Other topics included:
Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs)
Gas, Pooping, + Spit up
Head Shape + Positioning
Tummy time
Pacifier Use
How to Play with Baby
Toys + Equipment
Development from 0 to 3 months old is a critical period when newborns grow rapidly and begin to engage with their environment. This guide will cover a variety of topics to address expected developmental milestones and possible red flags for an infant’s motor, feeding, sensory, and sleep development. Some of the topics that will be discussed through video, written guides, and downloadable resources include:
Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs): this refers to restrictive tissue in the baby's mouth, specifically the tongue, lip, and/or cheek frenums. Understanding and identifying TOTs in infants can be very important to support efficient and correct bottle and/or breast feeding. TOTs can impact other areas of development and growth as well including sleep, airway/breathing, and speech. The guide will provide information to help parents understand red flags and symptoms of TOTs, ways to support and improve impacted areas of function, how to locate local providers in your area to address the issue, questions to ask providers, and pre and post operative support if TOTs are released.
Gas, Pooping, + Spit Up: These digestive symptoms are common concerns for parents of infants, but the good news is there are a lot of ways we can regulate the GI system and decrease the occurrence of unwanted symptoms. The guide will provide insight into normal poop schedules, as well as color and consistency-which is definitely TMI but as all parents quickly learn, poop is just a normal part of conversation! When it comes to gas and spit up, the guide will help parents to understand causes and symptoms that can be addressed, as well as strategies and recommendations for improving unwanted symptoms.
Head Shape + Positioning: At birth, baby’s skull bones are soft and malleable which allows for necessary rapid growth of the brain but also makes them susceptible to flattening or misshapenness of the head. Torticollis is a condition where an infant has a head preference, meaning they turn and/or tilt their head to one side which causes muscle imbalance and can further contribute to head shape. The guide will walk you through head shape, help you identify flat spots or misshapenness, as well as provide interventions for positioning in the car seat, during sleep, during wake windows, etc to help optimize head shape and range of motion.
Tummy Time: One of the most important and beneficial interventions for infants is simply supervised time on their tummy. The guide will help parents to understand how to complete tummy time starting day 1, how to prop and position baby for the most benefit, toys and equipment to support it, frequency and duration of tummy time throughout the day, how to schedule tummy time into your routine, and how to progress through the stages of tummy time with age.
Pacifier Use: Maybe one of the most controversial topics related to infant development, but here at N+S we LOVE pacifiers, when used appropriately and we definitely have our preferences for shape and size of the pacifier nipple. The guide will walk you through a variety of pacifiers and why each works well or doesn’t based on different modes of feeding and oral motor skills of the baby. The guide will address issues related to pacifiers and how and when to wean baby!
How to Play with Baby: Playing with an infant is not only fun but also essential for their development, helping them build physical, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. The guide will help parents to discover purposeful ways to play and engage the baby throughout the first months of life. This section will incorporate a lot of topics, like positioning, tummy time, and toys, making it meaningful and manageable!
Toys + Equipment: With the giant array of toys and baby equipment on the market, having help to navigate necessary items, as well as developmentally appropriate and beneficial items can be challenging. The guide takes the knowledge and experience of our team and our featured experts and breaks down the do’s and dont’s of toys and equipment for baby!