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Why You Should Encourage Crawling — and How To Do It
Crawling is an important step in your baby’s movement. It helps your child develop strength, stability and coordination skills by using muscles on both sides of the body. It promotes sensory development, as they can see and hear new things, as well as feel new surfaces on their hands and knees. Parents should encourage crawling … Continued
An Evening Routine Can Help in More Ways Than You Might Think
Many families practice morning routines, as they can help your family get up, get going, and get out the door on time. However, our evenings are often less structured—should your family consider ending the day with a routine, too? An evening routine can be a great way to help school-aged children gain independence, regulate energy … Continued
My Child’s Mindfulness: Keeping Them Positive and Focused
Why is everyone talking about mindfulness? Mindfulness for kids quickly becoming a popular activity that parents to help children manage feelings of stress and anxiety. Have you tried it? What is mindfulness? The idea of being mindful is to be present and to focus on where you are and what you’re doing. You and your … Continued
Music to Their Ears: How Music Therapy Benefits Premature Babies in the NICU
Happy? Sad? Angry? Music often brings about many different types of reactions from babies to adults. For premature babies, music therapy has been beneficial in helping to reduce stress and pain, which is often linked to medical treatment in the neonatal intensive unit (NICU). What is Music Therapy? Music therapy is a music intervention commonly … Continued
Benefits of Water Play for Children
Splish, splash! Water play time! Summer is the perfect time to explore, and there’s nothing more fun than spending time in water. No matter if it’s in the ocean, lake, creek, community pool, or tub in the backyard, playing in the water may help children grow and develop in these essential ways: Balance and Strength … Continued
How Sand Play Can Help Your Child’s Development
Playing in the sand can be a great opportunity for children to have unstructured play time. Whether shaped into castles, dug, dripped, sifted, or buried, sand play can take many different forms, thus offering endless opportunities for fun and learning! Allowing your child to play in the sand by themselves and with others helps them … Continued
Activities for Baby Using Everyday Household Items
A huge part of baby’s development is learning through play. Helping baby’s development does not require playing with expensive or complex toys. Here are some activities for baby to help them meet milestones. Everyday objects can be used to entertain baby and build their motor, sensory and communication skills. Using items with a variety of … Continued
Act Like An Animal, 13 Moves to Help Your Child’s Gross Motor Development
Bring the zoo to you! No, we don’t mean you should adopt dozens of wild animals. Instead you can use animals to practice gross motor skills at home. This is great for little ones to use their imaginations and pretend to be animals they have seen in books or even at the zoo. These activities … Continued
What Chores Are Right For My Child?
Chores. Kids don’t like them, and parents use them to get some extra help around the house. But don’t worry parents; you’re actually helping with your child’s development. Parents some times are confused about choosing age-appropriate chores for kids. Kids can start taking on household chores and small tasks as early as two years old. … Continued
Fun Activities for Mother’s Day
There are lots of fun things to do on Mother’s day with your little one that will make the day together more special. This day is all about mom, and your child is excited to spend the day with you, so make the most of it! Try a new craft, game, or family activity. You … Continued
Why Are Mirrors Good for Baby?
Want a toy that will keep your baby entertained and that is also good for their development? Put your wallet away, because you probably already have this in your home: mirrors! Yes, that mirror hanging on your bathroom wall can help your baby’s development! Mirror play for babies has great benefits for social and emotional … Continued
Importance of Eye Contact
Baby’s vision development is very important and even affects their other senses. Throughout the first year, baby will be looking at you a ton, so be sure to look at them, give them a lot of attention, and make eye contact! Find out what you can expect in the coming months. For the First Few … Continued
What You Need to Know About Screen Time for Kids
You’re sitting in a restaurant enjoying dinner when your child becomes fussy. Rather than make a scene, you hand over your phone, turn on a YouTube video, and before you know it your child is calm and entertained. Sound familiar? With the readily available cell phones, tablets, game devices, and more, screens are not only … Continued
What is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist?
“Occupational therapy? But my child doesn’t have a job!” Just as occupational therapy helps adults perform better at their jobs, a pediatric occupational therapist helps children succeed in important areas of their lives. This includes helping children build the skills required for essential daily activities such as brushing their teeth, writing their name, or playing … Continued
How Occupational Therapy Can Treat Children with Sleep Problems
Are your patients getting enough sleep? If your child is having sleep problems, considering occupational therapy for kids might be a good idea. Children regularly sleeping the number of recommended hours by the American Academy of Pediatrics is associated with better health, including: improved attention, behavior, learning, working memory, emotional regulation, quality of life, and … Continued
6 Tips to Make Diaper Changes Fun for Baby
Baby hates diaper changes? Does your baby cry, fuss, or even scream during diaper changes? You can help baby enjoy their diaper changes and make it into a sensory experience. Try these ways to help keep baby happy and having fun during diaper changes. Sing a Song and Encourage Face-to-Face Contact Favorites like “Twinkle Twinkle … Continued
How to Play with Your Newborn
Sometimes it’s hard to know how to play with newborn babies or what activities even count as play. Many parents and caregivers feel this way! The good news is there are lots of easy activities to do with your baby. In fact, you may have even done some already without even knowing it! Do Tummy … Continued
What to Know About Toe Walking
Toe walking can be a commonly observed movement pattern that many young children display during their development, however many children will give up idiopathic toe walking (ITW) without specific intervention. Research within the scientific community suggests that ITW is sometimes a causal symptom related to other conditions. Toe walking may be a symptom of a … Continued
Develop Your Child’s Senses by Playing with Food
Who ever thought it would be good to tell your child to actually play with food? But kids are curious, and a fun way to let them explore is through play with food! But this isn’t just for fun. Playing with food can actually help your child develop their senses. Try these ideas to explore … Continued
Make a Snow Globe to Promote Fine Motor Skills
Make a Snow Globe, Make a Memory, The Perfect Winter Project to Promote Fine Motor Skills DIY Crafts for kids are a great activity to help your little one show off their creativity and help develop their senses. Snow globes are great winter decorations and bonus: they’re fun to create! Making them even helps kids … Continued
5 Ways to Make Going to the Dentist Fun!
We know going to the dentist is important, but even adults can be uncomfortable during their annual dental checkup. If you’re uneasy, imagine how worried your little one might feel. Luckily, caregivers can help make their little one’s first few trips to the dentist positive! Get kids excited about the dentist early, and who knows? … Continued
Does Your Child Chew on Everything? 3 Common Questions Parents Ask
Why do kids chew? For babies, chewing is a typical sign they’re teething and young children (until around age 2) use their mouths to explore the world. But even some older kids develop a habit of chewing. This isn’t chewing a favorite food or little snack, but rather inedible objects (clothing, pens, toys) that comfort … Continued
Baby Milestone Videos
Want to See Examples of Baby’s Developmental Milestones? Welcoming a baby into the world brings a mix of excitement and challenges for parents. Watching your little one achieve developmental milestones is a special part of this journey. Instead of just reading about these milestones, watch these baby milestone videos featuring real babies in their own … Continued
How to Make Ice Cream at Home
Is anything better than ice cream on a warm summer day? We don’t think so.. And good news, it’s actually pretty easy to make your own ice cream. Try this recipe out and help your kids learn too! Follow this simple recipe to make homemade ice cream in a bag! This activity is as tasty … Continued
How to Encourage Kids to be Physically Active
Did you know that the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that children be active for sixty minutes every day? Kids need at least that much time to let loose and unwind from school or planned activities. Encourage kids to be physically active can help to stimulate their senses, and build muscle strength and endurance. … Continued