachment is an interesting word. It conjures up images of love, security, but also a specific focus and intensity that has encircled modern parenting. India speaks to Child Psychotherapist Graham music about attachment styles and people behind the theory. We hear from Marvyn Harrison, founder of Dope Black Dads, about his experience of becoming a father and India talks to Dr Charlotte Faircloth about how attachment parenting and other intensive parenting methods are impacting parents today.
Presented by: India Rakusen.
Producer: Ellie Sans.
Series producer: Ellie Sans.
Executive producer: Suzy Grant.
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon and Eska Mtungwazi.
Mix and Mastering by Olga Reed.
A Listen Production for Radio 4.

Seeing a baby make its first moves is a magical time. It marks the beginning of their independence. And it’s something that is often tracked using developmental milestones - but are they actually more problematic than they are useful?
India Rakusen speaks to Professor Karen Adolph who shares her problems with milestones and discusses the cultural expectations of early development. She also hears from Dr Vanessa Cavallera from the World Health Organisation about the work they’re doing to update their 2006 milestone graph and the future of infant development.
Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: Georgia Arundell
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon and ESKA
Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King
A Listen production for BBC Radio 4

Baby food is about so much more than mashed carrot. It’s another important foundation for the rest of the child’s life. But it isn’t an equal playing field and it’s another minefield of parenting.
India Rakusen talks to feeding specialist Kim Grenawitzke about the importance of learning to eat, and how to introduce solids. Historian Amy Bentley describes how the rise of commercial baby food affected parenting and babies, and Dr Vicky Sibson from First Steps Nutrition takes us down the baby food aisle.
Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: India Rakusen
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon
Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King
A Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds