From infants to toddlers, to toddlers to preschoolers… and the list goes on. We are watching our children change daily or even weekly. We look at what’s new in developmental milestones, child socialization, choosing a daycare or preschool during a pandemic, and a book list to help kids with school and life changes.
Key Changes To Developmental Milestones
As parents, we are looking into the future, marking off our children’s important developmental milestones. Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics updated those milestones.
According to the AAP study published in Pediatrics, “Evidence-Informed Milestones for Developmental Surveillance Tools,” the CDC’s and Prevention’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program, funded by AAP to convene an expert working group to revise its developmental surveillance checklists. The goals of the group were to identify evidence-informed milestones to include in CDC checklists, clarify when most children can be expected to reach a milestone (to discourage a wait-and-see approach), and support clinical judgment regarding screening between recommended ages.
“The earlier a child is identified with a developmental delay the better, as treatment as well as learning interventions can begin,” says Dr. Paul Lipkin, who provides clinical services to patients at the Institute’s Center for Development and Learning. He is a professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and assisted with the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” revisions. “At the same time, we don’t want to cause unnecessary confusion for families or professionals. Revising the guidelines with expertise and data from clinicians in the field accomplishes these goals. Review of a child’s development with these milestones also opens up a continuous dialogue between a parent and the health care provider about their child’s present and future development.”
The following are some of the milestones updates to the guidelines:
• Added checklists for ages 15 months and 30 months. Also, now there’s a checklist for every well-child visit from 2 months to 5 years.
• Identifies additional social and emotional milestones (Example: Smiles on their own to get your attention, age 4 months).
• Removed duplicate milestones.
• Removed vague language like “may” or “begins” when referring to certain milestones and using plain language instead.
• Provides new, open-ended questions to use in discussion with families.
• Revised and expanded tips and activities for developmental promotion and early relational health.
Visit cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones for info.
Toddler and Preschooler Socialization After a Pandemic
Faith Boone, a mom of two girls in Shaker Heights, had to deal with sending young children to school and daycare during a global pandemic.
“Closings (permanent or temporary), constantly purchasing disposable masks, never seeing the inside of the (new school) building, increase in rate due to deep cleaning and other Covid-related protocols,” she says about the changes they experienced. “Some of these children don’t know what it’s like to go out of the house without a mask. I think the babies and toddlers today have settled on this being a way of life. Some of them are too young to remember otherwise.”
Many families also had to stay home, so children were unable to have playdates or participate in a daycare or preschool program.
Erin Reynolds, M.A., CCC-SLP, and Melissa Hille, speech-language pathologists at North Ridgeville City Schools’ Early Childhood Learning Center, says toddlers and preschool-aged children should learn social skills such as taking turns, waiting their turn, and making eye contact with others.
“Children need to learn to play cooperatively with others, problem solve, and express their emotions with peers (e.g. children need to ask peers for toys or things they want, rather than just taking them),” Reynolds and Hille said.
While the early days of the pandemic might have disrupted learning these skills, Reynolds says, “It’s important to note that children are resilient, and for most typically developing children, this will be a small bump in the road.”
In fact, according to Reynolds and Hille, “classrooms now look similar to how they did prior to the pandemic, and children have more opportunities to socialize.”
However, if parents are still worried about their child’s social skills, there are opportunities inside and outside of the home to learn.
Reynolds and Hille recommend reducing screen time, playing with their children, discussing and reading about social situations in picture books, modeling social skills and talking about emotions and perspective-taking (for example, “Look, he is crying. What can we do to make him feel better?”).
“If parents are unable to get their children immersed in a preschool or daycare setting, they can simulate play scenarios at home to build those skills before their child transitions to a preschool or daycare program,” Reynolds says. “There have been many parents who have gotten creative and set up playdates over Zoom. Parents can seek social groups for children and/or get their children involved in the free activities offered at their local libraries. This would allow children to experience structured social situations with the guidance of their parents or caregiver.”
Boone says she tries to supplement learning with fun workbooks and coloring sessions at home.
“The pandemic may have prepared the kiddos better than anything,” she says.”They may enter kindergarten with better awareness, a better sense of mindfulness, more generosity, and they will be more polite.”
Books About Growing Up
Here are some books to check out to help kids ease into some developmental transitions.
Everything Grows
By Raffi and illustrated by Nina Mata
From children to animals, from leaves on a tree to fish in the sea, everything grows. Raffi’s popular and catchy song encourages kids to take in the world around them and appreciate the way everything is growing together.
Bye-Bye Time
By Elizabeth Verdick and illustrated by Marieka Heinlen
Being dropped off at childcare or cared for by a babysitter means saying goodbye to Mom or Dad—and for many toddlers, bye-bye is a big deal. This gentle book helps ease the transition with simple rituals. Toddlers learn that good-bye isn’t forever, it’s just for a while.
Lola Goes to School
By Anna McQuinn and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
Lola and her family prepare for the first day of school. When she arrives, she puts her things in her cubby, chooses her activities, reads, plays, and has a snack. Before she knows it, it’s time to sing the good-bye song and rush into Mommy’s arms for a warm reunion.
When Things Get Too Loud: A Story About Sensory Overload
By Anne Alcott
When the world gets to be too much, Bo feels his Feel-O-Meter go from 1 to 10. Noises, smells, sounds, the world can be an overwhelming place. One day, Bo’s numbers climb too quickly, and all he wants to do is hide. But then he makes a remarkable little friend.
Everyone Poops
By Taro Gomi
An elephant makes a big poop. A mouse makes a tiny poop. Everyone eats, so of course, everyone poops. The concept of going to the bathroom is made concrete through this illustrated narrative that is both verbally and visually engaging, which provides a helpful potty-training tool.