Help your 4 to 6-month-old learn to roll with the blanket wrap.

1. Position baby at one end of the blanket with his head above the edge of the blanket
2. Slowly roll your baby wrapping him up as you go
3. The roll the other way to unwrap him out of the blanket

If your baby is already crawling, he’s getting a lot of good experience with balance. Challenge him even more by having him crawl over pillows, folded up comforters, even sofa cushions. ​

After toddlers learn to walk well, they challenge themselves. Doesn’t it seem like they carrying things wherever they go? And they’re constantly bending down and picking things up. These guys can really balance. If your toddler is bending and carrying, challenge her balance a little bit more:

1. Make a balance beam with a board or tape a line to the floor
2. Have her step on an off a pillow, cushion or folded up comforter
3. If your toddler is ready, you can practice walking up and down the bottom step of the stairs or on and off a step stool (with you nearby)

Challenge your preschoolers balance by helping him:

1. Stand with his eyes closed and sing his favorite sone
2. Stand on one leg
3. Walk across the room on his tippy toes.
   
4. GAME: Place a bucket (container / basket / box) filled with items at one end of the room and an empty bucket at the other end of the room. Use a bord, the edge of a rug, or even a line of tape on the floor. Encourage your preschooler to walk on his tippy toes to the bucket. Pick out an item. Walk the line on the floor to the empty bucket and drop it in.
5. Obstacle course. Allow your child to design a balance obstacle course with squishy surfaces (pillows), balance beams, ramps and more! Be sure to check it out for safety before he begins the course and stand by if needed.

There’s a lot to balance these days. What things in your life are balancing just right today? Which things are close to toppling over? Is anything out of balance?

Take some time to take a breath, to prioritize, and figure out how to get everything in balance for today. In order to give balance to our kids, we need to find some for ourselves. Take the time you need to take care of yourself so you’ll be better able to take care of you child / children.

Remember the most important thing isn’t the blanket wraps or the obstacle course. The most important thing is that you are there for your child.
​
With love,
Angela

​Find a quiet time and hold your baby facing you. Look into her eyes and tell her a happy memory from her short life. If your only quiet time is when she’s sleeping, that’s okay. Whisper to her while she sleeps. 

Show your toddler a recent picture or video of him, something from yesterday, a few days ago, or the last couple of weeks. Point to the people and objects in the picture or video. Ask him, “what do you see?”
​Tell him more about what was happening when the photo or video was taken. 

Ask your preschooler these questions:

1. Tell me something that happened yesterday.
2. Tell me something that happened a little bit ago.
3. Tell me something that happened on (an event she would remember like a holiday, birthday)
4. Tell me something that happened a long time ago.

Write down her answers. Or, if you like, record the answers to her questions.

Rather than reflecting back on a memory, instead think ahead. You are living through a unique time with your child.
In the future, what do you want your memories of this time to be?
What can you do to start making those experiences a reality?

As always, thank you for being with me on this journey. Take what is helpful from this post and make it your own. It’s not about following the prompts exactly. It’s all about making meaningful memories with your children. Something you’re already doing. You’ve been doing it all along. And you always will.
 
With love,
Angela

​Tips: Help your baby practice sitting by:

1. Cut a sturdy box in half diagonally, reinforce with packing tape or duct tape if needed. This gives you a sturdy corner for baby to sit in. Sit in front of him to give him something fun to look at

2. Remove the cushions from the couch and prop him in the corner, stay close just in case

​3. Prop him in the corner of a laundry basket with a few toys
​
4. Sit on the floor with your legs out and position him face out so he can lean against you and put his hands on your legs for support

In & Out & On the Go!

Game 1:
Fill that box up with books, canned goods, or even rocks. Heck, throw in a brother or sister if you have one hanging around. Now, encourage your toddler to push that box around the house. She may find emptying and filling the box just as entertaining.

Game 2:
Put your toddler in the box and push her around. Encourage language skills by saying “Ready? Set?” and then move on “Go!” After she gets used to this, pause and wait for her to say “Go!” You can also add in fast, slow, front, back and even spin and really get the conversation going. 

