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Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP

The One Phrase New Parents Actually Want To Hear

Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP         Ayelet Marinovich, M.A., CCC-SLP        
The One Phrase New Parents Actually Want To Hear           The One Phrase New Parents Actually Want To Hear          
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    As New Parents, There’s So Much…

    I’ve been spending a lot of time talking with new and expecting parents, caregivers, and professionals working with young children.

    Having been through the “beginning” of parenthood with a new baby twice myself, each conversation brings up memories (and often a wave of emotions!), feelings of vulnerability and self-doubt, and also a sense of absolute awe for the new life and new beginning.

    Now that I’m no longer in “the thick of it,” I find myself on the outside looking in. I find that there are two polar extremes that we often see when it comes to life as a new parent, and neither of them are particularly healthy.

    We often get stuck in the two extremes of the portrayal of early parenthood:

    On the one side is this glowy, radiant, beautiful, “perfect” new relationship (that we often see on our Facebook or Instagram feed): a curated reality in which all things go swimmingly – the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period… in which breastfeeding is always easy, a partner is endlessly helpful, a baby is instantly sleeping through the night, an older sibling is calm and adaptable, and our own bodies snap back into shape with the flip of a switch.

    On the other side is the deep depths of darkness, where anxiety and comparison and cynicism rule, sleep deprivation and hormones make us totally loony tunes, where the only bedtime story in existence is “Go the &%!K to Sleep,” and where it feels like no one is there for us. Not even Dr. Google.

    The reality is that early parenthood is both of these things, and none of them, and we can flip from one to the next and back again in a matter of minutes (if not seconds).

    The Comparison Game Is Dangerous

    When we look at other new parents and caregivers, and other peoples’ babies, it’s impossible not to look back at ourselves in comparison. We see our babies as a reflection of ourselves, and we want them to do well.

    We want to provide the “best start” in life, just like Sally down the street who always seems to have it together (guess what: Sally hasn’t told you about her postpartum anxiety or about the difficulty she’s having with her partner or about the fact that her older child is driving her bonkers).

    We think we have to have “this learning toy” and “that set of high contrast black and white images.”

    We think we have to come up with activities that are super out-of-the-box and creative, or have a plan for this craft ready.

    We think we have to keep giving them something they haven’t seen before.

    So what’s the phrase that all new parents want to hear, you ask?

    “You’re Already Doing It.”

    Infants and toddlers are happy with Tupperware and old boxes, most of the time.

    Ok, so we don’t have to over-plan things.

    So the question becomes: how do we elicit the power of those natural objects? How do we insert ourselves in that play, too? It’s one thing to watch your baby entertain herself with Tupperware… but how do you get “in there” with them, and add to the activity without getting in the way or being overly directive?

    Am I Doing It Right? Am I Doing Enough?

    You want to do well. You want to feel like you’re not just “winging it.”

    And there’s also a matter of getting the most “bang for the buck:” if you’ve got 10-20 minutes to spend with your baby between the time you get home and the time you have to start thinking about getting dinner on the table or bath time and bed time started, what’s the most productive thing you can do?

    In a way, it’s fear-driven: you want the best for your baby, and you want to make sure you’re interacting with them “correctly.” And that’s why the first question is often “what do I need to buy?” or even “what if I could subscribe to something and it would all just be sent to me with everything I needed?”

    I Can Offer Something Better.

    What if you already had everything you needed?

    What if the “best” toys for your baby were hidden, in plain view, right there in your home (or attached to you)?

    What if you were given the recipe: exactly what you needed, instructions for what you might do, the developmental impact of the activity, and sample “scripts” to get you started actually implementing the activity – so you know exactly what you’re doing…?

    What if you realized you were already doing so many of the “right” things to support your baby’s development?

    Imagine How Empowering That Would Be

    No more “winging it.”

    No more play room comparisons.

    No more drawing a blank when you could have been engaged in play.When you recognize the tools you already have to boost your baby’s development, you’re able to maximize the time you have with your baby, you’re empowered to “get it right,” and you’re able to unlock the power of everyday routines and objects to figure out how to play with your baby. Get everything you need inside the Learn With Less® Simple Parenting Toolbox.

    Learn With Less® Simple Parenting Toolbox:

    A collection of resources to help you feel like a competent, confident, capable parent.

    Everything you need to actually enjoy playing with your tiny human (using materials you already have – no extra time or energy required!).

    Resources to make life easier – and the place to put it all together so you feel less lonely.

    A set of high-quality, developmentally enriching ideas to share with another caregiver who will be spending time with your baby, to find common ground, and to put your mind at ease that your baby will be enjoying high quality activities with each of you!

    Discover the ultimate simple parenting toolbox now!

    The One Phrase New Parents Actually Want To Hear

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    Learn With Less
    The One Phrase New Parents Actually Want To Hear
    Ayelet Marinovich, MA, CCC-SLP
    ✨ More Inspiration Monday! 

Today we’ll help you become a Toy Detective, finding out how to support learning & development…

Using a Wooden Spoon! 🥄 

Here is a non-exhaustive list of ideas:

🔎 PLAY: symbolic play for stirring, use as a road for smaller objects to traverse, scoop things up in a large bin

🔎 TALK: narrate whatever a child is doing with it, talk about how you’ re using it, what it looks like feels like. etc

🔎 SING: use it to tap a beat to a melody or rhythm, make up a song about a spoon or simply sing with the words “yum yum yum”

🔎 MOVE: hand it to a tiny human to practice grasping, holding, pulling, pushing

✨ Here at @learnwithless , our goal is to equip families with confidence, capacity, & competence.

🕵️ The Emperor Has No Toys, Folks.

Find high quality information & ideas
❤️ breaking down concepts 
❤️ providing rich, developmental morsels 
❤️ so you can support & connect with tiny humans, without having to buy another toy.

