Family Tips
Winter Safety Tips for Every Babysitter
From the moment you sign up, SitterTree is here to support you. Local SitterTree Coordinators are available to provide the highest quality of support when you need it. Whether you’re working with a SitterTree church, group or family, safety is our number one priority for all SitterTree members. Sitters may contact their Coordinator or SitterTree
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Baby signs strengthen baby minds
Teaching babies to understand and make their own signs may give their brain a boost, as well as providing the means for their first early communications before they are capable of speech. Tell Me More Imagine how your life would change if your baby could tell you what they wanted! It’s possible – with
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The first five years: critical to brain development
Unlike many other organs, our brains do not grow steadily over time, but rather, in growth spurts which are heavily concentrated during early childhood. Tell Me More Incredibly, a baby’s brain reaches half of its adult size by 18 months, and 90% of its adult size by 4-5 years. Brain growth is achieved mostly by
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Holiday Family Fun
Just a few years ago I was a young mom with five little boys under 10. They were lively, loud, competitive, loving, and fun. My life was a mixture of noise and laughter and conflict and exhaustion. The holiday season became a time of emotional overload that was stressful, tiring, sad, and wonderful all at the
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Consequences of a visual world
Our ever-more sophisticated technologies and culture have led us to become highly dependent on visual stimulation to maintain our attention. Tell Me More We are very fortunate to live in a highly visual world. Our senses are constantly stimulated and bombarded with visual input. As a result, we have become largely dependent on this input
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Navigating Discipline – Tips from a Veteran Sitter
Children are a great passion of mine! At the age of 14, I started working with children as a volunteer teacher’s assistant at a local church. Since then, I’ve observed, been inspired, and studied the way children act and behave. As a babysitter, on-call nanny, and childcare provider, it’s been a pleasure to experience the
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Neophobia: the fear of the new
Is your child a picky eater? Well, here’s some reassuring news for frustrated parents: you are not alone. Furthermore, a fear of new foods and a fear of new things in general often go hand-in-hand for many children. Tell Me More Most of us would be surprised to discover that research shows children often require
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Bundled babies eat and sleep better
Swaddling coaxes babies to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Tell Me More Swaddling is a technique of wrapping a young baby in a blanket in such a way that the baby’s natural reflexes are suppressed. Midwives and lactation consultants have long advocated swaddling as a means of calming young babies, and now we
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Toy labels: consider ager before stage
The age listed on labels of toys and games is often a recommendation based on safety concerns, not developmental suitability. Tell Me More At present, there are simply no global guidelines in place for age recommendations listed on toys with the exception of rules regarding choking hazards for children under three years of age. Recommended-age
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Finding a Mentoring Mom
When I was a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) with five little boys, I yearned for an older woman to talk to—someone who had walked the path ahead of me. I had a close relationship with both my mother and mother-in-law, but sometimes I needed a neutral voice to speak to my concerns. My husband and I
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