Send us a text In today's episode of the Curious Neuron podcast, I chatted with Amira Allen, Ph.D. and visiting professor at Drake University along with 3 parents (2 moms and 1 dad). We discuss the research behind paid leave and the benefits it brings to not only the parents but the children as well. However, we all know the benefits of paid leave, but do you know how many months many parents (moms or dads) get in Canada? Do you know how many weeks most parents (moms and dads) get in the Un...
Dec 05, 2022•41 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Send us a text In today's episode, I share the tough night I had with my 3-year-old as a reminder that kids can actually learn how to regulate their emotions but that they need our guidance and it comes in baby steps. My son wasn't happy that he had to take his bath and go to bed. He was dancing and having fun. It took over an hour to regulate aka calm him down and guess what...I didn't lose my mind! I share my tips and story with you to help you next time this happens to you! I h...
Dec 02, 2022•16 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Send us a text In today’s episode, we’re joined by Amy Morin, psychologist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. Today we focus on how we as parents can be mentally strong. Being a parent is really hard, and sometimes we can set ourselves up for success by realizing things we are and aren’t doing. Amy has a great way of putting things into perspective & she makes working on ourselves seem possible. We talk a lot about how we were raised in households where emotions other t...
Nov 28, 2022•44 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Send us a text Hi friends! You don't want to miss this conversation I had with 2 dads. Both are following positive parenting and have been doing the work to do things differently than how they were raised. They touched on so many points that need to become conversations in our society. Whether you are a dad, mom, or grandparent, this episode will offer you lots to think of and conversations you can have with people around you. How can dads support their partners? How can they seek support t...
Nov 24, 2022•43 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Send us a text In today’s episode, we are joined by Emily Calandrelli from Emily’s Wonder Lab! Emily is an MIT engineer turned Emmy-nominated science TV host, producer, and Author. Like me, she was a first-generation university student, meaning she was the first in her family to get a degree. What I find most interesting is that Emily wasn’t particularly into science as a child - but being creative was really important. Join us to learn how you can help foster a love of science in your kids - hi...
Nov 21, 2022•40 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Send us a text Parenting is hard…period. We all know this. We tell our friends too, yet when we are alone we are so hard on ourselves. Let’s bring back self-compassion. Maybe you messed up these past few years and yelled more than you would like. Maybe you said something you regret today. Maybe you haven’t been yourself and neglected your mental health. Or perhaps you missed the signs of your child needing to feel seen. There are plenty of reasons why we mess up or FEEL like we are messing up. B...
Nov 17, 2022•23 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Send us a text In today’s episode, we meet with Bryana Kappadakunnel from @consciousmommy. We’re doing things a little differently this week: we’re covering the TOP 10 questions that parents ask me about their child’s behaviour. Tune in to hear how Bryana would deal with rudeness, hitting, whining, trouble sleeping, lying, ungratefulness and constant interrupting. I love how Bryana gives us a framework to deal with these difficult situations. Take your Curious Neuron Notebook out! You will under...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Send us a text In today's solo episode, I discuss something I experienced after giving birth to my first child. I could not stop thinking about the fact that life isn't forever. Now that I had a baby and my life meant everything to me, I was faced with realizing that I will not live forever. I share a story about my grandfather and what he said on his deathbed and how this changed the way I was living. Perhaps there is someone out there that can relate to this. 81% of parents on Instag...
Nov 10, 2022•17 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Send us a text In today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Emily Coffey who researches music, language, sleep, and how it relates to neuroplasticity. Have you ever wondered if you should be signing your child up for music lessons? Or if your child should learn more than one language at a time? What about how your brain might be influenced by sleep? All of these common questions are discussed in today’s episode. Tune in and take out your Curious Neuron notebook because we get a bit technical talking...
Nov 07, 2022•33 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Send us a text Something happened with my 7-year that led me to re-evaluate what I was saying to her with regards to her needs and boundaries. I wanted to share this story with you in a quick podcast episode (it's about 10 min!). Perhaps you will be able to relate to this and readjust how you are approaching these situations. Especially if you have an older child that likes to keep their younger siblings happy, then this episode is for you! I mentioned the podcast episode about running your...
