The Babbles

?? Exciting News! ?? We’re thrilled to share that our co-founder, Will Maurer, has been invited to be a 2025 TEDx speaker! Through years of research, evidence-based guidelines, and innovative solutions, The Babbles is committed to ensuring that content designed for children under 2 is developmentally appropriate and mindfully produced. This TEDx talk is a pivotal moment - one that will help bring this important conversation to a global stage. We couldn’t be prouder! Join us in celebrating this incredible milestone, and stay tuned as we continue to lead the way in research and solutions for responsible children’s media. #TEDx, #TED, #TheBabbles, #ChildrensMedia, #ChildrensMediaReform

As your baby grows, they will interact with the same toys in different ways. If you’re a parent you’ve probably noticed that most toys are labeled with suggested ages. These recommendations are particularly important in terms of safety. Toys with small pieces can be choking hazards for young children, for example. But these suggestions can also relate to the developmental stage at which your child will be best prepared to use the toy “as intended.” And here I always advise a flexible mindset. Take stacking rings for example. They’re a great infant-toddler toy in that children can enjoy in different ways at different ages/stages. In their idealized use, the idea is that toddlers will discriminate by size, stacking the rings in order from largest to smallest. That’s a pretty sophisticated skill… and not where the toy’s youngest users are likely to begin. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the toy should be withheld for later. At the earliest stages, your baby may simply grasp the rings and explore them with their hands and mouths - which is a perfectly appropriate starting point. This sweet little guy, shared to IG by aren.sanjari - is in between these two extremes. With the help of his parents, he’s practicing his hand-eye coordination, stacking the rings in the order presented by his adult partner. (And working on his clapping to boot!) He’s not quite ready to sort the by size, but that doesn’t make the activity any less meaningful. It’s simply a matter of matching the task at hand to his developmental readiness. As you shop for toys, consider your choices carefully… assessing first for safety and then for how and whether they may lend themselves to different and increasingly sophisticated uses as your child grows. When you can identify multiple uses, you’ve generally found a winner! The trick is to think like Goldilocks - looking for toys that are neither far too simple for your child, nor far too sophisticated - but just right (allowing their meaningful use both now and for the foreseeable future). What types of toys have you found that meet these criteria?

Amazing opportunity at a time when we need more research in education, not less ?? john deasy, Jody Rosentswieg

Are you familiar with the "Sophie Giraffe?" If you are in #France, where nearly every child has one, or in Canada or the U.S, where they are given as baby shower gifts, you know about this cute giraffe--- and its ability to act as a teether, and as a comfort toy. As they are handcrafted, making no two Sophie's alike, with a gift box and story included, they do make excellent gifts. However, one ability of the giraffe, it's ability to "whistle" when squeaked, requires caution, as air is able to enter and exit this way. Combined with a baby's saliva, this will create mold inside Sophie, that builds up quite quickly. While the outside can be cleaned, the inside cannot... Teether toys are an excellent option for children to select for self-soothing, and babies will form attachments to early toys, especially ones that provide comfort. So do your best to find ones that don't whistle and, in doing so, save some money and avoid illnesses like oral thrush. Video from @natatialutess on TT #childdevelopment #sophiegiraffe #sophielagirafe #teethers #science #mold #babies #baby #selfsoothing #infantmentalhealth #infanthealth

A message from Executive Director Matthew Melmed: ? ZERO TO THREE is deeply concerned about the reported staff reductions within the Administration for Children and Families, particularly the significant impact on offices overseeing early childhood programs. We understand that dozens of staff in ACF's early childhood offices received termination notices yesterday in the Office of Child Care, Office of Early Childhood Development, Office of Head Start. These actions will have far-reaching and damaging consequences for early care and education in communities across the country. Babies can't wait for resources. Their needs are now. This is the foundation for a thriving future. ? The first three years of life are a period of unparalleled brain development. During this critical window, a baby's brain forms over one million new neural connections every second. These connections lay the foundation for future learning, behavior, and health. High-quality early childhood programs, like those administered and supported by ACF, play a vital role in nurturing this development by providing enriching environments and responsive relationships that promote cognitive, social, and emotional growth.? ? These firings are unnecessary and cruel and will leave families with even fewer resources during a time when they need them most. ZERO TO THREE urges the Administration to reconsider these staffing cuts and prioritize investments in programs and personnel that support the healthy development of our nation's youngest children. The future growth and prosperity of our society depends on it.? ? Read our full statement a: https://lnkd.in/gmt_x4EQ Tell Congress to stand up for our nation's babies: https://lnkd.in/g7Vy5p_2

The first 2 years are the most critical for the development of the human brain. Yet, it also happens to be the most educationally neglected period. Dan Wuori’s posts provide a fun way for parents to educate themselves on this critical period of human development.

The 'Shaping Us Framework', created by the The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and provided for free in the link below, is designed to provide an accessible way of focusing on social and emotional skills to support the development of these critically important skills for people at all stages of life.

The FIND team at The Stanford Center on Early Childhood is building a pool of qualified consultants who would be interested in supporting projects on an hourly basis as opportunities arise. If you're interested in becoming a consultant, please fill out this interest form: https://lnkd.in/gVfiPx-a Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) is a video coaching program that facilitates responsive, supportive caregiving to significantly improve developmental outcomes for children birth to five years old. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gpUiDRhb

Insightful research from The Gravely Group about the use of technology and screen time for differentiated instruction. This is a topic we have been researching in an effort to create guidelines, solutions and reform.

Song number three is my jam. ?? Watch closely as this little one, shown here at 10 months, not only shows a preference for one of three songs played by her toy, but uses the green button to advance past the other two to replay (and dance to) the tune of her choosing. She isn’t yet walking independently. Her expressive vocabulary remains limited, but there’s deep thinking happening here. Within just a second or two she is able to discriminate whether the song being played is the one she’s seeking. Impressive! And an important reminder that children hear and understand the world around them well before they are able to express themselves verbally at the same level. This little music fan was shared to IG by fatimaprocailo.