Send us a text Does anybody have an inner voice? What to do when your inner voice becomes a source of anxiety, rumination, and negativity? What strategies can we use to calm the negative inner chatter when we are in distress? How does a child's inner voice develop, and how can parents help them to develop a positive inner voice? Join us as we chat about inner voice, chatter, and self-regulation with Dr. Ethan Kross, a psychologist, social-affective neuroscience researcher, and the author of...
Jun 25, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Send us a text What are executive functions skills, and how can parents support their child's executive skills development? How to identify a problem in your child's executive skills development? How can you help them overcome challenging skills if they are struggling? How can parent's own challenges with executive functions affect their child? Does becoming a parent affect your executive function skills? Is "baby brain" a real thing? Join us as we chat about executive f...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Send us a text How do we teach body safety and consent to young children? How soon should we start? How to find the balance between teaching socially expected physical interactions while respecting the child's right to consent? How do we talk about private parts? What are the best terms to use? How to decide who is part of the safety network in which a child can trust to tell if abuse happens? What do you do if a child discloses sexual abuse to you? As a parent, do you have to ask for their...
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Send us a text Have you asked yourself how you are doing today? Have your doctor asked about your mental health during your baby check-ups? How do you know if your mood is being affected by the pregnancy/postpartum hormone changes, or if what you're feeling are symptoms of depression or anxiety? Can dads have postpartum depression? How does self-care look like as a new parent? Join us as we chat about mental health and self-care during pregnancy and as a new parent, how to identify the sign...
May 28, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Send us a text What does "eat well" during pregnancy really mean? What is the difference between micro and macronutrients, and how to make sure my body is getting everything it needs to make sure my baby is developing well? What are the best foods, and what to avoid, according to recent research? Can I trust the conventional prenatal guidelines when it comes to nutrition? I am getting enough protein in my prenatal diet? What is choline, and why is important for fetus development? What ...
May 21, 2021•2 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Send us a text In this episode, Marion shares what it’s like to be a neuroscientist studying developmental neuroplasticity. She obtained her Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from McGill University and is currently a postdoc researcher at the Montreal Neurological Institute, where she studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying developmental neuroplasticity. She studies how external factors can influence how neurons explore and is trying to better understand the nitty-gritty signaling pathwa...
May 14, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Send us a text We are re-launching the Curious Neuron Podcast! New episodes every Friday! We will keep them short and sweet because we know you are short on time. We will return our focus to summarizing research focused on parenting and child development. I have never taken the time to chat about myself and how Curious Neuron was created. Today, my new co-host, Marion Van Horn, interviews me! We chat about Curious Neuron’s humble beginnings and my research during my doctorate degree. If you enjo...
May 07, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Send us a text Which type of parenting do you follow? Positive parenting, conscious parenting, attachment parenting, authoritative parenting, authoritarian parenting...is your head spinning yet? There are many types of parenting described on social media but what do they mean? Are they backed by science? Which one should we be following? Join us as we chat with the psychologists behind Helping Families Thrive, Drs. Jenna Elgin and Shanna Alvarez to learn more about parenting styles and how to fo...
Apr 30, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Send us a text This past week, we hit the 1-year mark for the pandemic. It has been a long and difficult year for many parents. Many are exhausted and overwhelmed with having to balance so much every single day without getting a break. This level of stress for prolonged periods of time can lead to burnout. This is a relatively new topic in the field of parenting. In today’s episode, I chat with Kryten, a psychologist, about burnout to help you identify if you might be experiencing this and what ...
Mar 25, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Send us a text Our automatic response to our child acting out or having a tantrum might be to yell. Then, we fall into a cycle of guilt and tell ourselves that we won’t do it again. Hello spilled milk and cue yelling! Sound familiar? There are ways to work on ourselves to help regulate our own emotions and according to research, regulating ourselves is one of the best ways to help our children learn to regulate their own emotions. Today, I am speaking with Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart about emotion r...
