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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 Do Babies Sleep Through the Night? | A Guide to Baby’s Sleep in the First Year
When you have a new baby at home, you may have a lot of questions about their sleep schedule. When should they nap? How long should they sleep for? When will they sleep through the night? This guide to baby’s sleep covers many of these topics, including how to keep baby safe while they sleep, … 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
Is Baby Hungry? States of Alertness & Newborn Hunger Cues in the NICU
Every baby is different, and it can take time to understand what your newborn is trying to tell you. That’s why understanding the common states of alertness and baby’s hunger cues are important, especially in the NICU. Throughout the day, newborn babies move through various alert/waking states, and the amount of time they spend in … Continued
Is Baby Ready to Crawl? Here Are Common Signs of Crawling
Crawling is so important for baby’s development! Not only is it an important step in their motor development, but crawling also helps sensory development, executive function skills, play, and feeding. Is your baby close to crawling? Before they can get moving on their hands and knees, they’ll need to build strength in their core, arms, … 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
What is My Baby Telling Me? Understanding Common Baby Cues in the NICU
A lot goes into having a new baby and it takes time to learn what they’re trying to tell you. Each baby is different. Learning your preemies’ cues is a great way to start bonding with them in the NICU and will prepare you for when you bring them home. Here are some common states … 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
What Are Fine and Gross Motor Skills and Why They’re Important for Baby’s Development
Motor development is essential for baby’s physical strength and movement. Motor skills are broken up into two categories: fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Both begin developing after birth and will progress as baby grows. This complete motor skills guide addresses the differences between fine and gross motor skills with examples and activities, and … 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
How Can I Make the Most of Screen Time for Babies and Children?
If you’ve ever looked up a question about screen time for babies and children, you know there is a lot of information out there. You may want to use video chat so your baby can visit with their grandparents, or your little one may be asking to watch a certain show. For today’s parent, this … Continued
How to Make Sure Baby’s Changing Table is Safe
Changing tables are a handy place to dress and diaper baby in the early months! However, they are on a high surface, which means extra safety considerations need to be made! No matter how closely you keep an eye on baby, it’s important that they have these safety features on your changing table. How long … Continued
Beyond the Basic Senses: Explore Baby’s 8 Senses and How They Develop
We all know the 5 senses (touch, smell, taste, vision, and hearing), but there are actually three more: balance, body awareness, and internal. You use all 8 every day, and many continue to develop and change even after we’re born. Learn how all 8 of baby’s senses develop to use just like you.We all know … Continued