Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #92 Dads Don’t Babysit, They Parent with Nate Feathers In this week's episode, host Ann McKitrick sits down with guest Nate Feathers as they discuss modern parenting and the evolving role of dads. He brings a wealth...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #91 How to Keep a Positive Tone Even When Setting Limits with Lenora Edwards Ever thought about how the way we talk to our kids goes beyond just words? The tone we use, the pauses we make, and the inflection in our...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #90 5 Healthy Mindsets for Moms with Brianna Wilkerson Which distinct self-care methods have proven to be effective in cultivating a positive mindset, specifically within the realm of motherhood, and what advice is...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #89 Dealing with the Fears of Parenting with Amy Weber How can parents effectively balance the wisdom of their own upbringing with the need to forge a distinct, individualized parenting approach that caters to their...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #88 An Honest Conversation About Parenting with Miranda Rake from Romper How can modern parents strike a balance between staying informed through research and applying practical strategies for their child's optimal...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #87 Simple (and Realistic) Ways for Moms to Stay Healthy with Maria Dior How can mothers prioritize self-care without guilt or feeling overwhelmed by parenting duties? Prioritizing your health and happiness is not...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #86: 4 Things You Need to Know about Childcare How does the 'Child Care Cliff' impact parents? Child care is a big concern for parents, and its cost and quality can greatly impact families. Finding the right...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #85: What is Balanced Brain Stimulation? with Deborah McNelis, M.Ed How can parents strike the perfect balance between providing stimulating experiences for their little ones' developing brains while...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #84: Navigating Toddler Sleep Disruptions When a New Baby Arrives with Joanna Clark How have you and your family personally coped with disrupted sleep patterns? Parenting is a journey filled with...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #83: Simple Ways to Create Mental Space Daily As a mom, the days often feel like a whirlwind of responsibilities and cherished moments with our little ones. However, amidst the chaos, we must carve out...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #82: Why Young Children Bite (and How to Respond) What are some effective strategies parents and caregivers can employ to help their children outgrow the biting behavior while maintaining a supportive...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #81: The Benefits of Risky Play with Dr. Catherine O'Brien How can we empower our children through risky indoor and outdoor play and embrace a facilitator parenting approach? Play is an essential part...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #80: Mom Story: How I Created Financial Wealth As a Single Mom with Eileen Joy Wondering how you can secure your family's finances without missing out on those precious moments with your kids? We've got you...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #79: A (Step) Dad’s View: How to Connect with Your Kids with Michael Gonzalez Are you curious about how to nurture your kid's social-emotional growth while also creating a community with other parents? We all...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #78: Q&A - Breastfeeding and Pumping with Dr. Andrea Braden Embarking on the incredible journey of breastfeeding brings a mix of complexities and wonders. Let's unravel the myths, delve into the fluid...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #77: Stages of Play - What to Expect from Your Child When They're with Other Kids with Gabrielle Holt How can parents help their child transition from playing primarily with them to playing with other...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #76: How to Get More Energy so You Aren't Slugging Through the Day with Krizia Graham Have you ever experienced the mix of exhaustion and reward that comes with being a mom of a toddler? Being a mom of a toddler is...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #75: Mom Story: I Became an Entrepreneur so I Could Stay Home with my Babies with Kelsey Newcomb How can a mom entrepreneur overcome challenges and achieve empowerment in both their professional and parenting lives?...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #74: The Good and Bad of Social Media for New Parents with Julie Bogart Have you ever experienced the mixed emotions of being both motivated and disheartened by what you see on social media? How do these...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #73: Setting Up Your Home for Learning with Jeanne-Marie Paynel Have you ever wondered what to do or how to set up your home when you have other children over to play? In this episode, Jeanne-Marie Paynel, M.Ed,...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #72: Understanding the Stages of Parenting with Ellen Galinsky Our children go through developmental stages from the moment they are born, but how many of you know that parents also go through stages of...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #68: What to Do When Your Toddler Hits Someone In this episode of "Parenting in the First Three Years," host Ann McKitrick discusses whether parents should insist that their child says sorry when their toddler hits...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #66: How to Find the Best Childcare Center In this episode, we explore the world of childcare and share practical tips for parents who are on the hunt for the best care for their children. We explore some important...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #43: Attachment Parenting Explained with Diane Goyette and Gabrielle Holt There's a lively conversation on social media about attachment parenting and sometimes it feels like just one more thing to get right, or...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #38: What to Expect in the Fourth Trimester with Meg & Carly of Fourth Trimester Foundations The "fourth trimester" is the term coined for the first 3 months after birth. Those first weeks are beautiful, memorable and...
Why should you get some puzzles for your toddler? Play is essential for toddlers - it's how they figure things out. They need opportunities to play with good toys and materials and use their imagination. Puzzles fit the bill! They provide lots of learning - from...
Can toddlers write? As soon as your little one becomes interested, you can give them some big paper and a marker to get them started. Learning to make a mark on the page is actually an important part of early literacy, which begins in the first three years of life....
Making playdough with toddlers. We had a tray on the shelf with all the playdough ingredients and made a fresh batch about every 2 weeks. When I was a teacher, our class loved making playdough. We pull out the tray of ingredients and the kids would take turns dumping...
