Between 6 and 12 months of age, babies learn a lot. One important thing that they learn is that they are separate from their parents. They can cling during the day when you put them down to go to the bathroom, but they can really scream at night when you start the bedtime rituals or…… Continue reading Infant Separation Anxiety and Sleeping Through the Night
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Prevent Pacifier Addiction With A Focus on Building Self-Calming Without Plastic
Parents of newborns are concerned that pacifier use will lead to pacifier “addiction” in later infancy and toddlerhood. It doesn’t have to be that way. Pacifier addicts are made, not born. Parents should not feel guilty about the difficulty they encounter with pacifier weaning, since no one explains what pacifiers do for babies and how…… Continue reading Prevent Pacifier Addiction With A Focus on Building Self-Calming Without Plastic
Take Notes with a Paper Notebook, But Only if You Can Write Quickly
Research in Psychological Science last spring and in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that writing notes by hand requires the listener to synthesize a lecture more effectively than laptop note-taking. Three studies showed that testing immediately after a lecture and even a week later still saw improved retention of conceptual information when students…… Continue reading Take Notes with a Paper Notebook, But Only if You Can Write Quickly
How To Calm Crying If You Don’t Swaddle
Yesterday I taught a Happiest Baby on the Block class, and one mother was adamant that she would not swaddle her 3-week-old daughter. She thought it would be too restrictive for her. Although I taught the correct safety principles, how it mimics life in the womb, and the effective techniques for a good swaddle, this…… Continue reading How To Calm Crying If You Don’t Swaddle
Safer With a Swaddle Blanket or Swaddle Garment? Research Says You are Asking the Wrong Question
As a certified Happiest Baby on the Block educator, I am often asked which choice new parents should make. Swaddling with a blanket is cheaper (babies don’t grow too large for most blankets for months) and blankets can be repurposed after swaddling is finished. Garments are easier to master; not everyone is willing to learn…… Continue reading Safer With a Swaddle Blanket or Swaddle Garment? Research Says You are Asking the Wrong Question
Teach Toddlers Not to Hit Without Saying A Word
Toddlers hit. Some toddlers hit out of anger, some out of frustration, and some to get your attention. I never allow an out-of-control toddler to intentionally try to injure me and not say something. But some toddlers hit me and I don’t say a word…but I immediately DO something. Adults can make it very clear…… Continue reading Teach Toddlers Not to Hit Without Saying A Word
Preschool Handwriting Activity: The Tally Sheet
Preschoolers love to play games. Take a few sheets of scrap paper and a crayon, and turn a game of chance into their first lesson in handwriting. This activity is also very effective for older children with motor or sensory processing issues that need the extra practice on grasp, pencil control, bilateral hand use, ocular…… Continue reading Preschool Handwriting Activity: The Tally Sheet
LEGO Duplo My First Car Creations: Putting Together Cars, Building Hand Coordination
UPDATE: LEGO has changed a few things, including the name of this toy. It used to be “Combine and Create”. The new version is really great as well. They have added some fun pieces with more graphics. The piece that could morph from dump truck to tanker trunk is gone, and the dump truck piece…… Continue reading LEGO Duplo My First Car Creations: Putting Together Cars, Building Hand Coordination
Teach Capital Letters First With Your Preschooler And Watch Writing Take Off
Teaching your preschooler to recognize and then write uppercase or capital letters is a key to early handwriting success. Many, if not most of the commercially-available workbooks (and preschool teacher handouts) teach them at the same time. Zaner-Bloser is a common style of handwriting instruction that uses this approach. If your child has been identified…… Continue reading Teach Capital Letters First With Your Preschooler And Watch Writing Take Off
What Makes A Child’s Handwriting Legible?
For most parents, the answer to whether their child’s writing is legible is like the Supreme Court justice’s comment on pornography: “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it”. For occupational therapists, it is relatively easy to identify whether a child’s handwriting is legible or not. Does legibility still matter? The…… Continue reading What Makes A Child’s Handwriting Legible?
Does It Matter How Your Child Holds A Pencil?
