Baby-Led Adventures – 5 Reasons Babies Need To Lead

Babies are born adventurers. If we give them our full attention and a completely safe, reasonably interesting place in which they are free to move, they’re on their way. Even the youngest infant can lead us on play adventures if we watch closely and use our imagination, because long before a baby has motor abilities, the wheels are turning. He’s seeing, hearing, feeling and thinking. He’s never “just lying...

See Baby Learn – One Boy, Many Experiments (On Video)

Babies are natural self-learners. Well-rested, fed, emotionally nurtured, and in the absence of intense teething pain or other discomfort, even the youngest infants are curious explorers. All babies need is a safe, peaceful environment, some basic objects to examine (unnecessary until they are 3 or 4 months old) and many opportunities throughout the day to move freely and make their own choices without our...

Self-Motivated Babies – Learning How To Learn

Nine month old Lucy initiated the “Great Migration” in parent/infant class last week by becoming the first infant to hit the deck (crawl to it, that is), through the open doors of the playroom. “That’s it…say goodbye to your daughter. She’s off!” one of the dads joked.  Lucy had almost ventured out the week before but decided to stop at the doorway and investigate tape wrapped around the bottom corner...

Independent Infant Play – Make It Happen

In A Creative Alternative To Baby TV Time I suggest following infant expert Magda Gerber’s advice to develop a baby’s natural ability to play independently.  A recent commenter on the post, Mary Ellen, asked some questions and raised issues I thought worth sharing: i still would like to know what a parent is doing (or not doing) for a baby to play independently for 3-4 hours straight…. i would also like to...

Problems With Attachment Parenting – Note From A Mum

I recently received this email from a mother in Australia, and she kindly allowed me to share it with you. Hi Janet, I am just wondering if you have any advice on how I can get my 8 month old baby to play independently.  I have been following the Dr. Sears Attachment Parenting philosophy pretty rigidly since James was born and to my dismay, he is now super clingy, whiny, wakes up every 2 hours at night to nurse,...

Exercise Affects Baby Brains – And 6 Other Reasons To Let Your Baby Move

Recent studies confirm the connection between physical activity and enhanced cognitive functioning in children, middle-aged adults, even the elderly. Exercise builds muscle, increases coordination, strengthens immunity, speeds metabolism, elevates moods and activates the mind. So, there’s hope for us all if we can just keep moving. Thankfully, our infants don’t need to go to the gym, take exercise classes, or be...

Don’t Stand Me Up

An infant sits stiffly on the floor, unable to move his legs or extend his arms without losing his balance… A toddler steps off a platform and takes a tumble… Another toddler climbs the bars to the top of a wooden structure, then panics and cries out for his mom, who rushes over to rescue him… These are children who are less physically self-assured than they might be for one simple reason: their motor skills...

Set Me Free – Unrestricted Babies (And Equipment They Don’t Need)

Many months after becoming a mom I realized a shocking truth: we don’t need to buy every contraption on display at the baby super store! I had fallen into the trap of believing I needed all the technology that was available. I naively assumed that these products must be in stores because they were helpful and necessary, and no one had advised me to do otherwise. ‘Luckily,’ I found hand-me-downs from...