written by Carol Castanon, Parent Consultant What do young children hear when adults talk about the new baby that’s coming? How does a toddler or young child understand the baby inside Mommy’s belly? What are tots and young children asking, what do they need, and how do they feel? When families are expecting a new baby there are extraordinary...
written by Elizabeth Memel, M.A., Infant & Toddler Specialist In looking through books dealing with toddlers, one finds several definitions of these very young children. In some cases, toddlers are defined as those who have just acquired the ability to transport themselves in an upright position and are at the toddling stage between creeping and true...
written by Carol Castanon, Parent Consultant Just the idea of more than one child can bring up strong adult emotions. These might be connected to your own experience in your family of origin, or to your now growing family. More than one can trigger feelings of anxiety or loss for the parent expecting their second child. ...
written by Laila Muller, local Kindergarten Teacher, M.Ed. Even without words, your baby is constantly communicating with you. She communicates through body language, facial expression, and tone of voice. You use the same tools as your baby, but you also have speech. Respectful communication has been shown to relieve stress in adults and help soothe to children. At...
written by Renee Mandala, ParentCare Director Infant caregiving is demanding and rewarding. Adults and babies grow capacities rapidly, and caregiving times can build connection. As such, feeding time is about more than nutrition. The infant’s physical, social, neurological, emotional, and sensory systems develop, while relationship-building and co-regulation of our nervous systems take place, in addition to...