The Truth About Toddlers

Whatever profession you are in, you usually seem to gather books and articles and magazines that focus on that subject.  It's the same for those of us in Early Intervention.  I have a couple of fabulous books called Baby 411 and Toddler 411 by Denise Fields and Dr. Ari Brown.  Here is a little excerpt from Toddler 411,

The three truths about parenting a toddler

1.  You can't make a kid eat, sleep, or poop on the potty.  Yes, toddlers have a will all their own - and if they don't want to do any of the above, darn it, that's the way it is.  Nope, you have to come well-armed with a series of clever strategies and tricks to work some magic.

2.  Parenting is the great equilizer.  No matter whether you're a CEO or a working stiff, parenting a toddler puts us all in the same place.  We all have to deal with the same anxieties, concerns and frustrations.  And yes, even the experts (ahem) have had their toddler throw a tantrum when its time to leave the playground.

3.  Monkey see, monkey do.  Long gone are the days when you could behave badly and have your little newborn look up at you with a blank stare.  Nope, your toddler is studying all your moves . . . so if you expect your toddler NOT to throw a tantrum or utter curse words, you have to set the example.

Now I realize that none of those truths are earth-shattering, in fact they are simple truths of raising a toddler.

The book goes on to provide tricks and tips for parenting a toddler.  There are a lot of parenting books out there.  I have tried to focus my time and energy on the ones that are practical and helpful (not the "How to Raise a Genius" ones).  These two books seem to be good reference material and you are not required to read them from cover to cover to find all the secrets.  Soon I hope to post a list of the Staff Favorites.  But for now, what is your favorite parenting book/author?

Picky Eaters and Problem Feeders

One of the frequently voiced concerns of parents of young children is about food.  There is a difference between picky eaters and problem feeders. 

Picky eaters are choosy.  They tolerate about 40 different foods.  They may seem to not be able to get enough of a certain food and then they will stop eating that food only to pick it up again later.  If you think you have a picky eater, just be patient and they will cycle around to foods you thought they were done with forever.  Also, don't be sneaky about their food.  If you are diluting their juice, let them see you do it so they don't get suspicious about what you are doing.  They may cut that food out forever, if they are worried about what you are doing.

Problem feeders tolerate less than 40 foods, and like picky eaters, they may go on a food jag, but when they stop eating that food, they will never pick it up again.  This whittles down your options of what to feed your child.

Don't be too concerned if your child doesn't eat a good dinner.  Look at a child's diet over a weeks time - not by each meal or even a day at a time.  Look at the whole child to determine health - weight, skin, eyes, energy level, hair, etc.  Also, consider portion sizes.  Make a fist - the size of your fist is about the size of your stomach.  Look at the difference between the size of your fist and the size of your child's stomach.  Make sure you are giving your child portions that are the right size for them - not the right size for you.

Here are some ideas to help your child eat healthier:

• Watch the sugar intake - avoid the sugar roller coaster.  The occurs about 2 hours after eating sugar.  The child will become angry and hungry.
• Give your child the gift of hunger - at least 2 hours between meals and snacks.
• If you are trying to get your child to eat more, give food first and then liquid.  
• Consider that it generally takes 21 presentations of a new food to get used to it.  Keep offering, but don't pressure.  Most children will try a new food once they are aquainted with it.
• Many children are starving for outside play.  Outdoor play increases appetite and also provides health benefits from fresh air and sunshine.
• Let your child have fun with food.  Read a book that incorporates food and then serve those foods to your child. (Hungry Caterpillar or Stone Soup)
• Make edible play dough.  There are a variety of play dough recipes on playdoughrecipe.com.  Make sure the recipe you choose is edible before you let your child take a bite.

At a workshop I attending on mealtime success, a presentation was made regarding Primary Foods and Secondary Foods.  Primary Foods need to be taken care of first and include physical activity (outdoor play), relationships (taking turns, playing with family and friends), imaginary play, and self care (doing chores or choosing activities).  Secondary foods are the actual foods that your child will eat.  We have to take care of Primary Foods first if we want our children to eat a healthy diet.  Remember - There is not enough broccoli to make a bad day okay.

If you have more questions or concerns about your child's eating habits, give us a call.

May Community Activities

The weather is turning nice!  Hopefully everyone made it through the wind storm without much damage to property or personal injury.

