A Parent's Guide to Child Development

Annamarie von Firley
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Semiweekly

Let's face it—nobody ever went to college to learn how to raise a baby. Everyone is just making it up as they go along. "A Parent's Guide to Child Development" is your lifeline to expert wisdom. Learn about the most important information that you didn't know existed. Hosted by Annamarie von Firley from Fledglings' Flight, this podcast gathers insights from experts in child development such as pediatric OTs, speech language pathologists, child psychologists, lactation consultants, & more, delivering practical tips & actionable advice to help optimize your child's development.

  1. 1d ago

    Why ADHD, Autism and Anxiety Overlap -Guest: Emily Roper

    A diagnosis can feel like an answer and a brand-new set of questions at the same time. It tells you what your child is struggling with, but not why, and it rarely explains why so many kids end up with more than one label. In this episode, Emily Roper steps back from the individual reflexes to look at the whole picture of ADHD, autism, anxiety, and dyslexia: what a diagnosis does well, what it leaves out, and where early development fits in. Host Annamarie von Firley sits down with Emily Roper, Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist, certified Midwife's Assistant, and founder of Early Roots, to talk about why diagnoses overlap, what the research does (and doesn't) say about retained reflexes, and why a diagnosis is information, not a verdict. Emily is clear that this is correlation, not causation, and that the nervous system stays adaptable at any age. What We Cover: • Why Emily looks at diagnoses through a developmental lens • Why so many kids carry more than one diagnosis • What the diagnostic system captures well, and what it misses • Diagnosis as relief, the stigma around it, and medication as one tool among many • What the research shows about retained reflexes and ADHD, autism, and dyslexia • Genetics and experience: why it's never one or the other • How early differences show up, and why many appear at school age • Sensory processing, anxiety, ADHD, and dyslexia • How Emily works with families, and whether it's ever too late • What pediatricians and schools should be screening for Resources :The full primitive reflex series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7wZqosqBUM&list=PLIpwFJP6Hyuo About Emily Roper: Emily Roper is a Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist and certified Midwife's Assistant, and founder of Early Roots, a specialized therapy and education practice for children with developmental delays. She has spent over a decade supporting children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, dyslexia, sensory challenges, and other developmental difficulties.earlyrootstherapy.cominstagram.com/earlyrootsfacebook.com/earlyroots About Annamarie von Firley: After 20 years of owning and running her own fashion house, reVamp, Annamarie von Firley returned to her toy design roots. With a BA in Wooden Toy Design & Construction and a BFA in Furniture Design, she took her knowledge of child development and expertise in play to found Adventuretown Toy Emporium in 2016. In the Summer of 2020, it became apparent to her that pandemic lockdowns were going to have a profound effect on the development of babies born after 2018. About Fledglings' Flight: Fledglings Flight understands that every child is unique & deserves the best opportunities for growth & learning. That's why we offer a comprehensive range of play-based exercises specifically designed for children from birth to 3 years of age. These exercises are carefully curated to stimulate their cognitive, motor, & social-emotional development. Follow us: Fledglings’ Flight: www.FledglingsFlight.com App: app.FledglingsFlight.com Instagram: / fledglingsflight TikTok: / fledglings.flight Facebook: / fledglingsflight LinkedIn: / fledglings-flight Pinterest: / fledglingsflight Music: Purple Planet Music