Imagination box
Really a box is anything and everything to a preschooler. Give him some markers, crayons, or paints. Let him make his own house, store, or vehicle. Give him some time to creat on his own. Later, ask him about the box and what he was able to imagine. You might be surprised at all a box can be!

If you're a parent, chances are you have a thing or two laying around the house. Maybe a pile of toys? Maybe some knick-knacks here and there?
Take one box and fill it.
Maybe you're one of those parents with a really clean house. Even so, I'd guess you might have stuff tucked in your drawers and cupboards you’ve thought about cleaning out or giving away.
Or you have stuff laying around because you haven't had the time or the energy to figure out where they go. That’s fine because for now, they go in this box. It doesn’t have to be a big one. There’s no need to clean the whole house, or even a room, just fill a box. You can deal with that stuff later. 

Photo: ​Chiến Phạm on Unsplash

Tummy time helps babies gain strength and learn to balance.
When your baby is awake, put him on his tummy and play with him. A younger baby can lift his head in this position and turn it side to side.
TIP: If your little one doesn't like tummy time, lay on your back or recline and place your baby chest to chest. This will help him get used to the position and encourage him to lift his head and look around.
​An older baby is ready to put weight through his forearms and look around, or even push arms straight. 

​Toddlers who are cruising and walking still crawl sometimes. And that’s great. Crawling is a good workout.
One way to increase strength is to let your toddler crawl up the stairs.
This works arms, legs, and both sides of the body. Just take a look at how big those stairs are compared to the size of a toddler's legs. Could you climb stairs that big all day long? Give your little one a chance and she will want to do it over and over again!

Preschoolers like to see the results of their efforts.
What can you encourage your preschooler to do for work that will build strength? Think of something that will make them stand back and say, “Wow! I just did all that!”
Preschoolers usually like repetition, especially if there is a goal in sight. So have your little one stack all of the cans in the next room, move the pile of firewood, carry 40 books or magazines up the stairs one at a time, or move some rocks from one bin to another.
When the job is complete, be sure to offer praise and let him know he is a great help - even if you plan to have him reverse the process in a day, or a week, or a month. 

​Strength isn’t only for muscles. True strength is inside of us. This strength, determination, resilience helps us to make the most out of challenging situations. It inspires us to make these uncertain days meaningful, not only for our children but for ourselves. A friend posted on social media today that she’s home with a 5-week-old baby and feeling anxious. Someone suggested she list all of the things she’s grateful for to shift her focus from the unknown to what is known and what is good.

Thank you for reading this today. Keep doing what you do best, loving your child.

​With love,
Angela

Baby toes, is there anything better than sweet little baby toes?

Note: Babies first -> scroll down for toddlers, preschoolers & parents

Babies
​When rubbing your baby’s feet, don’t forget about the toes
Why? It encourages body awareness and self-awareness & it feels good
How? After you rub your baby’s foot, also massage each toe. Start at the base with your thumb on the bottom of the toe and your finger on the top of the toe. Massage to the end of the toe. Do all toes on both feet. 

Developmental Milestones: Babies start reaching for their knees and then their feet between 4-6 months.
Why is it important? Reaching for feet helps babies with body awareness, helps them use both sides of their body and hands and feet in preparation for crawling. This position also strengthens the abdominal muscles and helps babies learn to roll. Forty percent of our body weight is below our waist. When babies reach their feet, their legs sometimes fall to the side, starting a roll.
Some ideas to help your baby reach her feet:

• Bring her hands to her knees, and then feet
• Play peek-a-boo, hiding behind her feet
• Place older siblings’ socks on feet and encourage her to grab them, or try mittens, gloves. No older siblings? Try putting her socks on her foot, but not over her heel.
• Color, colors, everywhere – too hot for socks in your area? Consider using non-toxic washable markers to paint those toes. 

