What new parents should know about baby development and the brain Artwork

Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron

You don’t snap at your kids because you’re a bad parent. You snap because your stress builds faster than your awareness, and no one ever taught you how to handle that.

I’m Dr. Cindy Hovington, a mom of three with a doctorate in neuroscience and founder of Curious Neuron. I created The Reflective Parenting Podcast for parents who care deeply, know a lot, and still find themselves overwhelmed in the real moments.

This is not a podcast where I tell you how to be a perfect parent. I’m in it with you.

Each week, I invite you into my own reflections:

what I’m learning from scientific articles and books,
what I’m noticing in my nervous system and emotions,
and what real parents and experts teach me in conversation.

Together, we get curious about why we snap, shut down, or over-function in conflict, and what’s actually happening in our brain and body when we do. We talk about stress, shame, repair, boundaries, playfulness, and the quiet moments no one sees—so you can start to recognize your patterns and gently shift them.

By listening, you’ll learn to:

notice your stress and body signals earlier,
understand the lenses and stories that intensify hard moments,
regulate your nervous system when parenting feels like “too much”,
and handle conflict with more calm, clarity, and repair.
But more than that, you’ll have a companion in the work.

I’ll share where I struggle, what I’m practicing, and how I’m trying to grow, so you don’t feel like the only parent who finds this hard.

If you’re ready to move away from “perfect” parenting and toward reflective parenting—where every tough moment becomes data, not failure—pull up a chair.

Let’s learn, feel, and grow together.

Find out which book I will be covering next month:

https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/

Join the private group on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/groups/reflectiveparentingpodcast/

Start training your emotional awareness for FREE:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2

Purchase my course The Emotionally Aware Parent.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

All Episodes

Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron

What new parents should know about baby development and the brain

April 16, 2020 • Cindy Hovington, Ph.D. • Season 1 • Episode 10

0:00 | 1:01:00

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In today’s episode, I chat with Jenny and Carrie about their advice to new parents. We talk about the importance of a stimulating environment, which doesn’t mean having a lot around your baby, but rather being present, getting down on the floor with them during tummy time, and having zero screen time. We might not realize the importance of tummy time, skin-to-skin and the environment. We talk about why these are so important. Did you know that babies should not skip crawling? We discuss the brain in terms of developing and eliminating connections.

Support the show

Join the Reflective Parent Book Club for only $9.99 for the year: https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-book-club

Watch my Tedx Talk on YouTube called The Over-Educated, Emotionally Underprepared Parent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDYJFY_9K9E&t=19s

Grab my course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Doors open to join the next 8-week training (Starts Oct 12th) here https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/