How to Teach Your Baby Math Concepts

In our last post, we talked about why it’s important to teach your baby math. As promised, we’ll give you some tangible ideas and activities to start teaching your baby concepts! Don’t worry, it’s nothing too tricky. Here, I’ll give you three concepts, and three very easy ways to bring them to life.

Observation
Help your baby begin to learn the ability to focus and grasp the essence of an object. Keep it simple! The possibilities are endless! Your child may not have the answer yet, but you can answer as both verbal and math skills are fostered together. Try these Sassy questions as starters!

• What color is that house?
• How many legs does that dog have?
• How many plates are on the dinner table? How many prongs does this fork have?

Exposure to Numbers at a Young Age, Why?

OK, I’ll admit it, I am a math geek. And my sassy momma (One Sassy Grandma) may have something to do with it…

Exposing your children to math concepts and numbers at a young age is a great way to give them a jump start. Don’t worry, we know your tot is young, but it’s never too early to start exposing them to math. In this post, we’ll talk about why math concepts are important for your little one. In our next post, we’ll provide some great ideas and activities to help you get started.

Childcare Transition

Transitioning to childcare could be difficult for young ones- especially if you have been your child’s primary caregiver previously. Going to a new location, or having a new person in your home can be challenging for a baby. Here are some sassy tips to ease the transition to childcare.

Take A Trip! 
One of the best ways to transition smoothly to childcare is by having your child visit the facility prior to attending. Let him meet the caregivers and other children, this will comfort your child when the time comes to start fulltime childcare. Be careful to not push your little one to interact with the others. He may not be ready to play with the other tots. Surprise is not the way to go in One Sassy Doctor’s opinion. We did field trips galore with every new step (day care, nursery school, kindergarten).

Safety Checklist for Childcare

During this month’s series on back to school for toddler and babies, we have to think about child care options for the working parent who is not home all day.

When you’re looking for a childcare provider or facility for your little one, it is number one that you feel COMFORTABLE. Mom knows best (or dad!) - your heart has to feel right, and trust those voices inside if something doesn’t feel right. Having peace of mind that your little one is being safely cared for is invaluable. When you are looking for providers, be sure to check or ask for each of these items:

• A center that is licensed and inspected for health and cleanliness
• Clean, age-appropriate toys that are in fair condition
• Safe sleep environments
• Separate and clean diapering area
• Covered electrical outlets

Activities for When Big Brother and Sister Are at School

This month, we’re focusing on how to help your little ones when big brother and sister go back to school. While your older kids are off at school, help your babies explore and learn at home. Here are some fun, easy and cheap at-home activities to try!

Color
As I mentioned earlier, let your little one choose some safe and inexpensive school supplies when you’re doing back-to-school shopping for your older kids. If your little one is ready for it, crayons are a great choice. These days, there are lots of varieties; some with easy-grip for toddlers. Let your child be creative with the crayons (or finger paint: on paper, not the walls!). I’m a big proponent of using blank paper, not coloring books to really let their creativity bloom. Talk to them about colors and shapes.

What to Do When Big Sibling Goes Back to School

For Sassy September, we’re focusing on the baby and toddler side of “back-to-school”! You may ask, “why think about back to school for babies and toddlers?” Well, we are going to show you in our next 8 posts!

Our first post focuses on an important topic that many parents with older kiddos face: What happens when older siblings go to school and how may this impact baby or toddler?

When a big sibling starts school for the first time, or goes back to school after a long summer, your younger child might struggle with the adjustment. Suddenly, big sis or bro isn’t around during the day. It’s important to help your little one to make this transition as smooth as possible. Here are Dr. Jen’s Sassy tips to help your tots!