What your child eats, at least for the first several years, is largely up to you. As an infant, the best nutrition for the first four to six months is breast milk or a quality infant formula. Once your baby is able to hold his head up by himself, sit in a chair and swallow, he’s ready for soft solid foods. Remember, the food eaten as an infant strongly affects his long-term health, body weight, immune system and overall aging.

It’s never too early to support your child’s social and emotional growth, and doing so is just as important as supporting his physical development. Social and emotional intelligence is necessary for children to understand the feelings of others, as well as control his or her own behavior while building relationships and getting along with their peers.

Children love story time, and rightly so! Books build imaginations while teaching children important literacy skills and vocabulary. Every child should be read to aloud for at least 15 minutes every day beginning at birth. As a child’s attention span lengthens, the amount of reading times should be increased.Parents should carve out cuddle and reading time each day with your children, and make it part of a routine.

Children are sponges and begin soaking up the world around them from the day they are born. Research has proven that children who have a rich vocabulary by the age of three have overall success in school but especially with vocabulary, language and reading comprehension skills. There’s no better way to boost your child’s vocabulary and language skills than talking to him frequently, consistently and using a large variety of words. The more quality words children are exposed to the better!

It can be tough for parents – especially new moms and dads – to leave their child in the care of another adult while they work or are attending to other matters, but it can be even harder when the child is upset too. Rest assured that your child care professional knows how to calm distressed infants and children. She may even have some helpful advice for you on how to make separations easier for you both.

Children learn best through play. When they create their own fantastical and magical worlds in pretend play, you will often see them imitating their parents, teachers, and siblings and pretending to do things such as cook dinner, play family or school. While these activities are fun for your children, they also help them to practice their verbal and nonverbal communication, share materials and express their feelings.