Baby's First Year · Parenting

Learning through play

Our nurse Allison Stockley shares part 2 of her series on the importance of the early years. Her first post reminded us to check in on our child's development. This post teaches us about the importance of playing with our children.  Play is meant to be fun, sparking curiosity and imagination, but did you know… Continue reading Learning through play

Baby's First Year · Parenting

Baby talk: Let’s get moving with action words

Children expand their vocabulary by hearing the words we use. We tend to be really great at labeling objects (think: "A car! A ball! A puppy!"). But of course, we need other types of words to build sentences. Action words (verbs) are really important for building sentences, but they can be trickier to teach. Here… Continue reading Baby talk: Let’s get moving with action words

Baby's First Year · Parenting

May is Speech and Hearing Month!

May is one of my favourite months. Flowers are in bloom, the sun is shining a little longer each day – and bonus – it's time to celebrate communication and hearing! Since it's Speech and Hearing Month, I thought this would be a good time to highlight our four most popular blog posts about communication… Continue reading May is Speech and Hearing Month!

Baby's First Year

BabyTalkTO: Texts to support baby’s communication development

A common growth and development milestone many new parents and caregivers ask about is baby's communication. Many turn to the web to find out what to expect as baby grows. Knowing where to get reliable information is key to learning how to support baby's development. Communication starts from birth, with crying and eye contact, then… Continue reading BabyTalkTO: Texts to support baby’s communication development

Baby's First Year · Parenting

People games: Peek-a-Boo, I see you!

As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I provide families with practical tips on how they can bond with their child and create fun opportunities to teach their child new language.  I often recommend people games! People games are play routines that you have created with your child that do not involve any toys. Keep in mind that… Continue reading People games: Peek-a-Boo, I see you!

Baby's First Year · Parenting

Baby & Music: Everyone loves a dance party!

Ever find yourself humming along to a rhythm and singing lyrics from a song that you have a memory or a specific interaction with? Music impacts our life in so many ways! It can affect our mood, give us energy, help us focus, and trigger memories – just to name a few. And guess what?… Continue reading Baby & Music: Everyone loves a dance party!

Baby's First Year · Parenting

Screen time and Babies

We know that babies and young children learn best from us and from social interaction. With all the technology available, people are using devices with their babies. In fact, 92% of parents report that their 1 year old has already used a mobile device, some starting as young as 4 months. Earlier this year, I… Continue reading Screen time and Babies

Baby's First Year · Parenting

Reading to baby: Get an early start on a lifetime of learning

The time I spend with my kids reading a book is my favourite part of the day. It’s a time where everyone can wind down, snuggle in, explore new adventures and…have fun while learning language! So how early should we start reading to our children? Research shows that in the last 10 weeks of pregnancy,… Continue reading Reading to baby: Get an early start on a lifetime of learning

Baby's First Year · Parenting

A picture is worth a thousand words

A child may find it hard to cope with new situations, routines, or experiences because they do not know what to expect. When this happens, it is common for children to have breakdowns and tantrums. So, how can we prevent these behaviours from happening? How can we help our child understand our expectations? By using… Continue reading A picture is worth a thousand words