CDC Updated Their Developmental Milestones

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated their Developmental Milestones checklist. Parents can now download the CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app from the App Store and Google Play. The Developmental Milestones checklist are intended to help parents understand if their babies and young children are hitting important milestones in a timely manner. 2-month olds: Social/Emotional Milestones Calms down when spoken to or picked up; Looks at your face; Seems happy to see you when you walk up to her; Smiles when you talk to or smile at her. Language/Communication Milestones: Makes sounds other than crying; Reacts to … Continue reading →

FDA Warns of Risks of Teething Jewelry

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning about safety risks of teething necklaces, bracelets to relieve teething pain, or to provide sensory stimulation. USA Today reported that the Food and Drug Administration issued this warning after an 18-month-old was strangled by an amber teething necklace while taking a nap. In addition, a 7-month-old was hospitalized after choking on the beads of a wooden teething bracelet. The FDA warns that parents, caregivers, and health care providers should not use teething jewelry to relieve teething pain in children or to provide sensory stimulation to persons with special needs. Those special … Continue reading →

Super Climber

My daughter loves to climb things. Even before she was able to walk, she would climb on small things. She quickly mastered the feat of climbing the stairs and has recently learned, with great efficiency, who to go down the stairs as well. I knew that she would climb the stairs and that she would probably climb on things, but I never could have anticipated the extent to which my daughter has learned to climb. Unlike her big brother who was not much of climber at all, my daughter is very adventurous when it comes to height. Beyond stairs climbing, … Continue reading →

Learning the Alphabet Part VI

My husband and I talked about our son’s recent progress with letters and discussed what would be the best way to begin a more focused study of the alphabet. We wanted to do something that was just another fun activity that we would do every day without making the learning feel forced. We came to the conclusion that we should study one letter of the alphabet every day for the month of February. What this letter of the day would look like, I did not know, but I felt like it was a good way to start. It would also … Continue reading →

Learning the Alphabet Part V

Part of his seemingly sudden interest in the alphabet is due to my obsession with writing names but also in part due to his one year old sister’s recent interest in his fridge phonics toy. He could not have cared less about until she showed some fascination with it and now he thinks it is one of the best toys in the house. It is unnerving how that seems to work. The two of them would stand in the kitchen and he would put the letters into the toy and she would press them so that the toy would start … Continue reading →

Learning the Alphabet Part IV

Once my son was able to identify the first letter in his name, he then conquered the task, unbeknownst to me, of writing the first letter in his name. I was in the kitchen cooking something or other and he said, “Look mom, I made a “C” because “C” is for me!” Even though his “C” was backwards, it was clearly a “C”! I was impressed and very pleased that he took the task upon himself. I started to think that he might be ready to learn the alphabet. We have all kinds of toys and books that are all … Continue reading →

Learning the Alphabet Part III

We eventually got to the alphabet workbook. My son was really excited about having this special little workbook just for him, but he was not able to grasp what a workbook was. I showed him how to use it but he was not interested in forming letter, he just wanted to draw spiders and vampires. So I put the alphabet workbook away until he was ready. Instead his interests jumped from musical instrument to musical instrument. He appreciated music more than anything else. after he turned two even though reading sheet music will be a long way off for … Continue reading →

Learning the Alphabet Part II

Learning should be fun and self propelled. I had witness my son easily find interest in learning abouts of things that he came in contact with. I had yet to determine definitively whether or not I should take a more active and forceful role in my son learning the alphabet. By the time my son had turned two his interests had grown exponentially but he still seemed to lack an interest in learning the alphabet. I did not push. We were getting ready to welcome our second child and I was focused on getting things prepared for her birth. I … Continue reading →

The Sleep Puzzle

The past couple of nights have been difficult for me and my little one. He has not been sleeping well because he is sick with a cold virus. It is always difficult for the mom when your baby isn’t sleeping will. Sometimes, it can make you feel downright crazy. Well, lately, his naps have been a challenge, too. Yesterday, he spent almost two hours fighting his nap. I went in there several times to figure out what to do to help him. I even offered a second bottle. Yet, he wasn’t hungry. I’m not sure what he needed exactly, except … Continue reading →

Learning the Alphabet Part I

I am of the opinion, especially after teaching for five years, that learning should occur in the context of everyday living spurred by curiosity and creativity. Learning should be fun and easy and never forced … if it can be helped. From the moment I found out the I was pregnant with my first baby, I was thinking about how and when I would start to introduce guided learning. The most important and paramount concern that I had was finding a way to make learning fun and avoid the sense of dread and boredom that tends to come with formal … Continue reading →