291 Results

6 Things to Know About Picky Eating

Learn about common phases, introducing new foods, and creating a positive eating environment to help your child expand their palate and help with picky eating. Picky eating is common among toddlers due to slower growth rates and developing food preferences. Introducing previously disliked foods multiple times can help. Food bridges and variety are effective strategies; … Continued

Benefits & Tips of the Side Lying Position for Baby

Have you tried putting baby in the side lying position? This position, where you place baby on their side and support them to stay there, can be a great addition to Tummy Time. Learn more about the benefits of side lying! See the benefits of the side lying position for your baby’s development. Learn how … Continued

Should I Wake My Baby to Feed Them?

You may have heard the phrase “never wake a sleeping baby.” But depending on baby’s age, weight, and overall health, this isn’t always true! Baby may need to be woken up to feed in the early months. Learn more about if you should wake your baby to feed them. Should you wake your baby to … Continued

What is Cluster Feeding: Reasons, Tips, and What to Expect

Cluster feeding occurs when feedings are bunched together closely. Instead of feeding every few hours, baby may want to nurse more frequently (every 30 mins to an hour). If you have a newborn, you know that they need to feed frequently in the early months. On average, a nursing baby will feed 8-12 times per … Continued

When Do Babies Start Wearing Shoes?

Learn why babies don’t need shoes until they walk. Discover the best footwear for pre-walkers and what to look for in baby’s first shoes. Babies don’t need shoes until they can walk. Barefoot is best for learning to walk. Socks or booties with non-skid soles are good for keeping feet warm and preventing slipping before … Continued

Summer Learning Activities for Kids of All Ages

It’s SUMMER! Time for children to enjoy a break from school, go to camp, and just enjoy the great outdoors! Have you heard of the “summer melt”? That’s a name for the learning loss that occurs when children don’t engage with what they’ve learned in the previous school year, and the information “melts” away. It’s … Continued

Raise a Reader! Ideas for Reading with Baby at Any Age

Whether your child is reading or not quite yet, books play an important role in their communication development and learning at any age! See these tips to reading with baby from 0-1 years old, as a toddler, and at school age. Reading with baby from birth to 1 year old Use Board Books Give baby … Continued

Infant Vision Development: Why are Baby’s Eyes Crossed?

Baby’s vision develops quite a bit in the early months! From the colors they can see to how their eyes move, infant vision development changes a lot in these early days. You may notice your infant’s eyes don’t always move together. In the first 2-4 months of baby’s life, their eyes may cross, wander, or … Continued

Try These Tips to Help Understand Your Talking Toddler

It’s so cute when your little one starts to talk! But as many parents know, it can be hard to understand what they’re saying. Toddler communication can be tricky! It’s typical that you’ll only be able to understand about 25% of what your little one says when they’re 1 year old, and that increases by … Continued

When To Use Swaddles and Sleep Sacks

For newborns who are getting the hang of sleeping, swaddling or using a sleep sack or sleep suit can help baby feel calm and secure, which helps them fall asleep. While these can be helpful in the first few months after birth, it’s important to know when to stop swaddling, and how long you can … Continued

Do The “Sleep Switch” Every Night to Help Prevent Plagiocephaly

Whenever you lay baby down to sleep in their crib, there is one simple step you can take to help prevent two common conditions: positional plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head) and positional torticollis (tight neck muscles on one side). Here’s one of the easiest ways to help prevent plagiocephaly and torticollis in baby: Sleep … Continued

Follow These 3 Easy Tips to Ensure Safe Sleep for Infants and Babies

When you put baby in their crib at night, or for a nap, you want to make sure they’re safe. Promoting safe sleep for infants and babies is possible by following a few simple tips. Here are some best practices to ensure safe sleep for babies, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe … Continued

When Do Babies Hold Their Head Up?

