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.
We all know 0-3 month olds pretty much eat, sleep, and poop. But what do we do with them when they’re awake? Learn 20 ways to play with your 0-3 month old.
You're listening to Parenting in the First Three Years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Anne McKittrick. Thank you so much for joining me. Hello everybody and welcome...
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.
We all know 0-3 month olds pretty much eat, sleep, and poop. But what do we do with them when they’re awake? Learn 20 ways to play with your 0-3 month old.
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...
You're listening to parenting. In the first three years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Ann McKittrick. Thank you so much for joining me. 3s Hey there and welcome to...
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...
[00:00:00] You're listening to Parenting in the First Three Years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Anne McKittrick. Thank you so much for joining me. Hey there, and...
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...
[00:00:00] Hey, you are listening to parenting in the first three years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Anne McKitrick. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you so...
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...
You're listening to Parenting in the First Three Years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Anne McKittrick. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you so much for...
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...
[00:00:00] Hey, you are listening to Parenting in the first three years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Anne McKitrick. Thank you so much for joining me. Hey there,...
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...
You're listening to Parenting in the First Three Years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Anne McKittrick. Thank you so much for joining me. Hello, and welcome back to...
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...
[00:00:00] Hey, you are listening to parenting in the first three years, the place where we explore the strategies and soul of parenting from pregnancy through the first three years of life. I'm your host, Ann McKitrick. Thank you so much for joining me. Hey there,...
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 #71: Mom Story: Recognizing My Son's Autism Symptoms with Diane Fleming Did you know that you can often recognize the signs of autism around 18 months of age? In this episode, Diane Fleming explains what it was...
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...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #69: What New Parents Need to Know About Food Allergies with Katie Larson, PA-C In this episode of "Parenting in the First Three Years," host Ann McKitrick interviews Katie Larson, a physician's assistant with personal...
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 #67: Mom Story: My Experience Breastfeeding vs Pumping Exclusively with Emily Nguyen Breast only, breast pumping and bottle feeding... these are options and decisions that new parents are faced with from day one....
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 #65: Learning with Fred Rogers Productions with Mallory Mbalia As a parent, you play an important role in helping your child learn and grow. You get to choose what shows they watch, and it's a great chance to pick ones...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #64: Teaching Diversity with Books with Tracey Baptiste A great children's book should have a well-crafted story, engaging language, and entertaining illustrations. This combination can stimulate your child's cognitive...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #63: The Simple Interactions Tool: Cultivating Positive Connections with Children with Dr. Junlei Li Positive interactions with children can have a great impact on a child's learning and can help children feel valued and...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #62: Mom Story: I want to normalize my “mom struggles” with Christine Amerman Being a parent and an entrepreneur simultaneously can be challenging yet rewarding. Balancing the responsibilities of parenthood with the...
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...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #60: 5 Simple Ways to Support Language Development You know it's important to read to your child, but what's really happening as you read? Probably the most important is the cozy connection that happens when you hold...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #59: How You Can Become a Mompreneur with Rachel Neill Did you know that 4 of every 10 new businesses are owned by women? What is it about parenting that equips moms to be amazing entrepreneurs? In this episode Rachel...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #58: Mom Story: What It's Like Being a New Mom and an Entrepreneur with Allie Martin New moms love to hear each others' stories and today Allie Martin, an entrepreneur who's a visibility expert and owner of Fame...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #57: Nurturing Children's Curiosity with Dr. Diane Schnoor Children's curiosity and wonder about the world around them is observable from the first months of your baby's life. In this episode, Dr. Diane, an early...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #56: Surviving the First Year of Motherhood with Becky Viera, Author of Enough About the Baby Surviving the first year of motherhood can be an incredibly challenging experience, yet many of the struggles that new...
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...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #54: Mom Story: How I Helped My Only Child Welcome a New Baby with Zlata Stankovic-Ramirez When she found out she was pregnant, today's featured mom wondered how she could help her only child welcome a new baby...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #53: The Greatest Letter You'll Ever Write with Blake Brewer Blake Brewer is on a mission to help 1 million dads and moms write a lasting legacy letter for their children. His story is personal to me. When our...
