{Disclosure: We are thrilled to partner with Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota to share helpful information about early childhood development for children ages zero to three. A host of additional early childhood resources are available on the Children’s Minnesota website.}
I’m a full-time working mama to two-year-old Stella and four-month-old Gus. During the week you’ll find me working at my dream job. My hubby is a hands on parent but also works full-time and travels quite frequently for work. We have a lot of friends and family that live close by, and we love spending time with them.
Our lives are full, fast-paced, fun and admittedly sometimes frantic. I want to be the best parent I can possibly be, but at times I feel like I don’t have the time or energy to research the preschool my daughter “should” be on the wait list for or puree organic baby food for my son. I consider myself an “okay” mom, but I love my babies more than they will ever know.
I’m not an expert or idealistic mom. I’m just like you – trying to keep my head above water EVERY SINGLE DAY. But when I learned about what Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota are doing to promote healthy development of babies and toddlers, I didn’t feel inadequate as I parent. Instead, I felt empowered. Why? Because even the experts agree that what your kids really need is pretty simple: you.
My aunt has been a nurse for Children’s Minnesota for more than 20 years, and she happens to be one of my closest friends. She’s also a great mama to a spunky 12-year-old daughter. When I was pregnant with my first child, my aunt gave me the best parenting advice: talk to your babies from day one. Sounds super basic, right? But did you know 80 percent of a child’s brain is developed in the first three years of life? They really are little sponges soaking up everything in their environment.
- Source: Children’s Minnesota
My daughter started talking in full sentences around 18 months and has continued to advance verbally. Family and friends always ask what we are doing to encourage her to speak so well. In true Midwestern fashion, I find it hard to take credit for my daughter’s advanced skills. Sure, we read her books at night, but we’re not diving into the classics. She doesn’t attend a fancy preschool or get one-on-one attention from a nanny. Instead, she goes to an excellent home daycare that’s full of love, faith and kids of all ages. It’s a loud and busy place, but full of life just like our home.
My hubby and I are both very social people. We love to go out to eat, entertain and travel. And since having kids, our life hasn’t really slowed down – instead we bring our kids along on our adventures. So, I guess my point is: all this social interaction must be having a positive affect on my daughter’s development. The experts back that theory and agree that parents are the best teaching aids for their kids. Believe me, I know life is crazy busy and the demands just keep piling up when it comes to parenting. That’s why I’m sharing the unexpected ways I try to squeeze in quality conversations with my kiddos:
- Cooking: I love to cook. Before kids, I would spend hours creating complex gourmet meals for my husband and I after work. We didn’t care if we ate at 9pm! Not the case when you have a two-year-old, right?! Now, getting dinner on the table is much more fast and furious, and this is a great time to talk with your kids. This is going to sound silly, but sometimes I pretend that I’m a host on the Food Network and narrate everything I’m doing. Stella usually sits eagerly at the kitchen island and I move Gus’s baby seat into the kitchen so he can listen as I explain each step in the cooking process. They both seem to enjoy this, it keeps them entertained and we’re spending time together while I’m getting a daily task done.
- Car Rides: We are a social family and like to go! But that also means we spend a lot of time in the car. Instead of letting Stella watch yet another episode of Bubble Guppies on the iPad (how much TV is actually too much?), we use our time in the car to tell stories, make up songs and connect as a family. My husband is the king of this. He makes up songs about everything especially when we’re driving. He’s not afraid to be goofy and this usually distracts my daughter when she is ready to meltdown. I’m not as creative as my hubby and I can’t carry a tune to save my life, so I usually turn to storytelling or narrating the drive to the kids. I’ll point out landmarks, stores I like, places we’ve been, ask my daughter to find certain colors or shapes. It really makes the drive time fly by for all of us. Find games to play with toddlers in the car or at home here.
- Laundry: Dare I say I’m actually starting to like doing laundry? Sure, it piles up and gives me slight anxiety on Saturday morning when I can’t even see the floor in our laundry room. But I have found ways to turn this mundane task into an activity with the kiddos. Sorting laundry is a great activity for a two-year old. We have white and black laundry baskets, and Stella loves to separate the lights and darks into the right basket. My mom always folded laundry on my parents’ bed and would invite my sister and I onto her bed to help. We did this for years, and I always just thought she was using us for free labor, but really it was a time for us to engage with her on a personal level. She’d tell us stories about her college years, the guys she dated and her love for horses while we sorted socks. These are still vivid memories for me, and I’m already starting the laundry tradition with my family. Stella helps me fold towels on my bed. Right now we chat about Paw Patrol, but I know someday our conversations will get much more complicated (please slow down time!).
Again, I’m not a parenting expert. These are simply the tricks that have worked for me. Please share how you are finding the time to talk with your little ones. It’s so important that parents support and encourage each other to communicate with our kids even when they are babies and toddlers. Children’s Minnesota has a wealth of resources to help your kiddos develop into the amazing people they are meant to be.
We know Children’s Minnesota to be an incredible leader in healthcare with hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul and clinics throughout the Twin Cities, but they also have a wealth of resources to help you guide your child into the potential they already hold within them. You ARE your child’s greatest tool in learning and this month, we’re sharing a number of experiences from our team alongside the incredible amount of resources offered by Children’s Minnesota. Find more information on the Children’s Minnesota website.
