Begin Balanced

Bonus points if they’re all in the same conversation 😆

In an ideal world:
1. Avoid it for as long as you can
2. Minimize it if you use it
3. Preferred screen times would involve a real time interaction on the other end (like FaceTime-ing a family member) or videos of the child themselves (helps with prep for transitions, memories of holiday traditions etc)
4. Parent holds, touches, carries etc the iPhone/iPad - this helps set a boundary of who decides what’s on the screen time menu
5. If you want to avoid it during travel, it’s easier if you get or make a bunch of carry on sized activities from the dollar store/Dollar Spot at target
6. Yes, we live in a tech world, but kids will have plentyyyyyy of chance to learn this tech and they pick it up so fast! This isn’t a skill we need to start early.
7. 0-5 years are the most important time for development - if you can do the (very hard!) job of minimizing screen time during these years your child’s ability to play independently, creativity, motor skills, etc will all thank you!

It’s really hard, and I’m aware that it’s not “all or nothing” - but it can be a slippery slope so if you have the ability to not put your kids on screen too much before 5, it’s a great gift to them ❤️

My fav resource for rating kids shows based on a whole TV Rubric is !!

https://raisewildflowers.com/tv-reviews

Check out my latest blog post for an UPDATED list of favs that are good for oral motor development!

Due to some exciting changes (more on that soon!) the ONLY way to work with at this time is to sign up for a virtual or in person spot at a Tongue To Toes Infant Clinic!

There are 2-3 per month, and here are the Sept & October ones:

9/9/22
9/16/22
9/23/22
10/7/22
10/14/22
10/28/22

Check out the website for more details - hope to see you soon!! If you don’t see a time that works, let us know!

(Very limited concierge home visits available if scheduling allows.)

This is America.
This is Education.
This is our Health.

The wellness & fitness industry has historically not done the best job at promoting a culture of learning, nuance, cultural humility & bioindividuality.

Most parents I know & work with are so afraid of their kids having a poor relationship with food, being picky eaters, getting food allergies or being sick all the time…

…and they have no idea where to start to take balanced approaches to all of this.

There’s too much info out there. But not enough individualized & balanced education for the whole family.

As a parent today, feeding your kid AND yourself and keeping everyone “healthy” is really freakin hard & nothing ALWAYS works for ALL families.

I don’t know everything, and I’m no “influencer” but I’m here to try to support whoever joins my small corner of the internet and wants to for their family 💜

Everyone deserves individualized support for their child(ren) and family based on what they feel is important to them.


doesn’t mean anti health

is 6 years old this weekend! Whoa!

I feel like this business was my first child - and now that I have two children (one human, one biz) it’s SO MUCH HARDER for me to balance being a kick b***y therapist AND the parent I want to be.

I’ve thought of shutting down several times in the last three years. Sometimes daily for weeks on end.

But when I think about the families I’ve helped & taught, the massive amount I’ve learned, and the people I’ve met? That’s what keeps me going.

You’ll see some changes here over the next year - I hope you’ll stick around to see what’s coming as Begin Balanced & I continue to learn and grow together.

Thank you to my amazing clients & colleagues with whom I would be nowhere!

There, I said it!

Parents, lots of accounts, books & groups will scare you into thinking if your child doesn’t do exclusive BLW, well, they are doomed to being picky eaters who throw screaming tantrums at most meals.

I’m here to say that’s just not true. In fact, sometimes I see the opposite happen!

There are things I like about BLW and things I don’t.

I’m a fan of combination weaning. If you’re curious about what I think the pros and cons of BLW are - stay tuned for my next post…

But for now, you should know that, like all things in parenting, the answer is somewhere between all the polarizing, sensationalist click baity stuff. 🙊

I don’t know the answer to that, but:
- let me find out
- let me direct you to someone who can

Can be the difference between invalidating/dismissing patient concerns and completely changing someone’s life and memories of their post partum experience.

If you don’t know, be honest. We aren’t supposed to know it all! And if you don’t specialize in an area please for the love of the universe please please refer to someone who does!

This week my families have been asking this a lot. They know that chest/breastfeeding is amazing for optimal craniofacial growth, but they - can’t
- haven’t been able to as much as they would like
- don’t want to
- are done with it

So they wonder - are we doomed for optimal cranofacial growth?!

There are absolutely many things you can/should do that have nothing to do with chest/breastfeeding!

The items pictured above are a great place to start!



The ages here are ranges and dependent on your pediatrician or OT/SLP’s approval. **This post is for information purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before use. Always use good judgement and supervision and use at your own risk.

www.beginbalanced.com/blog/first-flight-baby-travel-tips
Traveling with a baby this summer!?

First Flight? Actually Helpful Baby Travel Tips — begin balanced Ready to travel with your infant or toddler? Whether you have done it or not, here are some things to consider! The two travel tips I kept hearing when preparing for our first flight were: Nurse/feed baby during takeoff and landing Pack extra clothes for baby Yes, AND? That’s it? After com

This weekend my business turns 5 years old!

There have been highs, lows & everything between. I’ve been on the edge of “going back to a regular job” and leaving this all behind MULTIPLE times.

But I’ve come back to a few things:
- life is too short to do things that don’t scare you
- we need more running businesses
- prevention/whole child therapy is needed now more than ever
- the natural environment of home & community based therapy allows for more functional outcomes

Here are some shoutouts to people who have no idea they have changed my business, my life, my schedule, my freedom & my finances:

for providing amazing content which I obsessively devoured to start my biz with immediate profit 💵

for posting a video that finally convinced me to put my intake forms online 😱

the student has surpassed the teacher! I still remember meeting you in a café before you ever started your biz & look at you now - keeps me motivated & humble to watch your biz grow! 💪🏾

- Krista, I wouldn’t have survived this last year of a pandemic & car accident affecting my business without having you as a sounding board! 🏆

for the most on point & easy to work with legal team - I wouldn’t have had the time or guts to switch to a professional corporation without your help last summer after returning from mat leave in the midst of a pandemic! 📝

I can’t forget kind souls like & for being GENEROUS with knowledge and living in an abundance mindset of building up therapist colleagues & spreading their specialized knowledge 🌸

And of course who is my entire c-suite & more (CFO, CTO, COO sole board member, tech guy, ridiculous amounts of continuing Ed approver, printer un-jammer, cheerleader & believer in my work even when I am not). 📣