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...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #51: The Benefits of Play with Dr. Stephanie Goloway What are the benefits of play, besides entertaining your child? Our guest today says there's lots more going on when you simply play and interact with your...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #50: Mom Story: Why I Took a Break from Social Media with Priscilla Hall Do you ever feel like you just need to take a break from social media? I sure do! I love seeing what people are doing, saying and teaching me. But...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #49: What New Parents Need to Know About Babies and Music There's just something about music and babies. New parents seem to know intuitively that it will soothe their baby and will naturally rock and sway as they...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #48: Parenting with a Positive Mindset Keeping a positive mindset as a new parent is challenging because the first 3 years can be intense. First you have months of interrupted sleep and adjustments, going back to work...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #47: New Year Intentions for Every New Parent What will happen in 2023 for you? What will happen for your child? You’ve likely got some new year intentions for yourself... or maybe not. Some people love setting...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #46: The Gift of Parenting: Reflections from Parenting Experts It's a good idea to regularly reflect on your parenting journey, to step back and take a look at what you're learning, how you've changed as a...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #45: Wisdom from a Montessori Mom with Maranda Deason In this mom story, you'll meet Maranda Deason, Montessori teacher and mother of 7 children including 3 under age two! She shares her thoughts on the cultural changes...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #44: Language Development in the First Years with Lenora Edwards Language development in the first years seems to just happen on its own. But is this really true? Will babies just naturally say their first words...
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 #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...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #41: 5 Ways to Soothe a Crying Newborn with Dympna Kennedy The sound of a crying newborn... oh my goodness. It sends shivers up our spine, creates emotional tension and we just want to do all we can to help them....
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #40: How to Organize Toys with Amanda Liford You love ‘em, your kid loves ‘em, people give you lots of them and after a while, they take over your house! How do you organize toys? Amanda Liford, has the answers. ...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #39: What Happens When Your Child Puts on a Costume? Developmental Play! with Ann McKitrick It's that time of year when kids like to wear their Halloween costume any chance they get and I say, let 'em! It seems like just a...
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...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #37: Making Holiday Plans that Work for Your Child with Prerna Richards It's time to make holiday plans, which will likely include get-togethers and parties with lots of people. What do you do when your child screams,...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #36: How COVID Changed Children's Lives with Anya Kamenetz The story of COVID and children isn't over. Because much of this unique story will unfold over time. In this episode, Anya Kamenetz, author of The Stolen Year: How...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #35: Postpartum Mental Health: Are These Feelings Normal? with Sherry Duson Postpartum mental health is often a not-talked-about-enough topic. Most new parents experience up and down emotions in the first weeks and months...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #34: What Grandparents Need to Know Grandparents, aunties, uncles, extended family all play an important role in your baby's life. Babies have a way of bringing a new dimension to families and learning what works for your...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #33: How to Break Negative Cycles in Parenting with Lorena Seidel, Joyful Parenting In this episode, we discuss parenting strategies that enable you to break free from negative cycles you may have experienced as a child....
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #32: Birthday Party Planning for Babies and Toddlers with Kim Morrison, The Hygge Gathering It's an amazing milestone ~ you all made it through the first year! Now it's time to do some birthday party planning....
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #31: How New Parents Can Support Secure Attachment with Annie Brook, Therapist & Founder of the Brook Institute In this episode, Annie Brook and I explore ways to support secure attachment between parents and...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #30: 5 Things to know about starting preschool Starting preschool is an exciting milestone for your child and will build a strong foundation for kindergarten. In this episode, you'll learn what types of programs are...
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,...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #28: Exploring Parenting Styles: RIE with Erica Orosco Cruz Finding your own personal parenting style when you first have a baby takes time. There are so many people and approaches to glean from as you find what...
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...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #26: What Does Parental Self-Care Look Like? with Sue Ludwig When you're a new parent, you're expected to do it all. Homemade food, the best diapers, constant eye contact and playtime, zero chemicals. Meanwhile, the...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #25: How to Talk to Kids About Death with Michele Benyo Have you had the death talk with your child yet? Maybe it hasn't come up. Maybe you think they're too young. Or maybe you were forced to discuss it after a family pet...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #24: Six Quick Tips for Toddler Parenting Struggles with Gabrielle Holt You’re doing it all... working a joy you love, taking care of littles, finding time for the big things that matter. But right now, at this...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #23: Finding Guidance through Faith and Prayer with Bunmi Laditan Parents around the world find comfort and guidance in their spiritual faith, even during the hardest of times of their parenting journey. Prayer,...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #22: The Power of Smell in Attachment with Jude Stewart Everyone knows that special newborn smell. And if you haven't experienced it yet, you've no doubt heard about it. Mothers young and old can recall the smell their...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #20: Babies Need Diversity: Fathers and Attachment with Dr. Josh Thompson Fathers play an important and complicated role in their family. Not too long ago, fathers were expected to provide financially, and not much else....