Here are the community activities happening in Davis County in May:

• May 7th at 9:00 am, North Salt Lake is celebrating Arbor Day by planting trees at 655 No. Fox hollow Drive.  Bring shovels and/or gloves and enjoy the morning with friends and neighbors.
• May 7th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm is Davis County Safe Kids Day at the Legacy Events Center Arena (151 South 1100 West Farmington).  A variety of activities will be available to educate families to be more active, improve safely and live a healthy life.  Activities include:  300 free bike helmets give out, Teddy Bear Clinic, Go Karts, Prize drawings, Fire trucks, Police cars, Food trucks, inflatable slide, Face painting, scales and reptile show.
• May 8th is Mothers Day - Mothers are wonderful things!
• May 11th through the 14th is the Bountiful Chalk Art Festival on Main Street.

If you know of any other activities that are available to the public, please share!

Sensory Friendly Kids Summer Movies

New this year, Sensory Friendly Showings!

In support of World Autism Awareness Month, Megaplex Theatres is offering Sensory Friendly auditoriums at all participating locations for the 2016 Megaplex Kids Summer Movies program from Logan to Mesquite. Sensory Friendly Movies provide an atmosphere in the auditorium that is more welcoming and less stressful for families with children on the Autism spectrum or other special needs. The volume of the film is lower and the auditorium lights are left brighter than in a regular screening. Guests who need to stand, move, or make noise during the movie are welcome to do so without worrying about disrupting others. While recording is still prohibited inside the auditorium, guests who need them are welcome to keep their electronic devices turned on.

“Since we first opened, Megaplex Theatres has hosted a variety of individual screenings and events for those with special needs; however, this is the first time we have dedicated a second auditorium across all of our participating locations for the full ten week run of the Kids Summer Movies,” said Blake Andersen, president of Megaplex Theatres. “Our goal is to follow the vision of Larry H. Miller and the Miller family and provide all of our guests with the best experience possible.”

       
Centerville              Ogden
Legacy Crossing    The Junction


Go to this website: http://www.megaplextheatres.com/kidsmovies and click on the theater you want to go to for the schedule and to purchase passes online.

Busy Box Ideas for Babies

The information about building busy boxes is from http://blog.melissaanddoug.com/2014/04/09/busy-boxes/

5 simple Tips for Successful Busy Boxes for babies

1. Keep it simple: Limit each basket to 5-10 items. Babies can get easily overwhelmed and clean up will be kept at a minimum for later. One of my daughter’s favorite busy box is match and build soft blocks. She can stack, shake, and bang as she investigates her busy box.

2. Keep it Safe: When choosing your items for your baby’s busy boxes, keep in mind simple safety guidelines. Most babies still put everything in their mouths, so you will want to make sure each item is safe and large enough that it isn’t a danger. For example, in your busy box of balls you would want to use baby-safe balls that are larger than the opening in a toilet paper tube. No marble.

3. Switch It Up: I have found that a successful busy box system is a rotating one. Switching out the toys frequently will allow your baby to work on new skills, learn new vocabulary, and will keep your baby engaged longer (which mean more time for you to cook that dinner).

4. Model Play: Babies at this age are still learning ever day. They do not automatically know how to play with each busy box. Each time you introduce a new toy or a new box, it is helpful to spend one on one time teaching your baby how to play. This might mean playing a game of hide and go seek with the counting crocodile under the fabric scraps. Or it might mean playing a game of “Shake Shake Shake” with child-safe musical instruments.

5. Encourage Sibling Play: I can not count the number of times one of my boys (ages 6 & 8) have entertained their sister while I work with the other one. Not only does it buy me some time, it encourages my boys to be independence and teach their sister skills. Since all of the toys in the busy bin are simple, it gives the older children some authority and allows them to take pride in helping out.

http://squigglesandbubbles.blogspot.com/2014/05/five-fun-busy-boxes-for-baby.html gives us 5 ideas to draw from as you start your little one with busy boxes with things around your house.

Today's theme is Baby Activities and I've decided to share five fun busy boxes with you. When I talk about 'busy boxes' I'm simply talking about a simple discovery box which will keep babies (and toddlers!) busy for a couple of minutes. 

Busy Boxes don't have to be complex or expensive, they can simply be made up of whatever you have on hand.

Here's five simple ideas to get you started:

Tupperware Busy Box
To make this box up I simply raided my plastics cupboard-I chose an array of containers with different closures-twisting lids, snap on lids and easy to remove lids. I then placed some containers inside bigger ones and in others I placed random jar and bottle top lids.

A very simple set up but it's a favourite with both Squiggles and  Bubbles and keeps them busy for at least 15minutes.

Teapot Busy Box
This busy box was inspired by Squiggles as she discovered my old teapot  a few weeks ago and has since been obsessed with taking the lid off and putting it back on again. Seeing as she's so taken with the teapot I decided to extend the way she plays with it by placing it in a box along with a silicone muffin tin and a dozen plastic balls

Squiggles had great fun trying to stuff the balls into the teapot and balancing them delicately in the muffin tin, it not only kept her occupied for half an hour the first time I gave it to her, it's still keeping her busy three weeks later.

