Babies learning journeys begin the day they are born, not their first day of school. Your babies experiences and how you interact during their first five years will determine their emotional, physical, intellectual, and social development along with their self-confidence, personality, adaptability and their ability to relate with others. The person or people who spend the most amount of time with your baby have the opportunity to make the most impact on this young one’s life.

Don’t you love the feeling of having successfully encouraged your baby or toddler to reach new developmental milestones?  You are so vested into your little one that you get feelings of excitement and pride when you see new growth. But, often, you do not know exactly how to stimulate that brain development or how to turn everyday care into an easy avenue for greater communication and capturing learning moments. You may be aware of the stigma of too much "screen time" but do not know how to turn "screen time" into "limited value time". Parents have shared with me how they have strong skills in taking care of their child’s needs...bathing, diapering, feeding, and safety measures but either they do not have the background or are not aware of the necessity to "build that little brain".

Communicating is the key to connecting and it begins from the moment a baby is born. The first communication we often hear is crying, that sweet sound when newborns arrive to let everyone know “I am here!”. As crying is one of the first of many ways babies communicate, true smiling does not appear until around 6-12 weeks. From birth, each person that comes in contact with your newborn, who grows to become a baby, then a toddler, thenchild…, needs to know what that baby is communicating and how best to communicate back with them.  Communication abilities change and grow as babies develop and their ability to grow depends upon the experiences they have.

A Baby's Blooming Brain
Studies reveal that 90% of brain development happens before 5 years old. When babies are born, neurons in their brain are still forming and continue to make neural connections through around 3 years old. Babies’ sweet little heads are born with billions of brain cells which can be stimulated to grow based on early and enriching experiences. These brain cells are ready for you to nurture so they can form the connections needed for babies to bloom and grow to their greatest potential. While many factors influence brain development, your early interactions have the most significant impact!  It is important for you to stimulate the baby's brain and plant the seeds for their life successes much earlier than you may be aware. Some newborns are actually able to imitate you sticking your tongue out and that act of repetition has just stimulated a new brain connection!

There is no “extra time” needed in your day to be able to help stimulate babies’ young brains. You can learn to provide engaging, fun, interactive experiences throughout your natural daily routines such as dressing, feeding, bathing, riding in the car and grocery shopping which will increase brain stimulation so you can help that child bloom all the time! 

Through my years, I have discovered that parents would find their days more productive and satisfying if they had a repertoire of meaningful activities to help create brain connections as well as emotional connections with their baby. I encourage you to check out my new workshop, Enriching Your Child’s Critical Early Years: Birth - Five at the Pump Station & Nurtury, where I will coach you on many of these meaningful, powerful strategies and together we will help you set your little one up for success! 

Remember, It's not just what you do with your baby, but HOW you do it that makes the greatest impact!

Michelle Mintz, M.S., CCC-SLP, The Early Development Expert, is the founder/owner of Baby Blooming Moments®, a unique, one-on-one parent coaching experience, virtually or in person, empowering parents, siblings, grandparents and nannies to enrich the way they interact with their babies and toddlers. Michelle develops personalized, proactive strategies helping families transform everyday in-the-moment interactions into valuable, impactful opportunities. Implementing her strategies and hands-on activities throughout the day helps increase communication, brain connections, learning and social development during those crucial early formative years when the most impactful brain development occurs – which helps all babies and toddlers bloom!

Michelle, who earned her B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from U.C. Santa Barbara and her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Boston University before establishing her private practice in Santa Monica, CA in 1995, has decades of experience working with families. She is also the author of All Done Binky!, a book to help support families with babies and toddlers weaning off pacifiers.

Music making between a child and parent/ caregiver can have a host of benefits. Did you know?

1. Singing engages the nervous system. In fact, hearing mama’s voice starts for baby at 18 weeks inside the womb!
2. The developing brain is uniquely “lit up” in a brain scan when making music together. This TED Talk illustrates much of where music meets neuroscience!

We all know that no two babies are alike and no two parents are alike. However, we also know that there is strength in numbers, and the support you get early on is so important to helping you build the confidence you need to be the best parent you can be. There are so many reasons why these groups can benefit you and your family, here is what our clients tell us:

1. “I’ve built life-long friendships with others I’ve met in my group!” We’ve all heard the expression that it takes a village to raise a child, well our Parent & Me Classes are the perfect place to grow your village of support. 

We all know that no two babies are alike and no two parents are alike. However, we also know that there is strength in numbers, and the support you get early on is so important to helping you build the confidence you need to be the best parent you can be.  There are so many reasons why these groups can

benefit you and your family, here is what our clients tell us:

1. “I’ve built life-long friendships with others I’ve met in my group!” We’ve all heard the expression that it takes a village to raise a child, well our Parent & Me Classes are the perfect place to grow your village of support.

