Rebecca Parlakian is the senior director of programs for ZERO TO THREE™, where she develops resources for parents and trains both parents and early childhood professionals on a range of education and parenting topics. She holds a master’s degree in education and human development from George Washington University. Her most important and most satisfying work in child development is raising her two children, Ella and Bennett. They help her remember that parenting is hard, but also lots of fun!
Learning Is Play, and Play Is Learning
Two-year-old Olivia was busy collecting sticks at the park. She lined them up end to end and walked along the long line she had made. …
7 Ways to Practice Patience with Your Child
Little kids have big feelings. And while all the advice says that parents should stay perfectly calm during our toddlers’ meltdowns, parents are people, too.…
Help! My Baby Won’t Sleep Through the Night
Sleep while the baby sleeps. Use special swaddles. Try white noise. There are a million pieces of advice – and accessories to buy – to help your baby sleep through the night. But what really works? Here are some parenting tips for how to handle night wakings.
One Size Does Not Fit All: Tips for Raising Siblings
In celebration of National Siblings Day, here are tips to keep in mind as you encounter the challenges, and joys, of raising more than one child.
Returning to Work After Maternity Leave
Every mother has a unique experience when going back to work after maternity leave, so every mother’s advice will be a little different. However, there’s…
How Children Benefit From Their Grandparents (and Vice Versa!)
My 3-year-old daughter was recovering from her first stomach virus and my mom watched her so I could return to the office. When I got…
How to Find an Amazing Babysitter
There’s so much truth in this old advertisement: Pizza: $20. Babysitter: $50. A night out without the kids: Priceless. But finding that great babysitter—the one…
How to Avoid Information Overload
When my daughter was an infant and never seemed to sleep, I remember desperately typing the words “how to get a baby to sleep” into…
Teaching the Difference Between Right and Wrong
It’s snack time and several 3-year-olds are sitting around a table. Each child has two crackers, but one of the children has taken a third.…