Stay in the Moment
Young children live moment to moment, and the younger the child, the more you can see how they "live in the moment" with each new experience.  This can be seen in a baby or toddler's first experience with a food. He looks at it, touches it, feels it against his/her face, and tastes it.
  
Being completely focused on what is happening in the moment is how babies and toddlers learn.  The more you concentrate and focus on something the more chance your brain will have to make important connections. Remember this the next time you are rushing to get several things done at once and expecting your toddler to keep up!  Her brain is working hard and she may need more time to process.
 

 

Brain Science for Your Baby

 

It's so easy to get distracted.  There is so much to do and often so little time.  But your toddler's brain depends on you!   The back and forth interaction between you and your toddler - which we call serve and return - is SO important to her brain development as you interaction with your toddler.   
 
For more on how "serve and return" helps your toddler's brain, watch this video
 

 
A Baby Buffer Prescription for Your Baby
  • Set aside time each day when you are not multi-tasking, but giving your full attention to your child.

  • When your toddler's behavior causes you to change from you planned day, try not to say to yourself, "We don't have time for this." Pause to delight in the simple joy of whatever it is that your child needs at the time-kissing a sore bump on the knee, helping him get dressed, or assisting in buckling a seat belt-is important. He may also need you to look at a tower of blocks he made or at a leaf on the ground. Toddlers are the world's leading experts in joyful, mindful living!

A baby Buffer Prescription for You    

    

  • If you need help finding time to be "in the moment" with your toddler, talk with your healthcare provider, close friends or family about how to arrange your schedule to do so.

  • Think about being creative with housecleaning and cooking. You may need to rearrange your schedule to get up earlier, have creative hours at the office, or plan another way to make time to "be there" for your toddler.

      

 

What Your Baby Can Do - Developmental Milestones 

 

Some of the most obvious changes that you will notice in your toddler this year are in the area of physical development. Most one-year-olds typically move from crawling to running by about 20 months. They hold their hands out to the side or poke their bellies out for balance. Their gait is a bit awkward and clumsy and falls are common. They use their new mobility to push and pull toys, dance and climb. One-year-olds also improve in hand and finger coordination, but skills at this age are still immature, so they fumble and drop objects frequently, sometimes taking longer because they are "in the moment" learning these new skills. Knowing these developmental information can help you "not hurry" your toddler along, but realize that it may take him a bit longer to move to where you want him to go. 

 
Baby Buffer Blog
Cathy Smith, PhD

New Year's Resolution
Now that the presents are un-wrapped, the cookies are eaten and the guests are all gone, it is time to get back to everyday life. I love the holidays, but I also look forward to the feeling of calm and routine that January brings. I 'm not usually one for New Year's resolutions but this January I am striving to be "present" and "in the moment." Giving others your full attention when you are with them lets them know they are important and worth your time. It helps to build strong relationships. Being "present" with your children is really important, no matter how old they might be. When my youngest child was a baby, she would use her hands to physically turn my head towards her, so that I would stop whatever I was doing, and pay attention to her! That was a pretty clear sign that she wanted and needed my attention. Not all babies are that persistent but all babies do need you to be "present" as much as possible.

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