Here’s what you need to know and understand about babies, even very young babies. They are competent, alert, paying attention, and learning all the time. Don’t ever doubt it. Experts used to believe (and some still do) that an infant peacefully lying awake in his crib couldn’t possibly be ‘doing’ anything, or at least not … Continue reading What a 4 Month Old Baby Knows
Note: On November 19, 2012, I shared a link on my Facebook page, which resulted in a rich conversation exploring Attachment Parenting and other alternatives (specifically, the RIE Approach developed by Magda Gerber) that parents and caregivers might choose to care for their babies and young children. Four days later, the original post continued to … Continue reading If Attachment Parenting Isn’t Working, Try This…
“My daughter is out of control, and I don’t know what to do. She screams and screams, and there’s no way to stop her. There’s no talking with her, no reasoning with her, no bribing her, no distracting her, no consoling her. I’m at my wits’ end. I admit, I often resort to yelling at … Continue reading Help! My Daughter Is Out of Control
Technology. It’s a double edged sword. There are ways we can use it that can distract us and create distance, and there are ways we can use it that can bring us closer together, enrich our lives, and support us in connecting, and building our relationships with one another. I think it depends in large … Continue reading When Technology Brings Us Together
“There is a kind of ‘holding’ we can do as mothers and caretakers that takes place in our hearts and minds; we can create an atmosphere for the child that is filled with the warmth and protection they need. When my son is out on his own in the space around me, I am … Continue reading ‘Holding’ Her Through the Tears
In the day-to-day give and take of good infant/toddler child care, children and their caregivers relate in a way that looks much like a dance, with the child leading, the caregiver picking up the rhythm and following. When a caregiver reads and responds to the young child’s messages with sensitivity, the child’s hunger to … Continue reading Choosing Childcare For Infants and Toddlers- Essential Considerations
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” -Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement address 2005. (My answer is, “Yes, I would!”) Right now, there are no words that come easily, and I’m no poet, so all I have to offer is unvarnished, straightforward, … Continue reading One Particular Baby
they say that the beginning is marked by birth never mind what you were doing for ten long months tucked inside your mother’s core they want to swaddle you, pass you, restrain you, decide for you but it was you who decided something already this morning you looked at a ray of sun illuminating your … Continue reading Your Baby Has Decided Something Already ~ Can you see?
This was a good reminder for me. It’s hard to be present and responsive and enjoy what’s right in front of us if our mind is full of thoughts and worries about other things. I wish I knew who to credit for this drawing, but I don’t. I found it on facebook, and tried to … Continue reading Emptying Our Minds in Order to Be More Present With Babies
“Help! My toddler has discovered climbing and tries to climb everything — chairs, tables, gates, bookcases. I am constantly telling him no and pulling him down from things. When we’re at someone else’s house it’s hard to enjoy myself because I’m always chasing him. What can I do to get him to stop? Or is climbing … Continue reading Does Your Toddler’s Desire to Climb Make YOU Want to Climb The Walls?