Which training pathway is right for me?Developmental Play Academy training is designed to give you different entry points depending on the age range you work with and how deeply you want to explore development, movement and developmental play.Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ is a focused, standalone training programme for practitioners who want to develop their knowledge and confidence around tummy time, positioning, movement and play.The training supports your work with all babies, including babies with additional needs, and can be used to create parent workshops, tummy time sessions and programmes, or incorporated into the work you already do with babies and families.You will leave with practical, OT informed strategies and a much deeper understanding of how to make tummy time nurturing, inclusive and meaningful from birth.Advanced Practitioner in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 YearsIf you want to go deeper, the Advanced Practitioner in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years pathway takes you beyond tummy time to explore development, movement and play throughout the whole first year.It includes the complete Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ training alongside the Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years, giving you a comprehensive understanding of how babies develop through play and movement, including the important developmental stages between the traditional milestones.You will learn how to observe the baby in front of you, understand what their development may be telling you and adapt play and positioning for different developmental journeys, including babies with additional needs and medical complexity.This pathway is ideal if you want to bring a deeper understanding of infant development into your existing role, develop parent and baby services, offer developmental play sessions or build this work into your own practice.Advanced Practitioner in Developmental Play 0 to 3 YearsIf your work extends and you intend to work into the toddler years, the Advanced Practitioner in Developmental Play 0 to 3 Years pathway is the most comprehensive Developmental Play Academy training pathway.It brings together Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+, the Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years and the Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Toddler Developmental Play 1 to 3 Years, taking your learning across the full birth to three developmental journey.You will explore development, movement, sensory development, purposeful play and how to adapt your approach for different developmental needs across both infancy and toddlerhood.If you already know that you want to work across birth to three, choosing the complete 0 to 3 Years pathway from the outset also gives you the best overall value.Not sure where to start?Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ is a complete standalone training in its own right and a great place to begin.If you want a deeper understanding of development across the whole first year, choose the Advanced Practitioner in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years pathway, which already includes your Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ training.If your work includes both babies and toddlers, or you know that you want to develop your knowledge across the full birth to three years, choose the Advanced Practitioner in Developmental Play 0 to 3 Years pathway.You can also begin with 0 to 1 and progress into the Toddler Developmental Play 1 to 3 Years training later, but the best overall price is enrolling on the 0-3 pathway from the onset.Students have 12 months to complete their training from the date of enrolment, in line with the Terms and Conditions.

Both Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ and the Advanced Practitioner in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years pathway are suitable for a wide range of practitioners working with babies, parents and families, including those working across perinatal and postnatal support, health and social care, early years, education and parent and baby wellbeing. They can also be valuable for OTs, physiotherapists, SLTs and other AHPs who are newly qualified, new to paediatrics or perinatal services, moving into independent practice, or looking to develop their knowledge of infant development and developmental play.You may want to use your training within an existing role or service, develop parent and baby sessions or workshops, or create your own independent developmental play provision.My training focuses on connection, opportunities for movement and natural play rather than performance or busy work. It is developmentally appropriate and inclusive of babies with a wide range of developmental journeys, including additional needs and medical complexity. You will learn to look beyond traditional milestones and recognise the important developmental stages in between, working with the baby in front of you rather than simply following their chronological age.This is very much practical training as well as theory. You will learn how to observe a baby through a developmental lens, choose purposeful play experiences, use and adapt different positions for play, support movement and sensory development, grade activities to meet a baby at their current stage, recognise when they may benefit from revisiting earlier developmental experiences, and adapt your approach when development looks different. You will also learn how to plan and deliver meaningful sessions, explain the purpose behind play to parents, and give families realistic ideas that can naturally become part of everyday life.The aim is not simply to give you a bank of activities to copy. It is to help you understand why, what, when and how, so you can confidently use your knowledge with the individual babies and families you support.

Yes. There are different ways to join the Developmental Play Academy depending on where you want to begin.Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ can be completed as a standalone training programme.The Advanced Practitioner in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years is available as a complete pathway and includes Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ alongside the Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years.The Toddler Developmental Play 1 to 3 Years training is not available as a standalone starting point. It is designed to build on the developmental knowledge gained through the 0 to 1 pathway.Once you have completed the Advanced Practitioner in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years pathway, you can choose to upgrade into the Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Toddler Developmental Play 1 to 3 Years, extending your training across the full birth to three years developmental journey.Alternatively, if you already know that you want to train across both infancy and toddlerhood, you can enrol directly onto the complete Advanced Practitioner in Developmental Play 0 to 3 Years pathway from the outset. This includes Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+, Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years and Toddler Developmental Play 1 to 3 Years, and offers the best overall value.Students have 12 months to complete their training from the date of enrolment, in line with the Terms and Conditions.

