Finding activities to keep toddlers and preschoolers engaged for more than a few minutes can be challenging. Fall leaves are a perfect sensory-friendly tool to spark a love of nature while building essential skills! Using the colorful leaves around us, you can help your little one explore the outdoors, develop sensory awareness, and enjoy hands-on...
In pediatric occupational therapy, one of the most fundamental principles is meeting a child where they are developmentally. In other words, meeting a child at their developmental capacity. Every child is unique, with different strengths, challenges, and developmental pathways. As therapists, caregivers, and educators, it’s essential to understand a child’s current abilities and support them...
If you’re raising a toddler, picky eating can feel like an everyday battle. You know the routine: Now, you find yourself letting them to eat while watching a video on your phone, or worse, spoon-feeding your three-year-old. The cycle feels endless. It’s no wonder parents feel tired and frustrated. Kids can be picky eaters, and...
As your baby grows into a toddler, their communication skills change dramatically. While they might have a few words, much of their communication still comes from nonverbal cues like gestures, facial expressions, and body language. As an occupational therapist, I work with parents to help them tune into their toddler’s cues, fostering more robust interactions...
In the early stages of a child’s life, connection is the foundation of their emotional, cognitive, and social development. For parents, establishing a strong bond with their baby can feel like both a natural instinct and a daunting challenge. Pediatric occupational therapy offers valuable insights into how you can enhance this connection by emphasizing affect—essentially,...
Mutual joy between a parent and baby is a powerful connection that sets the foundation for healthy emotional and social development. This shared happiness is more than just smiles and laughter; it’s a critical aspect of bonding that supports a baby’s growth, well-being, and learning. Pediatric occupational therapy (OT) can play a vital role in...
Joint attention is a crucial developmental milestone in a baby’s growth, laying the foundation for communication, social interaction, and learning. In pediatric occupational therapy, we focus on fostering this skill to help children engage more meaningfully with their environment and the people around them. But what exactly is it and how can parents support its...
As parents, caregivers, or therapists, we all want to give babies the best start in life. Play is a powerful tool that supports their development in countless ways. In pediatric occupational therapy, play is more than just fun; it’s a crucial part of helping babies develop motor skills, sensory processing, and social-emotional abilities. Here’s how...
For decades, Occupational Therapists specializing in sensory processing have recognized that everyone, everywhere, must be able to process sensory information to effectively navigate and make sense of the world. When sensory information comes into our bodies, our nervous system has to make sense of it so that we know how to respond. It affects how...
Why Kids Need to Move to Learn Movement is essential for keeping kids alert and ready to learn, and we know this. How do kids move? They fidget. Yes, the dreaded fidget. I’m not talking about toys but the natural movements of the body. You do it too. We all do. Yet, somehow in the...
