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
Tag: Play
Things to do with your baby or young child during lockdown
Are you struggling with how to keep your child engaged and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you running out of ideas and activities? Here are a few tips to help your day go a little easier: Keep a daily routine. Children do well when they know what to expect and breaking the day into… Continue reading Things to do with your baby or young child during lockdown
Tips to be an active family
We know the benefits of physical activity. We all need to move more and sit less. Being active helps us build strong bones and muscles, it makes us feel better physically and emotionally and it's good for our heart. Research shows that families play a big role in influencing how active their children are. The… Continue reading Tips to be an active family
Gender stereotypes & toys: The impact on children
The holidays are approaching and if there are children on your gift-giving list, there's a chance you are going to be visiting a toy store – where gender stereotypes rule the layout of the store! Here are some tips from our sexual health nurse, Jennifer Katz, RN, to help us navigate through those kids' lists.… Continue reading Gender stereotypes & toys: The impact on children
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!
Increasing the joy in parenting
As a Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (HBHC) Public Health Nurse one of the best parts of my job is to help parents find moments of joy with their infants and children. Sharing joy and laughter can help parents and babies create a connection that will last a lifetime. Moments of joy may look like: A… Continue reading Increasing the joy in parenting
Embracing winter activities with your children
What if embracing winter activities was a commitment for parents and not merely a popular trend? Throw aside the TV remote, ignore Netflix, turn off your phones; spend less time on social networks and spend more time outdoors. Let's get ourselves out the front door! Living in Toronto, we are north of the 79th parallel… Continue reading Embracing winter activities with your children
First words: The power of play time
Before having my own children, I didn’t enjoy the winter. However, I quickly realized that once you dress warmly, it's fun to get outside and play like a child again. And…there is so much to talk about! You can make a difference in the way that your child learns their first words. As a Speech-Language… Continue reading First words: The power of play time
The importance of floor and tummy time
Put my baby on the floor? Yes! Actually, putting baby on the floor and getting down to baby's level for undistracted play time can: Increase your baby's physical activity. Support your baby's growth and development. Increase your baby's confidence. Increase your baby's physical activity Placing baby on the floor is the best way for baby… Continue reading The importance of floor and tummy time
Great minds with small hands: The importance of fine motor skills
I will never forget the moment my daughter was about 2 months old when she first discovered her hands. She lifted her arms up in front of her face while in her swing and carefully turned her hand as if she was saying "What is this? How do I use it?" From baby's first… Continue reading Great minds with small hands: The importance of fine motor skills