The Corkboard
Our hub for all child care news, tips and support
How to settle a sick baby or toddler overnight
Paediatrician Dr Golly's position is clear: don't sleep train a sick baby. While your child is unwell, the usual rules pause and the focus shifts to rest, hydration, and comfort. In this guide, he explains why extra cuddles, night feeds, and being held to sleep during illness don't undo independent sleep, why a previously night-weaned baby asking for feeds again is fine to feed, and how illness affects sleep cycles in babies and toddlers. He walks parents through what to keep familiar in the bedtime routine, what to loosen, and the safe-sleep moves to avoid (including the elevated-cot risk he flags as a Red Nose Safe Sleep Ambassador). The article closes with the recovery timeline parents can expect, plus practical advice on surviving the sick-night stretch when you're running on no sleep yourself.
Managing sleep in childcare
Starting childcare changes everything about sleep. To make sense of the regression that often arrives with it, Care for Kids spoke to sleep scientist Kate from Babysomnia. She walks parents through why centre naps and home naps look different, why responding to your child at home doesn't undo what care is doing during the day, what changes by age, and when to seek support. Her reframe: perfect sleep isn't the goal, the version that's sustainable for your family is.
Can I get more than 3 days (72 hours) of Child Care Subsidy?
Under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) 3 Day Guarantee, eligible families can access up to 72 hours of subsidised childcare per child every fortnight, even without recognised activity. But some families may be eligible for up to 100 subsidised hours per fortnight depending on their recognised activity level. This article explains what recognised activity means in simple, parent-friendly language, including how work, study, volunteering or looking for work may affect the number of subsidised childcare hours your family can receive. It also explains the important difference between the guaranteed 72 hours and additional subsidised hours above that amount. Importantly, recognised activity does not affect access to the first 72 subsidised hours under the 3 Day Guarantee. The article also briefly explains how Services Australia assesses recognised activity levels and when some families may qualify for additional support or exemptions.
The 3 illnesses your child will probably, definitely catch at childcare
Paediatrician Dr Golly explains that a healthy childcare-aged child will pick up around twelve viral infections a year, with three illnesses doing most of the heavy lifting: gastro, the common cold, and RSV. In this guide, he walks parents through what each one looks like, what catches families out (the lingering cough after a cold, the post-gastro lactose intolerance, the RSV symptoms that peak later than parents expect), and the red flags that warrant a GP visit. He also covers the exclusion rules for each illness, the handwashing and hygiene moves that stop one child's bug becoming the whole family's, and what educators need to watch for. The article closes with a note on the new RSV vaccination now available to pregnant women and eligible infants, which research suggests cuts hospitalisations by 90 per cent.
Time-in vs time-out: what the research really says for toddlers
Time-out has been the default discipline strategy for decades, but research on toddler brain development tells a different story. Children under three cannot yet self-regulate or reason through their behaviour, because the part of the brain that does that work is still years from being built. Time-in, popularised by developmental psychiatrists Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, takes a different approach: stay close, help the child calm down, and address the behaviour once they're back in a state where they can hear you. The evidence on co-regulation, attachment, and toddler neuroscience supports it. This article looks at what time-in really involves, where time-out falls short for toddlers, and how to make the switch without abandoning structure or consequences. It's the discipline approach that meets toddlers where their brains are.
How is my Child Care Subsidy (CCS) calculated?
Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is calculated in two main parts: how much of your childcare fees the Government will subsidise, and how many hours of care can be subsidised. This article explains both parts in simple, parent-friendly language. Your CCS percentage is mainly based on your combined family income, while your recognised activity level helps determine how many subsidised childcare hours your family may receive. Recognised activities can include work, study, volunteering or looking for work. The article also explains the “3 Day Guarantee”, which allows eligible families to access up to 72 hours of subsidised childcare per fortnight regardless of activity level, with some families eligible for additional subsidised hours. Importantly, CCS is calculated individually for each family, which is why families attending the same childcare service can still receive very different subsidy amounts and pay different out-of-pocket costs.
When to take your sick child to the GP (and when to wait it out at home)
Paediatrician Dr Golly says the key to deciding whether a sick child needs a GP or just rest at home is to look at the child, not just the symptoms. His simple 3 B's and 3 P's framework covers breathing, behaviour, breast and bottles, pee, poo and vomit, and pain, and gives parents a clear-headed way to triage in the middle of the night when everything feels scarier than it probably is. Fever is often a sign the body's doing its job, and what matters more than the number on the thermometer is how your child's behaving alongside it. There are real red flags by age that warrant immediate care, and a strong case for trusting your gut when something feels off even if the symptoms look mild on paper. It's the full paediatrician-approved guide to deciding when to call and when to wait.
What does your childcare daily fee really include?
You've been quoted a daily fee, done the maths, and the first invoice lands with line items you weren't expecting. The headline rate is rarely the full picture. This guide breaks down what a childcare daily fee actually covers in Australia, what's typically billed as an extra (meals, nappies, excursions, special extracurriculars), and the costs that catch most families out in the first few months, including enrolment fees, fees paid in advance, charges for absences and sick days, and end-of-care notice periods. It also covers how to compare fees properly, the questions to ask in writing before you sign, and the quality markers that matter more than the headline price, including the centre's NQF rating, educator qualifications and turnover, and whether a qualified early childhood teacher leads the kindergarten program.
What are CCS hourly rate caps?
The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) hourly rate cap is the maximum hourly fee the Australian Government will subsidise when calculating CCS. If a childcare service charges above that cap, families pay the extra amount themselves - even if they’re eligible for a high CCS percentage. This article explains how the hourly rate cap works in simple, parent-friendly language, including why two families with the same CCS percentage can still have very different out-of-pocket childcare costs. You’ll also learn why some childcare services charge above the cap, how to tell whether a service’s fees exceed the government limit, and why understanding the cap can help you compare childcare costs more realistically. Most importantly, this guide reassures parents that CCS still applies even when fees are above the cap - it simply means families cover the additional amount themselves.