S6 EP37: Early Speech and Language Development with Kathy Brunner and Sharilyn Gugliotta

This week on Moms on Call, Jennifer and Laura chat with speech-language pathologists Kathy Brunner and Sharilyn Gugliotta, longtime clinicians and co-founders of the Bughugables book series. They talk about early speech and language development and practical ways parents can support it in everyday life. Find the Bughugables books and check out Kathy and Sharilyn’s free resources at bughugables.com

This episode of the Moms on Call podcast explores practical ways to raise confident, well-adjusted toddlers by treating them as strong, adaptable, and resilient, rather than shielding them from every challenge or moment of upset. Jennifer and Laura discuss using a consistent nighttime routine as a daily touchpoint where parents are fully present, set aside phones and distractions, review simple household rules, and end the day by affirming that their children are loved, believed in, and will be seen “when the sun comes up,” reinforcing trust and security.

This week, the Moms on Call podcast continues the Toddler Essentials series focusing on helping parents create positive, low-stress mealtime experiences for toddlers by clarifying roles, adjusting expectations, and tailoring strategies to different child temperaments. Laura and Jennifer will explain why parents are responsible for providing a variety of tasty, age-appropriate foods, while toddlers decide whether and how much to eat. They highlight the importance of atmosphere—parents eating alongside their children, keeping conversation light and fun, avoiding excessive focus on the child, and maintaining predictable mealtimes to support toddlers’ internal rhythms.

The Toddler Essentials continues and this week Laura and Jennifer are tackling sleep. They’ll explain how parents can help toddlers sleep through the night and safely transition from a crib to a toddler bed, emphasizing confidence, consistency, and safety-focused routines. Plus, the common sleep disruptions around 18–24 months during the “language explosion,” and why it's important to return to the foundational routines tailored to each child’s design.

It’s May and the beginning of the Toddler Essentials Series! This week Jennifer and Laura are focusing on navigating all the toddler emotions. They’ll talk about why “big feelings” are normal, manageable emotions driven by curiosity and development rather than malice or manipulation, emphasizing that toddlers learn cause and effect and social behavior through experimentation, including hitting or biting. This a great time for parents to remember that toddlers are strong, adaptable, and resilient, and that repeated, confident messages of belief in their capabilities—especially after tantrums, before bed, and in front of trusted adults—lay the foundation for self-regulation, kindness, and future empathy.

This week on the Moms on Call Podcast features an in-depth conversation with entrepreneur and leukemia survivor Charlie Razook, founder of Jackfir, a clean, non-toxic men’s skincare brand inspired by his cancer journey and concern about environmental toxins. Razook describes how his diagnosis and multi-year treatment reshaped his view of health, leading him into “clean living” and revealing a gap in the market for effective, low-toxicity skincare tailored to men who might resist using traditionally “feminine” products. For listeners facing hard seasons, Razook describes coping strategies such as holding onto hope for future plans, making lists of goals, using low-effort entertainment when reading is difficult, and the restorative power of daily walks outdoors. The conversation reframes self-care as a prerequisite for being a better partner, parent, and friend rather than selfishness, using examples like quitting alcohol, choosing the gym or sleep over social obligations, and recognizing that saying “no” can ultimately improve how one shows up for others. To learn more about Jackfir and shop their products, visit Jackfir.com and use code “momsoncall30” for a special discount.

This week the Moms On Call focuses on creating a stress-free, connection-centered approach to feeding babies and toddlers from 6 to 15 months, emphasizing atmosphere over strict nutritional targets before 12 months of age. Jennifer and Laura encourage offering a variety of foods, textures, and spices, aiming for three to four different food groups per meal, with babies eating mostly what the family eats by about 7–8 months as long as foods are “mushable.” The episode highlights the importance of including children at the family table, avoiding pressure tactics like counting bites, and cultivating a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere with conversation and even background music to model positive attitudes toward food.

This week on the podcast, Laura and Jennifer continue the six to fifteen month essential series. They’ll guide parents through evolving daily routines, emphasizing flexibility, predictability, and developmental readiness. Throughout, they talk about why routines are tools, not rigid rules: families can enjoy late park trips, adjust bedtimes, rely on “reset” points (like the morning wake time), and use consistent pre-nap and bedtime rituals to anchor days even when timing shifts.

This podcast episode from Moms On Call explores key developmental milestones and practical parenting strategies for children aged 6 to 15 months, focusing on motor skills, exploration, and emotional development. Jennifer and Laura discuss the rapid progression from crawling to walking, the development of fine motor skills like the pincer grasp and self-feeding with a fork, and how increased physical activity can support better sleep.

This week on the Moms on Call podcast Laura and Jennifer begin the 6-15 Month Essentials series. They’ll talk about how this age is marked by growing physical abilities, emerging personalities, and strong habit-forming tendencies, making it an ideal time to establish healthy patterns. They outline sleep expectations and routines, noting that the main transition is from two naps to one and the dropping of the cat nap around seven months, with structured daily schedules beginning at 7:00 AM to align with maturing circadian rhythms.