What the science actually says about raising children.
I'm Joanna — mum of two and a former teacher who reads the research so you don't have to. Peer-reviewed studies on child development, sleep, attachment and learning, translated into something honest and genuinely useful.
Good evidence changes everything
Parenting is drowning in trends, fear and things people are trying to sell you. Real research cuts through it — and the stakes could not be higher.
For development
In the first five years, a child's brain forms a million connections a second and reaches roughly 90% of its adult size. What happens early doesn't simply pass — it becomes the foundation everything else is built on.
For children
Children can't choose who raises them or what they're told is "best". Grounding our choices in what the research actually shows — not fashion or guilt — is the very least they're owed.
For society
Decades of economics and public-health research show that supporting healthy early development pays back for a lifetime — in mental health, learning and resilience. Better-informed parents ripple outward.
Findings every parent should know
From infant neuroscience to educational psychology — a few of the most striking things the research has revealed about how children grow.
Neural connections / second
In the first years of life the brain forms over a million new neural connections every second — the fastest rate of the entire human lifespan.
Language from conversation
Children who experience more back-and-forth conversational turns with caregivers show markedly stronger language development than those exposed to passive talk or screens.
Brain built by age 5
By the time a child starts school, around 90% of their brain architecture is already built — shaped by early experiences, relationships and environment.
Prefrontal cortex maturity
The region behind impulse control and emotional regulation isn't fully mature until the mid-twenties — reframing what we can fairly expect of young children.
Four ideas that change how you see childhood
Hi, I'm Joanna.
Mum of two, a former primary-school teacher, and the face behind @mumscience. At university I studied psychology and neuroscience as well as ancient history and philosophy — which is exactly where my breadth of interests comes from, and, underneath it all, a genuine love of research. I read the studies most parents don't have time to and translate them — not dumbed down — into something you can actually use.
Because children deserve better than guesswork.
New research, honestly explained
Short, careful videos on the studies shaping how we understand childhood — the findings, the caveats, and what they actually mean for parents.
Reading, with the references included
Every article draws on peer-reviewed research — and shows its working, every time. Two good places to start:
Why babies aren't designed to sleep through the night
The evolutionary and neurological reasons infant sleep looks nothing like adult sleep — and why that's completely normal.
Read article →Hypnobirthing: the physiology behind why it works
It's not mystical — it's the feedback loop between fear, adrenaline and pain. Understanding it changes everything.
Read article →Latest articles
Partner with a voice parents genuinely trust
My audience are thoughtful, engaged, and research-minded parents — the people who read the caveats, ask the questions, and make the household's decisions. If that's who your brand is for, let's talk.