Mount Sinai Parenting Center

Every primary care visit is an opportunity to support not only a child's health, but also the relationships that shape lifelong well-being.

Join us for a free webinar on practical, evidence-informed resources that family medicine residency programs can use to promote early childhood development and positive parenting.

During this webinar, we'll discuss:
*Strategies to promote healthy early childhood development during routine primary care visits
*Free educational resources from the Mount Sinai Parenting Center
*How these tools have been successfully implemented in family medicine residency programs across the country
*Practical ways to integrate these resources into residency education and clinical practice

Impact at a glance
✔ More than 300 family medicine residency programs nationwide are using these free resources
✔ Nearly 80 participating programs are located within the FMEC region

📅 Wednesday, August 5, 2026
🕧 12:30–1:15 PM ET
💻 Zoom — registration is free
🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/4yX5z6U

Offered through the FMEC Residency Learning Network.

Sunscreen battles aren't really about sunscreen. They're about autonomy. ☀️

A 2-year-old refusing sunscreen is doing what their brain is built to do: seek independence. The fix isn't to win the moment — it's to invite them into it. When toddlers feel like they have a piece of the decision, the resistance softens. The question isn't whether sunscreen happens. It's how.

You can model this in the exam room. Before checking an ear, demonstrate how you might say: "Do you want me to start with the left or the right?"

Then connect the dots for parents: "It helps when your child feels part of the choice. Next time you put on sunscreen, try: 'should we do your arms or your legs first? Or make it silly — should I draw a sunscreen smiley face or a rainbow?'"

Reading aloud isn't just for school nights. Summer is when reading habits can stretch — or stall. 📚

4 things worth naming with families this summer:
📖 It's never too early. Newborns benefit from being read to — the voice and rhythm matter more than the comprehension.
🪞 Babies look at faces, not pages. Pointing at pictures helps them look back and forth.
🌎 Multiple languages welcome. Reading in the home language strengthens cognitive flexibility — even when school is in English.
🎭 Pretend reading is real reading. Toddlers who ""read"" picture books by narrating their own version are doing literacy work.

To make early literacy access part of pediatric care, your practice can partner with Reach Out and Read to put free books in families' hands at well-child visits, regardless of income!

Sportscasting = narrating what you're doing, moment by moment. When providers model it in the visit, two things happen at once: babies hear more language, and parents see a concrete example of what it looks like.

A few moments where it fits naturally:
🩺 The physical: ""I'm going to listen to your heart now. Here comes the cold stethoscope. Big breath in. All done — you did great.""
⚖️ Weighing: ""Up on the scale we go. Hold still for one second. There — you grew!""
👂 Ear/mouth exams: ""I'm going to look in your ear. I see something fun in there. Now the other side.""
💉 Vaccines: ""Quick pinch coming. One, two, three — and it's over. You were so brave.""
🧸 Transitions: ""Now we're going to put the gown on. Then we're going to listen to your tummy. Then you can get back in mom's lap.""

Then, on the way out:
💬 ""You might've noticed I was narrating everything during the exam — that's called sportscasting. Feels a little silly at first, but it's one of the best things you can do for her language. Just talk through whatever you're up to at home - cooking dinner, changing her diaper, etc. She's soaking it all in!""

📌 Save this for your next 0–18 month visit.

When a previously-fine sleeper falls apart in June or July, the cause is usually not behavioral. It's biological. 😴

Some reminders to share with families about summer sleep:
🌅 The biology hasn't changed. Kids still need lots of sleep, year-round. Summer doesn't grant exemptions — even when the sun is still up.
💡 The biggest variable is light. Evening sun suppresses melatonin regardless of what time bedtime "should" be. A bright room at 8 p.m. tells the brain: not yet.
🧩 Behavior shifts downstream of sleep. The kid who suddenly won't listen, can't transition, or melts down over nothing is often the kid who's been going to bed an hour later for three weeks.

If you see a parent struggling, start by asking: "What time is your child actually falling asleep?"

📬 For a deeper dive, check out this week's Tip of the Week — link in bio to subscribe!