Find out about changes to our services and Christmas opening times on our Festive information page. To find out when your bin will be collected over the festive period, visit Changes to County Durham bin collections at Christmas.

Due to maintenance, the following systems will be unavailable from 11.45am on Tuesday 24 December until 8.00am on Thursday 2 January: our online Council Tax, business rates and housing benefit services, and our welfare assistance form. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Your baby's speech and language development

Babies recognise their parent's voice from the womb and will recognise their face by the end of their first day. Babies are born ready and wanting to communicate and learn about the world. They do this through listening, watching, copying, and touching.

Ways to help your baby learn

You don't need to be an expert to help your child develop, as they learn by copying the people around them. Mams, dads and the whole family can encourage this by talking and singing to their bump, and also having lots of eye contact and skin to skin contact once their baby is born. This boosts hormone levels in mum, partner and baby, providing a sense of calm and wellbeing. When you talk, listen and respond to babies you are helping them develop.

Play helps children learn about themselves and the world around them and is an important way to develop early communication and social skills. Regular play is a simple and easy way to benefit your baby, and for both of you to have fun together. Babies are born to be sociable and love to interact. Play is a natural way of developing their communication and social skills. It is enjoyable for babies and adults and helps them to bond.