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Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that needs urgent medical attention. Symptoms include breathing problems, throat tightness or tongue swelling, difficulty talking, wheezing, persistent cough, dizziness and fainting. Lay your child flat. Use an adrenaline auto-injector like EpiPen®. Then call an ambulance. It’s very important that children with anaphylaxis avoid the allergen that causes anaphylaxis.

Separation anxiety is a normal part of development from about eight months. You can help your child with separation anxiety by gently encouraging him to separate from you. This might take practice and praise. If your child’s separation anxiety is severe, long-lasting and interferes with your child’s life, consider seeking professional help.

Building good parent-educator relationships is one of the best ways to support your child’s early learning at child care. You can build relationships by communicating regularly with your child’s educators – for example, greeting them each day. A good relationship makes it easier to raise difficult issues when you need to.

Some children take longer or need more help to settle into child care. Share information with your child’s educators about your child’s feelings and experiences at child care. Work with the educators to help your child build a trusting relationship with them.

Try to ease your child into the new child care routine. Make time to stay with your child for the first few mornings. Make sure your child has enough attention and time for rest and quiet play at home. A good relationship with early childhood educators can help children to settle in.

Give your child care service information about your child’s sleep, preferred learning and social activities, allergies and so on. Prepare yourself and your child by spending some time at the service in the days and weeks before you start. Get organised the night before starting child care. This will help the first day go smoothly.

Many children have separation anxiety and fear of strangers when starting child care. These are normal parts of child development. You might feel strong emotions like excitement or anxiety when your child starts care. Be positive around your child and share your worries with friends and families if you need to.

If it is possible, it is good to compare different child care services in order to find the one that best suits your child's as well as your needs. You can visit these services (nurseries, preschools, etc.) to see what they are like. Use our checklist to compare how different services will educate and care for your child.

In order to prevent measles – one of the most contagious diseases, as well as mumps and rubella, your child is receiving a live, combined MMR vaccine.