Feb 28, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Send us a text If we want to learn more about people we share this planet with, we need to start listening to each other. Whether it is mental health or Autism, our journey to reduce stigma around these starts by listening to those who are living with these conditions. I wanted to interview an Autism person for the topic of neurodiversity so that we could begin to listen and learn. What is neurodiversity? How has a woman with Autism experienced life differently than neurotypical people? I learne...
Feb 05, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Send us a text Have you ever wondered, “How do I know if I am providing secure attachment?”. This episode is for you if you have ever asked yourself, “Why does my child cry when I leave?” or “Am I giving her too much attention?”. Does this mean you do not have a good attachment? Dr. Tina Payne Bryson and I dig deep into this topic and dispel the misconceptions of attachment. We also highlight the importance of making repairs in your relationships and the power of showing up. No matter what age y...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Send us a text In today’s episode we discuss the connection between our brain and our gut. Have you ever had a “gut feeling” or butterflies in your stomach? Ever had an upset stomach when you were nervous? There really is a connection between our gut and our brain. In this episode we discuss whether probiotics are helpful to boost our gut health, how our microbiota is formed as infants, the link between mental health and our gut health and the role of diet in maintaining a healthy gut. To access...
Jan 07, 2021•57 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Suzanne King, a scientific researcher from McGill University in Montreal. We discussed stress during pregnancy. Given the pandemic, many expecting moms might be going through lots of stress. Although it might be worrisome to think of what this stress can lead to, the take-home message of this episode is that we need to look for ways to minimize our stress and after the baby is born, we can create a stimulating environment...
Dec 17, 2020•53 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text In today’s episode, I chat with Jen about homeschooling. Many of us have been homeschooling our children because of Covid. We might have the idea that homeschooling means sitting at a desk for hours and hours on end. We might feel that a child doesn’t socialize enough if they are homeschooling. Jen and I chat about some of these misconceptions around homeschooling and we dive into interest-led learning. Want to join Curious Neuron's Reflective Parent? If you are ready to lear...
Dec 03, 2020•54 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Send us a text (missing intro from previous version has been added!) When we think of disciplining our children, we often think of punishing them for their bad behavior. However, this doesn't teach our child what to do when they are frustrated or which behaviour is appropriate when they are mad. My guest today, Yehudis Smith (Author of Rethinking Discipline) teaches us about conscious parenting. Learn how we should discipline our child according to conscious parenting. If you are enjoying t...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Send us a text Fathers play an important role in a child’s development. Some are similar to a mother’s such that research shows that when a father is sensitive to their child’s needs, it helps a child build their emotional skills and even helps them with academics later on. The roles are different such that when a father plays in a more risky way with their child. it helps build their confidence and autonomy because they learn how to push their boundaries. In this episode, I chatted with Patrick...
Jul 14, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Send us a text Boundaries (also called limits or rules) are more important than we might think. They give children a sense of security, even if might think so given that they love to push boundaries! In today’s episode, I chat with Jess, a therapist and founder of Our Mama Village. She provides examples of boundaries, how to set them, reinforce them and how to control our own emotions when boundaries are pushed. Boundaries are linked to the parenting style called Authoritative parenting. I provi...
Jun 11, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Send us a text Is your child about to start Kindergarten? Have you ever wondered if they are ready to begin school? Which skills do they need to succeed not only in Kindergarten, but throughout their academic life? This week’s guest is Rebecca Weiner. She is an educational consultant and specializes in play-based learning. Rebecca and I discuss important brain skills that have been suggested, according to research, to be pivotal to a child’s academic success. Executive functions, self-regulation...
