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TODDLER DEVELOPMENT STAGES

As parents we often feel rushed to have our kids reach those big developmental milestones, like walking, talking, or potty training, even if they're not yet ready. Put all that parenting pressure into perspective with these helpful resources.

In Brittany Ferrell's What's the Rush? series, for Creative Child, she shares her experiences with reaching various milestones with her daughter and how she learned to go with the flow. She's done the research and all of the trial and error with her little one to let parents know it's okay if things don't exactly according to schedule. For more help with the infant to toddler transition, check out From Infant to Toddler: The Terrible Two's, in which a psychologist dispels the myth of the terrible twos and helps us to embrace this transition with understanding and involvement.

HIGHLY SENSITIVE KIDS

Have you noticed perfectionist or shy traits in your child and struggled to meet their needs? Having a highly sensitive child in your family isn't always easy, but when you know how to interact with them and how to tailor your communication to reach them properly, it can certainly be rewarding.  

Here at Creative Child we've got plenty of expert advice from parents of highly sensitive kids, including Deborah Song's Learning to Embrace My Highly Sensitive Child and 10 Ways to Help Your Highly Sensitive Child Thrive, as well as Rebecca Eanes's Why I'm Not Toughening Up My Children and her tips for disciplining the sensitive child.

CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Admitting it might seem difficult if you're worried about judgements from strangers, or even your support group, but parenting is hard. It's even harder if you're a parent of a kid with special needs or disabilities. If you've ever felt alone in your parenting journey or just need a little extra advice, check out some of these insights from parents and experts.

Over at Psychology Today, Seth Meyers, a clinical psychologist and father of a special needs child, writes about the effects raising a kid with special needs has on parents and how he copes with those stresses. Abilities.com also has a wonderful list of 20 Things Every Parent of Kids with Special Needs Should Hear. The Office of Women's Health, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offers great information and resources on parenting children with disabilities, so that they can reach their full potential to be happy and healthy kids and adults.

Whether you're a parent of a temper tantrum-prone toddler or highly sensitive kid, or you want to improve your communication skills to have a stronger relationship with your child, you don't have to feel overwhelmed with all the information out there. Try these tips and go with the flow of the journey that is parenting.

Leave your comments to let us know what works and doesn't work for you and your family!