Nov 03, 2022•14 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Send us a text As new parents, we have tons of questions! My brother-in-law is expecting his new child and I asked him what his questions were. This podcast episode is dedicated to him and is for all parents expecting or with a child under 2 months old. When do you start tummy time? How often should you do skin-to-skin? What did my own labors look like for all 3 of my kids and what are the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression/anxiety in both moms and dads? Listen to this quick 30 min epis...
Oct 31, 2022•30 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Send us a text Content warning: death, death of family members and pets, suicide In today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Elena Lister and Dr. Michael Schwartzman authors of Giving Hope: Conversations with Children About Illness, Death and Loss. During this conversation, we approach many questions from the Curious Neuron community about death, and how to talk to your children about death. Dr. Lister & Schwartzman give us many tools & scripts we can use as parents. This episode was so ins...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 7
Send us a text In today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Simón Guendelman. We discuss what emotional regulation actually is, how self compassion can change your brain and parenting, and how scientists are studying this. This episode is a bit research heavy - so take out your Curious Neuron notebooks! Simón shares with us some common myths about mindfulness and explains how even if you don’t have time to meditate for 1 hour a day, mindfulness can help equip you with the tools to get through a real...
Oct 17, 2022•46 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Send us a text In today's solo episode, we discuss discipline and parenting styles and compare this to prison in Cyprus. This prison changed from a punitive system to a person-centred approach which brought the re-offending rate from over 50% down to 15%. I don't want to discuss whether or not this should be the method used in prisons, I am comparing this to our discussion about parenting and discipline. I discuss the research around discipline, time outs, and parenting styles and give...
Oct 10, 2022•21 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Send us a text In today's solo episode, I share what I saw on my family vacation at Walt Disney World. One child got spanked, one got kicked and one had water tossed onto their face. We need to rethink what discipline is as a society and more importantly, we need to re-learn emotion regulation skills. It is ok to have a moment when you lose control and yell, but physical aggression, verbal abuse, and emotional abuse should never be an option against a child or any human. I think parents nee...
Oct 03, 2022•25 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Send us a text In today’s episode, we are joined by Jess and Nicole, early childhood educators who focus on the mindset around math. It is a very common problem that children and families struggle with both learning and teaching math. Join us to understand the most important skills you can prepare your child with before sending them to pre-K or kindergarten – hint, it’s not memorizing their numbers. Jess and Nicole share the importance of uninterrupted play in early life and how it can actually ...
Sep 26, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Send us a text In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Sarah Bren, clinical psychologist and mom of 2. She gives us a whole new perspective on discipline, attachment and setting boundaries. Dr. Bren shows us the importance of disciplining a child – tune in to better understand what her definition of discipline really is – in order to build a secure attachment. She discusses how YOUR self-regulation can influence the way you parent and how secure your child feels. We also touch on tantrums and ho...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Send us a text In today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Mona Delahooke, Ph.D. child psychologist to discuss reframing how you understand your child’s behavior – with curiosity and compassion. Learn why Dr. Delahooke believes self-compassion and co-regulation is the proper response to a child’s tantrum. We discuss the loneliness of being a mother and how we can be mindful of the feelings, but not judgemental of them. Tune in to learn about interoception, prediction error, and challenge zones and ...
Sep 12, 2022•54 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Send us a text Transitioning into daycare can be stressful for both the parents and the child. In today's episode (the final episode of season 3!), I discuss the research around daycare transitions also known as the adaptation phase. I discuss how to help a child build a connection with their new caregiver and what I believe should be the procedure in all daycares. If your daycare can't allow you to join your child at the daycare, I offer alternatives to help minimize the stress for yo...
Aug 29, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 40
Send us a text Anna Skates is taking over the Curious Neuron podcast! Anna shares her wisdom with us and teaches us 3 important tips that will help make transitions easier for our kids. Transitions are hard! When your child protests transitions, it can make it difficult for parents to see the reason behind it, the why. Zooming out, as we have mentioned before, doesn't seem to work during transitions but Anna explains how you can make it work and connect with your child during these challeng...
