The early years of childhood lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning. In this critical period, books emerged as a paramount influence. Books serve as invaluable companions in a child’s developmental journey. The significance of introducing books during early childhood extends far beyond literacy; it nurtures curiosity, fosters a love for exploration, and establishes a vital connection between parent and child. 

1. My Body Sends A Signal: Helping Children Recognize Emotion and Express Feelings by. Natalia Maguire

Summary: Children experience a wide range of feelings and emotions. However, some kids don’t have the vocabulary to express their feelings. Children often express emotions through tantrums, physical movements, and gestures. In this sweet and colorful book, children are explained what emotions are and where they come from. This book teaches children that every emotion felt is normal but can be expressed differently.  

Book Influence: This book can help parents teach children about emotional well-being. The book teaches children that it’s normal to feel emotions. However, some emotions need to be expressed in different ways. Children are taught emotional self-regulation and strategies to manage and control their internal state. This book will help you explain emotions and how to describe them. This book also offers children new vocabulary to help them talk about emotions. Parents should allow children to talk about emotions and encourage their children to describe their internal state.

2. My Magical Foods by Becky Cummings

Summary: This colorful and vibrant book introduces children with picky eating behaviors to nutritious foods. The book helps instill healthy eating habits in young children through illustrations of cool animals with plant-based diets and vibrant pictures. The book teaches children about the natural process of fruits and vegetables and the variety of meals they can make. 

Book Influence: This book offers parents strategies on how to incorporate fruits and vegetables into children’s diets. Parents can use this book to teach children about the importance of healthy foods and a balanced diet.

3. Polley and the Screen Time overload by Betsy Childs Howard

Summary:This book follows a girl named Polly, who used to like visiting her grandpa’s farm. However, all that came to a halt when she got a new tablet. Now, Polly spends her time in the house playing games and watching shows. This fun and vibrant book shows the reality of the overindulgence of technology and the consequences on family and social connections.

Book Influence: This book teaches parents and children the dangers of technology. The over consumption of technology by parents and kids negatively impacts their emotional, social, and cognitive well-being. Parents can introduce children to the importance of bonding with technology. Parents can talk to children about enjoying technology within healthy limits. 

References: 

Howard, B. (2022). Polley and the Screen Time overload. Crossway.

Maguire, N. (2020). My Body Sends A Signal: Helping Children Recognize Emotion and Express Feelings. Natalia Magvayr.

Cummings, B. (2020).My Magical Foods. Boundless Movement.

Lbreiseth. (2023, January 4). Choosing diverse books for your ells: Tips for educators. Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/choosing-diverse-books-your-ells-tips-educators

NAEYC. (n.d.). Technology and young children: Preschoolers and Kindergartners. NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/technology-and-media/preschoolers-and-kindergartners 

As you prepare to be a new parent or are already the parent to a toddler, it’s imperative to understand the effects certain factors can have on the development of your infant or toddler. In this blog, we’ll dive into some factors influencing your child’s development.

Nutrition

Children need nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals for a strong and healthy body and mind. Breastfeeding can also act as a special bonding for parent-child attachment. Participation in family meal time is where children mimic their parents’ food choices, patterns, and behaviors. It’s where the social aspect of feeding expands, limits are set as the child develops independent eating skills. Accessibility to foods, interactions, feeding, and media exposure shapes the child’s food preferences and eating behaviors ( Liu & Stein, 2013). The child-feeding relationship is influenced by their temperament and the parent’s behaviors. Infants develop self-regulation and secure attachment when the parent allows them to determine meal timing, pace, and amount. Motor and social skills develop for a toddler whose parent provides limits and structure while they explore their environment (Liu & Stein, 2013). Temperament can affect the child’s interaction and response to new food and parenting behaviors. Effective parenting adjusts and responds to a child’s temperament. 

Some problems that can arise with feeding such as:

• Overeating. As the rates of overweight and obesity rise in the United States. Children are at risk for not only physical problems such as diabetes and hypertension but also emotional/social issues such as poor self-image and isolation (Liu & Stein, 2013).
• Not gaining weight/under eating can result from children having more interest in their environment than meals. Another cause could be parents’unrealistic expectations of weight gain and small food portions (Liu & Stein, 2013).
• Feeding behavior problems. Children may become pickier with food choices. Children with traumas related to food, such as choking, could develop food phobias (Liu & Stein, 2013).
• Unhealthy food choices could be due to inaccessibility to healthier food options or advertisements for unhealthy food. 

Parents suggestion

According to the CDC (2022), children two and older should have healthy and well-balanced diets.

• The diet should include a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-dairy products, and a variety of protein and oils. 
• Parents should limit children’s access to and consumption of sugary drinks with empty calories. (CDC, 2022).
• Introduce and encourage your child to try a variety of new foods.
• 

The Family Dynamic 

The structure and family environment play a significant role in a child’s development. Children learn from the moment they are born through observation and exploration. Family members and family becomes their first teacher. Interaction with family structures creates the foundation of child development they use later in life. 

