Your pediatrician, your child’s preschool teacher, or even your neighbor has mentioned to you that they think your child may benefit from feeding therapy. But what is that exactly?
Category: Parenting
An extra cozy blanket to snuggle under sounds particularly enticing this time of year. And in recent years, there’s been a particular type of blanket that has seen a surge in its sales: the weighted blanket. Weighted blankets are a useful invention and we do recommend them to particular clients. But weighted blankets do come with certain precautions, and it seems the general public may not always be aware of this.
If you aren’t familiar with them, here’s a little background info. Weighted blankets are just that- blankets filled with material such as plastic pellets to intentionally make them heavier. They come in a range of weights from as little as 5 pounds up to 25 pounds and come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They are marketed to children, adults, and even pets. Websites and advertisements tout their benefits for anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, and restless sleep. The weight is designed to produce a calming effect- like a hug.
From the essentials, such as a carseat or stroller, to the non-essentials (although many may disagree with that classification) like swings, bouncy seats, jumperoos, and more, most parents have plenty of options when it comes to finding a place to put a baby down. But did you know that there is one place for your baby that trumps all the rest in terms of promoting baby’s development, coordination, vision, and more? Yes, it’s true! And it’s free and almost always available. If you guessed the floor, you are correct!
A few weeks back, we shared a post about why believe children should have boundaries with screen time. We gave you some of the reasoning behind our recommendations, but today we wanted to share some practical tips for making this recommendation a reality. Because we are parents too.
It’s mealtime with your 9 month old baby and it’s spaghetti night. You cut the noodles into small bites, put them in a bowl, and top them with some sauce. You sit down with a spoon and start feeding your baby. But she is having none of it. She just keeps grabbing at the spoon. And when she does get her chubby little hands on it, she won’t let go. Spaghetti is starting to fly. If this isn’t bad enough, she begins smearing the bits of stray spaghetti all around on her tray and then…her face. Balled up fists move in the general direction of her mouth, but much of the time they miss their target. You are beginning to regret adding so much sauce to the bowl. While on one hand you can appreciate the cuteness of the moment, you are also desperately hoping to regain control (and cleanliness). Taking a deep breath, you wipe off her face and her tray and start again.
If this scenario sounds familiar, you are not alone. And if the parent’s actions described above sound reasonable to you, you are also not alone. Before our time is up today, I hope to convince you that there is a better way to managing mealtimes with your littles. And that the better way is really quite simple:
If you’ve been in our waiting room recently, you’ve probably noticed our bulletin board about screen time guidelines for kids. And if you’ve been in one of our therapy sessions lately, you’ve likely heard one of your therapists talk about this same issue. It’s something that comes up a lot here at Advent. Why? Because we are convinced that it matters. And we are convinced that there are very real risks to overuse of screen time, especially in very young children. Stay with me here. I am not out to add to your parenting challenges. Trust me. I am a parent too. But I am here to call out the cultural norm and help us navigate a media-heavy society responsibly (and equip our children to do the same). So let’s start with the obvious question: