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#83: Simple Ways to Create Mental Space Daily

#83: Simple Ways to Create Mental Space Daily

    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...

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#82: Why Young Children Bite (and How to Respond)

#82: Why Young Children Bite (and How to Respond)

    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...

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#73 – Setting Up Your Home For Learning

#73 – Setting Up Your Home For Learning

  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,...

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#70 – Overcoming Common Fears of Parenting

#70 – Overcoming Common Fears of Parenting

Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast   #70: Overcoming Common Fears of Parenting   In this episode of "Parenting in the First Three Years," Ann discusses the common fears and worries parents may experience. She shares a recent personal story of feeling fear and...

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#61: How to Make Tummy Time Fun with Michele Napierkowski

#61: How to Make Tummy Time Fun with Michele Napierkowski

Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast   #61: How to Make Tummy Time Fun with Michelle Napierkowski   If you are a new parent, then you have probably heard that tummy time is important for your baby. It’s equally important to be knowledgeable about the container...

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#55: 5 Myths about Newborns with Deborah McNelis

#55: 5 Myths about Newborns with Deborah McNelis

   Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast   #55: 5 Myths about Newborns with Deborah McNelis   It's easy to feel lost and overwhelmed when it comes to caring for your newborn, but don't worry! Let me introduce you to Deborah McNelis, who's here to help guide...

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#52: Mental Self-Care for New Moms with Colleen O’Grady

#52: Mental Self-Care for New Moms with Colleen O’Grady

   Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast   #52: Mental Self-Care for New Moms with Colleen O'Grady   What are the habits new moms can begin now to ensure a healthy mindset throughout the all the stages of parenting? In this episode, Colleen O'Grady explains...

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#43: Attachment Parenting Explained

#43: Attachment Parenting Explained

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...

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#42: How Your Enneagram Type Affects Parenting

#42: How Your Enneagram Type Affects Parenting

Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast   #42: How Your Enneagram Type Affects Parenting with Rochelle Bridges   What's your Enneagram type? I'm a 9 all the way, straight up. I have all the quirks and characteristics of this Enneagram personality type. I'm...

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#38: What to Expect in the Fourth Trimester

#38: What to Expect in the Fourth Trimester

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...

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#29: How Motherly Helps New Mothers with Liz Tenety

#29: How Motherly Helps New Mothers with Liz Tenety

Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast   #29: How Motherly Helps New Mothers with Liz Tenety, Co-Founder of Motherly   Liz Tenety, co-founder of Motherly, gives behind-the-scenes insight on trends, what she sees as a big source of struggles for new mothers,...

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#27: The 6 Stages of Parenting

#27: The 6 Stages of Parenting

Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast   #27: The 6 Stages of Parenting   with Ann McKitrick       Just as our children are going through phases of development throughout their lives, we too are going through stages of parenting as our kid get...

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Pregnancy Cookies

Pregnancy Cookies

What’s the difference between a pregnancy cookie and a regular cookie? Do labor cookies really make your labor begin?

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How to Choose Books for Your Baby

How to Choose Books for Your Baby

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...

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Tips for great sleep patterns for your newborn

Tips for great sleep patterns for your newborn

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...

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How to Choose a Day Care Center for your Baby

How to Choose a Day Care Center for your Baby

  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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4 Questions about babies and pandemics

4 Questions about babies and pandemics

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...

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Newborn Care: Q&A

Newborn Care: Q&A

Every baby is unique, and you are the expert on your own child. I do everything based on a career in early childhood education, coaching early childhood teachers and parents.

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Feeding Your Newborn Baby

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.

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Bond With Your Baby and Help Them Grow

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.

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Stages of parenting

Stages of parenting

I was recently in Minneapolis, hanging out with the grandkids. I get up there a couple of times of year - usually once in the dead of winter and once to enjoy their beautiful summertime.    One way I cement a long distance relationship with them is to have consistent...

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The secret to a happy baby (it’s you!)

The secret to a happy baby (it’s you!)

You are really, really important to your child.  You see it in the way your baby gazes at you, prefers you over others and cries when you leave. We know we’re important in our child’s life but do we truly understand this?  Attachment researchers tell us that we become...

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Love on that baby

Love on that baby

Love on your baby. Then they'll be really smart.   Love is in the air. Even though Valentine's day focuses on romantic love, it’s a great time to hone in on the love connection between you and your child.    It’s amazing to realize that your child’s brain...

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How to make mom friends

How to make mom friends

When I became pregnant with my first I quickly realized how few friends I had in the same boat. The handful of friends I had with kids lived in different states and I found myself scrambling to find friends undergoing the same life transition. Having a community full...

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Tips for new parents

Tips for new parents

5 tips for new parents Anytime you begin a new job there’s a period of orientation. And depending on the complexity of the work you’ll be doing, you might have months of training before you’re on your own with full responsibility. When you become a parent, while...

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3 Reasons newborns are irresistible

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...

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Cheers to parenting!

Cheers to parenting!

I love new beginnings. Today we not only ring in a new year, but a new decade. Your baby will be doing all kinds of things in 10 years!  As we begin the new year there are so many things to think about. Goals, intentions, dreams and visions.  I don't know about you,...

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5 Amazing ways your newborn communicates

5 Amazing ways your newborn communicates

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...

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What to do with a newborn

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....

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When Parenting Fears Overwhelm

When Parenting Fears Overwhelm

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...

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Becoming a parent

Becoming a parent

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...

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3 Things That Every Parent Does Naturally

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...

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6 Things to know BEFORE your baby begins child care

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...

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Parenting 101: Expectations vs reality

Parenting 101: Expectations vs reality

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...

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About ann


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. ❤️

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