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #20: Debunking Breastfeeding Myths with Erica Campbell Breastfeeding. It's one of the most controversial topics concerning motherhood. And no wonder - it's both communal and extremely personal, there are so many...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #19: Keeping a Growth Mindset While Parenting with Estelle Giraud When you have a growth mindset, you believe that your abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work (compared to solely relying on brains and...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #18: Teaching Your Child Autonomy at a Young Age with Rae Pica One of our goals as parents is to raise confident, independent human beings who can take care of themselves so they can one day leave home and start a life...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #17: Creating a Loving Home with Deborah Farmer Kris Showing our children that our love is not based on how "good" they are is an important part of creating a lasting bond between parent and child. Not only that, but it...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #16: Introducing Solid Food the Montessori Way with Sarah Moudry Little ones love to help, especially when it involves food. But our culture tends to exclude young children from the entire process of serving a meal. We sit...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #15: Introducing Foods to Infants and Toddlers to Raise Intuitive Eaters with Dani Lebovitz The way we talk about food in today's culture is vastly different than when I was growing up (take a listen below to hear about...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #14: The Dos and Don'ts of Developmental Play We all need play in our lives. Yes, even you! It's amazing to watch babies and children play. It comes so naturally to them, whereas it seems like we as adults completely...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #13: Tips for Potty Training with Positivity with Camilla McGill How do you know when your child is ready to use the potty? How do you teach them to do it? Should you give them rewards or candy when they're successful?...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #12: Trauma in Early Childhood with Holly Elissa Bruno Did your baby or child experience any trauma in early childhood? If you were quick to answer 'no', consider whether the past couple of years, living through a...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #11: How to Handle and Prevent Child Care Issues with Dr. Zlata Stankovic-Ramirez Things can get a little sticky when parents and childcare providers don't see eye-to-eye on things like discipline, nutrition, and...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #10: Help Your Baby Sleep Better at Night with Joanna Clark There's nothing more frustrating as a new parent than dealing with sleep disruptions. After all, when the baby doesn't sleep well, neither does one or both of the...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #9: Four Things to Do With Your Newborn with Deborah McNelis We've all heard how important the first 60 days are for your newborn's development. But when all you see them do is sleep, eat, and poop, it can be hard to...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #8: How to Manage Tantrums & Meltdowns with Diane Goyette Tantrums can be very triggering, leaving us feeling bewildered, impatient, overwhelmed, helpless, and ready to throw in the towel on this whole parenting thing....
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #7: "Is She a Good Baby?" Exploring Infant Temperaments with Ann McKitrick There’s one question people commonly ask new parents that I can’t stand. And that’s, “is she a good baby?” Everyone wants an easy baby! But that’s...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #6: How to Hygge with Your Baby with Maria Dior Denmark has repeatedly been voted as having the happiest people in the world. It may be due to this thing called hygge (pronounced hoo-guh), which is a Danish term that means...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #5: Tips for Parenting a 2-Year-Old with Ann McKitrick People's opinions about parenting a 2-year-old are no big secret. After all, toddlers have a bad rap. Maybe you've even had someone say to you, "just wait until...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #4: Phones and Screen Time for Babies with Ann McKitrick Screen time for babies is a tricky topic. Babies and toddlers know, just as we do, that there are so many fun things to do with a phone! Maybe you're trying to work,...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #3: How to Help Your Baby Thrive When Starting Daycare with Gabrielle Holt Starting daycare is a big adjustment for parents and children alike. How can you best prepare? What if the transition doesn't go well? Will your...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #2: What Makes Babies Laugh? with Ann McKitrick Just like everything else when it comes to children, humor is developmental and amazingly enough it starts really early in life! Babies laugh before they talk, which...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #1: Why Baby Talk is Good for Language Development with Ann McKitrick We all know that people use a different tone of voice when they talk to babies, like what we would typically call ‘baby talk’. Researchers have...
Parenting in the First 3 Years Podcast #0: Trailer with Ann McKitrick You know, there’s a transition that takes place when we become a parent. It looks different for everyone and it’s not just one-and-done. It’s a transition that repeats itself in every stage...
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...
Do you need to sanitize your baby's toys? Um, yeah. Today I was scrolling through facebook and saw a picture of my friend's baby wearing a cute little outfit she'd made by hand. In the background their dog was licking a baby toy lying on the floor. This is why we need...
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...
We've got a closet full of toys upstairs in the kids room. When the grandkids are here, they spend LOTS of time playing up there! In fact, sometimes when we're FaceTiming now, I'll walk up there and we'll "visit" the toys and they get so excited! 😂 If you were here,...
Toddlers can be picky and it’s not because they’re trying to be difficult. Eating is a developmental process, it takes time to master. Try these toddler snacks!
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. ❤️
