I am a first time mom to my beautiful baby girl, Peyton Ava. Having her gave me the inspiration to develop a blog, and educate other moms. I have a very loving and helpful husband who is currently a self-employed, successful graphic designer. Together we make a great team in raising our little girl. She was born on September 2nd, 2014, so my intention is to update my blog according to her developmental and chronological age, continuously using my OT skills and applying them to my new found mommy-skills, to make for some advice and support with a professional and scientific background.
I am also pediatric Occupational Therapist, currently working in a private practice, and previously in a Government based hospital in Gauteng, South Africa. I work with children from birth to 9/10 years of age, most commonly children from 4-7 years old. My main focus is to assist with learning, academic development and sensory integration. In the Government setting, I worked with newborns, mostly babies under the age of two years. I treated children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, Autism, various perceptual and learning difficulties, genetic abnormalities, burn victims, and children with any developmental delay as a consequence of a general medical condition like malnutrition or meningitis. However, my blog is not aimed at children with special needs just yet. This blog looks more into typically developing babies and their development, something I am all too passionate about. For so long, during my therapy sessions, I have thrown around words like tummy time and stretches, thinking that carrying these things out at home was easy for moms! Boy, was I wrong! I have learnt just how tough it actually is to get a baby to enjoy tummy time, to interact with that perfect, expensive toy instead of looking at the TV, and to do, basically, anything you so desperately want them to do! I believe that parenting is driven by our children, and here we are, merely passengers, trying to help them by getting behind the wheel and doing things for them, when all they need is a co-pilot, facilitating and guiding them, warning them of dangers and showing them the way. My blog is here to help moms do just that. I am here to educate and create awareness, and by no means judge or 'forbid' people from using or doing certain things. My opinion is my own, shaped by firstly my degree in Occupational Therapy, and secondly, my application of this knowledge in parenting my daughter and helping her develop. I take pride in empowering moms to have the knowledge that I do, and to share it with others too. After all, we are raising the next generation - who could possibly be more important. I mean no judgement or harm in any posts, please take my advice as you will, and try my suggestions, but realize that the success thereof is up to you as a caregiver. The safety of your child is your responsibility, so please ensure he/she is always safe and comfortable, and should you feel uncomfortable carrying out one of my suggestions, feel free to tell me and make sure you only carry out things you are comfortable doing. Remember that all babies are different and have different needs and abilities, and my blog is aimed at typically developing babies. |