Toddlers, I understand nobody asked you if you wanted your parents to give you a sibling. Or maybe they did and you said yes. But, hey, you had NO IDEA how utterly it would change your life. As your representative, I will your parents some tips from your viewpoint….
About the New Baby: Tips from Toddlers Read More »
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I’m hopelessly smitten with my grandson, Magnus, who just turned 17 months old. Since his birth, we have made the trek from Pasadena to his home 365 miles to the north to see him at least every month. And we have had video chat catch-ups in between so he wouldn’t forget us, which, as an infant and toddler specialist, I’ve always felt a little guilty about….
Virtual Grandparenting Read More »
By Ruth Anne Hammond Since shelter-in-place became our new normal…in spite of having extra time and multiple reminders a day from my annoying calendar to “Write a Blog,” it’s taken me a long time to settle in to concentrate. Why has it been so hard to get started, and could my experience be relevant or
By Ruth Anne Hammond When 19-month-old Christopher forcefully relieves his friend Tobie of a coveted toy truck, or worse, hits him, both children’s parents are likely to spring into action, with admonishments to share and be nice. It is often shocking and embarrassing to parents to see their toddlers behaving in an aggressive manner. They
Criminality in Toddlers? No Way! 11 Strategies to Help Aggressive Toddlers Calm Down Read More »
By Ruth Anne Hammond 2/25/20 “She thinks it’s funny when I say ‘Ouch!’ Is my child a budding sociopath?” Some form of this question comes up in my practice a lot. Whether a child hits because he is angry, or is just trying out a powerful behavior, this scenario often plays out: The child unexpectedly
My Toddler Laughs When She Hits Me. Why? Read More »
By Ruth Anne Hammond Picture this bowl of multicolored pegs and rubber peg board in my older toddler classroom setup. The children have not seen these objects before as far as I am aware. I know that they can be used to make a very lovely “birthday cake,” or if nested one in the other,
Constructivism — A Fancy Word for “Don’t Be Too Helpful Read More »
It’s so normal to see a parent or grandparent holding a baby’s hands over his head while the baby walks – or pretends to walk. I say “pretends” because until a baby can walk without help, she can’t actually walk. People believe that babies need this help and it’s common for babies to come to
Helping by Holding Back Read More »
How often have I observed parents reacting with mild horror when their 6 month old takes a toy from another baby…as though they ought to have the same moral perspective adults do. It’s actually one of the really fun parts of my job as facilitator of parent-infant classes, because it is really calming to parents
Play, Power & Friendship Read More »
By Ruth Anne Hammond Though we sometimes talk about unassisted movement and free play first when we are introducing people to RIE’s Educaring® Approach, the first priority is always building a warm, trust-inspiring relationship with a baby, whether one is the parent, grandparent, or unrelated caregiver. Without the foundation of knowing that they can count on
RIE® 101 #2: Sensitive Caregiving & Observation Read More »
First, a little background: RIE® has been around a long time. It’s an approach to the care and education of infants and toddlers which is firmly grounded in research in many fields including psychology, medicine and education. As I wrote in 2016, “Resources for Infant Educarers®, often referred to by its acronym, RIE®, is a not-for-profit
RIE® 101 #1: Trust, Play & Observation Read More »
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