  2. Oct 16 ·  Bonus

    The Addiction Your Toddler Doesn’t Know They Have

    Screens are addictive — and it’s by design. In this clip, pediatric occupational therapist Melanie Batista pulls back the curtain on what’s actually happening in your toddler’s brain when you take the screen away and the meltdown starts. It’s not random, and it’s not “bad behavior.” It’s a learned pattern.Every time a tantrum results in the screen being handed back, that outcome gets reinforced. The child’s brain registers: this worked. A neural pathway gets laid down — I want this, this is what I need to do to get it — and the more that pathway fires, the stronger and more automatic it becomes. What might start as a 3- or 5-minute tantrum at age one can turn into hours-long battles by the time a child is older, simply because the behavior has been rewarded again and again. Melanie compares the pull of screens to other addictive substances — not to be dramatic, but because the underlying brain chemistry is genuinely similar. Screens are engineered to release the same reward chemicals that keep us coming back, and children have even less capacity than adults to regulate that pull on their own. That’s why she’s such a strong advocate for setting firm boundaries early, before the pattern has a chance to take hold — because the longer a family waits to get a handle on screen time, the harder (and longer) those battles tend to get. Timestamps: 0:18 How screen time for children can be like crack 0:50 Are children demanding technology and causing addictive behavior? 1:54 How getting older can have parents lose control of screen time use 🎥 Watch the full conversation, "What Screens Are Actually Doing to Your Toddler's Brain," with Melanie Batista: ▶️ https://youtu.be/uk9pKL_LrSY Melanie has over 25 years of experience as a pediatric OT and is the founder of Growing Little Brains, where she helps parents and caregivers build healthy, connected childhoods in a screen-saturated world.🌐 growinglittlebrains.com📸 @GrowingLittleBrains on Instagram & Facebook#screentime #toddlertantrums #braindevelopment #screentimeforkids #earlychildhooddevelopment #childdevelopment #parentingadvice #toddlerparenting About Annamarie von Firley:After 20 years running her fashion house, reVamp, Annamarie returned to her toy design roots and founded Adventuretown Toy Emporium in 2016. In 2022, she launched Fledglings’ Flight as an extension of that work. She now hosts A Parent’s Guide to Child Development, bringing parents conversations with experts in child development and psychology.About Fledglings’ Flight:Launched in 2022 by Adventuretown Toy Emporium, Fledglings’ Flight offers play-based exercises for children birth to age 3, supporting cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development, with a monthly exercise library and milestone tracking in our app. Follow us: FledglingsFlight.com app.FledglingsFlight.com Instagram & Facebook: @fledglingsflight Tiktok: @fledglings.flight LinkedIn: fledglings-flight

  3. Oct 15 ·  Bonus

    Can Too Little Touch Cause Anxiety Later?

    Can a baby’s early experience of being touched, held, and moved affect whether the Moro and Fear Paralysis Reflexes integrate? Annamarie von Firley shares a personal story about her husband, who had an allergic reaction to a shot as a baby that left his skin too raw to be handled. Moro integration is often helped along by the repetitive picking up and putting down that happens during diaper changes and feedings, and he missed out on much of that.Emily Roper, Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist and founder of Early Roots, explains why the brain develops through movement, experience, and use. When a baby isn’t handled or doesn’t move much, early brain function can be affected. Emily also describes the children she has worked with who were adopted from overseas after spending long stretches in orphanages, often confined to cribs. These children need a lot of support to go back and fill in what they missed. Timestamps0:22 How the amount of time that a baby is handled can cause a lifetime of anxiety? 1:00 How can adoption can affect children and their Moro reflexes? 🎧 Full episode on the Fear Paralysis and Moro Reflexeshttps://youtu.be/dhCaBJ59bBA#MoroReflex #FearParalysisReflex #PrimitiveReflexes #RetainedReflexes #ChildDevelopment #ParentingTips #BabyDevelopment #FledglingsFlight #EarlyRootsAbout Annamarie von Firley: After 20 years running her fashion house, reVamp, Annamarie returned to her toy design roots and founded Adventuretown Toy Emporium in 2016. In 2022, she launched Fledglings’ Flight as an extension of that work. She now hosts A Parent’s Guide to Child Development, bringing parents conversations with experts in child development and psychology. About Fledglings’ Flight: Launched in 2022 by Adventuretown Toy Emporium, Fledglings’ Flight offers play-based exercises for children birth to age 3, supporting cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development, with a monthly exercise library and milestone tracking in our app. Follow us: FledglingsFlight.com app.FledglingsFlight.com Instagram & Facebook: @fledglingsflight Tiktok: @fledglings.flight LinkedIn: fledglings-flight

