Coming soon Self-paced · Ages 0–12 months

Birth to 12 months: cues, attachment, and the first year.

A calm, research-based picture of what infants are actually doing in the first year: how they communicate before words, how attachment forms through ordinary moments, and what the science actually says about sleep, stimulation, and the noise that surrounds new parents.

Join the waitlist See what's inside
6 modules · ~1 hr each Self-paced · Watch on any device Founding member pricing · Lifetime access Free milestone tracker included

Who this class is for

If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.

  • You have a baby under 12 months and are drowning in conflicting advice about what they need.
  • You're not sure how to read your baby's cues, or whether you're responding "right."
  • You want to understand what's actually happening developmentally, not just what to do this week.
  • Sleep, feeding, and stimulation all feel like high-stakes decisions and you'd like a calmer framework.
  • You want research-backed guidance without the judgment or the scripts.

What you'll learn

By the end of the class, the first year will feel a lot less like guessing.

  • How to read your infant's signals, like hunger, fatigue, and overstimulation, with more confidence.
  • What secure attachment actually looks like and how it forms through everyday moments, not perfect ones.
  • What infant sleep science actually says, and what you can and can't realistically change.
  • How language development begins long before words, and how your ordinary conversations shape it.
  • A working picture of infant motor and sensory development that cuts through the noise.

Module breakdown

Six short lessons for the year when everything is new.

Each module translates a core area of infant development into plain language you can use from day one. Six modules · ~1 hour each · self-paced · works on your phone.

Module 01

The Newborn Brain

What's developing in the first weeks and months, from sensory systems to social awareness, and why infants are simultaneously more capable and more fragile than they appear. A foundation for everything that follows.

Module 02

Reading Your Baby's Cues

The signals infants use to communicate hunger, fatigue, and overstimulation before they have words, and how learning to read them builds confidence and reduces the guesswork of early caregiving.

Module 03

Attachment in the First Year

What secure attachment actually looks like, how it forms through ordinary repeated interactions, and what the research says about repair, including why no caregiver needs to be perfectly attuned to raise a securely attached child.

Module 04

Sleep: What the Science Actually Says

A clear-eyed look at infant sleep biology: what normal waking looks like at different ages, what developmental changes affect sleep, and what parents can and realistically cannot change, without the shame of any one sleep method.

Module 05

Language Before Words

How language development begins in the first weeks through babbling, serve-and-return, and everyday conversation, and how the ordinary back-and-forth you're already having is building your child's language foundation right now.

Module 06

Motor and Sensory Development

What tummy time, reaching, sitting, and early movement actually develop, and what matters versus what doesn't. A practical guide to the first year of physical development without the pressure of milestone checklists.

Why this approach is different

Research, translated for the way your day actually goes.

Research-based, not trend-based

Built from peer-reviewed developmental science across brain development, language, executive function, and emotion regulation, not a single personal philosophy.

Plain language, no jargon walls

The science is translated for parents: concise, readable, and honest about what the research can and can't tell us.

Realistic for a normal day

Every recommendation is filtered through actual family life: tired adults, multiple kids, work, daycare pickups, and dinner.

Calm and non-shaming

No scripts to memorize, no suggestion that one slip ruins your child. The tone is the way you'd want a thoughtful friend to talk to you.

Why trust this

Built on peer-reviewed developmental science.

The content in this class is grounded in developmental neuroscience, child development research, and over 50 years of rigorous published research, created and taught by Matthew McArthur, a Child Development Specialist with graduate training in developmental psychology and years of direct work with young children and families in Los Angeles.

About Growing Minds Science

Common questions

A few things parents usually ask first.

When does the class open?

The class is in active development. Waitlist members are notified first and get early-bird pricing before the class opens to the public.

Is there any risk? What if it's not right for me?

No charge until you choose to purchase. Joining the waitlist is free, and we send one short note when the class opens, and you decide then. No obligation, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Do I need special software or equipment?

Nothing special. The class is designed to work on your phone, tablet, or laptop. Self-paced means you watch on your schedule, with no live sessions and no deadlines.

Who created and teaches this class?

Matthew McArthur, a Child Development Specialist with graduate training in developmental psychology and years of hands-on work with children and families in Los Angeles. Content draws from four research domains: developmental neuroscience, language acquisition, executive function, and emotion regulation.