Lactating Layovers
Breastfeeding moms know how hard it can be to find a private place to pump, including in busy airports. But the newly passed Friendly Airports for Mothers Act is about to change all that. The law will make it safer, cleaner, and more comfortable for moms, and the concept is long overdue.
Resources
Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (U.S. Breastfeeding Committee)
Prenatal Violence
Violence is dangerous wherever it appears, even for babies during the prenatal period. Many children who were in the womb when their mom experienced violent episodes showed negative impacts nearly two years later. Helping to protect mothers also serves to protect children, and to change their outcomes.
Resources
Inside Voices Please, Parents
Put your toys away! Quiet down! Stay in your seat! At some point, most parents lose their patience and speak harshly to their children. Chances are it didn't change your child’s behavior in the long run or make you feel confident as a parent. Yelling is only a release for you. It’s not an effective strategy to engender self-discipline. It is much more effective to speak to children with our inside voices.
Resources
Why You Should Stop Yelling at Your Kids (New York Times)
Dream On Baby
Infants spend a lot of time sleeping. In fact most of their time is spent dozing. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could know what they were dreaming about? Decades of research have shown that REM sleep is crucial to brain development in infants. It is during this deep sleep when babies are converting all of their brand new experiences and observations into lasting memories and developing the foundation of new skills. It is how they learn.
Resources
Do Babies Dream When They're in REM Sleep? (The Atlantic)
You're Our Neighbor
It has been 50 years since Mister Rogers' Neighborhood premiered on PBS. The messages that he brought to children are just as relevant today as they were then. Making kids feel valued, liked, and important simply because they are kids was consistent throughout Mr. Rogers' entire run. You don't have to do anything other than be yourself to be special.
Resources
Visit The Fred Rogers Center for more early learning materials (The Fred Rogers Center)
Poll Puts Pre-K At The Head Of The Class
Maryland voters agree: pre-K matters. Listen now for the results of our recent poll.
Resources
Read more about our recent poll here (Maryland Family Network)
Baby's First Pitch
What do you think James Earl Jones sounded like as a baby? How about David Attenborough? A group of French researchers suggests that the pitch of their voices - and yours too - may have sounded when they were babies much as it does now that they're adults.
Resources
Babies' cries may foretell their adult voices, a study shows (New York Times)
The pitch of babies' cries predicts their voice pitch at age 5 (Royal Society Publishing)
The pitch of babies' cries predicts their voice pitch at age 5 (Royal Society Publishing)
Civic Engagement
The political divide in America seems to be wider than ever, yet civic engagement is on the rise. But how do busy parents find time to get involved? We’ve got a few ideas!