Another Birthday

My son had another birthday this month. He turned the big "3". So, there isn't a toddler in the house any more; we officially have a "big boy"! Potty training and tantrums were difficult, but I predict this year will be on the upswing! I won't have any more personal up-to-date toddler stories to blog about, just stories from work or from my past.

Although part of me is sad that he isn't a "baby" any more, the other part of me is relieved! I can now reason with him, and explain why things are dangerous...instead of just saying "stop" or "no". Over the past six months his receptive and expressive language abilities have made leaps and bounds!

I didn't blog over this past 12 months as much as I would have liked to, but as we all know toddlers can keep us busy, and not to mention my 7 year old, husband, job, and all of other life's duties. But one thing I have done a lot of over the past year is take lots of pictures of all of the events that our family attends or even daily things such as meals and play time...my husband and I are probably looked at as weird at some events because we have separate cameras and we are both shooting away and asking the kids to look and smile at us. In fact, this weekend we attended two kid's birthday parties (1 on Saturday and the other on Sunday) and celebrated Father's Day, and you guessed it, we took lots of pictures! Well, I hope the next year is as memorable as the last, and I'm sure in the blink of an eye my son will be 4 years old!

ZERO TO THREE: Make the Most of Playtime

Playtime is SO important for all areas of development for children with special needs as well as typically developing children. Here are some tips on playing with your little one:

ZERO TO THREE: Make the Most of Playtime

Info Spot 4 the Special Tot: Increasing the Intensity of Sensory Input

Info Spot 4 the Special Tot: Increasing the Intensity of Sensory Input

Tummy Time for Baby | Articles | Babies Today

As a pediatric occupational therapist I have a few soap boxes that I step onto frequently and one of them in particular is putting babies on their tummies as they are lying on the floor (or another firm surface) while supervised. Many parents do place their infants in this position, but some do not. And even the ones who do place their babies to ly on their tummy, it is often not done for long enough. This article has some good suggestions on tummy time strategies:

Tummy Time for Baby | Articles | Babies Today

Because so many of the babies I work with have endured medical problems including heart surgery, I have to be creative in helping to build the infant's endurace for the tummy time position. Sometimes it has to start with the baby lying on top of the parents chest as the parent lies back in a reclining chair at a 45 degree angle. Other times it is just as simple as getting down on the floor and talking to the baby or shaking a rattle near them to distract them from the disliked position. Whatever the strategy, it needs to be done on a regular basis (daily) or the child will not become tolerant. Unfortunately, when tummy time is not emphasized the child is at risk to be delayed with rolling over, crawling, and sitting skills. I even see older toddlers and preschoolers who have delayed fine motor skills with drawing and manipulating small toys because they don't have the upper body strength...yet had they got in tummy time they may have had stronger shoulder girdles to support fine motor control in the fingers. :(

Infant Vision: Birth to 24 Months of Age | American Optometric Association

Even if you don't suspect that your baby has problems with his or her vision, it is wise to take your baby to see the optometrist as soon as 6 months of age; sooner if you suspect any problems.

Infant Vision: <br>Birth to 24 Months of Age | American Optometric Association

Pediatric optometrists (OD) and opthalmologists (MD) have tools and techniques to evaluate babies and non-verbal children, so don't let that keep you from going! Vision is important for all areas of learning: communication so that he baby can look at your face as you are speaking; motor skills so that the baby can look at his hands and feet as those body parts are moving and interacting with toys; social skills so that he can see all of the people within his environment and read social cues given by the other persons facial expressions; cognitive skills so that he can use his eyes to problem solve such as with puzzles; and self-help skills such as to watch the bottle, spoon, or bowl as he is feeding himself. If you are ever concerned about your child's visual skills, no matter the child's age, please take them to see an eye doctor!

When should my baby stop using a pacifier? | BabyCenter

My kids both quit taking a pacifier early on (3 months of age), probably because they were breastfed. But it is a great question to want to know how old is too old to use a pacifier.

When should my baby stop using a pacifier? | BabyCenter

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using a pacifier for the baby's first year of life. Just remember that when you take it away, you need to provide another way for the baby/toddler to self-calm. It might be thumb sucking, holding a fuzzy toy, or listening to soothing music.

Car Seat Crying (Child Development Institute)

Great article on helping keep a young child busy during a car ride, and the suggestions also help to develop the senses.

Car Seat Crying (Child Development Institute)

Would love to hear comments on what you do to help make car rides more fun for a young child!