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...
written by Renee Mandala, M.A. CD(DONA) C.L.C. Expectant families are rightly, more frequently being advised by their medical providers to breastfeed their babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least 6 months of exclusive nursing, and continued nursing through at least the first year with the addition of complimentary solids. They also recommend nursing beyond...
written by Carol Castanon, Parent Consultant Sleep is important to parents and children. Parents often become obsessed with sleep, because sleep deprivation deeply affects our mental and emotional state. Parents might even feel panic around loss of sleep. Night parenting is often the hardest time to parent. Every family will develop their own ways getting children...