Download our FREE infant/toddler development blueprint to get started: https://learnwithless.com/blueprint

And grab our beloved resource, Connect Learn Play (made in collaboration with @the.emerging.parent !) 

➡️ You’ll always know how to support a young child’s development with a laundry basket, a cardboard box, or a dishtowel!

🔗 (link in my bio) https://learnwithless.com/connectlearnplay

Got questions? Send a DM or comment below! 

✅ ✈️ Make sure to follow, save, & share!
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#learnwithless #parenting #parentingconfidence #earlylearning #babydevelopment #toddlerdevelopment #parentsupport #parenteducation #parenteducator #earlychildhoodeducation #earlychildhoodeducator #pediatricslp #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #pediatricphysicaltherapy #playbasedlearning #loosepartsplay #openendedtoys #usewhatyouhave #parentingpodcast #earlyintervention
    If YOU have a professional/educational background in a field related to early child development (e.g., #speechlanguagepathology , #earlychildhoodcareeducation , #physicaltherapy , etc.)

👉🏽 AND you want to empower families to support & connect with their young children, & you want to build access to education for ALL families by facilitating a message through play, inclusivity, respect, & connection…

🔎 Check out the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training Program! 🔗 (link in bio) https://learnwithless.com/certification

One of our recent @learnwithless clients shared with us what the program means to her:

⭐️ “I’ve been working in Early Intervention with kids for many years as a PT, & I’ve seen a huge need in my community for something like this. 

⭐️ I’ve taken the leap to fulfill that need. I was looking for something fresh & exciting, to use my skills in a unique way. This program fits the bill!”

When you fill out our quick application we’ll see if you’re a good fit &invite you to a private training: https://learnwithless.com/certification

Got questions? Send me a direct message! We love getting to know your vision, hopes, & goals allowing you to expand the impact you can make in your community!
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#learnwithless #communitycare #slpmom #otmom #ptmom #privatepracticetherapist #privatepracticeslp #pediatricot #earlychildhoodeducator #slp #familycentered #birthtothree #infantsandtoddlers #earlyintervention #earlyinterventionworks #parenteducation #parenteducation #earlychildhoodeducation #earlychildhood
    In our latest episode of the @learnwithless podcast (in collaboration with the Play On Words podcast from @bigcityreaders ) 

We discuss the 4 pillars of our framework for supporting & connecting with babies and toddlers — without having to buy another toy.

For new parents & caregivers, the need to buy more, do more, & be more for young children can be overwhelming. 

Check out how this toddler finds ways to explore and experiment with their peas - and how this simple moment in which they’re already engaging has the potential to support ALL areas of learning & development:

🧠 cognition: exploring concepts like size & if/then
🗣️ communication: a caregiver’s voice can narrate what the child is doing
🫰🏽motor/sensory: fine motor, pincer grasp
🤲🏼 social/emotional: social interaction between caregiver & child

Want to find ways to 
💡 #usewhatyouhave 
💡 feel confident you’re “doing enough”
💡 understand your baby or toddler

Head over to our podcast episode - listen or read the transcript: 🔗 (link in bio) https://learnwithless.com/podcast/amidoingenough/

And download our FREE infant/toddler development blueprint to get started on your Learn With Less® journey:

🔗 https://learnwithless.com/blueprint

🎧 Let us know what you think of the episode! 
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#learnwithless #bigcityreaders #parenting #parentingconfidence #earlylearning #babydevelopment #toddlerdevelopment #parentsupport #parenteducation #parenteducator #earlychildhoodeducation #earlychildhoodeducator #pediatricslp #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #pediatricphysicaltherapy #playbasedlearning #loosepartsplay #openendedtoys #usewhatyouhave #playonwords #parentingpodcast
    Heres an invitation to become a ⚡️ Toy Detective 🕵️ 

You’re presented with two sets of objects:

1️⃣ A Magic Tissue “Developmental Montessori Toy

And 

2️⃣ Tissue Box, Shoe Box, or other Smallish Box, Along With A Few Napkins, Handkerchiefs, Actual Tissues, or Paper Towels (for instance)

🔎 Which One Teaches Developmental Skills? 

🔎 Which Has Inherent Develipmental Value?

🔎 Why or Why Not?

Ready for the answer?!

✅ BOTH! 

The simple objects you have in your home are powerful learning tools that can support a young child’s 
🧠 cognitive development
🗣️communicative development
🤘🏾🦶🏼motor/sensory development
🕺🏼social/emotional development

And can enrich & facilitate the connection between caregiver & child.

Here at @learnwithless we are big proponents of knowledge & education, allowing you to feel confident using what you have.

♥️ Our goal is to equip families to feel confident, additional capacity, and competence. 

❣️ The Emperor Has No Toys, Folks!

➡️ Find high quality information & ideas

💡 breaking down concepts

🎁& providing rich, developmental morsels 

🤗so you can support & connect with tiny humans, 

📦 without having. to buy another toy.

Download our FREE Infant / Toddler Development Blueprint today: (link in my bio) https://learnwithless.com/blueprint

Want to hear how this all works in action? 

🎧Listen to our latest podcast episode, a collaboration between @learnwithless and @bigcityreaders on either of our podcast feeds! 

“Am I Doing Enough? Understanding Your Baby and Toddler” with Ayelet Marinovich & Beth Gaskill
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#learnwithless #bigcityreaders #parenting #parentingconfidence #earlylearning #babydevelopment #toddlerdevelopment #parentsupport #parenteducation #parenteducator #earlychildhoodeducation #earlychildhoodeducator #pediatricslp #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #pediatricphysicaltherapy #playbasedlearning #loosepartsplay #openendedtoys #usewhatyouhave #playonwords #parentingpodcast
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