Duplo Busy Box
Got Duplo (or building blocks)? Got jars? Then you have all you  need for this  activity!

All I did for this box was give Squiggles a couple of glass jars with a box of duplo, she had so much fun filling the jars up with duplo and then dumping them out on the ground again. She was also quite interested in putting the lid on and off of  the duplo box again.

Basket of Balls 
Ok, so not technically a busy 'box' but this is one of my favourite busy activities. Simply grab a picnic basket with a lid and fill it with balls, oranges or anything else you have on hand!

This activity keeps both Squiggles and Bubbles busy for ages-Squiggles loves taking the balls out of one lid and then placing them back in through the other lid.

Cedar Ring Busy Box
Another basket but you could also pop these things in a box.

For this box I simply placed a large and small cardboard tube in a basket along with a jar full of cedar rings.

Squiggles had lots of fun placing the cedar rings into the big tube and then eventually decided to wear the tube as a very large bracelet.

April Activities and How to Disconnect the Tech

There are not many community events planned for April, so take time to go out and enjoy the nice spring weather.

Disconnect the Tech

Technology is everywhere and it is being used by younger and younger children.  Most children today have been using technology almost since birth.  Recently, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), polled parents of children under the age of eight regarding their daily use of technology.  The results are thought-provoking.  Parents reported that 62% of the two-year olds use tablets, 59% use smart phones, and 44% use game consoles.  Despite these findings, a majority of parents reported that they believe technology negatively impacts the quality and quantity of conversations with their children.

This begs the question, "What impact does technology have on communication development in young children?"  While the implications of technology use are not yet fully understood, we do know that human interaction is essential for speech and language development.  Because the brains of young children develop rapidly during their first years and they learn best by interacting with people, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that screens be avoided altogether until a child turns two.  According to the Urban Child Institute, there are other good reasons to limit your child's technology use:

• Technology use can limit conversation and interaction that is crucial for vocabulary growth in young children. Studies have proven that there is a link between the number and variety of words a child hears and later success in school.
• Watching lots of television can lead to weaker language skills.
• Screen time, especially before bedtime, can interfere with sleep.
• Relying on technology for entertainment limits time for important creative play which has a crucial role in language and brain development.

So, how can you create "unplugged" time for your child?  ASHA suggests these tips to manage your child's use of technology and create meaningful alternatives to screen time:

• Choose toys that inspire creativity.  Age-appropriate craft supplies, dress-up props, and building blocks keep children busy and engage them in make-believe play.
• Include your child in daily chores.  Young children readily imitate adults.  Offer your child opportunities to participate in daily tasks such as sorting laundry, dusting furniture, or watering plants.
• Reading and sharing stories is not just for bedtime.  Consider reading or telling stories to your child during the daytime too.  Shared stories help children learn early sequencing, vocabulary and grammar skills.
• Get on the floor and play with your child.  Children learn important social skills such as turn-taking, sharing, and conversation from joint play activities.  Playing with your child also gives you the opportunity to communicate with your child and model good language skills.
• Let your child get dirty!  Outdoor play helps young children develop gross motor skills and provides opportunities for encounters they can't have in an indoor environment.  Play in the backyard, visit a local park, or find a playgroup.

Article taken from www.handyhandouts.com.

Autism Awareness Month and KUED

This information is from KUED.  They have some great resources for information for Autism Awareness Month.

April is Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month and KUED Kids, in partnership with Discovery Gateway, is hosting a FREE event for children of all abilities in a sensory-sensitive environment. Watch the new episode of Dinosaur Train; dig in a dinosaur "dig pit;" follow Buddy's feet through an obstacle course; and, enjoy gluten-free and casein-free snacks!

Families will receive information on the "Learn the Signs. Act Early" campaign, which helps parents track the developmental milestones of all their little dinosaurs. Representatives from Autism Council of Utah and Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning along with Utah’s Act Early Representative will be joining us to answer any of your questions. Identifying autism and other developmental disabilities early gives children their best chance at reaching their full potential.

Autism Resources From PBS

Autism Awareness featuringDinosaur Train

Thomas and Friends Autism Collection

Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children

Inclusive Communities "How to Help Children with Autism"

NEW Arthur Episode "Carl's Concerto/Too Much of a Good Thing"

Other Autism Resources

CDC "Learn the Signs. Act Early" Resources (Free books, brochures and Spanish language materials)

Autism Council of Utah

Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning

Autism Speaks

Utah Autism Coalition