Developmental implication

• Parents and other members family teach children motor skills, such as how to sit, hold cups, and walk. The motor skills that children learn help them develop a sense of autonomy and independence. 
• Face-to-face conversations and nonverbal communication with family members help infants develop early language skills. Interactions with the child also help develop the child’s social/emotional skills.
• By teaching young children basic emotions and skills, they learn to regulate emotions. Children began to model and mimic the behaviors and values of parents and family members. Family teaches children basic skills to conduct themselves in society. 
• Children rely on family to provide them with the basic needs necessary for life. Children develop a sense of security from the nurturing bonds you create with them.

Family suggestions

• Build security with children by creating schedules and being acceptive.
• Be responsive to the emotional needs of the child. 
• Be active and promote play and physical movement.
• Engage in frequent verbal and nonverbal communication.

The Implications of Tecnoference

Technoference, coined by social scientists, describes the influence technology has on our relationships( McDaniel & Coyne, 2016). These interferences are producing negative consequences for young children and infants. Consequences include emotional well-being impairment, poor behavior, delayed development of language, and an increase in accidental injuries (Zimmerke, 2019). 

• Emotion well-being impairment: As an infant’s brain develops, bonding is crucial for optimal well-being. To form an infant’s emotional attachment, verbal communication is vital. Infants need their parents’ nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, body language, and facial expression. The mixture of nonverbal and verbal communication aids them with emotional regulation. Research shows that infants’ ability to attach to other people later in life is influenced by the quality of support received by caregivers (Sroufe, 1996 as cited in, Zimmerle, 2019). Parents distracted by screens miss the opportunity to connect and bond with their children. When Using a screen during family activity or time with the child, time for verbal/nonverbal communication and play decreases. The same goes for background television, also being linked with poor parent-child interaction due to a lack of conversation (Zimmerele, 2019). 
• Poor Behavior: Research has suggested that children often misbehave the more a parent uses their screen. McDaniel and Radesky (2017) conducted a study reporting that children under the age of five years demonstrated poor behaviors, including tantrums, frustration, sulking, hyperactivity, and whining more often for patients with high technology use compared to the children of parents with less frequent use. They also reported that the parents indicated withdrawal of the child the more they misbehaved, leading to increased use of screens (McDaniel & Radesky, 2017). These findings suggest a continuous cycle of poor parent-child interaction. 
• Delayed language Development: Infants’ need for verbal and nonverbal communication from parents is vital for the child’s language development. Studies indicate that a child’s vocabulary accurately echos their parent’s vocabulary (Zimmerle, 2019). Parents who engage in frequent conversation while using quality vocabulary with children have children who develop verse vocabulary and vice versa for the opposite effect (Hart Risley, 2003). Vocabulary at three is a strong predictor for third-grade literacy. Frequent talk with your infant is critical for stimulating early language development. 

Parent suggestions to limit technology consumption:

• Use in-app or third-party apps to limit screen time and apps on devices. Some of these in-app features include downtime for Apple devices, where you can reduce screen time by limiting app usage.
• Engage in tech-free activities such as storybook reading, creative arts, outdoor play time, and games that don’t need equipment. 

References

Zimmerle, J. C. (2019). Limiting Technoference: Healthy Screen Time Habits for New Parents. International Journal of Childbirth Education, 34(2), 54–59.

McDaniel, B. T., & Radesky, J. (2017). Technoference: Parent distraction by
technology and associations with child behavior problems. Child Development, 89(1). doi:10.1111/cdev.12822

McDaniel, B. T., & Coyne, S. M. (2016). “Technoference”: The interference of technology in couple relationships and implications for women’s personal and relational well-being. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 5(1), 85-98.
doi:10.1037/ppm0000065

Ben-Joseph, E. pearl (Ed.). (2022, August). Media use guidelines: Babies & toddlers (for parents) – nemours kidshealth. KidsHealth. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/screentime-baby-todd.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, August 5). Childhood nutrition facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm

Liu, Y. H., & Stein, M. T. (2013, September). Feeding behaviour of infants and young children and its impact on child psychosocial and emotional development. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/child-nutrition/according-experts/feeding-behaviour-infants-and-young-children-and-its-impact-child

South Carolina Department of Social Services. (2021, May 18). Why is family important in a child’s development? ABC Quality. https://abcquality.org/blog/why-is-family-important-in-a-child-s-development/#:~:text=Because%20a%20child%20relies%20on,their%20family%20members%20and%20caregivers.

As your Infant grows and explores their environment, new milestones begin to pop up. As Your child achieves one milestone, it becomes a snowball effect and trickles into a more complex achievement. A milestone in the physical, social, cognitive, and language domains becomes an intermesh of systems that grow and support one another.

