OnSugar Blog: Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh About It

OnSugar Blog — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:05:00 PST

Lots of moms like to think out loud and Jo Aaron is one of them. In her latest post, she looks at the lighter side of sending a child through developmental therapy.

Did you know that 1 in 3 kids are in some form of therapy. Well you shouldn't because I totally made that statistic up (anyone, anyone?), but if you spend as much time around kids and parents as I do, you will probably agree...these days, everyone's doing it!

And my oldest is definitely not an exception. If anything, our craziness about saturating his short little life with endless hours of speech and occupational therapy has made him the unofficial poster child for EI.

I've found, by speaking to countless parents in waiting room after waiting room, that developmental therapy is just like infant hiccups in that it seems to be harder on the adults than it is on the kids. My little guy has no idea that his new "school" is actually a speech group or that the "babysitter" that comes to our house to play is really an experienced S&L therapist.

However, I, like many other folks, spend sleepless nights praying for clear speech and worry constantly about what his delay might mean for his future. Will the other kids make fun of him? Will people understand him if he needs something? And how in the hell am I going to potty train a little one who can't tell me he has to go?

Want to see more? Read the rest of her post here and start following Mommy Brain. Or, start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site!

Sippy Cups Can Lead to Speech Issues

LilSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:00:51 PST

Sippy cups save mothers from mopping up spills and allow tots a bit of freedom to roam with their beverages, but now the convenient cups have been linked to speech delays in children.

According to a recent WebMD article, sucking on the sipper's stiff spouts may lead to lisps and slurred speech. To see how to solve the problem,

read more. Sandra Holtzman, a speech pathologist said:

If a child goes from the breast or the bottle to a sippy cup, they tend to drink it as if it were a bottle. They lie back or tip their neck in the usual manner, so it's almost like drinking a bottle. They have a hard object or spout with various shapes depending on the type of cup, and their bodies are tipped back. This hard object or spout misplaces the tongue and pushes the teeth out as the thumb can.

For parents looking for a solution, experts suggest switching out sippy cups with those with straws.