Hi! I’m Eliza Parker.
My life-changing perspectives and respectful solutions for sleep and other common parenting questions transcend “typical” advice. I want you to have access to the updated information you need about development that you won’t find in standard advice.
You may be surprised to learn that I’m not a parent. However, as a professional infant nanny for 10 years, I ‘had’ 25 babies and toddlers, putting what I teach into practice daily. So I have particular expertise helping you integrate our work seamlessly into daily life and connection. This helps reduce overwhelm and ease strain on relationship.
I’m also a Highly Sensitive Person. This is a trait (like hair color) that runs in 15 to 20% of the population. When I work with families, it means I’m especially sensitive to babies’ pre-language cues, easily aware of subtleties, and excellent at perceiving what’s going on under the surface.
My certifications include:
- Aware Parenting Instructor, Dr. Aletha Solter
- Infant Developmental Movement Educator, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, OT
- Body-Mind Centering® Practitioner, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, OT
- Spiritual Counselor, Delphi University & Spiritual Center
- Trained as a Feldenkrais® Practitioner
Photos Jessica Rockowitz
About Conscious Baby
Babies and toddlers are capable of so much! They’re born with a multitude of innate abilities.
But society teaches parenting practices that override many innate abilities. These practices are typically considered the norm. This means that even with the best of intentions, or out of desperation, loving parents can end up raising children in ways that create unintended outcomes.
Conscious Baby looks those norms ‘in the face’–is what you’re doing with your child truly fostering what you desire?
By truly treating your baby or toddler as a respectable person, meeting him/her on her level, allowing her to lead the way in her sleep and development, and communicating in a connected way, you’ll raise a happy, confident child grounded in the foundations you want for her.
The foundations you set up now will help your child thrive throughout life. I’ll help you pinpoint what you want and how to get there, build authentic connection, create a magical bond in the process, and reveal your baby’s innate wisdom and skills–which may surprise you!
Cornerstones of Conscious Baby
- Babies are “people,”not “blank slates”! They are brilliant communicators and intensely motivated natural learners.
- They are already equipped to develop and learn–in tandem with our role of providing loving presence, response, support when needed, and an appropriate environment.
- Babies are born self-aware. Body and spatial awareness arise at different stages in early childhood. But by birth, they are already very aware of themselves and their experiences. There are things we can do that allow them to remain open and whole, without inadvertently shutting down their awareness and communication.
- They will reach motor milestones on their own, if we allow them, by refraining from placing them into positions before they can get there on their own.
- Babies are born with a full set of emotions in tact–and a brain that absolutely can handle big feelings when their loved ones are present to hold them and listen.
- Your pre-language baby is immensely communicative! …even though you may not know what he’s trying to tell you or how to communicate with him. That’s okay, I speak ‘Baby’ and will teach you how!
- Best to avoid all forms of punishment. It’s disconnecting and disempowering. Even rewards tend to foster competition rather than collaboration. There are other ways!
- Without manipulation and without having to “teach” favorable qualities later, we can raise children who are naturally compassionate, cooperative, communicative, confident, honest, and emotionally intelligent, simply by how we interact with them from the beginning.
- Foundations get set up in the first several months: for body health, communication, learning, relationships, and more. Babies develop habits by how we handle and interact with them, whether we’ve done so intentionally or unintentionally!
I firmly know with my whole heart that your baby is a highly aware person, born with innate abilities to learn, communicate, and develop.
We will tap into this wisdom. You and your baby will both have my utmost respect.