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We talk a lot in our weekly conversations about tips for staying regulated and supported in parenthood so this week we spent time sharing ideas for helping little ones respond to overstimulation and overwhelm. It can sometimes be surprising and hard to discern from other behaviors. Most often it looks like: requests for increased attachment or connection, fear, aggression, resistance, disconnection and irritation (by no means an exhaustive list). Like adults, there can be obv

What happens when we trust our child, and when is it hard for us to do that? For our Swaddlers conversation, a lot of the discussion centered on trusting our babies when it comes to sleep (theirs and ours) Trusting that they are waking for good reasons — developmental changes/growth (which might wake them on their own, but also means they might need more nursing), teething, feeling rested from late naps Finding ways of meeting our needs and their needs. For example, when o

Infants have many needs 24 hours a day. They will continue to expect your consistent loving care at all times of the day and night. And in fact, the data shows that responsive, loving attachment is essential for development. However, it may be a new experience for you to learn how to manage less overall sleep or broken sleep while also caring for yourself and your baby. It can help to begin to think of how you'll be able to continue to support yourselves in the early years

We've been exploring Kristen Neff's work on having fierce self compassion and applying it to motherhood. Practicing this level of self compassion means to offer yourself the same amount of protection that you would your child. It means talking to yourself with as much love as you do your child and loving yourself just as much. You may find that it's necessary to sit with these invitations for a while first, practice often and offer yourself the opportunity for a re-do for mor

Developmentally we can expect two and three year olds to focus for about 5-10 minutes. Some little ones can play happily and independently for up to 30 minutes however it’s expected that they will want you to be nearby so it may be helpful to keep that in mind. In the past, we've talked about the benefits of uninterrupted play when we explored Yes Zones and essentially what we're talking about now is an extension and will continue to be an extension throughout childhood as t

Community play like going to the park, music classes, play dates, playgroups and library meet-ups can be exciting but also overwhelming and full of new firsts. Here are some of the suggestions we’ve shared in group: Sharing is not developmentally expected. It’s normal for toddlers to want to keep their toys safe or not want to stop playing to give the toy to a friend. It’s also normal for toddlers to take toys from one another as they work through some of the social expecta

Despite some popular opinions, food readiness has to do with development, not age. In general, babies are ready to explore solid foods when they can sit up mostly unassisted and are no longer tongue thrusting. The correlating age range is between 5-8 months for most babies. We offer a separate solid foods workshop quarterly in-person or as a recorded class. We cover readiness signs, getting started, common first foods and stages, baby led weaning, iron levels, choking and al

Some babies are happy to sit at the table peacefully and eat with no end in sight while other parents find it hard to keep babies at the table. As always, there are a variety of perspectives. You can either keep very clear expectations with simple mantras like "your bottom stays in the seat at the table" or you can opt for the other direction which is to choose your battles carefully and meet them where they're at: consider getting on the floor for a picnic, offer smaller tab

We talked about the transition into parenthood or for some, the transition to expanding your family and welcoming another baby. Birthing a baby involves a range of emotions, perspectives, feelings and experiences that transform our hearts and ask us to expand in many ways. Moving from being autonomous to having to care for another full time, gratitude for the gift of motherhood, the physical changes and the healing involved - surrendering into your body, the vulnerability of

Co-parenting at this stage of development looks quite different from how it feels with older children. For some parents, this is the first time you've had to ask for help or the first time you feel like you can't do everything on your own. It's a time when your newborn is highly reliant on co-regulation and your support to be fed which can feel overwhelming and require a lot of your time and attention. Early parenthood can be a vulnerable time of self discovery but also an op

The "baby brain" is real, but it's not what you think. Welcoming a new baby changes everything—including your brain! Our latest blog post dives into the amazing science behind matrescence and patrescence, explaining why you might feel more anxious, forgetful, or overwhelmed. We'll explore the hidden benefits of these changes and share practical tips to help you thrive through this incredible transition. Read the full post to learn more about the science of your new parent bra