Aug 22, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 39
Send us a text The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO screen time younger than 18 months and very little screen time (<1hr/day) from 18-24 months unless it’s video-chatting with family members. Have you ever wondered why? The Curious Neuron team decided to dig deep into the research and see if certain claims about screen time in toddlers were true. You might be surprised by the results and what the research student concluded about screen time in toddlers. Listen to this short 20 min...
Aug 15, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 38
Send us a text Today's episode is a solo episode with Cindy Hovington, Ph.D. founder of Curious Neuron. With the new school year approaching, you might be wondering if your child is ready to either start school for the first time or to return. I walk you through 5 important skills you work on with your child (through play or conversation). These 5 skills have been suggested by research to be important for a child's academic success. Listen to this short episode and take your notepad ou...
Aug 08, 2022•29 min
Send us a text Trigger warning: pregnancy loss In today’s episode we meet with parents Bret Shuford and Stephen Hanna, Broadway husbands, who started a family by choosing surrogacy. We start with learning a bit about the couple and how they decided to use surrogacy over other methods of conceiving. We talk about building a connection with the surrogate and the newborn. We also chat about the parenting roles in same sex couples, as well as the barriers faced when living in a difficult social clim...
Aug 01, 2022•56 min•Season 3Ep. 36
Send us a text In today’s episode, we chat with Susie Allison, M. Ed., a former teacher and creator of Busy Toddler (1.8 million followers!). We discuss boredom, what it is, why it’s important for our children’s development and how to respond to a bored child. We discuss how to introduce boredom to a child that is currently constantly engaged in a realistic way. Susie explains what child-led play is, and how parents can actually get things done while their children play ALONE. You heard it here ...
Jul 25, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Send us a text In today’s episode Dr. Rani Banik is here to discuss everything about the visual system and the brain. First, we focus on the development of the visual system, then speak about our children’s screen time and how to best initiate their visual development. We touch upon the types of light, whether blue light blockers are necessary and the dangers and/or benefits of sun gazing. Listen in to hear how to choose the right pair of sunglasses to protect your child’s eyes. Dr. Banik explai...
Jul 18, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 34
Send us a text In today’s episode Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, registered psychologist, joins us to discuss aggressive behavior in children and how to mediate it. We discuss how to be curious about your child’s behavior – zooming out can be informative about why your child is being aggressive. Dr. Lapointe answers important questions like: How do parents play a part in their child’s aggressive behavior? Should you feel guilty when your child acts out? How can aggressive play be beneficial to your child...
Jul 11, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 33
Send us a text In today's episode, I unpack a viral post on social media stating that Cocomelon is addictive. I know I am covering screen time for a second week in a row but when I posted about screen time on Instagram and used Cocomelon as an example of a TV that fit the criteria for quality TV shows, my DMs blew up! I address screen time for children under the age of 2 and answer these questions: -How much is too much screen time? -How screen time is excessive screen time? -What are the s...
Jul 04, 2022•25 min
Send us a text In today’s episode, we chat with Cheryl Gotthelf, educator by trade and TV child development consultant. Cheryl shares her years of experience in terms of deciding whether a show is developmentally appropriate for a child. We discuss the criteria television channels evaluate to decide what age category to place a show. Take out your Curious Neuron notebooks because Cheryl gives us a list of questions to ask before deciding on a show to present to the children. We take some time to...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Send us a text 3 tips or conversations I wish someone would have told me when I was expecting my first child. In today's episode, our host, Dr. Cindy Hovington, discusses some tips she wishes she would have received when she was expecting her first child. We often get advice as new parents. How should we hold our baby? How should we feed them? Where should they sleep? However, in today's episode, we move past this type of advice and dig deeper into what all new parents should think of....
Jun 20, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Send us a text Trigger warning: physical and sexual abuse In today’s episode, we speak with two dads and men's mental health advocates Emmanuel Flores and therapist Travis Goodman, LMFT. We cover so many important topics, I think this is one of my favorite episodes. We talk about how men are often told to push their emotions under the carpet and be strong, while also being told they need to open up more. We highlight the importance of communication between couples, about your past, present,...
Jun 13, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 29