Tea parties. We started them early on at our house. I think it started that time I spotted Good Mood Tea at Whole Foods. I bought a box for the next time the crankies set in. Because um, that happened often with three kids under age four. I bought it for myself, then...
What's a lovey? It's a blanket, a teddy bear or some other object that children attached to. They use loveys to comfort themselves at bedtime and in other situations where they feel the need for something cozy and familiar. The psychological term for this is...
It’s one of those things that connects us all. We love to look at pictures of people we love! How about making some toddler books with pictures of familiar people and places?
What’s the difference between a pregnancy cookie and a regular cookie? Do labor cookies really make your labor begin?
Make reading a part of your daily routine. You’ve heard about the importance of social-emotional development in the first years. But what does that actually look like in the day to day? Social-emotional development includes your child’s experience, expression, and...
There's not much better than snuggling up with a good book. It's one of my favorite things, especially when I'm snuggling with a child. 🥰 If your brand new to parenting, you may feel unsure how to go about reading a book to a baby that's so young they can't talk yet....
When do you really need to start reading to your baby? Now's a good time! Early literacy begins early. Research shows that newborns are born equipped to respond to the language they've heard in the womb. They've been listening to you all this time and they love your...
It's one of the first things people ask, "Is he keeping you awake at night?" (Um, yes he's awake at night, he's a newborn) This week I sat down with Joanna Clark of Blissful Baby Sleep Coaching to talk about sleep patterns for newborns. I asked her what you should...
Talk about adulting. This is it. Likely one of the first big decisions you'll make when you become a parent. It's a decision that will deeply impact your family, especially your baby. The folks who care for your baby while you work will become your partners in...
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Oh my goodness... I don’t know about you but it feels to me like unknowns of COVID are lasting a lot longer than I expected. As this all unfolds, new parents are faced with questions that weren’t even in our grid 8 months ago! Pregnancy can be filled with a lot of...
We really can't help ourselves. Something inside us kind of melts. Have you ever noticed the feeling you get when you see little tiny puppies or kittens, or even a baby elephant at the zoo? Or had complete strangers stop to talk to you as you walk your puppy? We...
Recently I had the privilege of presenting a training to over 150 Head Start teachers in Houston. The topic was understanding autism and we covered lots of information about neurological development that happens in the first several years of life. One of the word...
That little person is very tuned in to you. From the moment they're born, babies are ready to listen, respond and try to figure out how to be in relationship with you. Research gives us really interesting insight into how equipped newborns are to do this. Let's take a...
I was surprised at the amount of downtime I had with a new baby. I remember the first few months of staying home with my first baby. I assumed I’d be swamped with my new tasks of parenthood: nursing around the clock, diaper changes, rocking baby to sleep, etc....
The all-important first two years Your child's early learning and development has far-reaching implications for the future of the economy, the political climate and international relations. Crazy to think that what you do each day as a parent has that kind of...
This year while my daughter goes to morning preschool, I’ve been looking forward to exercising for a bit at the gym. The only problem? My two year old. My darling, highly-attached, cries-if-I’m-gone-for-two-minutes two year old. I knew dropping off my kiddo at the gym...
I’ll never forget the stress I felt about miscarriage when I was pregnant. Every day I worried the pregnancy might end. I remember counting down the days to when I’d be past the first trimester, longing for it to come. I was sure once I made it past that date, my...
The moment a pregnancy test is positive or the foster/adoption approval comes through, you begin to wonder... What am I going to do? What does it feel like to be a parent? How will I be the same and how will I be different? Will I still be able to be spontaneous, do...
We all want to teach kids to be kind and compassionate with others. When does this begin? When they start playing with others? When they have the cognitive capacity to share? Does it happen naturally or do you have to 'teach' it? Recent research tells us that infants...
Odds are, someone else will care for your baby at some time in the first year. The average length of maternity/paternity leave in US is 12 weeks (often unpaid) with many moms returning to work when the baby is 6 weeks of age. In fact, of the 12 million infants and...
We had 3 babies in four years. Then when those 3 were teens, we started fostering babies. And while I may have thought I was ready to be a parent with that first pregnancy, I was not. No matter what you think you already know going in, the experience of being a parent...
All I ever really wanted to be when I grew up was a mom. Like many little girls, I played 'house' all the time as a kid, treating my baby dolls with love and care, teaching them and handing out discipline when they needed it. As a teenager, I did lots of...
Block Play! Last week we got to hang out with Megan, Josh, and the grandkids! We live far apart so when we spend time together, it’s really special. And of course, since I love all things child development, it’s fun to see how the kids have grown, what they like to...
Babies don’t cry to manipulate. They cry to communicate a physical condition or emotion. You won’t spoil your baby when you respond to crying. Rather, your response gives your baby a sense of security, that she knows she’s heard and understood and that you will keep her safe. It doesn’t teach her to cry more.
How to Choose a Childcare Center for My New Baby? It’s time to make one of the more important decisions that you’ll make as a parent – finding child care for your little one. You’ve done your due diligence. You’ve asked for recommendations from friends, checked state...
I’m a child development specialist, parent coach and teacher trainer. I’ve cared for countless babies in child development programs, plus 3 kids, 3 grand babies and 5 foster babies! I LOVE babies and would come hold yours if I could. ❤️
