Despite claims that this generation of children have less time for play, a recent study by Case Western Reserve University finds that today's children are more imaginative than those born twenty or so years before. How has imaginative play changed over the past two decades, and should we embrace it?

Sleep is an essential aspect of children's healthy growth and development. Unfortunately it is not a skill we learn naturally: as parents we must ensure we teach our children how to experience good sleep habits from an early age to ensure their peak mental and physical development.

The main benefit of sleep for children is the release of the growth hormone which encourages normal bodily growth and development. Additionally there are psychological benefits: concentration is aided by the processing of the day's events and skills learned by the developing child and emotional well-being is assisted by the detoxifying nature of a good night's rest.

Lack of sleep is evidenced to have a negative effect on our physical and mental health - most notably among children and young adults - from lack of concentration to depression, decreased immunity and loss of creative intent. Late-night videogames, social media and peer influence are factors which place pressure on our sleep times, so it's important to know how much sleep our children should be getting at their various stages of life.

We've long known the beneficial properties of music for babies. Lullabies or classical music have been used by parents the world over to soothe their babies and help them drift off to sleep, not to mention the benefits of bonding with your infant while singing your favourite songs!

Recent studies have also shown that music can be used as therapy for premature babies to help soothe them and increase the sucking reflex which helped them gain weight. Live music and the sound of a parent singing to the beat of a lullaby was proven to have the biggest impact.

But can music help babies become smarter?