The Duchess of Cambridge helped launch BBC’s new initiative Tiny Happy People, which is an online resource on early childhood development. To launch the web service, Kate sat down for a BBC Breakfast interview and meeting with three different families.
BBC Breakfast put the segment online, which is nice. In it, Kate speaks with Louise Minchin about the importance of parents and carers during the first five years of a child’s life, and the need for recourses about how to interact with babies and toddlers.
Kate also spoke with three families about their experiences. With Ryan and his 8-month-old daughter, Mia, they spoke about Mia’s five cries and how she’s now saying “Dada”. With Abu and Henrietta and their 11-month-old daughter Amira, they spoke about spending time with Amira during lockdown. And with Kerry and Darren and their 2-year-old son Dexter, they spoke about how it’s not necessarily about buying children toys but about interacting with the outside world.
Kate also made a couple comments about her kids. About her children’s eating, Kate said: “My children have bottomless pits, so I feel like a constant feeding machine.” And about Louis, Kate said: “Louis doesn’t understand social distancing, so he goes out wanting to cuddle everything, in particular any babies younger than him.”
The first comment came about naturally as Dexter wanted to eat; and the comment about Louis was prompted because Minchin brought up Dexter’s age compared to Louis.
A positive: I think it’s good that Kate is making her comments more research-based. She’s not citing any sources, but she is claiming her comments are based on research, so I think that’s good.
A negative: There were two times when the interviewer asked Kate a question and she went off onto relevant topics that didn’t actually answer the question. The first was when the interviewer asked about Kate’s interest in this subject going back quite far and it not being tied to the fact she’s a mom; Kate doesn’t provide any evidence that she had this interest prior to becoming a mom and moves on to talking about first time motherhood. The second was when the interviewer asked what resources Kate used and uses, and Kate goes into how there’s not a lot of resources.
Kate’s involvement with this project has been in the works for quite some time. Last November, Kate visited the Tiny Happy People team to take part in development sessions. The below photo of Kate was from November 7, 2019 when Kate visited the BBC Children’s and Education team at Old Broadcasting House – this was an unpublicized engagement (it’s in the CC) on the same day Kate joined William for the National Emergencies Trust launch.
In addition to the BBC Breakfast video, KP released a statement from Kate:
Families and carers are at the heart of nurturing the next generation of happy, healthy adults, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to turn to for advice. Tiny Happy People is an invaluable resource which provides parents and carers with support and tips, as well as simple activities to ensure children develop the language skills they need to have the best possible start in life. I am delighted to have been part of its journey and hope families across the UK will enjoy exploring the resources.
T&C
In the fashion department: Kate wore a new Emilia Wickstead “Anatola pleated polka-dot crepe shirtdress” (originally $2,050), and her Castañer “Carina 80 suede wedge espadrilles” ($190).
