Development & Learning

5 Reasons Why Your Child Needs You to Read

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Reading makes you a better parent. It puts you into imaginary situations and then shows you a way out. It introduces you to people who think differently from you and do things you’d never consider.

Child Milestones & Red Flags

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Every parent wonders “Is this normal?” “Should I be worried?” “How long do I wait?” No matter how old your child is, these are the questions that will run through your head, usually late at night when you already are having trouble sleeping.

Development & Learning

Infant Child Care: How Early Is Too Early?

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Child care centers do not accept babies younger than six weeks. Does that mean that it’s okay to place your baby in child care at age six weeks?

Development & Learning

Toddlers and Technology: Is Your iPad Bad For Baby?

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

The Center for Toddler Development at Barnard College tested toddlers for “distractability” by calling the names of children playing with iPads and seeing what happened. Researchers found that many of the kids were so zoned in that they didn’t respond to their names at all.

Development & Learning

Why Preschoolers Need to Play

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

There’s a lot of pressure right now for preschool kids to learn academic stuff. This pushes traditional play activities into the background but that’s a mistake. It’s important for parents to stick up for their children’s right to play without any sort of obvious goal. Here’s why…

Development & Learning

What To Do If Childcare Is Too Expensive

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Low-paying work available to mothers who opted for family first instead of a career cannot cover the cost of childcare, the cost of travel to and from a job, the cost of professional clothing and so on....If this is you, what do you do?

Development & Learning

Summer Birthdays and Kindergarten: Is Your Child Ready to Start?

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

It’s a dilemma that comes up for many parents of four-year-olds this time of year. Should they start their child in kindergarten even though his birthday falls just before the cut-off date?

Development & Learning

Your Baby Has Skills You Might Not Realize

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Babies are so sweet and helpless. It takes a very long time before they can do anything, figure things out, or think thoughts. Right? Not quite.

Development & Learning

Do You Let Your Baby Think?

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Notice and value what your baby is doing. Be careful not to interrupt.

Development & Learning

What Does Your Child Think a Birthday Means?

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Every child loves a birthday celebration. But did you know that birthdays mean different things to kids at different ages? And what a birthday means to your child might affect how you celebrate it.

Development & Learning

Don’t Wait To Talk With Baby

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

The baby brain is engaged in trying to talk back right from the start and suggests that 7-month-olds' brains are already trying to figure out how to make the right movements that will produce words. What does this mean for you and your baby?

Development & Learning

Wait Before You Worry: “Normal” Falls in a Wide Range

Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson

Parents anxiously await the day when their child rolls over, sits on her own, or starts to walk. So when other children seem to be getting to these milestones quicker, moms and dads naturally worry.