If you’re doing Tummy Time, playing with, or just holding your newborn, you may notice in the early weeks that they have difficulty holding their head up on their own. After all, baby’s head is big in relation to the size of their body! It takes a lot of neck and body strength to hold … Continued

Ways to Bond with Baby in the NICU

Parent-infant bonding in the NICU can happen in so many ways! Bonding with baby helps your little one feel safe, secure, and loved. These attachments can start forming while baby is in the NICU. Bonding is a process and can take time, but taking little steps every day (even when they’re in the NICU!) can … Continued

What’s My Toddler Saying? Understanding Toddler Speech Development

Should I Be Able to Understand What My Toddler Says? Around baby’s first birthday they’ll say their first words, and from then on you can’t wait to hear what they have to say next! By doing simple activities like narrating your day and responding to their vocalizations, you can help your little one say more, … Continued

Signs Baby is Full: Newborn Full Cues

Before they can talk, baby tells you they’ve had enough breastmilk or formula in the form of newborn full cues. Here we’ll take a look at the signs baby is full and feeding can stop. 💡 Learn more about baby’s hunger cues, or what these newborn hunger cues may look like if baby is in … Continued

10 Fun & Easy Outdoor Activities for Kids

The weather is getting warmer, which opens up a whole new world of fun outdoor activities for kids! Nature is doing the heavy lifting on this one— all of these outdoor activities require little-to-no set-up. Just take advantage of what nature has to offer! So whether you’re welcoming spring, celebrating Earth Day, or just soaking … Continued

8 Outdoor Play Safety Tips for Kids

With the sun shining and the weather warming up, it’s time to get out and play! Outdoor play is a great time for children to try new things, but it may come with some safety challenges. Making sure children stay safe while playing outside just takes a few extra steps! Here are 8 outdoor play safety tips to … Continued

Activities that Encourage Baby’s Math Skills Before Their First Birthday

What do you think when you hear the word “math”? You may think of multiplication tables, fractions, or percentages. Or maybe you think of studying for a test, or learning about math in school. A lot of things may come to mind, but you probably don’t think about a newborn baby’s math skills! While there … Continued

Baby Language Development: How Rhyming and Singing Help Baby Learn

From the moment baby is born, they are learning. Their brain is constantly expanding and making new neural connections, and they’re learning so much about this new world around them. It’s an amazing time of life!  During the early months, baby is already learning to communicate. While baby may not say any words that you … Continued

10 Valentine’s Day Crafts and Activities for Babies and Kids!

Make the most of this Valentine’s Day with these 10 fun activities for babies and kids! Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrate this fun holiday with Valentine’s Day crafts that engage senses, fine and gross motor skills, communication skills and executive function! Give your child’s favorite games a Valentine’s Day twist or try an entirely new activity. … Continued

6 Baby Reflexes to Know

What do you think of when you hear the word “reflex”? You may think of the knee jerk test at the doctor’s office when they hit your knee and it flies up into the air, or maybe you’re even thinking about a simple sneeze! But did you know babies have reflexes that adults and older … Continued

Skin-to-Skin Contact: Why It’s Good for Babies

Have you heard of skin-to-skin contact? Many new and expecting parents may have seen this before, where baby is placed on a parent’s bare chest so the parent’s skin and the baby’s skin are touching. But you may wonder, why is it so important? And should you continue practicing this once baby comes home? Learn … Continued

States of Newborn Alertness: When is the Best Time to Play with Baby?

Playtime with a newborn baby is so beneficial in the early months! It helps them learn communication, exercise motor skills, sharpen their senses, and so much more. But you’ve probably noticed that your newborn spends a lot of their day sleeping, hungry or tired. Their mood depends on the different states of newborn alertness. This … Continued

Why Your Donation Matters: Delivering FREE Resources to Help All Children Reach Their Full Potential

Maybe you are a parent to a baby, and you found Pathways.org because you wanted an accurate and trusted way to track your baby’s milestones. Maybe you’re a pediatric healthcare provider, and you found one of our expert-approved courses or brochures, or want to learn more about early detection and intervention. Or you may have … Continued