If you read the words “Estate Plan” above and cringed (maybe even almost closed this page out), you are not alone.  We recognize estate planning is not all that much fun to think about.  But, the only thing worse than thinking about your estate plan, is not thinking about your estate plan.  Here is why: 

1. Protect Your Kids.  What if you and your partner/spouse die tomorrow? No one wants to think about that; in fact, it is unthinkable. But the reality is, if you do not engage in estate planning, a judge (aka, someone who is not you), will decide who gets to raise your children, and how they will be raised.  Of course, it is possible a court will pick the same person or people you would have picked.  But, it is also possible a court will pick someone who would have been your last  You can avoid this, simply by Creating a Will. 
2. Preserve Your Legacy.  You have worked hard to get where you are. You may have acquired precious stocks, retirement accounts, life insurance policies, homes, (for some of us, vacation homes), personal collections (artwork, handbags, jewelry), and, much more.  Engaging in estate planning allows you to protect your legacy and pass it down to your children and grandchildren, and preserve it for future generations.  On the one hand, it is easy to not care about what happens to your things after your gone.  But on the other hand, who wants their legacy lost through unwise squandering, or worse, in some pricey divorce? 
3. Avoid Family Conflict.  If you don’t do estate planning, your estate will very likely have to go through probate court. If you don’t know what probate court is, then take my word for it — it is not a very pleasant process, if for no other reason than it is the perfect breeding ground for family conflict.  Probate is a court proceeding in which a judge will allocate ownership of your assets to various heirs.  And because you didn’t put in writing who you want to leave your assets and money to, your family will have no choice but to duke it out in court!  
4. Plan for Life, Too!Contrary to popular opinion, estate planning is not just about planning for your death.  What if you are alive, but incapacitated (think car accident, stroke, heart attack, etc.), and cannot make your own medical decisions? You will need to name a healthcare proxy and outline your end of life wishes (i.e., pull the plug, or don't pull the plug), so that your loved ones can honor (without agonizing over) what you would have wanted. 

If all of this sounds daunting and scary, again, you are not alone.   But truly, the only thing scarier than not thinking about all of this, is not thinking about all of this. 

Sign-Up for our FREE Estate Planning Hot Topic Class Now!

Here is a list of vaccines we recommend you ask friends, relatives and care-givers to get prior to bringing baby home, if they will be spending time with them. If you have any questions at all we recommend you discuss with your health care provider.

Pertussis  - Whooping cough - is usually given with tetnus. Everyone needs this.

Flu - Depending on the season

Pneumonia - For ages 50 and up

Shingrix - For ages 50 and up - This is a two part vaccine given 2-6 months apart. They could at least get started. This vaccine often has a significant reaction with arm swelling and flu like symptoms—but it’s an important one.

Covid—at least get started. This is controversial these days so talk with the doctor

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is proud to provide a patient handout with essential, evidence-based information about bedsharing safety written for the public from our popular Breastfeeding and Bedsharing Protocol. A free downloadable PDF is available here.  

Since bedsharing is very common and often unplanned, it is essential that all families have this information. Please share this tool with your colleagues and patients as a resource for bedsharing safety.

The Disconnect Many Parents Feel with Their Babies Is Real;

Below are 5 Reasons To Line-Up A Postpartum Doula before baby makes his/her way onto the scene – because one of the most important preparations we overlook is making sure us moms are properly set up for success once we’re home and learning the motherhood ropes.

2. Because babies should come with a personal instruction manual…but they don’t.

Both you and your baby are learning a new skill. Although breastfeeding is natural, it is a learned skill and good coaching can help to make this experience successful and gentle for you and your babe. Our postpartum doulas are experienced in lactation education and support. They can help you establish an effective deep latch – and they can refer you to the Pump Station’s lactation specialists should you need extra support. Your doula can also educate you on all aspects of breast pump usage and milk storage practices, as well as formula guidelines, sterilization, and bottle-feeding options. So often, new moms can’t get the hang of breastfeeding the first few days or week and they give up – keeping with them a lifetime of guilt and disappointment around one of the most natural parts of motherhood. Our doulas can lend their expertise to coach you down whichever path you choose to take when it comes to feeding your newborn.

Historically, women of the families have always supported one another through the emotional dynamics of pregnancy and birth. Now, we sometimes live far away or don’t have the traditional family support to lean on. A doula comes into your growing family to share the transitional journey and helps to support you on an emotional, physical and educational level. She can connect you with resources to create your own customized village of professionals and experiences to help your little one’s development get off to a great start. From Mommy-and-Me support groups to specialized referrals, your doula is well-connected to an entire village of baby specialists and can help you anticipate future needs.

Every family needs a spare hand with a new baby in the house! Through their professional experience, a doula can help you understand and respond to your baby’s cues and individual needs which is so helpful as every baby is unique. Doulas assess the family’s needs and will jump in to help with whatever the top priorities are for the moment (which may range from baby care, baby laundry, nursery organization, meal preparation to light household tasks) or just be an empathetic ear to share your story. Extra hands afford you a boost in confidence, energy levels and an overall smoother transition as baby integrates into your everyday everything.