360 Baby Solutions

I love, love, love continuing education. I recognize that I am an outlier on that subject, but I love my job and this is more information about my job! Yes, I'm a giant nerd. In my searches for cool new information, I have compiled a list of classes and organizations. I haven't taken all of these classes. This is not any kind of review or statement on their validity or quality. I'm not affiliated with these. Do your own research before purchasing any classes. Be aware that ma

What is self regulation? I hear this term all the time in the child development world now. So what is it and why is it important? Self regulation in child development is the ability to focus attention and control emotional response. Essentially it is the ability to manage your response to your environment, thoughts, and feelings. This is an ongoing process throughout life, but you learn the basis in childhood. Have you ever seen a child melt down from a seemingly mundane exch

Toddlers test limits seemingly just to mess with the grown ups in their life! They know they aren't allowed to turn the oven knobs. You know they know, and you know they know you know. So why does it happen? Toddlers are naturally curious. They are changing from passively experiencing their environment to being an active participant. This ability is exciting, but also overwhelming and scary. Think of how it felt to go from a teenager in your parents home, off to college or li

When I feel like I need to jump in and stop children in their tracks, I stop first and ask myself, "Are they hurting people or property? Are they exhibiting bad manners for this location?" If not then I leave them alone. Play is important work, and adults often interfere in this work for the wrong reasons. Situation: A toddler is jumping in a mud puddle Adults reaction: Stop! You are going to be muddy and cold! Reevaluating: Is the child going to get hurt? No. They'll get dir

Katie, I have a confession. I'm jealous of my nanny! My nanny is wonderful. I love her, my kids love her, even my parents and in-laws love her. I work long hours at work and travel frequently, as a result, I miss out on a lot of my children's lives. In addition, the time I do spend with them doesn't seem to be well spent. My children never behave as well for me as they behave for my nanny. They complain too that they miss the nanny and all of the fun activities she comes up w

If you want your children to learn to problem solve, model it! Children are mimics, one of their main ways of learning is through watching others. I model failure and problem solving out loud. I never realized how much minor problem-solving I do in a day until I made an effort to describe it as I did it. I think adults have a bad habit of showing children only the good and forgetting to walk kids through processing the hard. For instance, if I'm having trouble opening a jar l

Good eating habits start with where you sit. When you are seated comfortably, in a well-supported chair, with a table at a good height for you, you eat better. The same goes for children, which is why when you are looking to purchase a high chair (or weaning table), you should take care to consider the seat from your child's perspective in addition to your own. Easy to Clean Firstly, your high chair should be easy to clean. This creates clean-up ease for you, and a clean seat

When to Start There is no solid consensus on when is the right age to start solids. There have been many different suggestions over the years as scientists and doctors have studied the gut, oral development, teeth, and fine motor skills. Ask a different specialist (pediatrician, pediatric nutritionist, pediatric gastroenterologist, allergist, lactation consultant, developmental scientist, feeding therapist, dentist) and you will get a different answer, although common and cur

If you want your child to sleep well, make sure that your words match your actions. You can beg them to sleep until you are blue in the face, but if you are sending their brain cues to stay awake you are only shooting yourself in the foot. Think like a cave - cool, dark, quiet, and pay attention to timing. Cool Sleep experts agree, the optimal temperature for humans to sleep is between 60-68 degrees Farenheit. Since infants struggle to maintain their temperature, it is recomm

There's a line in my Aunt and Uncle's school program, "They need to feel it and taste it to try to figure out what it is!" My Aunt and uncle are marine biologists, underwater photographers, dive instructors, and teach school programs through their business, The Ocean Adventure. The quote refers to sharks, but they use it in an analogy about their young audience's baby siblings. If you've been around a baby or young child, you know that everything goes in their mouths. In the