Benefits of Allowing Your Child to Fail

Benefits of Allowing Your Child to Fail
While allowing kids to fail feels messy and frightening, letting them learn from their mistakes helps them to become empowered, releasing the controlling hold of fear that paralyzes decisions and helps develop lasting, deep rooted accountability along with, ironically, building the self confidence that comes with personal autonomy and recovery from failure. Failure is a part of life. Some of the most successful people in this world have seen the ...
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Receptive and Expressive Communication Explained

Receptive and Expressive Communication Explained
When you think about communication skills, you probably think about words and pronunciation, but communication begins even before a baby starts babbling. Communication encompasses what we understand and body language as well as what we say. There are two kinds of communication - receptive and expressive - and it's important for children to develop both. Receptive communication has to do with how one processes and understands what's going on in he...
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Promoting Healthy Attachment Through the Senses

Promoting Healthy Attachment Through the Senses
For the past 137 years, Children's Service Society of Utah has been involved in child welfare throughout the state by empowering families, caregivers and professionals through services supporting the safety and well-being of children. During this time, advocates have engaged with children and families in various settings, promoting healthy attachment and bonding and working hard to ensure every child feels safe and cared-for. In 2002, Children's ...
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Behavioral Changes to Expect When Your Child Starts School

Behavioral Changes to Expect When Your Child Starts School
You might not remember your first day of school - or maybe you remember it a little too well. It's a big transition that includes new people, places, and pressures. Children experience lots of confusing emotions because of this, and if you anticipate certain behavior changes you can help your child navigate this time successfully. As children go to school and learn about new things they might experience fears about criticism and failure for the f...
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​Is it Ever too Early to Start Reading to Your Child?

​Is it Ever too Early to Start Reading to Your Child?
Some parents may be wondering when to start reading to their child. Both of my parents are educators – under their guidance, I learned the value of reading from an early age. Simply put, it is never too early to read to your child. In fact, studies have shown that introducing books beginning at 4 months increases the chance that parents will continue to read to their children throughout their childhood. There are ample benefits to reading early. ...
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Fine Motor Skills Part Two: What's Involved?

Fine Motor Skills Part Two: What's Involved?
Since we learned about the importance of fine motor skills (that it affects learning skills having to do with hygiene, academic performance, how they relate to peers, and more) in another blog post, let's look at what other types of development are involved in fine motor development, including mid-line crossing, ocular motor control, and hand-eye coordination. Read on to learn the basics of each. Midline crossing According to Kid's Sense "the bod...
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5 Ways to Build Attachment with Your Baby

5 Ways to Build Attachment with Your Baby
New parents have a million things to worry about. From finding childcare to making sure their new baby is receiving the healthcare they need, new parents can sometimes be overwhelmed by all the new responsibilities they now have to juggle. Building attachment is just one of these new responsibilities that parents face with their babies. Attachment is when parents are able to interpret their baby's behavior and respond with compassion and care to ...
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Teaching Kids To Handle Embarrassment

Teaching Kids To Handle Embarrassment
I remember when I was 12 my family went to a restaurant and the waiter asked me the classic question, "Do you want soup, or salad?". I had just graduated from the kids menu and wasn't used to that question, so misunderstanding what he said I responded very confused with, "yeah I'll have the super-salad…". Thinking he was going to bring me a ginormous salad. My answer obviously confused him, so he responded with, "so you want the salad then?", whi...
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What is Plagiocephaly?

What is Plagiocephaly?
We've all seen them. Cute baby with a cute funny helmet on his head in a shopping cart at the grocery store or in a stroller at the mall. Why are there so many these days? Are these moms letting their babies fall on their heads?! Probably not. Most likely, they have a case of plagiocephaly or "flat head syndrome". In 1994 the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) launched "Safe to Sleep" (also known as "Back to Sleep...
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What’s So Important About Developing Fine Motor Skills Anyway?

What’s So Important About Developing Fine Motor Skills Anyway?
You may have heard your neighbor talk about how a certain toy is helping Sally develop her fine motor skills and wondered "What does that really mean?" or "What's the big deal with fine motor skills?" The reality is that the beginnings of fine motor skills lay the foundation for necessary everyday abilities later on. Fine motor skills are basically the things you do with the small muscles in your hands and fingers (e.g. playing a musical instrume...
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Alternatives to T.V. Time

Alternatives to T.V. Time
I remember babysitting my young niece not too long ago. All evening she asked, "Cars?" This was code for, "Could we watch the movie Cars?" Soon I turned on the TV and sat with my niece as she watched intently. I became intrigued as I started to notice she did not take her eyes off the TV. She, like many of us, had watery eyes due to the amount of focus she put on the screen. This experience caused me to think about what she could be doing instead...
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Ages and Stages Questionnaire: What is it and should I do them?

