Child development is a complex, non-linear process affected by multiple factors. In addition, there is a large degree of individual variation.

Health promotion has long been accepted as a mainstay of nursing practice, and indeed many community child health nurses would cite health promotion as a major activity in their daily work. However, there is a lack of clarity in the nursing literature regarding the concepts and activities of health promotion and studies on nurses‚ understanding...

This first portion of this issue looks at normal sleep patterns in the first year of life, sleep problems, co-sleeping and ways of ameliorating sleep problems. The second portion looks specifically at sleep problems including what parents can do, suggestions for bedtime problems and suggestions for ongoing or severe problems.

'Aerosol therapy in asthma' is a review that focuses on the two main available methods of aerosol delivery: the nebuliser, and a combination of spacer and a pressurised metered dose inhaler. There are significant advantages and disadvantages in aerosol therapy, and the disadvantages are magnified in paediatric subjects. When considering aerosol therapy for children, the...

This article provides a guide to normal visual development and an overview of assessment when visual development is non-standard. There are some indications of non-standard visual development that can be established prior to language development, but assessment is easier once language has developed. However, waiting for language to develop when there is a concern is...