Kate Middleton shares refreshingly honest parenting tips about raising toddlers

There's nothing that brings people together like parenthood and even Kate Middleton knows how valuable sharing tips and tricks that work on kids is. 

The Princess of Wales has opened up about parenting, sharing some of her tried and tested tips as part of a report by the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood. 

Surprisingly, one of her tips is to let your child wear their favourite clothes – even if they are dirty. 

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Toddlers who insist on doing things a particular way, such as wearing a fireman's hat wherever they go, always eating dinner from their favourite dinosaur plate, or "wearing their sparkly T-shirt, even when it needs a wash" should be supported, says the report.

"These are examples of young children starting to develop a sense of control – or 'agency' – over their life," it reads.

Another piece of advice from the mum-of-three was for parents to speak in "parentese" – or baby talk – a higher-pitched, slower manner that can help capture the attention of babies and help them tune into different sounds. 

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Kate, who is mum to Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, has been through these stages of parenthood before, and is passionate about the development of young children. 

She also highlighted the importance of play, focusing on giving the child or children the right level of challenge that's "not too easy, and not too hard."

During play children "exert their influence on the world: exercising personal preferences and desires, contributing to cause-and-effect relationships, and influencing their own experiences and learning," she writes.

The report identifies 30 "crucial life skills" which begin in early childhood which the princess believes must be prioritised throughout every stage of life.

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The report lays out "why early childhood is such a golden opportunity to give the next generation the most positive start in life"

"But it also shows that these skills continue to grow throughout adulthood – it is never too late," she added.

The Shaping Us campaign was launched by the princess in 2023, highlighting how crucial the first five years of a child's life is and it has been described as her "life's work." 

Kate is due to attend a public engagement next week to launch the first project based on the findings of the Shaping  Us Framework, as she gradually makes a return to work following her cancer treatment.

In January, the princess announced she was in remission as carried out her first solo engagement of the year at the Royal Marsden Hospital, in London, where she was treated for cancer.

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