Blog

Can You Spoil Your Infant?

  The short answer is “No”, you can’t spoil your infant.     There’s a reason babies cry as much as they do; it’s their main (and mostly) only way they can communicate their needs. Babies cry for a number of reasons; they’re hungry, tired, overstimulated, and sometimes babies just cry even if you’ve done […]

Tips for More Effective Parenting

Raising children can be one of the most fulfilling things you can do in your life; while simultaneously being one of the most frustrating, infuriating and hair pulling experience you will ever come across.   Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem   Boosting a child’s self-esteem starts in infancy; to help build it here are some tips: […]

Demystifying Autism: A Q&A With A Mom/Educator

Sparkler chatted with Shenell Samuels — a mom of a five-year-old with autism who is also a teacher in a school readiness program in Hartford who serves students with autism and other diagnoses — to share her experience and insights related to autism.   Could you tell us a little bit about your son? My […]

Types of Play by Age

Play is vital for children’s healthy development, as it enhances social, cognitive, physical, and emotional skills. Through play, children learn: Problem-solving Cause and effect Creative thinking Communication Proprioception   It also promotes fine and gross motor skills. The benefits of play accumulate over time, helping children build upon their abilities.  Play allows children to understand […]

Helping Your Child Overcome Their Fear of the Doctor

Sometimes going to the Doctor’s can be scary, especially when there’s talk about a shot or having to undergo a non-routine procedure (blood work, x-ray, CT scan, etc.).  Kids can feel overwhelmed in the Doctor’s office; it’s a (relatively) new space, there are people they don’t know and tools/machines that they have no idea what […]

Summer Activities to Keep The Kids Occupied

Summer is fast approaching and with it comes your kids complaining of being bored and having nothing to do. Meanwhile, your to do list is just as long or longer than ever. So, here are a few free/low cost activities and ideas to (hopefully) keep the kids occupied for a little bit.     Go […]

Potty Training Kids with Special Needs

Initiating toilet training can be especially difficult for parents of children with special needs, but when those children understand what they need to do, parents are often overcome with a sense of joy as it means that their child’s development is progressing. Potty training neurotypical children can be difficult enough, but potty training a child […]

Screen-Free and No-Cost activities for Kids

Most parents want and try to offer their children more than what they received from their own parents. While children love to receive new toys, the novelty of those toys tend to wear off fairly quickly. Children tend to spend more time with items or playing games that promote their imagination and help expel excess […]

So, Your Child Learned How to Lie

Children typically learn how to lie around two years old; it’s at this point that they have learned that you can’t watch them every second of the day, which they will take full advantage of. As children get older they learn how to mask their facial expressions and tone of voice in order to better […]

What To Do When Your Toddler is Toddlering

I don’t think that there is a single parent out there that has not felt a profound love for their toddler while also feeling like wanting to rip their hair out, out of frustration. Even the sweetest of the sweetest toddlers often know how to press our buttons as they explore and test the boundaries […]