  4. Oct 10

    Is Mouth Breathing Causing Your Child's Tantrums? - Guest: Dr. Hana Khan

    Is your child prone to tantrums? Do they wet the bed, struggle to focus, or get frequent ear infections? These may not be a random collection of problems. They can share a root cause: how your child breathes, especially while they sleep. Host Annamarie von Firley sits down with airway-centered dentist and myofunctional therapy provider Dr. Hana Khan to explain how mouth breathing develops, how to spot it, and why she believes it is so often overlooked. Dr. Khan also shares what she would ask before agreeing to antibiotics, ear tubes, or tonsil and adenoid removal, and what a thorough airway assessment should include. Topics Discussed: - Why the nose is built for breathing, and what nasal breathing does for the air, lungs, and blood vessels - Why Dr. Khan believes crowded, crooked teeth can signal a small mouth and a breathing problem - How to tell mouth breathing apart from allergies or a passing cold - Signs to look for: tooth spacing in baby pictures, swallowing, speech, posture, and restless sleep - How poor breathing can keep a child in “fight or flight” at night Why airway problems can look like ADHD, and why Dr. Khan says airway should be ruled out first - How deep sleep supports growth hormone and the brain’s overnight “clean-up” - The link between poor breathing and bedwetting - How mouth breathing may contribute to recurrent ear infections - What adenoids and tonsils do, why they can regrow, and the one question to ask before agreeing to removal - Deviated septum's and the in-office test Dr. Khan uses to decide whether surgery is needed - What a full airway assessment and treatment plan can look like - What parents may notice first after treatment, and how to coach kids through old behavior patterns - Why Dr. Khan recommends baby -led weaning for infants and toddlers Timestamps:1:34 Why is breathing through the nose instead of by mouth so Important? 6:33 How can parents tell the difference between mouth breathing and allergies or a passing cold that force a kid to breathe through their mouth? 8:23 How does mouth breathing affect a child’s sleep? 11:40 For a child who's been labeled as having ADHD, what would it look like if the real driver turns out to be their airway? 22:37 How does mouth breathing affect the ear? 28:07 Should Parents be asking before getting ear tubes? 31:30 What tests are used to determine if tonsils or a deviated septum need to be treated?33:50 Do tonsils grow back? 34:26 If tonsils need removing, what are some questions parents should ask? About Dr. Hana Khan: Dr. Hana Khan – A UCLA School of Dentistry graduate, Dr. Khan's clinical focus is holistic, whole-body health—with particular emphasis on airway-centered dentistry and the connection between breathing and oral development to the overall health. Dr. Khan completed the Mini Airway Residency and further completed orofacial myology training, providing structured myofunctional therapy programs tailored to each patient. Contact Dr. Khan: website: drhanakhan.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr._hana_khan_dds/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drhanakhandds About Annamarie von Firley: After 20 years running her fashion house, reVamp, Annamarie von Firley returned to her toy design roots. With a BA in Wooden Toy Design and a BFA in Furniture Design, she founded Adventuretown Toy Emporium in 2016.About Fledglings' Flight: Fledglings' Flight offers play-based exercises for children birth to age 3, designed to support cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development. Our app gives parents a monthly exercise library, milestone tracking, and — for Premium Members — a personalized developmental profile. Follow us: FledglingsFlight.com app.FledglingsFlight.com Instagram/TikTok/Facebook: @fledglingsflight LinkedIn: fledglings-flight Pinterest: @FledglingsFlight Music: Purple Planet Music