May 29, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Send us a text In today’s episode, we are talking about motor milestones in babies! Why is tummy time important? Why is it important for a baby not to skip crawling? What are some head-shape abnormalities? When should a baby start turning, crawling, or walking? What is W-sitting? Visit us at curiousneuron.com for more info about child development and learning! Join us on Instagram @curious_neuron to quizzes about brain development, Live interviews with experts in pediatrics, summaries of researc...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Send us a text In today’s episode, we talk about play! There are so many opportunities for play with items around our home and Emma from @play_ at_home_ mummy has an Instagram account that beautifully illustrates this. We chat about setting up a playroom, different types of play, what to do when siblings argue, sensory bins, risky play, development, and more! Want to join Curious Neuron's Reflective Parent? If you are ready to learn healthy emotional coping skills and to get support on. how...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Send us a text In today’s episode, I chat with Jenny and Carrie about their advice to new parents. We talk about the importance of a stimulating environment, which doesn’t mean having a lot around your baby, but rather being present, getting down on the floor with them during tummy time, and having zero screen time. We might not realize the importance of tummy time, skin-to-skin and the environment. We talk about why these are so important. Did you know that babies should not skip crawling? We d...
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Send us a text In this episode, we discuss childhood anxiety. How do we differentiate between worry and symptoms of anxiety in a child? Symptoms of childhood anxiety can often manifest as challenging behavior or tantrums in young children. Dr. Yee explains the importance of providing children with a safe space to talk and express their emotions. Given that most of us are experiencing some level of stress giving the current COVID-19 pandemic, she also discusses stress in adults and children durin...
Apr 01, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Send us a text When we hear the term “positive reinforcement” we might get an image of giving a child candy or chocolate to get them to do what we want them to. However, in this episode, Courtney, a behavior analyst, explains that there is a lot more to it. She explains that praise and positive reinforcement are not the same. She describes how we need to assess our child’s behavior and determine why this behavior is happening. This will help us provide our children with an alternative and help t...
Mar 15, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Send us a text As parents, we can feel triggered by our baby crying for long periods of time, by our toddler acting out or by our 5-year-old ignoring us. We can’t control if and when a trigger will happen, but we can control how we react to triggers. My conversation with Bryana, Director of South Bay Mommy and me, is all about how we regulate ourselves. We discuss what you can do to learn more about “why” you are responding a certain way to triggers, how certain ways of responding to a trigger c...
Feb 27, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Send us a text In episode 5, we focused on understanding when it might be the right time to have your child evaluated for ADHD. In this episode, we focus on "after the diagnosis". How can a child better manage their symptoms in the classroom, at home during homework and with friends? Also, we discuss various treatments and hoe ADHD symptoms can be similar to learning disorders and anxiety. Want to join Curious Neuron's Reflective Parent? If you are ready to learn healthy emotional...
Feb 13, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Send us a text Part 1: Please note that this episode on ADHD has 2 parts. In today's episode, I discuss ADHD with my guest, Dr. Audrey Benoit. Is your child showing signs of ADHD or do they simply struggle with inattention? What are some signs that you should get evaluated? Can children with ADHD be misdiagnosed? What are some aids provided in the classroom? Lastly, we discuss medications for ADHD, how they work and when it might be the right time for a child to start taking medication. For...
Jan 28, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Send us a text If your child struggles with playing on their own, this episode will guide you on how to teach them this skill. Thank you to Jacinth, a parenting coach from Singapore and the founder of https://ourlittleplaynest.com/ and @ourlittleplaynest on Instagram for chatting with me! Want to join Curious Neuron's Reflective Parent? If you are ready to learn healthy emotional coping skills and to get support on. how to teach your child these skills, book a call with me below: https://ca...
Jan 13, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Send us a text Can learning more than 1 language cause delays in a baby's first words? Will raising a bilingual child help them when they start school? What are some myths around bilingualism? In today’s episode, we will chat with a speech-language pathologist to learn more about bilingualism in babies. Want to join Curious Neuron's Reflective Parent? If you are ready to learn healthy emotional coping skills and to get support on. how to teach your child these skills, book a call with ...
Dec 18, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Send us a text According to science, what are some strategies we can implement when it comes to helping our children learn to control their emotions (emotion regulation) and minimize their emotional outbursts/tantrums? Follow us on Instagram to see next week's post about a calming corner or visit our website (podcast page) to get full details. Want to join Curious Neuron's Reflective Parent? If you are ready to learn healthy emotional coping skills and to get support on. how to teach y...
Nov 22, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 2
