Positive Discipline Parenting Blog

Sproutable’s Positive Discipline blog for parents and caregivers of infants.

Real tips. Real talk. Read & grow.

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Summer Sleep Tips for Infants and Toddlers

Summer is here in the northern hemisphere! Which can mean sleep takes a back seat. Longer days, increased outdoor activities, and fluctuating temperatures can disrupt established sleep patterns. However, with a bit of planning and[...]

By Jade Folk

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Summer Sleep Tips for Infants and Toddlers

Summer is here in the northern hemisphere! Which can mean sleep takes a back seat. Longer days, increased outdoor activities, and fluctuating temperatures can disrupt established sleep patterns. However, with a bit of planning and some practical tips, you can ensure that your little ones continue to enjoy restful nights during this warm and sunny season. Here are some summer sleep tips for infants and toddlers:

By Jade Folk

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Navigating Sleep Regressions in Your Little One’s Developmental Journey 

I once worked with a family whose child, an eccentric 18-month-old, was learning a new song. They told me that every night for three nights in a row, their child would wake up in the middle of the night and belt out her new song. While the parents were simultaneously sleep-deprived and charmed by this […]

By Jade Folk

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Joyful Courage & Sproutable: one space for all parents & caregivers

We began merging our backgrounds in psychology, early child development, public health, counseling, mindfulness, social emotional learning, social justice, racial equity and Positive Discipline, joining forces to go farther than either of us could do on our own. We used innovation, technology, Alanna’s idea of videos of REAL families, and an online platform to share the helpful, immediately useful and mutually-respectful tools world wide.

By Julietta Skoog

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Preparing kids for flu shots + vaccines

Kids have been getting shots since they were little, and yet it feels like each time a flu shot or vaccine comes around it is a totally new ordeal. While parents may be relieved at the protection, guess who is NOT doing a happy dance. The kids! Most dread that larger than life needle. So how do you prepare kids for vaccines and possible after effects? We’ve got tips to help.

By Julietta Skoog

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Infant Potty Training Approach

When my son was born, I decided to try the less common approach of “infant potty training” or “elimination communication.” With this method, you learn to read your baby’s cues and take them directly to the bathroom to pee and poop rather than having them always go in their diaper. This is a pretty common approach to potty training throughout the world as the majority of babies in India, Africa, and Asia are exposed to some form of elimination communication and are usually completely potty trained by the age of 2 years old.

By Guest

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Singing to Sleep

Sleep. Sleeeeep! SLEEP! Oh, how I miss a good night's sleep. My mind is so jumbled most days that it’s truly hard to concentrate and prioritize. My partner and I were actually talking yesterday about how we can prioritize our to do list better. This was never a problem for me before. The old me was efficient at managing my time and getting everything I need done. The new me starts something, gets halfway done. Starts something else, gets a quarter of the way done. Walks into a room and forgets completely what I was about to do.

By Alanna Beebe

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The 5 Parenting Lessons I Learned from 80’s Movie Quotes

For those of us children of the 80's, we have grown up to be parents in a new millennium. It blows my mind to live in a world with Internet, Apple Pay, scanners, and Netflix, not to mention having the intel ahead of time to predict the name of your driver and exact time of your taxi... er... Lyft, pick up. The fact that you can Jetsons style talk to grandparents ON YOUR PHONE

By Julietta Skoog

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Preparing for Parenthood

I’m a planner. I like to go into a situation with as much information as possible to ensure success. I like to make sure I have everything I need in case ANYTHING happens. I mean, I worked in emergency preparedness for years. I loved it and that takes a certain kind of person. Mass fatality planning, who wants to plan for that? Me! For the last 9 months, this is how I’ve been preparing for the birth of my first child. I’ve read several birth books, took an 8-week birth class, and have my go-bags fully stocked and ready to go.

By Alanna Beebe

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Saving My Sanity Through Sleep Routines

We all have our bedtime routines. Pre-kids, mine included (comically to my roommates) strict procedures around Noxema, retainers, washing feet, earplugs, chapstick, and an alarm that was set NO LESS than 9 hours from the moment my head hit the pillow. One of the biggest fights I ever had with my husband (again, pre-kids) was […]

By Julietta Skoog

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A Brave New World of Solid Food

Eating healthy and enjoying food is part of our family culture. My partner and I love making intricate meals with a variety of spices. Our spice cabinet is one of my prized places, with four shelves stocked full of global deliciousness. When my child started solid foods at 6 months, we had two family values […]

By Alanna Beebe

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