Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/whats-the-rush/5020376/
Sleep all night.Off the breast.
No more bottle.
Use your words.
Share your toys.
Don’t cry.
You don’t need up.
Thumb out of your mouth.
Bye-bye blanket.
�" and the list goes on.
What high expectations we place on our infants and toddlers who are just beginning to understand this great big world and all of its complexities! In an attempt to ensure that growth and learning occur, the fundamental needs of our infants and toddlers are often pushed aside as we rush the young child to achieve the next developmental milestone. As parents and educators, we frequently feel pressured to prepare the infant for toddlerhood and the toddler for the preschool years. Unfortunately, in doing so, we miss celebrating with the child the beauty and wonder of the present moment.
Our ‘Hurried’ Approach
Newborn infants typically enter the world with an innate ability to communicate their needs. Whether hungry, in need of a diaper change, stimulation or a cuddle, infants cry to communicate their needs to nurturing adults who trust these communications and respond accordingly. So what happens so shortly after the newborn period when so many of us stop trusting the child’s natural progression of development? Why do we attempt to accelerate growth at a pace that ...