“There are no perfect parents, and there are no perfect children, but there are plenty of perfect moments along the way.” With this quote from Dave Willis in mind, today's guest Kim Hughes teaches us how to savor the perfect moments in playful ways with our kids. But what are the best ways to do that? And does playing with children include playing with infants? For any parent who craves a bond with their kids, you won't want to miss this season finale of the Raising Young Children in Wake County Podcast.

Kim Hughes is the Founder of Conscious Connections LLC, a behavior management and educational consulting firm serving teachers, child caregivers, nurses, and parents who seek to build highly effective, positive relationships with those in their charge.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

Dr. Mary-Cassie Shaw hears a lot of the same questions from parents, and they usually center around food and sleep. So today she answers questions like:

• How much sleep should a child be getting really?
• When should they start eliminating naps?
• What are the first foods that should be introduced?
• What should you do if your child is a picky eater?

Let's find out on today's episode.

Dr. Mary-Cassie Shaw, MD, is an Adolescent Medicine specialist at Oberlin Road Pediatrics in Raleigh NC.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

As a parent of young children, do you find yourself thinking:

"Why can’t we ever find all the shoes?!?"
"Why can’t my child go potty, brush teeth, and put on PJs without being asked?”
"How do we always forget the backpack?!”

Sound familiar? Well today we're talking all about routines and how young children - especially children who aren't old enough to read yet - can use visuals to improve those daily functions that can sometimes cause parents to pull out their hair.

Kristen Balhoff is a Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor, working with young families in the Triangle, especially those with autistic or neuro divergent children like hers.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

Back on episode 6, we covered the nuts and bolts of how to register for kindergarten, and the differences between charter, magnet, private, and public schools. Today we uncover when to register for kindergarten - when is a child ready on a social emotional level and on an intellectual level? It's not an easy choice, and what are some of the skills that parents should be looking for to determine of their child is ready?

Our guest today is Bonnie DiLeone, former ready-to-learn coordinator at Project Enlightenment and early childhood specialist / interventionist working with children between birth to three years old and their parents.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

Today, host Emily King and pediatric occupational therapist Rose Langston talk about motor and sensory development, when parents should be concerned, how they can help, and why reaching milestones by a certain age might not be as imperative as we once thought.

Rose Langston is an occupational therapist and clinical manager at Pediatric Possibilities.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

Ok parents, if you've been confused by all of the elementary school options that Wake County has to offer, this episode is for you! Today, Wake County Public School System Magnet Coordinator Tamani Powell Anderson joins us to give us the inside scoop on when you should start looking into kindergartens, what a magnet school is, what a charter school is, and how to figure out what school is best for your child.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

As parents, most of us are concerned about cognitive development, and we all have questions about milestones for communication, language, non-verbal skills, pronunciation, and more. But how do we know if our child is on the right path? And what can we do to help support them?

Today Tracy Vail joins us to give us some language tips for our our children.

Tracy Vail is a speech language pathologist that's been working with children with autism since 1982 in a variety of settings, including public schools, private schools, homes and private practice.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

We expect children to develop physical, mental, and emotional skills, but that won't happen unless the child feels safe. And in order to feel safe, there needs to be a connection. But what does that mean? And can there be a true connection even before the child is talking?

Today we're talking all things social skills, with Christine Burkhart, the owner of Building Connections, which empowers children of all abilities.

Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• K&L Gates
• Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats
• BHDP

For more from Project Enlightenment Foundation, join us for Project Palooza October 8, 2022!