My New Life

Jessica Rolph is joined by Veronica Fernandez, who talks about how she takes advice from various parenting approaches and incorporates the best from each. Veronica discusses philosophies such as Montessori, RIE, and attachment parenting. She also shares with us ways to introduce bilingualism to babies and the benefits of it.

Dr. Veronica Fernandez is a new mom, with a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology, with a focus on bilingual education.

Key Takeaways:

[1:35] Veronica shares her journey from preschool to Ph.D.

[3:38] How to incorporate different philosophies in parenting your baby.

[5:23] Veronica shares how she used the Montessori philosophy to create a prepared environment for her newborn baby.

[6:19] The essence of the Montessori approach.

[8:33] The Montessori approach characterizes by giving children the chance of manipulating materials such as glass.

[9:38] The RIE Method is about respectful parenting.

[13:45] Being in physical proximity to a child is always beneficial.

[14:11] What does not resonate with Veronica about Attachment parenting?

[17:19] When the focus is on playing and interaction, the opportunities for teaching will show up spontaneously.

[18:56] Be present and playful in your interactions with children

[19:13] Introducing a second language to babies

[20:05] Children learn more by exposure than to intentional teaching.

[21:58] The benefits of bilingualism.

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Brought to you by Lovevery.com

We all know how important it is to read to our children, but trying to build a baby's math skills can feel like a challenging task, especially if we don't have a positive association with math ourselves.

The good news is, baby is encountering math everywhere, and nurturing a love of numbers is not as hard as commonly thought. After all, we are all born loving numbers!

In this episode, Jessica Rolph speaks with Gillian Starkey, a professor in neuroscience with an emphasis on children's developing math skills. She shares some pointers that are going to score big with you and your baby, and might even make math into something you both look forward to.

Key Takeaways:

[1:22] What constitutes math for babies?

[2:45] Gillian shares why it is important to build basic math skills at home with our babies.

[3:51] What do babies know about math when they are born?

[4:49] Activities that you can do with your baby (0-12 months old) to build math skills.

[8:00] How do children's understanding of numbers and what they represent evolve as they get older?

[9:01] Gillian explains how to engage toddlers in everyday math.

[10:03] Baking is one great way to introduce mathematical concepts to toddlers.

[10:33] Shapes and patterns can be used to strengthen math skills.

[11:40] Gillian gives tips on how to deal with our own math anxiety.

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by Lovevery.com

Learn more about Gillian Starkey

Executive function is a hot topic in brain research. Impulse control is one of a suite of skills associated with executive function.

Jessica Rolph is accompanied by an expert in this field, Dr. Melissa Clearfield, a professor of psychology at Whitman College. In this episode, Melissa shares her research on executive function in babies, along with some grounding advice for parents on connecting with their babies. That connection, she explains, is the foundation for the relationships that your baby will have later on in life.

Key Takeaways:

[1:46] Melissa defines executive function and its link to success later in life.

[3:08] Signs of executive function in the baby's first year of life.

[4:21] Melissa shares interventions that can boost executive function.

[6:25] The importance of parents giving baby their undivided attention.

[8:17] Electronic toys and babies.

[9:40] Simple toys promote learning, exploration and cognitive development.

[10:06] When is it beneficial to offer your child multiple levels of stimulation?

[12:13] How to model good executive function for children.

[13:50] The attachment style that you have with your infant sets the stage for that child's attachment style later in life in their romantic partnership.

[14:50] Play for Success.

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by Lovevery.com

Learn more about Dr. Melissa Clearfield

Play has so much to teach us, children and parents alike. Sometimes parents can get a little too involved in their child's play, particularly with the extra cool toys. When does our guidance become interference? And what amount of direction is appropriate?

Dave Neale joins Jessica Rolph to help us strike the right balance. Dave is a researcher in the psychology of play at the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning at the University of Cambridge.

Key Takeaways:

[1:13] Dave explains the 'sweet spot' when a parent can provide support while not being too involved in the child's play.

[3:20] Playing and its link with structured learning.

[5:30] How to find the balance between helping children achieve the goal of a game or letting them just explore the materials.

[8:18] Play with your children, engagement and becoming an entertained play partner are the most important factors.

[9:23] The effects of a parent who is not sufficiently involved.

[12:23] What is Dave's favorite activity to do with 0-12 months old babies?

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by Lovevery.com

Learn more about Dave Neale

Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development & Learning (PEDAL)

Welcome to My New Life. I'm your host, Jessica Rolph. When we founded Lovevery, my co-founder Rod Morris and I believed that young children and their parents do best when they feel supported. My New Life is a podcast for parents in search of community and deeper insights into how our babies are developing.

The first season is aimed at parents of infants. I've interviewed experts in child development and neuroscience, as well as inspiring moms with real-life struggles.

My goal is to give you information that you can put into action, so you can spend the time that you do have in a really meaningful way. Look for fresh episodes to drop every other Wednesday.

Thank you for being here. Together, we will make the most of this new life.