Fledglings' Flight Child Development App

Your child is beginning to get a sense of object permanence (knowing that something can exist, even when its out of sight). This knowledge will prompt them to search for and object that you have partially hidden and to drop toys and other objects over the side of a crib or high-chair to watch you retrieve them. Lucky you!

Want more exercises like this?

CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT:
https://app.fledglingsflight.com

#6-8montholddevelopmentactivities

👶✨ Can you really play with a newborn?

Absolutely! From day one, play is how babies learn and connect. 💞

In this highlight, Dr. Celina Moore (IG Moore Healthy Kids breaks down why playing with your baby from birth matters—how early play supports both expressive and receptive language, and why these first playful moments build the foundation for communication and bonding. 🧸🗣️💡

🎙️ NEW EPISODE OUT NOW 🎙️
What Derails Development: The Hidden Risk Factors from Pregnancy to Infancy

Ever wonder why some kids struggle with anxiety, sensory overwhelm, tantrums, ADHD, poor handwriting, picky eating, or trouble sitting still — while others seem to breeze through it all? 🤔
The answer often traces back to something almost nobody talks about: primitive reflexes. 🧠

These are the involuntary, pre-wired movements every baby is born with — the startle, the grasp, the rooting at the breast. They're supposed to do their job and quietly fade away in the first year of life. But when they DON'T, they can shape everything from how your child handles a loud noise to how they hold a pencil… for decades. 🤯

And the wildest part? Whether these reflexes integrate or get "stuck" often comes down to what happens during pregnancy, birth, and those first few months — sometimes as early as 5 weeks after conception. 😳

This week on A Parent's Guide to Child Development, I'm back with the incredible Emily Roper of Early Roots — Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist, certified Midwife's Assistant, and host of The Early Roots Podcast — for a deep dive into what actually derails a baby's development. 💡
With 600+ births attended and over a decade in developmental therapy, Emily connects the dots between what happens in the womb and what shows up in the classroom years later. 💛

In this episode we unpack:
🤰 In-utero factors: maternal stress, substances, illness & positioning
🏥 Birth interventions: C-sections, inductions, epidurals, vacuum & forceps
👶 Prematurity & NICU stays
💔 Birth trauma & how the nervous system "remembers"
🍼 Feeding struggles, tongue ties, colic & reflux
😔 Postpartum mental health & the mother-baby connection
🚗 "Container baby syndrome" & modern lifestyle traps
🤸 Why tummy time and crawling are NON-negotiable
💛 What to do if your story includes any of these

This is NOT about blame or guilt. 🙅‍♀️ It's about AWARENESS — because when you understand what your child's nervous system has been through, you can start giving it exactly what it needs to heal. And it's never too late — not for your baby, not for your teenager, not even for you. 🌱
Whether you're pregnant, postpartum, parenting a struggling kiddo, or recognizing YOUR own story in this conversation — this episode will change how you see child development. 💛

🎧 STREAM NOW:
▶️ YouTube https://youtu.be/Mmp-fa0OzFY
🟢 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LZlsIYj7jI3g4soDkeZGk?si=YXEWzrrwTyiHPLzDZo9p1Q
🍎 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-parents-guide-to-child-development/id1828075438

Link in bio! ⬆️ Tag a parent, birth worker, or therapist who needs this. ⬇️

It is tempting to check on your baby during the night every time you hear a noise or don't hear a noise from the nursery every couple of hours.

Pediatric Sleep Coach, Diana Zales, explains why frequent checking on your baby may disrupt your baby's sleep cycles.

Are you a new or expecting parent and still have trouble figuring out what you need for your newborn? You're not alone. Our free Essential Baby Checklist focuses on what you'll actually need from the day you bring your baby home. Download the free printable checklist and explore the full blog for practical tips and guidance to help you build your registry, prepare your home, and feel confident for your baby's arrival!

Read the full blog and download the checklist here!
https://www.fledglingsflight.com/post/baby-checklist

When parents try to adult without a manual 😂 Need a hand? Here at Fledglings’ Flight, we’ve got the help you need! ✨
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Your child might watch a toy fall out of sight, but until around 6 months, babies don't realize that things continue to exist outside of their view. At this age, the watching of the toy falling has more to do with vision tracking than wondering where it goes when it falls. This exercise will help with vision tracking until your child makes the cognitive leap to understanding object permanence.

Want more exercises like this?

CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT:
https://app.fledglingsflight.com

#5-10montholddevelopmentactivities

Here is a snippet from the Fledglings Flight Podcast with Annamarie Von Firley and special guest speaker, Vanessa Fox! The topic of this episode is about battling postpartum burnout. Vanessa Fox is a neurodivergent pediatric OT who knows what she's talking about when it come to identifying the warning signs of parental burnout.

here is the link to the podcast:
https://youtu.be/PalF52Z41jc

Is your child showing joint attention? It’s a powerful early skill tied to language—but its absence can be a sign that your kid has autism. Learn what joint attention is, why it matters, and how to spot the signs early. Early detection makes a difference!

Here is a snippet from the full podcast! Link to podcast below:
https://ow.ly/wFZl50Zlnk1