Infant Development Team

Starting solids can feel overwhelming with all the advice online. Purées, baby-led weaning, combo feeding..

What really matters?
✨ Responsive feeding over volume
✨ Babies learn through exploration
✨ Self-feeding is an important developmental opportunity

When babies touch, squish, bring food to their mouths, and practice chewing, they’re building:
• oral motor skills
• sensory learning
• coordination
• confidence at mealtime

Self-feeding can happen with any approach:
🥄 Purées on a preloaded spoon
🍌 Soft finger foods
👶 Combo approaches that fit your family

The goal is a safe, positive, low-pressure experience where babies can learn and caregivers can feel supported.

Questions? Reach out via the link in bio! Infant Development Team can help 💛 We can’t wait to work with your family 💛

Bottle aversion isn’t always all about the bottle—it’s often about the pressure 💛

When babies feel pushed to feed, they can start to resist even more. Reducing that pressure is the first step toward turning things around:

🍼 Respect your baby’s cues – offer, don’t insist

⏸️ Take breaks if they show negative feeding cues – stopping early builds trust

🤱 Keep feeds calm and low-stress – no forcing

👶 Let them stay in control – even small choices matter

💛 Focus on connection over ounces

Progress might look slow at first, but when your baby feels safe and respected, feeding can become easier again 🤍

You’re not “losing ground” by backing off—you’re building trust. And that’s what matters most in your baby’s feeding journey ✨

Let me re-introduce myself:

Hi! 👋🏻 I’m Annie, I’m a Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist & Certified Lactation Counselor. I have my Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from ASHA and I’m Licensed by the State of Vermont Speech-Language Pathologists.

I have a passion for working with the pediatric population which started during my time at The College of Wooster where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I then went on to receive my Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology at George Washington University. There, I also received a Certificate in Early Intervention through Georgetown University overlaying my Master’s program. I love working through the lens of the caregiver and I feel most accomplished in my practice when a caregiver leaves feeling more connected and in tune with their child’s needs and wants. I aim to help caregivers build trust with their children and feed them in the most responsive way possible.

This may include, but is not limited to:

• Difficulty breastfeeding or bottle feeding
• Needing support with starting solids
• Picky or selective eating
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing
• Limited food variety or mealtime struggles
• Late talking or using few words
• Difficulty understanding language or following directions
• Trouble putting words together or expressing wants and needs
• Speech that is difficult to understand for their age
• Concerns about overall communication development

Infant Development Team, LLC moved to Chittenden County, Vermont and we are so happy to be here 💖

Infant Development Team, LLC is now in Chittenden County, Vermont and we are so happy to be here 💖

Infant Development Team, LLC is now located in Chittenden County, Vermont and we are so happy to be here 💖

With this evolution of play comes a new way to engage with their world by using and expanding their cognitive, social-emotional, communication, adaptive, and physical skills. Their curiosity and desire for exploration leads to rich learning experiences.

Interested in learning more about what developmental milestones to expect by age during playtime in the first 3 years of life? Contact us! We’d love to hear from you 🤍

Self-care in the first year primarily includes dressing and diapering activities. Because your child relies on you for most self-care skills in the first year and these activities happen often, this daily routine is one that provides many opportunities for interaction and engagement with your child. As you and your child work together, your child is exposed to opportunities for growth in cognitive, adaptive, communication, social emotional, and physical skills.

Diaper changes are so much more than just a daily living task; when your baby is reaching for the wipes they're physically trying to roll over to get closer to the wipes, they're looking for a social reaction from you, they're communicating what they want, they're remembering where an item is when you try to hide it, and they're trying to exercise their independence.

Interested in more info on how to enrich your family's diaper changes and dressing routines? Reach out and book an educational visit with our SLP and/or PT to discuss your dressing/diapering routines. We'd love to share our full Developmental Milestones: Sleep, Dressing, Mealtime, and Playtime handouts which includes what to expect, how to enrich your routine, and when to refer for more support.

References:
CDC’s Developmental Milestones. (2022, December 29). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
Child Development Guide & Milestones. (2021, May). Children’s Hospital of Orange County. https://www.choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages
Max Hirshkowitz 1, Kaitlyn Whiton 2, Steven M Albert 3, Cathy Alessi 4, Oliviero Bruni 5, Lydia DonCarlos 6, Nancy Hazen 7, John Herman 8, Paula J Adams Hillard 9, Eliot S Katz 10, Leila Kheirandish-Gozal 11, David N Neubauer 12, Anne E O’Donnell 13, Maurice Ohayon 14, John Peever 15, Robert Rawding 16, Ramesh C Sachdeva 17, Belinda Setters 18, Michael V Vitiello 19, J Catesby Ware 20. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s Updated Sleep Duration Recommendations: Final Report. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004

Mealtime Milestones of the first year.

Here are some general indicators a referral for more support may be warranted: if at any point in the first 12 months you or your child experience any of the following:
- difficulty growing
- coughing, choking or gagging during feeds
- mealtimes are stressful
- mealtimes take more than 30 minutes
- breastfeeding/chest feeding is painful

Questions? Reach out, we'd love to talk to you!

Looking for more info on how to best support your baby's mealtime routine? Reach out and book an educational visit with our SLP and/or PT to discuss your mealtime routine. We'd love to share our full Developmental Milestones: Sleep, Dressing, Mealtime, and Playtime handouts which includes what to expect, how to enrich your routine, and when to refer for more support.

References:
CDC’s Developmental Milestones. (2022, December 29). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
Child Development Guide & Milestones. (2021, May). Children’s Hospital of Orange County. https://www.choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages
Max Hirshkowitz 1, Kaitlyn Whiton 2, Steven M Albert 3, Cathy Alessi 4, Oliviero Bruni 5, Lydia DonCarlos 6, Nancy Hazen 7, John Herman 8, Paula J Adams Hillard 9, Eliot S Katz 10, Leila Kheirandish-Gozal 11, David N Neubauer 12, Anne E O’Donnell 13, Maurice Ohayon 14, John Peever 15, Robert Rawding 16, Ramesh C Sachdeva 17, Belinda Setters 18, Michael V Vitiello 19, J Catesby Ware 20. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s Updated Sleep Duration Recommendations: Final Report. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004
Voress, J. K., & Maddox, T. (n.d.). Developmental Assessment of Young Children Developmental Chart.