Help Your Baby Grow

Author: Jennifer Dater, working toward Masters of Science in Psychology, specializing in Child and Adolescent Development

New parents, no matter what age, are typically overwhelmed and exhausted. Even with a copy of What to Expect in the First Year, most families come home with their bundle of joy feeling completely ill equipped to manage their baby’s basic needs, let alone what they will need to set the stage for a thriving future. This is even more daunting for teen mothers and single parents.

It’s often said that parenting 101 should be required teaching. That hasn’t really come about yet. In the meantime, we can guide new parents toward simple, accessible ways to help their newborns reach key milestones with existing resources.

Through my research, developing a realistic, holistic approach, I devised “K.I.S.S” (Keep it sweet and simple). Before their newborns’ birth, young and new parents are encouraged to identify community support resources. These could be found through the local birthing center, health care clinic, or doctor’s office and may include parenting classes, infant car seat education, and new mom nutrition suggestions.

For a deeper dive, utilizing a broad source of peer-reviewed articles and texts, I present a program for expecting teens and new parents to educate briefly, in laypeople’s terms, about psychosocial, cognitive, and fine and gross motor skills development in newborns to three months old.

With this information, any new parent can gain the knowledge, confidence and skills they need to raise healthy, resilient kids. To read the full article, click here.