Healthy Bodies—On the Go!

Positive Modeling & Promotion of Healthy Bodies – A Four Part Series with Pediatric Obesity Specialist Dr. Dyan Hes

Part Four—On the Go!

We’ve so enjoyed our series with Dr. Dyan Hes; we learned about activity, portion control and the basics of preventive approaches to keep kids and families healthy. For our final installment (unless Dr. Hes agrees to come back again!), we’ll cover the challenge of how to maintain modeling and provide healthy options while on the go. We know Sassy families are hopping and bopping a lot!

Healthy Bodies—Choosing Language & Setting the Tone

A Four Part Series with Pediatric Obesity Specialist Dr. Dyan Hes

Part One—Choosing Language & Setting the Tone

For this exciting four part series, One Sassy Doctor had the opportunity to interview one of a select few of certified pediatric obesity specialists in the country. Dyan Hes, MD is board certified in both pediatrics and obesity medicine and a member of the inaugural American Board of Obesity Medicine. You can learn more about Dr. Hes by visiting her website.

Dr. Jen: Dr. Hes, thank you so much for spending time with us on the One Sassy Doctor blog. We’re all about healthy, happy, playful (and Sassy) babies, toddlers and families and are excited to learn from you. What does it mean to be a specialist in Pediatric Obesity and what got you interested in this field?

Where Did The Concept of Transitional Objects Originate?

Here at Sassy Baby we’re developing toys for babies and toddlers and continually learning about the amazing growth and developmental aspects of play and attachment. One Sassy Doctor has received various questions regarding blankets (think “Linus” from the Peanuts cartoon!), pacifiers and soft toys—these are commonly referred to as transitional or comfort objects.

Our product development team and I learned quite a bit about the developmental and psychological foundations of transitional/comfort objects in writing these posts, and we hope you find them as interesting as we did here at Sassy Baby! In today’s post, we’ll explore the developmental and psychological foundations of this concept and explore some super cool historical information.

What Is Early Intervention?

Anonymous: I am worried about my child’s language development and was told by my pediatrician that he is going to refer for “Early Intervention”. What is this?

The early intervention concept was first created by the United States Congress in 1986 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It provides funding to all 50 states in the United States. States have different criteria for eligibility that depend on various factors. Children who qualify must be under 3 years of age and have a confirmed developmental delay, as defined by parameters the state established. Delay may be in one of the following areas of development: physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional and/or adaptive.

Comparing Language Development of Twins—What Is Expected At 20 Months?

Sydney W: I have twenty-month-old twin boys. One is a chatterbox, and says at least 10 words. The other? Gibberish. No discernible words at all. When should I be concerned about this?

Hi there Sydney and thanks for the great question. You’ve actually raise two terrific issues we can explore here on the One Sassy Doctor blog: one about comparing the development of twins and the other about what a 20 month old’s traditional speech and language development would be.

Working Mother Guilt

Working mother guilt? So many moms face this struggle, and it is one you’ll wrestle with through motherhood. It is absolutely normal to feel this way, and by acknowledging this question and expressing your emotions you are taking the first step.

One Sassy Doctor’s Interview with Speech Pathologist, Ms. Anne Freilich, M.S., C.C.C. Licensed Speech Language Pathologist

Speech and language is the pathway I entered the world of developmental toys & feeding products—and how One Sassy Doctor was conceptualized. My little guy has speech delay, and during a session with his speech pathologist, I came up with the idea for the U-Play™ Mat. So, the connection between writing this blog and interviewing a speech pathologist feels very natural. As a pediatrician, I really did not understand speech delay and development until faced with this as a parent. Language and speech development have become a special interest for me since, and I’m super excited to bring you this interview today!

Please, Please Hold That Baby's Head! AHHHHH!

A repost from www.playthisway.com!

Have you ever seen someone holding a baby and think “Uh oh! Please support that baby’s head!”? Do you say something?

Well, I sure do! It's a bit different than hemming and hawing over whether you tell someone she has a run in her stocking! There is definitely an important foundation behind the "support the baby's head" belief.

Newborn babies have large heads in proportion to the rest of their body. This coupled with neck muscles that are not yet strong enough to support the head; means the head must always be supported.

So, how does one properly hold a baby?