Supplies: Watercolors and Brush Construction Paper Scissors The letters L,O,V,E Glue Crayons Directions: On a piece of white construction paper or card stock allow your child to cover it with paint using fingers or brush! Leaving white is fine and then allow to dry. Trace letters on the dry painted paper. I had letters from my teaching days laying around but drug stores, Target, Walmart all carry letters in their paper section. If you have a dye-cut machine of course you coul

Let your child copy you. Your little one likes to copy what you do — eating, washing, cooking, cleaning. She may try to feed you pieces of food the way you feed her. If you accept the food and show you enjoy it, she will laugh. This makes her feel important. Copy each other.Your little one will really enjoy having you copy her. That shows her that what she does is important to you. Try copying her hand movements, her play activities, her body movements, or copy what she is sa

Supervised tummy time helps strengthen your baby's neck, shoulder, and arm muscles. It also helps prevent flat spots on the back of your baby's head. You can also help prevent flat spots by limiting the baby’s time spent in car seats (once the baby is out of the car) and changing the direction the infant lays in the sleep area from week to week.

"We can all be heroes" is the message entertainingly told in this picture-book biography series from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Brad Meltzer. “Kids always search for heroes, so we might as well have a say in it,” Brad Meltzer realized, and so he envisioned this friendly, fun approach to biography – for his own kids, and for yours. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in a vivacious, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction reader

With short and simple rhyming text, the Llama Llama board books introduce Llama Llama to babies and toddlers before they’re ready for longer full-length stories. And their small size and durable pages are perfect for little hands. In Llama Llama I Love You, little llama shows his friends and family how much he loves them with heart-shaped cards and lots of hugs. What could be sweeter than Llama Llama on Valentine's Day?

Newborn Screening Newborn screenings are required in every state. Newborn screenings are important because they can detect problems, many of which can be corrected if found early. Some states screen with one test and other states require two tests. The first test was given at the hospital before your baby came home. If you live in a state that requires two tests, the second test is done at the first well baby checkup, usually at 1 to 2 weeks of age. If you aren’t sure whether

I always got a bit nervous a few days before my toddler's doctor appointments where I knew she was going to have to get a shot. As I began exploring why, I tried to recall my childhood experiences with doctors and vaccines. From what I can remember, my mom rarely told me when I was getting a shot and usually responded with "I don't know" if I asked her directly. While it may be true that she didn't know, recalling these memories takes me back to a place of anxiety and nervous

Household chores promote hands-on learning Chores help children: develop eye-hand coordination organize sequences understand how parts make up the whole learn to solve problems Children learn best with active chores that they understand. Everyday tasks can be a fun way to spend quality time with your child. These tasks are a better way to help your child prepare for school than workbook sheets on numbers, letters or words. Children learn to be responsible in small steps. Firs

I need someone to love me, feed me, hold me, and play with me. I like to feel warm, but not hot. Watch for these signs that I’m too warm: sweating, damp hair, flushed cheeks, heat rash, rapid breathing. I don’t like lots of noise. I like to be held gently and very close. I like to sleep a lot. I am hungry every few hours. I may be fussy and cry a lot. My head is large and my arms and legs are short. When you hold me, place your arm under my neck to help support my head. I kee

Children younger than 3 years of age tend to put everything in their mouth as a way of exploring their environment, but with this comes the risk of choking. It's something I've seen often as an emergency room pediatrician. Choking on small parts, while preventable, is one of the leading causes of injury and death in infants and children younger than 3 years old. Coins and toys account for most nonfood-related choking events among children. It is notable that not all toys labe