The Truth About Supporting Our Children’s Development at Home
“Do we really need to teach our babies how to meet their milestones?”
A really common theme of questions I get are related to….
Do we have to TEACH our children to meet their milestones?
Won’t babies just get there on their own?
Are we ‘rushing’ them before they’re ready?
My parents didn’t ‘do tummy time’ and we were just fine - why do we have to do it now?
And please hear me, I completely get where those questions come from!! And, it is truly such an important and nuanced conversation, so let’s talk about it!
The Why Behind Milestones & Motherhood
Let me tell you quickly about my ‘why’ - the why behind Milestones & Motherhood, the why behind the motor development resources I’ve created, the why behind all of it - because it’s a huge piece of this puzzle!
If you’re new to Milestones & Motherhood, hello and WELCOME!! I’m so glad you found your way here. I’m KC, the face behind M&M and a pediatric physical therapist, wife and momma to 3 of my own little ones.
In 2020, like so many others, I found myself all of a sudden thrust into VERY uncertain times. I had been treating children through Early Intervention within their homes working full time and was newly on maternity leave with my newborn and 20 month old after having my second daughter, fully expecting to return to work in just a few short weeks (gotta love maternity leave in the US, am I right?). And then….all of a sudden the world as we knew it completely flipped over. In what felt like an instant, I was now home with my little one’s for the foreseeable future with an essential worker husband, all while trying to juggle shifting from direct patient care to telehealth - and it was incredibly hard. I felt alone, I felt overwhelmed, and I was desperately seeking connection & a creative outlet to share my knowledge & education when I couldn’t be hands on with my patients. So, I started sharing what I was doing with my newborn & toddler during our days at home.
I shared the activities we did, the way I set up their floor time & play space intentionally depending on the skill they were working on, the trials & tribulations, the successes & struggles - and what came from that was beyond my wildest dreams. Because while I was sharing what felt like sometimes mundane parts of our day in a time when I felt so lost and alone, what I FOUND was the most incredible community of parents and caregivers that became MY support system too. And with that came hearing so many of theirs and your stories about navigating their child’s development.
I connected with parents that were just hoping to find ideas & fun activities that were also developmentally beneficial to fill their unexpected time at home too.
I connected with parents & caregivers that were now at home seeing so many aspects of their child’s development and wondering how to support it, how to foster it, and how to play with a purpose.
I connected with parents that were worried about their child’s development but had no idea where to turn, OR knew exactly where to turn, but unfortunately just did not have any available support.
I connected with parents that were being told to ‘wait and see’, or were being brushed off about their concerns and now their children had delays that were snowballing because they just could not find the support and resources they needed and DESERVED so they could help their babies.
And I realized, for some reason I will never truly understand but will FOREVER be grateful for…I had been given a platform to share my knowledge, my education, my clinical experience AND my personal experience as a mom to help these parents and caregivers facing uncertain times and navigating their child’s milestones without trusted support.
So, Milestones & Motherhood was officially born. It started as a 0-3 Year Motor Milestone & Development Guide chocked full of information all about development, and the motor milestones in the first 3 years of life, including activities & fun set ups to encourage & support each one - and it grew from there into a set of resources & classes designed to support every single big milestone in the first 3 years of life, including navigating tummy time, rolling & sitting, crawling, & walking & beyond. It turned into virtual meet ups, community connections, parent to parent support, and so much more. And throughout the entire journey, it became more and more clear to me that although it was uncertain times that thrust me into creating M&M, there was a MUCH deeper need to be filled for parents & caregivers as their children journeyed through their own milestones.
I realized more & more that what I had seen clinically regarding lack of funding, provider shortages & massive gaps in trusted resources was so much worse than I realized and was affecting children in a way that would quite literally impact the rest of their lives. I realized that as a society, those MASSIVE gaps in funding, trusted resources, support, guidance, and information for parents & caregivers was impacting parents who had concerns about their child’s development AND parents that didn’t. And because of it, our babies were the ones suffering.. And I knew I had the tools to help combat that, so I fully committed and will continue to advocate for change for our babies until my last breath - because IT MATTERS.
The System Is Broken, But Parents & Babies Deserve Better
Here’s the truth…..we live in a system that leaves our babies behind ALL 👏THE 👏 TIME 👏. A system that leaves parents fighting, advocating, worrying & finding themselves stuck in a google or comparison rut when it comes to their child’s milestones…and while it can sometimes feel hopeless to try and take on the system and advocate for change - you DON’T have to feel hopeless when it comes to support your child’s development.
Early intervention & supporting our babies milestones starts from day one with tummy time, up through every roll, crawl & step of the way - and there are SO many different parent approaches to milestones. Whether you are the kind of parent that prefers to sit back & allow your child to progress as they will, or the kind of parent that wants tips, ideas & fun activities that also support milestones, or a parent that wants to support therapies their child is in, or is waiting to begin therapies, or a parent being told to ‘wait and see’ that has concerns and wants tangible tips to help their baby NOW so concerns don’t snowball - Milestones & Motherhood has the resources you need. I’ve designed each and every class & resource we have with so much heart and intention, as a pediatric physical therapist with nearly a decade of experience AND as a realistic mom of 3 that gets it.
Because regardless of where you fall in your parenting approach to milestones, the heart of parenting is the same. We all want to see our babies succeed. To see our babies be happy, to excel, and progress, and grow and explore and learn all about their world as they become independent humans and travel through their unique journey through milestones. And you need the right tools in your toolbox to achieve that. You DESERVE to have trusted resources that support YOU in achieving that.
It is NOT about rushing our babies, or pushing them to do things they aren’t ready for - and it’s certainly not individualized physical therapy services (nothing can replace that!!). This is about parents & caregivers combatting a broken system by taking back their power. 💪
You deserve to feel confident in how you’re approaching your child’s development, and to feel confident knowing EXACTLY what your little needs AND how to support them as they journey through their milestones- every roll crawl & step of the way, all from the comfort of your home.
You DO NOT have to be a physical therapist to support your child’s motor milestones. In fact, YOU are the BEST person to support them for SO many reasons - and after nearly a decade in the field, I’ve successfully worked with thousands of families to guide them on how to do just that and now I want to share it with you too.
So, if you’re ready to master your little one’s milestones with confidence and FUN, all from the comfort of your home, you’re in the right place and I can’t WAIT to support you and your babe - just click the link below to join my FREE virtual training - all about Mastering Milestones With Confidence. I can’t wait to see you there ❤
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