Physical Domain Milestones: Walking

Motor skills become a product of the earlier attainment and contributor to the new skill, which is individually tailored to the factors internal and external to the child (Berk & Meyers, 2016). Meaning, that the display of skills such as sitting, crawling, and walking can occur in any order depending on the child’s environment. The physical domain is dominated by motor development, where the skills achieved are interrelated. Each skill joins and supports the other, giving way to the dynamic systems theory of motor development. Dynamic system theory describes the attainment of a complex system of actions leading to the mastery of motor skills. Children control and explore their environment in effective ways, separate abilities to cooperate with others, blending producing systems(Berk & Meyers, 2016). For instance, the blending of crawling, standing, and stepping come together for walking. The following factors are a joint product for each new skill: 1. Development of the central nervous system, 2. capacities of body movement, 3. the goal of the child, and 5. the support of the environment (Berk & Meyers, 2016). 

Walking is a gross motor skill that the average baby achieves at 11 months and three weeks. However, the age range for walking is 9-17 months. Children can hit the walking milestone earlier or later depending on the factors of the child. The signs a parent should look out for when a child is learning to walk are:

• Pulling up: After your baby learns the sitting position, holding a study object, they stand from a seated position (Mercy, 2022). 
• Cruising: Following the mastery of the ability to get up and down, babies begin moving a couple of steps while holding a study object. During this stage, with the guidance of study objects, your baby will practice walking. In the cruising stage, your baby develops muscle strength, coordination, and balance. Practice will boost your baby’s confidence, and you will notice them holding the standing position for a few seconds before plopping back down (Mercy, 2022). 
• Standing: Babies hold their arms out for balance once they can stand up without support. There will be a continuing cycle of standing and then sitting, assuring your child is ready to walk (Mercy, 2022).

Motor mastery of walking will involve intense practicing that involves six hours or more per day and traveling the length of the 29-foot ball field. Children will fall on average 32 times an hour but cry less and get up within seconds. Gradually, their child becomes longer, their legs more symmetric, their feet closer together, and toes pointed forward (Berk & Meyers, 2016).  

Parental support

Remember that your baby’s motor skills support and depend on each other. The changes in your baby’s motor system cause it to become less stable. This instability forces them to make changes and explore new ones for an effective system (Berk & Meyers, 2016). This varies with age, but later in age, babies are influenced by goals (getting a toy) and environment (parental encouragement). To help with motor mastery of walking, parents should:

•  Offer encouragement when they see their babies attempting to walk. 
• Buy walking devices to support and promote practice, such as walkers.

Cognitive: Make-believe play

In substage 6 of Jan Piaget’s sensorimotor stage in his cognitive developmental theory comes the ability to create mental representations. Mental representation is the mind manipulation of internal depiction of information (Berk & Meyers, 2016). There are two types of mental representations: 1. images (spaces, people, and time as mental pictures) and 2. concepts (groups of similar objects or events) (Berk & Meyers, 2016). For older toddlers, representation allows them to solve advanced problems of object permanence involving invisible displacement. It also allows for deferred limitation and make-believe play. 

Make believe play is the child’s ability to act out everyday and imaginary activities (Berk & Meyers, 2016). Make-believe play allows you to act out critical social skills, such as turn-taking and sharing. It also allows for emotional regulation and the development of oral communication.

Parental support 

Make-believe play can influence a child’s cognitive and social development. Parents can encourage make-believe play by:

• Joining your child in play and fantasy.
• Give your toddler creative materials like markers, crayons, and constructive paper.
• Invest in make-believe toys such as toy kitchens and fake food. Buy your children costumes and puppets.

Emotional/Social: Self Conscious Emotions

One of the social/emotional milestones a parent can expect their children to reach is the attainment of self-conscious emotions. Besides our basic emotions, we also feel secondary emotions including guilt, shame, embarrassment, envy, and pride. These emotions are called self-consciousness because each emotion ability to cause self-injury or enhancement (Berk & Meyers, 2016). For children, these emotions appear in their second year at 18-24 months, once they become aware of self as separate and unique (Berk & Meyer, 2016). When your toddler engages in shame and embarrassment, they may lower their eyes, hide their face, or hang their head. 

Parental support

Another component of self-conscious emotion is the need for adult intervention. Parents or adults need to instruct a child when to feel these emotions (Berk & Meyers, 2016). A child’s moral and achievement-related behaviors are highly influenced by self-conscious emotions. The encouragement of these feelings varies by culture, such as in Japan and China, promoting interdependence, embarrassment, and self-effacement is evoked when you call attention to one’s self-achievement. Helping your child regulate and deal with their self-conscious emotions leads to emotional regulation. It also teaches children how to behave in society. Parents should help children by teaching them to express their emotions,

References 

Berk, L. E., & Meyers, A. B. (2016). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood (8th ed.). Pearson.

Mercy. (2022, April 12). Signs your baby will walk soon. Mercy. https://www.mercy.net/service/childrens-primary-care/baby-walking-signs/ 

Dima. (2023, March 29). When does imaginative play start for children? Play Like Mum. https://www.playlikemum.com/when-does-imaginative-play-start/#:~:text=The%20child%20will%20perform%20a,dolls%20clean%20up%20after%20themselves. 

Salutations! I would like to give you a warm welcome to my digital info kit for parents with infants and toddlers. Please take a moment to look around and enjoy the various posts. Hopefully, I am able to share some valuable information with you all. As always Thanks for reading!