The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no fruit juice for children during the first year of life. This is a change from previous policy; until 2017 they recommended no fruit juice during the first 6 months. Read More
Parent Tips
Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning
By Allison Browne, MPH Lead Screening Promotion CoordinatorOffice of Environmental Public Health SciencesWashington State Department of Health Did you know that the week of October 20th to 26th is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week? Exposure to lead can cause serious damage to a child’s development. If lead gets into a child, it can cause brain Read More
A Little Less Bumpy Summer To Fall Transitions
Helping Preschoolers and Kindergartners Transition from Summer to Fall It’s that time of year when the leaves change, the temperatures drop, the nights begin to get longer and the days get shorter. Plans, structure, and preparation help you transition to the new season. Even when a change is positive, it can still trigger stress as Read More
Creating attachment with child-focused playtime
Child-focused playtime fosters trust and attachment. While you might also notice increased cooperation after adding this special bonding time to your day, the most important goal is to nurture your deep parent-child connection. Child-focused playtime is reflecting and supporting your child’s activities and interests without sharing your feelings and opinions about them. You might find Read More
Cooperative Play And Socialization
Do infants need to socialize? Many parents I work with wonder how important it is to socialize their infants—spending time with other children the same age–to develop social skills. Parents are usually surprised when I tell them that cooperative play and sharing skills don’t emerge until at least 3 years old! Infants tend to interact Read More
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
By JK Rowling After years of my niece telling me I just HAD to read Harry Potter, I finally got it from the library. I was lucky enough to get the edition with Jim Kay’s illustrations, which are terrific. I have to admit; I wasn’t looking forward to this read. I’m not much into magical/fantasy Read More