Insight
development
Newborn
Down Syndrome
THE BABBLE TAKE Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder caused by an extra full or partial chromosome. No one knows for sure why this happens. But it is known that mothers in their 40s are at a higher risk to have children with Down syndrome than younger mothers. There are a few physical characteristics that set people with Down syndrome apart...
Infant
Returning To Work
THE BABBLE TAKE Few parenting issues involve as much culturally inflicted guilt as when and how (and in some circles, if) a mother should return to work, with much anxiety surrounding the topic. Politics aside, working is a necessity as well as a desire for most mothers, and their babies tend to be none the worse for it. Some say mothers who'v...
Infant
Teething
THE BABBLE TAKE Teething is an unexpectedly controversial topic. The degree of physical pain and symptoms attributed to teething has varied considerably over the last century. In Victorian times it was thought to be the leading cause of infant mortality. New teeth are no longer seen as a cause of severe illness, but paediatricians still disa...
Infant
Sign Language
THE BABBLE TAKE Sign-language is not just for the deaf and that Meet the Fockers kid anymore. Some parents are now teaching their hearing infants to sign before they can talk in an effort to better communicate with their pre-verbal babies. One oft cited benefit is that signing may ease toddler frustration. Sceptics wonder if it is worth the e...
Toddler
Walking
THE BABBLE TAKE Children usually take their first steps toward the end of their first year, though experts say some start earlier and many others don't walk until they are nearly a year-and-a-half old. Dr. Sears attributes the timing of baby's first steps to a combination of strength, balance and temperament, citing the last factor as the most...
Toddler
Managing Relationships
THE BABBLE TAKE Relationships are tricky enough when they are a two-person endeavour. Add more people to the equation (one baby, two babies, grandparents, etc.), and they become a jungle of potential pitfalls and conflict. No matter how open and psychologically aware parents are, family life has a tendency to provide everyone involved with am...
Infant
Crawling
THE BABBLE TAKE Crawling is not just an effective way for a baby to commute from your feet to the couch. Experts say it is excellent training, too; when babies crawl they beef up muscles they will eventually need for walking upright. Most babies start crawling — or using some similar mode of travel — at six to ten months. Though we t...
Toddler
Early Childhood Masturbation
THE BABBLE TAKE The subject of childhood masturbation makes many people uneasy. A child touching their genitals looks sexual to an adult and we are not, as a culture, comfortable thinking of children as sexual. But we may be projecting when we freak out about a little boy touching his penis in public. Some, like Dr. Greene, believe that using...
Toddler
