IntelliMoving! Understanding and supporting your baby's creeping, crawling and walking development

Between 6 months to 12 months your baby’s understanding of the world and how she experiences it changes dramatically. Rather then relying on you to move her through her surroundings, your baby will explore and master different locomotor movements that allow her to travel through space. This newfound independence will lead to many new discoveries about her body and the world around her.

Daily tummy time together on the floor ensures your baby will develop the core and spinal strength needed to successfully master locomotor movements. Creeping, crawling and toddling require your baby to use her increasing strength and coordination through body and brain integration as both sides of the body move in unison. You and your baby will both be amazed at what she can achieve when you move and explore together.

Right on Sight: Infant Vision Development

What can my Baby See?

Your baby is born with the capacity to see distances from her nose to as far as the horizon. However she still lacks the muscle control and brain development to properly focus on objects farther then an arm’s length away. Over the next 8 months her retina and brain with learn to work together to improve her ability to focus at varying distances and see detail.

Your baby will reflexively be drawn to high contrast colors and patterns, like geographic black and white patterns. However, if bold retro prints do not suite your taste, fear not! Dr. Russell D. Hamer of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute states that:

By about 2 months of age your baby is capable of perceiving almost all of the subtle shadings that make our visual world so rich, textured and interesting: shadings in clouds, shadows that are unique to your face; even see a white teddy bear on a white couch!(What Can My Baby See? 1990)

Creative Mom Confessions: Craft versus Art

To dispel any rumors that I am a "super mom", I have decided to confess some things to you. My hope is that it will show you I am just like any other parent, trying my best to be flexible in the craziness that is raising a family. That my ideas do not live in a creative purist vacuum. That I am not perfect. How boring is it to read only about perfect people?

So let's tackle something I have had a few of you ask me about: Craft versus Art

Balancing Beauty

"Mama you look sooooo beeeauuuutifuullll!" were the words that oozed out of Bria last night when she came home to find me looking like this:

I was on my way to the 2011 Fierce Women of the Year Awards as a nominee in the Rising Star Category. I think I managed to pull off a fiercely beautiful look. With the help from a friend who is a professional makeup artist, a great dress, fantastic new shoes, and lots of teasing, straightening and hair spray. I looked beautiful! I felt beautiful....

Listen, Watch, or Do: Your Child's Learning Style

Learning styles can best be described as the brain’s preferred way of receiving, processing and expressing information. While there are many different theories, describing equally as many learning styles, we are going to be focusing on the VAK Theory of learning styles, which include Visual, Auditory & Kinesthetic learning styles.

Fingers and Fun: Fine Motor Development in Toddlers

Developing Fine Motor Skills

Between 12-24 months, your toddler is making major leaps in her gross motor development. Standing, walking, running, and climbing keep her on the go and keep you on your toes. During your busy day it can be easy to overlook some of the fine motor skills your toddler is working on mastering, but if you watch closely you will be amazed at her growth!

By 12 months your toddler has begun using a pincer grasp, picking up objects using his thumb and index finger. He may bang two blocks together or place them in a container while playing. He will start voluntarily letting go of an object (as long as you have something more interesting he wants) and may use his index finger to point to new or desired objects. Over the next 12 months, he will work on refining these skills further, developing more control and precision.

Giving Thanks

I love Thanksgiving. It's a time to reflect and celebrate all the blessings in our lives. This year I have so much to be truly thankful for...

Chris

I could not ask for a better partner to travel with on this journey of life. He supports me, challenges me, and loves me more fiercely then I could have ever imagined. It's cliche to say but Chris is my best friend. He understands me better then anyone (sometimes even better then I understand myself). I have watched him grow into an amazing father and role model for our girls.

Go and Stop: Your busy, busy Toddler

Developing Body Awareness

Between the ages of 1-2 your toddler is rapidly changing and growing. One of the biggest changes in your toddler’s development is his increasing movement vocabulary and strong desire to explore his world. However, despite this drive towards independence your toddler still needs your guidance.

Before age two, your toddler still does not have perspective about the world. He has limited body awareness in relation to things around him, meaning he will often bump into objects, people and pets. He also does not understand potential dangerous consequences of his actions, such as running out onto a busy street or climbing up onto a high counter.

Why Conceptual Dance?

I didn't grow up going to a traditional dance studio studying Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. In fact, until I was in high school my actual formal dance technique was fairly limited compared to the girls in the dance classes at the fine arts high school I attended. However, what I learned very quickly was that mattered little in terms of catching on and catching up. It certainly didn't impact my ability to perform alongside my more technically savvy peers.

I figured out pretty early on I didn't have the typical "dancers body". My legs weren't long enough, my flexibility was only average, my turn out was pretty pathetic. But I didn't care. I loved to dance. I decided that despite these short comings I was a good dancer. Maybe even great!

School Readiness: Back to the "Basics"

New clothes and shoes bought? Check! School supplies organized and ready to go? Check! Kids backpack, shoes, and coats labeled? Check! Identification of colors, animals, name, and other basic facts? Check!

With all of this done you are feeling (mostly) confident about your little ones journey into preschool and kindergarten. And so you should! You've accomplished a lot and should be celebrating your child's next big milestone!

But before you drop them off for their first day of school here are some, important but often overlooked, skills that will make your child's first experience at school empowering and positive! Trust me their teacher will thank you!

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