The simple answer is: maybe. The standard tripod or quadrupod grip that every occupational therapist teaches will give your child a solid, controlled hold on a pencil for handwriting. Most children can learn this grip by 4 years of age. Some children watch adults and seem to copy it effortlessly. What happens to the rest…… Continue reading Does It Matter How Your Child Holds A Pencil?
Move n’ Sit Cushions Can Also Be Stand n’ Balance Cushions
The trusty Move n’ Sit cushion that a generation of kids with sensory seeking or postural instability issues have used on their chairs can also be a great upright surface for toddlers with the same issues! Here is a two year-old client on his favorite piece of equipment. He calls it his “bumpies”, and loves…… Continue reading Move n’ Sit Cushions Can Also Be Stand n’ Balance Cushions
Swaddle at Night, but Get Moving During the Day
A correctly swaddled baby that is also using white noise and all the other Happiest Baby strategies can sleep amazingly long periods at night. But as your baby goes from a 2 week-old to a 2-month-old, they are up and awake for longer periods of the the day. Nobody wants to swaddle them all day,…… Continue reading Swaddle at Night, but Get Moving During the Day
Taming Toddler Tantrums Using Sympathetic Reframing
The most challenging aspect of using The Happiest Toddler on the Block might be the need to use just enough emotion and emphasis when stating their issues back to them (the Fast Food Rule), but then modeling a cool, calm and rational state in your reply when you are tired and frustrated by a…… Continue reading Taming Toddler Tantrums Using Sympathetic Reframing
Wean Pacifier Use by Teaching Toddlers How to Stay Cool and Collected
If I had a dollar for every toddler that greeted me at the door with a pacifier in his mouth……well, you know, I would be on an island in the sun today! Some parents want to know how to end paci use, as they dread the crying on the day that they send their child…… Continue reading Wean Pacifier Use by Teaching Toddlers How to Stay Cool and Collected
Start Teaching Pencil Grasp Early With Fingertip Feeding Games
Many preschoolers have difficulty holding a pencil. Some teachers and occupational therapists don’t even suggest pencil use until kindergarten. And the developmental progression is slowing down to reflect the limited amount of time children under 3 are getting to refine their pinch and manipulation skills that create the foundation of pencil grasp. Standardized testing may…… Continue reading Start Teaching Pencil Grasp Early With Fingertip Feeding Games
When Should Your Child Use a Stylus on an iPad?
Earlier I wrote a post on the App Crayon stylus to develop pencil grasp in preschoolers. But should all preschoolers and even toddlers use a stylus? The issue is more complicated than you might think. The App Crayon is still my favorite stylus for older toddlers. The triangular shape and the boldly colored, non-slip grasping…… Continue reading When Should Your Child Use a Stylus on an iPad?
Teaching Handwriting to Toddlers Isn’t as Easy as Connecting the Dots
I recently saw a preschool homework sheet with dots forming the child’s first name. My initial thought was “Not again!”. And then I decided to be a bit more kind. Preschool teachers aren’t given any solid instruction in how to teach pre-writing. They are trying their best, and hoping that the workbooks they have in…… Continue reading Teaching Handwriting to Toddlers Isn’t as Easy as Connecting the Dots
Why is W-Sitting Such a Big Deal?
Does your child sit on the floor with their legs rotated out to the sides, feet pointing in front of them? Is this their preferred pattern of sitting on the floor? Is it, in fact, the only position your really ever see them use on the floor? Well then, you have yourself a W-sitter.…… Continue reading Why is W-Sitting Such a Big Deal?
Swaddle With a Blanket or a Swaddle Garment? How to Decide What is Right for Your Family
You have decided to swaddle your baby, and you read the book/watched the DVD/had a private consultation with me. You know why swaddling helps your infant calm down, fall asleep, and stay asleep. But what do you actually use for swaddling? Two choices appear: the blanket or the manufactured garment. Swaddle blankets can be muslin,…… Continue reading Swaddle With a Blanket or a Swaddle Garment? How to Decide What is Right for Your Family