Infant/Toddler Development: Resources

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Babies in the Rain
Jeff A. Johnson

Personable and humorous, Johnson shares his own stories about the amazing ways infants and toddlers learn. Discover the rewards of spending quality time with young children by building strong emotional environments, nurturing meaningful relationships, and promoting child-centered, age-appropriate learning.

Infants and Children – Prenatal to Middle Childhood
Laura E. Berk

This wonderfully comprehensive and intelligent resource provides a thorough discussion of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development in infancy and toddlerhood. Berk’s signature storytelling style invites students to actively learn beside the text’s “characters” who share their influential experiences and developmental milestones.

The Complete Resource Book for Infants
Pam Schiller

With an introduction that includes early brain research and an appendix full of songs, rhymes, games, recipes, and more, Schiller offers hundreds of experiences and activities that maximize young children’s learning in the areas of language, physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development.

Infant and Toddler Experiences
Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield

"The special joy of caring for infants and toddlers is the chance to experience the world through their eyes."
Organized by “Three C’s” – curiosity, connection, and coordination – this practical guide describes simple experiences caregivers can create for infants and toddlers, incorporating specific strategies to promote the healthiest possible development.

Approaches to Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Francis Wardle

This invaluable resource covers a vast range of philosophical and practical approaches to early education, from Waldorf education to the U.S. federal No Child Left Behind Act. In addition, Wardle devotes a whole chapter to the latest brain research findings, and how to implement them into our teaching and curriculum approaches.

Articles On The Web

Nurturing, Not Gizmos, for Babies

"There is no credible scientific data to support the claim that specialized videos or particular music recordings (e.g., 'the Mozart Effect') have a positive, measurable impact on developing brain architecture." Read the report from ExchangeEveryDay.

Websites

Baby Brain Map

Check out ZERO TO THREE’s Web exclusive Baby Brain Map, adapted from BrainWonders, a collaborative project (1998-2001) between Boston University School of Medicine, Erikson Institute and ZERO TO THREE.
Click different areas on the Brain Map to reveal the secrets of how early care enriches development.

Program for Infant/Toddler Care

PITC’s goal is to help caregivers recognize the crucial importance of tender, loving care and promoting intellectual development by responding to each child’s needs.
Check out the PITC Online Library for an extensive collection of multimedia resources related to early childhood.

NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute

Explore this website for resources and information on infant/toddler development. There’s a handy table that describes the development of young children, with guidelines for the social and emotional supports care givers can offer and how to set up an environment that is safe and enriching.

Just Ask Baby

"Want to understand your baby better? Well, just ask baby!" Just Ask Baby is a new, exciting online video membership service, giving parents and caregivers a unique baby’s perspective on how to effectively nurture infants’ full developmental potential.
Don’t miss Professor Elkind’s blog for advice on other important aspects of childcare. It’s in the lower right-hand corner of the page.