Infant | Nurtured Noggins

Feeding Your Newborn Baby

How do you know if your little baby is taking in enough formula in order to get what they need nutritionally to grow? In this article, I will talk about some guidelines to follow that will help you decide on how much to feed your baby.

Labor Stories

I love labor and delivery stories. Every story has the features of an exciting docu-drama — the inklings of early labor, the wondering of “should I call the doctor?”, “should we just wait or go ahead and go?” The thrill of the birth and the flood of emotion that follows. Then the calm after the storm as everyone, including baby, begins the process of healing and resting up from the experience of labor/delivery and settles into the new life of being a family. One of my favorite labor stories comes from my friends, Glen and Laura.

Bond With Your Baby and Help Them Grow

For many new parents, the first time they hold their tiny bundle of joy triggers an instant bonding. In the early years, a baby’s brain grows rapidly making millions of neural connections, so a variety of experiences and exposure aids physical, cognitive, social and language development. Read about a few ways in which bonding and baby development in the early years can go hand-in-hand.

3 Reasons newborns are irresistible

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...

3 Ways you can actually see brain development happening

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...

What to do with a newborn

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....

5 important things that happen in the first two years

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...

How to raise kind kids

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...

3 Things That Every Parent Does Naturally

Even people who say they have "no clue what to do with babies" will instinctively do exactly what's necessary to enhance development as they singsong talk, make faces and gaze at their face as they hold them. We act differently with infants than we do with adults or...

The slow-fast experience of parenting

How does time go slow and fast at the same time? I love the Slow Food Fast recipe column in the Wall Street Journal. It features recipes from notable chefs across the country representing traditional and regional cuisines - recipes simple enough to cook at home...

6 Things to know BEFORE your baby begins child care

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...

July 4th Fun!

Last minute thoughts as you celebrate July 4th... In our small town there's quite a to-do about July 4th! The barricades have been set aside for about a week now in preparation for the annual parade that draws tons of folks from the surrounding areas. My...

International travel with a baby

Travel. What a fun thing to do with your baby! But sometimes it can be a little tricky. We just got back from a vacation to Italy. Wow, what a wonderful experience! Not sure I’ve ever seen so much beauty and history (and so many people from all over the world) in one...

“Loose Parts” Play: Problem solving and creativity with everyday stuff

Every moment your baby is awake they are learning something. You know this already. But when it comes to “teaching” your baby, it’s easy to put learning into categories — when you go to the park, she’s learning about trees and flowers, when you read a book, she’s...

10 Reasons to go on a walk with your baby right now

Today’s a good day for a walk. Lots of good reasons to do so – most importantly for you, it’s good for the soul to get outside! And for your kids, whether they’re walking on their own two feet or riding in a stroller, there’s so much to learn from a simple walk around...

Making the most of all those diaper changes

How to Support Your Baby’s Developmental Growth During Routine Diaper Changes! 5000. That’s the average number of times a baby will have their diaper changed in the early years. Good grief, that’s a lot of diapers! Let’s not even go there about the money spent – just...

7 reasons newborns cry (and ways to make it stop!)

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.

Supporting Emotional Development

Children pick up on our emotions at an amazingly young age. Researchers have found that babies as young as 4 months can detect positive and negative emotions in our facial expressions and tone of voice.

Baby Gazes

When we gaze into the eyes of our newborn we fall in love. And this begins from the moment the baby comes into your life, whether by biological birth, through adoption or whatever circumstance a baby comes into your world. This is how we attach to one another.

10 things to look for when choosing child care for your baby

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...

My Newborn Essential List

There are thousands of things you can buy for your baby. But what do you really NEED? Check out this list that talks about actual newborn necessities and nice-to have- items. Plus, a bonus list of helpful newborn items you won’t find on most registries.