Blogs

The Invisible Thread: How Scent Shapes Your Baby’s Brain From womb to toddlerhood — why olfactory memory may be the most powerful tool you’ve never thought about. When we imagine bonding with a newborn, we picture eye contact, lullabies, skin-to-skin touch. What we rarely picture is scent — yet it is the first and most…

Monthly activity calendars designed to support brain development — from pregnancy all the way through age 3. We are so excited to share something we have been working on: a brand-new series of free monthly calendars called Everyday Moments that Matter. Each calendar is packed with 31 simple, science-backed activities — one for every day of…

How Hand-Eye Coordination Develops from Newborn to Age Three There is a moment, and you might have already seen it, when your baby reaches out and actually grabs the toy dangling above them. Or when your toddler carefully places one block on top of another, tongue poking out in concentration. These small moments are anything…

Understanding Your Toddler’s Developing Social World It is a scene every parent knows too well: you are at a playdate or the park, and your two-year-old is happily zooming a toy car across the ground. Another child approaches, reaches for a nearby block, and suddenly your toddler lets out a piercing “MINE!” while scooping every…

The first year of your baby’s life is an incredible journey. Unlike many animals that can walk or find food right after birth, human babies are born needing us for everything. This “vulnerability” is actually a beautiful opportunity. During these first twelve months, your baby’s brain is growing at a lightning-fast pace, and the “fuel”…

We love our kids deeply. That’s never been the question. But our phones have quietly become the third person in the room — and researchers are starting to measure the cost. They call it technoference — the way our devices interrupt the small, everyday moments between parents and children that matter more than we realize.…

The concept of “maternal instinct” is often portrayed as a biological light switch that flips the moment a baby is born. However, modern neurobiology and attachment science suggest that the “instinct” to bond is actually a complex, unfolding process shaped by interaction. Understanding the “Instinct” You’ve probably heard that loving your baby is supposed to…

How Screen Time Rewires the Developing Brain I’ve spent over three decades in early childhood education—as a classroom teacher, literacy coordinator, and specialist for children with learning disabilities. In that time, I’ve seen the compounding effects of the “wait and see” approach. As I dig further into new research, it gives me hope because it…

By Stephanie Montgomery, Ed.D. I’ve been working in early childhood education for over three decades, and I am no stranger to the compounding effects both academically and social-emotionally that occur when we “wait and see.” I’ll be honest – the new research available to us today absolutely thrills me because it validates what many of…