Independent Feeding

March 16, 2022

Learning to feed themselves is important for babies’ regulation and fine motor skills. Being able to stop when they’re done allows babies to control how much they eat – and learn their bodies’ own signs of fullness. Feeding can exercise the small muscles in a baby’s hand and assist in learning the pincer grasp –…Read More

Ping Pong Talk

March 9, 2022

Many new parents are thrilled to hear their baby’s first coos and noises! Encourage them to respond back as if they are having a conversation with an adult. They can respond by imitating the noise the baby made, or by saying something like, “tell me more.” Then they can pause and wait for the baby…Read More

Getting Out the Door on Time

March 2, 2022

For many families, getting out the door to school each morning can be a source of stress and conflict. For preschoolers, you can help parents promote autonomy and self-regulation skills by suggesting that they create a simple picture schedule of the morning activities to empower their child to be “in charge” of their own behavior.…Read More

Time-Outs

February 23, 2022

Time-outs are an often misunderstood and misused technique for discipline. Here are a few quick ways to explain time-outs to caregivers: It’s a pause or body break, not a punishment. It’s meant to interrupt physically aggressive behavior only. It’s short: 30-60 seconds. Time-outs are not a replacement for caregiver soothing. Learning to pause and calm…Read More

Positive Opposites

February 16, 2022

Quick tip to promote positive opposites: When you hear parents commenting on challenging behaviors in the visit, model how they can ask for the behavior they want to see instead. Try things like, “please keep your body on the table,” instead of “stop moving,” or, “please hold this,” instead of “stop touching that.” See this…Read More