The Gerber Life Parenting Blog

It’s not unusual for babies and toddlers to learn gross (larger movements) motor skills – such as rolling over, sitting and walking – more quickly than fine motor skills. Precise hand, finger and wrist movements, as well as grasping objects and picking them up with pinched fingers, are tasks that toddlers need to practice and perfect over time, and in different ways than their gross motor skill counterparts.

There is a lot you can do in any given day of play, however, to help fine-tune these fine motor skills. Following are some activities to consider integrating into your toddler time:

There can be something very special about the bond between two people who decide to embark on life – and maybe a family – together. Also likely is that each of the two may not always see eye-to-eye on every issue, which is OK.

These tips can help with working toward a successful resolution, as a team:

Teens aren’t the only ones immersed in technology at home. Parents are guilty of it, too. Whether you’re checking your work email from your phone or putting in extra hours on a project while at home, these actions may cause your child to feel neglected, sad or frustrated, according to Harvard Clinical and Consulting Psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair, author of the book, “The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age.”

Babies and toddlers have very little concept of danger, evidenced by the way they may walk into – or sometimes lunge off of – objects without fear of falling or injury. As important as it is to teach toddlers about eating healthy foods and good manners, it’s also essential that they understand how to avoid harming themselves and how to address danger.

It is never too early to start teaching good manners to youngsters. If children have a solid foundation from the beginning, they’ll consider manners as normal behavior, notes Donna Jones, author of Taming Your Family Zoo: Six Weeks to Raising a Well-Mannered Child.

When it comes to teaching manners to toddlers, follow these three c’s: consistency, caring, confidence.