For Moms of Toddlers and PreSchoolers

If you look at my sidebar you will see a new addition...The SavvySource for Parents.

And what is this?  It's a simple (although approximately 20 minutes long) quiz that you can take to help you gauge your child's developmental progress in a variety of areas. Although this is in no way intended to take the place of the advice of a Developmental Pediatrician, it can give you a way to be honest about your child's progress without fear of someone thinking you are a "bad mom" (because really - who among us hasn't been at a checkup and said to the doctor "ummmm - YEAH...of COURSE my son is doing that already!" when he really wasn't?)

While informal assessments can never replace the expertise of a pediatric specialist, they can help parents prepare for appointments with greater awareness and confidence. This kind of preparation often leads to more meaningful conversations during routine checkups, where pediatricians can evaluate development more thoroughly, answer questions, and recommend any additional care that may benefit the child’s growth and wellbeing.

That same proactive approach is equally important when it comes to monitoring a child’s oral health, since dental development is closely connected to overall wellness during the early years.

Regular dental visits give parents the opportunity to identify issues such as delayed tooth eruption, bite concerns, or early signs of decay before they become more serious problems, while also helping children become comfortable with professional care in a supportive setting. Little Big Smiles Pediatric Dentistry plays an important role in this process by providing focused care that supports healthy dental development as part of a child’s broader health journey.

When parents combine regular medical checkups with attentive dental care, they create a stronger foundation for lifelong wellbeing, ensuring that both developmental and oral health needs are monitored with the same level of consistency, care, and early intervention.

And let's be honest - the thing is sponsored by LeapFrog so at the end of the evaluation they WILL suggest some of their products and books to help you along with any possible deficiencies or to continue your child's progress.  That doesn't mean that you need to go out and buy them all right away!  Besides - grandparents just LOVE to buy these sort of things (and there are always libraries, CraigsList and FreeCycle)

If you have a young child, I strongly urge you to take the quiz...then again, I may be a little biased here.  My oldest son is Autistic and was diagnosed before Autism became such a prevalent problem in this country.  These are the kinds of questions I wish someone was asking me before I had to take him to the doctor because he was constantly banging his head on the concrete and my face!