  5. Oct 6 ·  Bonus

    How Your Infant Processes Language

    Have you ever wondered how infants begin to understand language before they can even speak? In this video, we explore how babies process sounds, recognize patterns, and begin developing the foundations of language from an early age. Lois Kam Heymann, M.A. CCC-SLP, is a Speech and Language Pathologist with over 30 years’ experience working with children with listening, hearing and learning challenges and their parents. She is the leading authority of Auditory Processing Disorder This is a great introduction on how your baby learns to talk and evaluate language as a whole • Topics Discussed • Infant language development • How infants process language • Speech perception • Language learning • Sound recognition • Vocabulary development • Cognitive development • Brain development 0:02 How does the brain process language? 0:52 How does sequencing and constant verbal communication help your baby learn to talk? Follow us:https://www.FledglingsFlight.com App: https://app.FledglingsFlight.com Instagram: fledglingsflight TikTok: fledglings.flight Facebook: fledglingsflight LinkedIn: fledglings-flight Pinterest: fledglingsflight

  6. Oct 5 ·  Bonus

    What Montessori Gets Right That Schools Don't | A Parent's Guide to Child Development Podcast Short

    In this video, Marsha Familaro Enright discusses the Montessori approach to education and how it can shape the way children learn and develop. She explores the ideas behind Montessori schooling, child-centered learning, independence, and the educational environment that makes the Montessori method unique. Whether you're a parent, educator, student, or simply interested in alternative approaches to education, this video offers insight into the principles behind Montessori schooling and its approach to child development. 🎓 Topics discussed: • Montessori education • Child development • Montessori vs. traditional schooling • Independent learning • Child-centered education • Montessori philosophy 0:11 How does Montessori teach writing letters? 1:02 How is Montessori different than other schools? Follow us: https://www.FledglingsFlight.com App: https://app.FledglingsFlight.com Instagram: fledglingsflight TikTok: fledglings.flight Facebook: fledglingsflight LinkedIn: fledglings-flight Pinterest: fledglingsflight

  7. Sep 24 ·  Bonus

    The 'Stress Hormone' Your Newborn Needs | A Parent's Guide to Child Development podcast short

    Cortisol has a bad reputation — but your newborn actually needs a spike of it right at birth. Emily Roper, Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist and founder of Early Roots, explains why: your baby goes from having everything done for them in the womb to suddenly running their own body, and that cortisol spike is what triggers the reflex behind their very first breath. 🧠 About Annamarie von Firley:After 20 years running her fashion house, reVamp, Annamarie returned to her toy design roots and founded Adventuretown Toy Emporium in 2016. In 2022, she launched Fledglings' Flight as an extension of that work. She now hosts A Parent's Guide to Child Development, bringing parents conversations with experts in child development and psychology.About Fledglings' Flight:Fledglings' Flight is an app and customized subscription box for parents of children 0-3 years old to help them optimize their child's development with play-based exercises, milestone tracking, resource library, and monthly "Toolbox" with skills-based toys tailored to each child's unique developmental needs whether they are delayed, on-track, advanced, or asynchronous.Follow us: FledglingsFlight.com app.FledglingsFlight.com Instagram & Facebook: @fledglingsflight TikTok: @fledglings.flightLinkedIn: fledglings-flight

  8. Sep 18

    Does Your Partner Have Postpartum Depression? Look for This | A Parent's Guide to Child Development short

    "I'm fine" is the answer everyone gives — even when they're not. Perinatal mental health expert Lynn Ingram McFarland explains the real question to ask a new parent, and the everyday signs (sleep, eating, routines) that say more than words do.🎧 Listen to full episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/157Uj6YKfSvZNlSidF4a8L?si=5WIA5RZ3Rgml5pHnKfgomgFollow us: FledglingsFlight.com app.FledglingsFlight.comInstagram & Facebook: @fledglingsflight TikTok: @fledglings.flight LinkedIn: fledglings-flight#postpartumdepression #maternalmentalhealth #warningsigns

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Let's face it—nobody ever went to college to learn how to raise a baby. Everyone is just making it up as they go along. "A Parent's Guide to Child Development" is your lifeline to expert wisdom. Learn about the most important information that you didn't know existed. Hosted by Annamarie von Firley from Fledglings' Flight, this podcast gathers insights from experts in child development such as pediatric OTs, speech language pathologists, child psychologists, lactation consultants, & more, delivering practical tips & actionable advice to help optimize your child's development.

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