Infants and Toddlers

"Prime Time With Infants And Toddlers"

"The decision to have a child is to accept that your heart will forever walk about outside your body".

♥ Your Name Is The First Gift From Your Parents ♥ 

The first years are when our lives are launched. The people we will become are developed and our sense of self, security and what the world has to offer are shaped. These years are truly THE PRIME TIMES…

 I use the term Prime Times to signify the critical importance of care and one-to-one interaction in the child’s life at “Little Sprouts”. Caring times are Prime Times. These are the times when the child’s primal human needs for food, sleep, disposal of bodily waste, bathing, clothing, nurturing, and learning from others are addressed. If the child is actively involved and respected as a person while having his/her personal needs met, these are Prime Times for developing a sense of autonomy. And when a caregiver and child intimately share a moment of delight these are Prime Times for discovering the joy of being human. Being relaxed and gentle are Prime Times for developing a strong sense of personal worth, power, language, and a basic trust in the world as a good place. Caring times are the prime teaching times: the time that the child has me alone and learns through responsive care. I am somebody. I am important. 

The most important handshake of your life will happen when your newborn infants tiny hand grabs hold of your index finger...

Author Unknown

EXPECTATIONS FOR INFANTS:

Expect Babies To: Be Different From Each Other : Children will differ in interests, moods, pace, ability to signal how they feel, how they learn, how they react to change, and the care they need.

Expect Babies To: Cry To Communicate: Crying is the way infants let us know they need our help. They don’t cry just to annoy us.

Expect Babies To: Desperately Need Us: Being allowed to remain in distress is not good for infants and is likely to lead to increased crying. It works against the feeling of basic trust and security that provide the foundation for healthy   development.

Expect Babies To: Explore:  A continuous curiosity fuels the process of learning about the world.

Expect Babies To: Test All Limits: Babies learn how the world works by testing the reactions of people and things to their actions.

Expect Babies To: Experiment With Their Bodies: They use their growing physical powers to test the properties of people, things, and space. They need to crawl, walk, run, kick, step up and down, move, stack, drop, and throw things, take apart, fit themselves and things inside of other things, and climb in and over, if they are to learn.

Expect Babies To: Experiment With Their Senses: The mouth, eyes, ears, and skin are the tools babies use to learn. They need to touch, taste, feel, look, and listen to the world. Babies’ mouths and whole bodies are their chief tools (for example, sucking on everything, testing the feel of baby food or paint on the cheek or the stomach).

BEHAVIOR:  Young children’s job is to try to learn to behave in the mysterious world while trying to make sense of it. This is a tremendous challenge, full of complexities and confusing messages. Young children strive for understanding, independence, and self-control. Children learn by exploring, experimenting, and testing limits of their environment and experiencing the consequences of the behavior. In this way, they begin to understand how the world works, their own limits, and appropriate assertiveness. 

In Order for children to understand, they need adults to set limits.

In Order to feel safe and secure, for they can find their own lack of control frightening and they need to know that an adult will stop them if they can’t stop themselves.

In Order to keep from harming themselves, other people and the physical environment. 

In Order to begin to get an idea of what behavior is expected of them

A Personal Note From Me:

I always do my best to invest time and energy to build a total person. Better babies are not the babies who walk or talk first, who do tricks or are quick to respond to activities. Better babies are babies allowed the range of active experiences with people, things, and their own bodies to motivate them to keep exploring and experimenting Here at Little Sprout’s I recognize their achievements with them. I am delighted at their success of mastering an important skill and provide many opportunities for them to use all the skills they are acquiring when ready. Being a parent myself my advice to you is be concerned about the quality of development in each stage.

Don’t rush babies and toddlers toward developmental milestones. 

Who was the first to walk, talk, or learn to use the toilet in your social circle? Does it matter to you now? Better isn't faster, better is fuller.

1. You should enjoy the richer experiences and appreciation for all the milestones your child makes whenever they occur.

"Behold, children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them!" 

Psalm 127:3-5