Communication is so much more than talking. So as a speech-language pathologist I think a lot about gestures. The words "speech language" in my job title may have given you the impression that I solely focus on how children express themselves. However, a hugely important piece of communication development happens before your child says their first word. We define a gesture as an action, or movement of part of the body, especially the hands or head, used with the intention to

Many of us are hearing this rather newly coined phrase “mental load” that surfaced very poignantly in a feminist comic in May of 2017 (see https://english.emmaclit.com/2017/05/20/ you-shouldve-asked/) entitled You Should Have Asked. It details a scenario wherein the mom is trying to feed toddlers, prep the house and meal for two guests, and all while the husband is somewhere in the background. He only appears when a mess has happened and as he sees his wife overwhelmed, he ex

The first year of your baby's life is a flurry of excitement and many firsts, often culminating with their first word. In this first year of life, your baby will reach many milestones that are the building blocks for future communication skills. These skills serve as a general guideline of what you can look and listen for before your child's first words. First your baby will coo and smile at you. Then comes babbling or pre-verbal language. This takes many forms and evolves as

Reading is essential for all children. That is why books are the only item I ever buy as a gift for a young child or when a friend or family member has a baby. Children can build early literacy skills that directly correlate with later academic success when reading books. Books that have simple sentences, a simple storyline, and include rhyme, rhythm, and repetition are the best, particularly for our little ones. And finally, book reading is a beautiful, shared activity to bu

A well-fitting baby carrier can be a caregiver’s best friend. It can get you through marathon trips to the grocery store, a much-needed hike, or even just a load of dishes. This often doesn’t happen right out of the box. The key to comfort in your carrier is K-I-S-S, who doesn’t love kissing the top of those sweet little heads? So, while you are going about everyday life with an infant or small child, here are some tips for making sure you and your baby carrier are on best fr

As I counsel couples with young children, the most common denominator is a feeling of disconnect in marital closeness. Of course having children brings a sweet bond that can’t compare to anything else. At the same time, never has the relationship been as tested as it is alongside sleep deprivation, the potential of special needs, postpartum emotional adjustments, changes in libido and intimacy rhythms, financial new normals, and the thousand other changes that happen as you g

In my 10 years as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I have read a lot of books about child development, and I am constantly on a quest to find credible resources for the families that I work with. I was very excited when my colleague Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP shared that she was writing a book on development during your baby’s first year. Ayelet is a pediatric speech-language pathologist like myself. She is also a parent educator, singer and mother based in the

If you are expecting you might be wondering how you should be exercising with your new body. The American Pregnancy Association recommends exercising 30 minutes on most days. If you are having a pregnancy without complications your doctor might not provide much guidance on how to exercise or what exercise is appropriate for you. As a certified Pre/Postnatal Pilates Instructor who had Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy I have several tips on prenatal exercise. If you are ha

Identity can be a crisis when our lives are put through the blender of becoming parents. The season of pregnancy often brings feelings of anticipation, excitement, nervousness, and a nesting in preparation for a new baby. For some mommas, birth means a temporary pause in vocation. For others, it can bring an ending of a particular vocation or an uncertainty. Whatever the case, a new and entirely different vocation is beginning; that of becoming a parent. Whenever there is a n

Look Mom! No Hands! Or in my case, Look grandma - No hands!! Rewind to seven years ago when I first picked up a baby carrier at the recommendation of a good friend. It was not a go-to item on our registries yet, popular parenting culture had not picked up on the awesomeness that is using a baby carrier. I got my trusty ergo because it was one of the only carriers easily available at the time. Little did I know, that it would be the first step in a long journey for me. But, th

Infant massage is an ancient practice that dates back for hundreds of years and the art of massage has been handed down from generation to generation to promote healthy family development through nurturing touch and compassionate communication. Our ancestors knew this instinctively.The massage strokes taught today are adaptations of the ancient massage strokes and movements and also encompass principles of reflexology and yoga. Research, clinical studies observations all supp

Our babies need interaction with people to learn language. So you are the most valuable gift regarding your baby's speech and language development. During that first year, we want to expose babies to multi-sensory experiences to encourage cognitive and pre-verbal skills as well as form strong bonds during play. Here are my four favorite toys to support your baby's speech and language development. (Amazon affiliate links included): 1. Mirror Babies love to look at themselves,

Your first 3 months postpartum are for recovering and bonding with your new baby. It is a common rule of thumb that mamas should wait 6 or 8 weeks after birth to start exercising again. You might be eager to get back into your exercise routine but those activities might not be appropriate for your newly postpartum body. It is crucial that we are gentle with our bodies at this time and slowly reintroduce exercise. Here are 3 gentle exercises for newly postpartum women. Follow

“I'm SO frustrated!” That is what I screamed at the top of my lungs as I stood in my kitchen in yoga pants. No one else was home. The culprit: a dirty dish pile. My husband had agreed to do them the night before {Huzzah!!}, but fell asleep on the couch moments later. His work was in a stressful season and he had very little margin. It's so understandable to skip dishes isn't it? Well, not from where I stood the next morning. I'm ashamed to say that what followed the initial a

I stepped into my new home, excited about my future. We had just returned from our week long honeymoon in the Caribbean, and it was the perfect end to a perfect wedding. A perfect beginning to our new life together. I was young when we married – I was 22 years old, and my husband, Billy, was 29. Life was exciting and I had grandiose visions on how our life was going to be lived out – with the perfect white picket fence home, flawless communication, and Gerber Baby children. I

In my work with parents, the most common questions I am asked are related to when their child should start talking. They ask me, “what is developmentally appropriate for my child?” or, “is my child ok?” You will find a multitude of information on the internet about speech and language development. However, I have developed a quick rule of thumb called The 1, 2, 3 Rule. This rule applies to both components of language--expressive language and receptive language. Expressive lan