Ages and Stages Questionnaire: What is it and should I do them?
There are many perks to being the oldest child; every little milestone is tracked, celebrated, and recognized. Everything from my first words, to walking, and even toilet training, it was an exciting time for my parents to watch me grow. There was a sense of anticipation with each milestone, and as I learned new skills, they looked forward to what I'd be learning next. I was able to experience a little bit of that excitement when my youngest sist...
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How to Break the Cycle of Gender Stereotyping

How to Break the Cycle of Gender Stereotyping
  Have you ever heard the saying "boys will be boys"? Or "girls are so emotional"? These may seem like harmless phrases that explain our parenting experiences, but they may actually be limiting our children's potential. Gender Differences We are always hearing about another new finding on the "many" differences between boys and girls - whether that's in how they learn, who's better at math, who's more aggressive, etc. Researcher Christia Spe...
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Early Childhood: Sexual Behavior Part 2

Early Childhood: Sexual Behavior Part 2
  If you have already read Part 1 of Early Childhood: Sexual Behavior, you know that two very big topics were left to Part 2: How to promote healthy boundaries and communication with trusted adults, and What you (the parent) should do when something is troubling regarding your child's sexual behaviors. Since these topics can be quite broad and lengthy, we will go over them superficially and generally. For more in-depth information, plea...
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Early Childhood: Sexual Behavior: Part 1

Early Childhood: Sexual Behavior: Part 1
  We all know it's part of human nature and development, but many questions are associated with self-touch and sexual behavior in young children. It's a sensitive topic for parents for many reasons: religious beliefs and personal values, inexperience in explaining body development and appropriate behaviors with children, uncertainty around what is typical at this young age range, and others.  Though we cannot expound on all reasons list...
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Guest Post: Weaning from the Bottle & Cup Introduction

Guest Post: Weaning from the Bottle & Cup Introduction
Many parents do not realize that it is recommended to wean babies from the bottle by 18 months. Getting rid of the bottle can turn into a frustrating experience for both parent and baby! However, there are some things that you can do to make it easier. Here are some ideas on how to wean your baby off the bottle and using normal cups. When should I wean from the bottle? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends weaning befo...
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Things to Consider when Choosing Between Cloth and Disposable Diapers

Things to Consider when Choosing Between Cloth and Disposable Diapers
Pee-yew! To scoop the poop or toss the loss? - that is the question. Regardless of whether or not you decide to use cloth or disposable diapers on your little one's backside, remember, they both serve the same purpose. Ultimately, you will need to use the type of diaper that best works with your family and lifestyle. Here are some tips, tricks and fun things to keep in mind when deciding what diaper to don your baby's behind. ​ Cost: Although clo...
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Tell Your Story! 3 Ways to share Help Me Grow Utah

Tell Your Story! 3 Ways to share Help Me Grow Utah
A surprisingly common question we get here at Help Me Grow Utah is "Can I tell my friend about this program?" Our answer is always "Yes! Please do!" While we love that most parents feel like Help Me Grow Utah is just for them, we want all parents in Utah to know they can feel that way too! Help Me Grow Utah envisions a vibrant community in which all families have the desire, resources, and confidence to make the best decisions during pregnancy an...
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Lying and the Theory of Mind: A Newfound Ability in Preschoolers

Lying and the Theory of Mind: A Newfound Ability in Preschoolers
"Johnny, did you just take a cookie after I told you not to?" "...No..." When you find out that your child has lied to you, it can be pretty distressing. Your sweet, innocent child chose to deceive you, which could only mean that they are now headed down a road full of deceitfulness, bad choices, and possibly crime. Well, not necessarily. Before you start drawing conclusions and panicking, it's helpful to take a step back and to try to understand...
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The Grieving Child

The Grieving Child
When we contemplate of the grieving process, we tend to think of the five stages of grief ( Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance) first proposed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying. Many people's general understanding of these stages is that you move from one to another at a steady pace. You are supposed to start with 'denial' and end with 'acceptance'. Right? When my father passed away a couple of years ...
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