Toddlers
Toddlers are all about action. Whether they’re cruising the couch or toddling down the hall they want to move. What are some favorite things toddlers do with their feet? Dance, stomp, and kick!
Dance! Turn up the tunes and let that toddler dance! This is something the whole family can enjoy!
Stomp! Show your kid how it’s done by stomping one foot then the next. Say something fun like “stomp! Stomp! Stomp!” or “Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!” Got any bubble wrap? Tape it to the floor and let the stomping begin.
Kick! Toddlers typically start by walking into a ball, so make it easy for them with something that really moves, like a beach ball. As you little one gains more skills you can try heavier balls, smaller balls, even crunched up paper balls. 

Why is all this moving around important?
Toddlers are learning to balance. We do it without thinking, but right now they’re figuring out how to put all of their weight on one foot so they can lift the other foot. Cruising is especially important for this skill because, in order to cruise to the left, you have to first put your weight on your right foot to move your left foot over to the left. That takes some real problem-solving skills!
​
Developmental Milestones: Babies typically get really good a cruising before they start pushing toys or other objects and taking steps on their own. If your baby is cruising here are some things to help get him to the next step.

• Position toys to encourage him to cruise in both directions (to the right and the left holding onto the couch or another surface)
• Position furniture so he can move from one support to another without letting go. You’ll notice when he’s ready to move on because he’ll let go with one hand, rotate to see what is going on around him and generally have better balance.
• Next, you can space out support surfaces (place a table or box near the place your baby likes to stand and encourage him to move from on to the other. High-interest toys and interacting with you makes it fun!)

​Pre-Schoolers
Pre-schoolers are learning so much about themselves and others. One thing for today is to build on that natural curiosity about the world around them.
​
My Feet: Trace around your child’s foot on a piece of paper, a piece of cardboard, or anything you have laying around. Next, teach her child to trace around her own foot. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just fun. If you have time do both feet. 

FOLLOW YOUR CHILD’S LEAD: Preschoolers are naturally curious about the world.
Ask her what she thinks of her drawing.
Does she want to color it?
Does she want to stand on it?
Dance on it?
What are her thoughts about other feet in the house? Engage her in a conversation comparing her feet to other people’s feet.
Maybe she wants to look at (or trace) the feet of her toys, stuffed animals, even the family pet.
Maybe she’s curious about the different animals and their feet and footprints.
Or maybe the conversation will go in a totally different direction.  You never know with pre-schoolers!

(Note: I learned the concept of “follow your child’s lead” through the Hanen Program the link takes you to their website.)

Concepts:

• Right / Left
• Large / Small
• Yours / Mine
• Person / Animal

Parents
Let’s talk about self-care.
Let’s talk about quiet time.
When was the last time you gave your feet any attention?

Take some time for yourself today. Rub lotion on your feet, give yourself a massage or try rolling a ball (golf ball, tennis ball, racquetball) under your feet to get the knots out. Or go all out and freeze a bottle of water, when it’s nice and chilled, roll it under your feet for a massage and some cool relief.

Thank you for sharing this space with me
Take from this post what is helpful and leave the rest or save it for another day. Today, you are there for your child. You know what your child needs. It’s not the dancing or the drawing, or even the baby massage that matters most. What matters most is the relationship. Keep doing what you do best…loving your child.
 
With love,
Angela

There's a lot going on right now. Schools are closed and daycares closed and babysitters are out of commission. Our children are here with us, watching us, and learning from us. There is something about having a child around that inspires us to be a better adult, to be our best selves for them. Social media is abuzz with information and advice. There are never-ending suggestions of things to do and links to follow. 

I'm here to say, you don't have to do it all. You don't have to know it all.

When I had my first baby, my mother told me, "All she needs is something to eat and your loving arms. You are all she needs." 

Realize that, in this moment, you are the expert on your children. You know what they need. 

Each post will offer just one thing:
One thing for your baby
One for your toddler
One for your preschooler 
& something for parents too.

But don't worry, it's not an assignment. It can easily be put off until tomorrow, or next week, or never. Because you know what's best for your family.

My goal is that in time this page will be full of developmental tips and ideas to laugh and learn, while you are busy doing the most important thing...loving your child. 

With Love,
Angela