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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Sensory Activities!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s a day of luck, leprechauns, and everything green. So why not celebrate through the senses? Did you know there are seven senses? Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, vestibular (balance and movement), proprioception (body awareness) Learn more about them in the Parent’s Guide. Here are sensory experiences for each of the … Continued
5 Ways Cleaning Can Help Your Child’s Development
It’s spring, and for many that means time to clean! Cleaning habits, if developed early, will help your child to understand the importance of hygiene and sanitation. Cleaning doesn’t need to be an adults-only task; there can be many benefits to getting your child involved, too! So grab an extra set of supplies, and learn … Continued
Why Baby’s Sense of Smell is Important
What’s in a Scent? They say the nose knows. That couldn’t be truer for your newborn. Baby’s sense of smell is not just incredibly strong, but it helps them learn about people and places, and guides the development of their other senses. Their noses may be tiny (and adorable!), but they are quite powerful! Learn … Continued
Everything You Need to Know About Car Seat Safety
Car Seat Safety Tips That May Surprise You Many parents know the car seat safety basics, but there’s so much involved in making sure your child is riding safely. Rear-facing car seats are not just for infants The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends having children ride in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the … Continued
Super Delicious! Quick and Easy Purees Made With “Superfoods”
As your baby starts to eat more solids, you’re going to want to give them the most nutrient-packed foods possible; aka, superfoods for babies! Superfoods for babies are loaded with nutrients that promote development and are healthy and safe for kids. First, make sure that your baby is ready to start solids. Follow these best … Continued
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
Swaddling Not Going Swell? Here are Some Alternatives.
Some babies enjoy swaddling, which is the practice of wrapping an infant in cloths to sleep, because it mimics pressure in utero. Swaddling is meant to calm babies and promote sleep, which directly impacts healthy development—but many babies struggle to get comfortable in a traditional swaddle. So, learning how to swaddle a baby is important … 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
What Every First Time Parent Should Know
See tips that other parents recommend
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
What is a Pediatric Physical Therapist?
“Isn’t physical therapy just for athletes and adults in recovery?” Nope! A pediatric physical therapist can help with early child development. Sometimes, children and even babies need physical therapy, too. You might not give a second thought to walking up the stairs or picking up a drink. But for a child with an injury or … 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
The ABC’s of Safe Sleep
Before you say goodnight to your little one, here are some best practices to ensure safe sleep for babies, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Check out this quick tip to help prevent positional plagiocephaly: Safe sleep for babies is as easy as A, B, C: Alone, Back, and Crib. Baby should always … Continued
What Is Positional Plagiocephaly & Positional Torticollis?
Did you know March 20th is National Positional Plagiocephaly & Torticollis Awareness Day? Here is some information about these two common conditions, their impact on baby’s development, and how you can help prevent them. What is positional plagiocephaly and positional torticollis? Positional plagiocephaly, also known as flat head syndrome, is when a baby develops a … 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 Are Hypertonia and Hypotonia?
Hypertonia and Hypotonia are two technical terms to describe issues with muscle tone. Muscles are meant to stretch with our bodies to accomplish everyday tasks. Imagine your muscles are like a rubber band, and when you stretch to touch your toes or pick something up, you’re increasing the tension on the band. Most people experience … Continued
6 Ways to Help Ease Your Child’s Preschool Separation Anxiety
Starting preschool is a big milestone for your little one. It marks the beginning of their formal education, a process that’s likely to span multiple decades. When your child enters the doors of their new school on the first day, they will meet future friends and find themselves immersed in a wide range of learning … 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
Baby on the Move – 5 Ways to Encourage Crawling
Babies become mobile pretty fast! Between 7-9 months old, babies will typically begin crawling, with many starting to walk around their first birthday. It’s important to stay close to baby at all times while they’re crawling and learning to walk. Baby could end up crawling over to places and things that could hurt them! Parents … Continued
Dos and Don’ts for Comforting a Fearful or Nervous Child
No parent wants to see their child upset, but sometimes it’s hard to know how to react when your child is nervous or afraid. Do you hug them? Do you let them cry it out? There’s so much conflicting advice out there! Next time you’re faced with reacting to your nervous or fearful child, try … Continued
How Can New Dads Bond with Baby?
In honor of Father’s Day, this year we wanted to share some information about a topic that isn’t always talked about: father and newborn bonding. Some moms start to bond with baby throughout their pregnancy, but it’s important for dad to bond too! Try these activities to help strengthen the father-newborn bond: Baby Massage Just … Continued
How Can I Practice Baby Sign Language?
What is baby sign language? Baby sign language is the use of hand and body gestures to help babies communicate before they learn to speak. Is baby sign language the same as American Sign Language (ASL)? Not necessarily. American Sign Language is a complete language with its own complex system of grammar and word order rules, … Continued