Yes, definitely. In fact, this is the training I wish I had when I first qualified. It brings together my experience in paediatrics and explores those early stages of development that can sometimes get lost between the traditional milestones.The training can be particularly useful if you are newly qualified, moving into paediatrics, beginning work with babies and younger children, working within early intervention or looking to develop your confidence in developmental play.As an AHP, you can take the learning directly into your clinical practice. The manuals, practical play ideas and teaching plans can be used to support your therapy planning, parent coaching, individual sessions and group programmes. You will explore positioning, movement, sensory and motor development, play, observation and activity adaptation, helping you think about not only what you might offer a baby, but why, when and how you might adapt it.The training also considers babies with developmental differences, additional needs and more complex developmental journeys, helping you think beyond chronological age and work with the developmental stage of the baby in front of you.It is designed to complement, rather than replace, your existing professional training and scope of practice, giving you practical tools and a deeper developmental lens to bring to the work you already do.

This training has been created by a Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist, bringing together my clinical experience in paediatrics with a neurodevelopmental understanding of how babies learn, move, play and develop.Rather than simply teaching milestones or giving you a collection of activities to follow, I teach you to understand what is happening underneath the play. You will explore the smaller developmental stages between the traditional milestones, the foundations that support movement and function, sensory development, positioning for play, nervous system regulation and how different areas of development connect.The training is also very practical. Alongside the theory, you will have access to hundreds of purposeful play ideas, teaching plans, positioning ideas and practical strategies that you can use and adapt in your own sessions. Importantly, you will learn why, when and how to use them, rather than simply following an activity because it is suggested for a particular age.My approach is stage rather than age. You will learn to observe the baby in front of you, consider where they are developmentally and adapt your play accordingly. This is particularly important when supporting babies with developmental differences, additional needs or medical complexity, who may follow a different developmental journey or benefit from opportunities to revisit earlier stages.At its heart, this training brings together theory, clinical reasoning and practical application. The aim is for you to leave not just with more things to do with babies, but with a deeper understanding of development and the confidence to make thoughtful choices about the play, movement and experiences you offer each individual baby and family.

Yes. The Infant Developmental Play Diploma is accredited by ThinkTree Hub at Level 3 Advanced Diploma level and is worth 15 CPD points.The Advanced Practitioner in Infant Developmental Play 0 to 1 Years pathway includes both the Infant Developmental Play Diploma and Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+, giving you specialist training in tummy time alongside your accredited Advanced Diploma.The Toddler Developmental Play Diploma 1 to 3 Years is also accredited at Level 3 Advanced Diploma level and is worth 15 CPD points. It forms the next stage of the Developmental Play pathway and is available to practitioners progressing from the 0 to 1 Years pathway, or as part of the complete Advanced Practitioner in Developmental Play 0 to 3 Years pathway.Practitioners completing both the Infant and Toddler Advanced Diplomas through the full 0 to 3 Years pathway gain a total of 30 CPD points.

All training is completed online and accessed through Teachable, the online learning platform used by Carly Budd Developmental Play Academy.Once you enrol, you will receive access to your course content and resources and can begin working through the training at your own pace. You will have a full 12 months from enrolment to complete your training, including any required assessments, assignments and case studies.The training includes a mixture of video teaching from Carly, written learning, practical demonstrations, downloadable manuals and resources, teaching plans and practical play ideas that you can take into your own work.Although the learning itself is online, this is not purely theory based training. You will put your learning into practice through the required case study elements, giving you the opportunity to plan, deliver, reflect upon and adapt developmental play with babies and families.

Yes. Practical application is an important part of the training.For the Infant Developmental Play Diploma, you will complete a case study working with 2 to 4 babies aged 0 to 1 year. You will submit a reflection on your session, your teaching plan, including considerations of risk, and feedback from the parent or caregiver.The Tummy Time Practitioner PLUS+ training also includes a practical demonstration element, giving you the opportunity to show how you can put your learning into practice safely and appropriately with the use of a doll rather than real baby. Full guidance on the case study and practical requirements is provided within your training.

Yes. Enrolment is open throughout the year, so you can join when the time is right for you.Your 12 month training period begins from the date you enrol, giving you the flexibility to study at your own pace around your work, family and other commitments.

Yes, many students have applied for and received financial support from their employer to complete training with Carly Budd Developmental Play Academy. Carly is a preferred supplier for a number of NHS trusts and Local Authorities. Here is a ready made template for you download and complete to request financial support from your employer [LINK]

Yes, if you're looking to advance the knowledge and expertise of your nursery or early years practitioners, or practice staff, clinic team, I offer special discounts for group enrolments. To find out more, please email me HERE

As this is an online training programme with immediate access to digital course content, manuals and downloadable resources, please take time to make sure the training is right for you before enrolling.When you choose to access your digital training immediately, you will be asked to consent to the supply of the digital content beginning straight away and to acknowledge that, once access begins, you will lose your 14 day right to cancel.Refunds are therefore not normally available once access to the digital course content has begun, subject always to your statutory consumer rights.Please read the full course information and Terms and Conditions carefully before enrolling. If you have any questions about the training or whether it is right for you, please contact Carly at carly@carlybudd.co.uk before purchasing.