Thrive Little

Thrive Little Pediatric occupational therapist, feeding specialist & lactation educator in Santa Clarita/SCV.

I address infant development, motor skills, bottle feeding, breastfeeding, solids, tongue tie/oral ties, body tension, torticollis.

07/22/2026

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing for babies and children to cry at times during therapy. They are people and sometimes people cry.

Babies and young kids are limited in their communication abilities and that is why they cry-to communicate a need.

Trying to figure out what the need is and attempting to meet it is really important for supporting regulation and connection, which is a vital foundation in order for good learning to take place.

We have to support a regulated nervous system before we can really get anything meaningful done during a therapy session.

It can also be distressing for parents to watch their child cry. So by supporting the child, we are also supporting the parents being regulated and therefore allowing for receptivity to learn something new.

Follow me Thrive Little | Marielle Marquez | Pediatric OT in SCV for more!

Have concerns about your child?
✨DM me to set up a free discovery call and learn more about how I can help!✨

In person therapy is available in Santa Clarita (SCV)! Telehealth is available anywhere in CA!

——
Hi 👋 I’m Marielle! I have been providing OT for babies and toddlers for over 16 years and am passionate about the earliest intervention and prevention! I specialize in infant development, motor skills, torticollis and head shape issues, feeding, oral dysfunction, and tongue tie!

👶🍼🤱🍽️👄👅

07/12/2026

Making tummy time easier doesn’t have to be complicated. This is one of many ways to make it a little more interesting for your baby and maybe get a few more minutes.

You don’t need to leave your baby crying in tummy time to get an arbitrary 15 minutes of the prone position per day. Quality over quantity!

Follow me Thrive Little | Marielle Marquez | Pediatric OT in SCV for more!

Have concerns about your child?
✨DM me to set up a free discovery call and learn more about how I can help!✨

In person therapy is available in Santa Clarita (SCV)! Telehealth is available anywhere in CA!

——
Hi 👋 I’m Marielle! I have been providing OT for babies and toddlers for over 16 years and am passionate about the earliest intervention and prevention! I specialize in infant development, motor skills, torticollis and head shape issues, feeding, oral dysfunction, and tongue tie!

👶🍼🤱🍽️👄👅

05/07/2026

Why? I believe it’s my job to support the family as a whole, not just one family member.

It’s completely natural to feel anxious if you are a new parent or have concerns about your child’s development. A little bit of anxiety may help you take action and get your child support that they need. But sometimes that anxiety can run wild, can be unhelpful, can cause you to lose sleep, to freeze, or to make it hard for you to enjoy your child. It happens to many of us (🙋🏻‍♀️), but professionals should not be causing or exacerbating that feeling.

Will I tell you if I am concerned about your child’s feeding, development, safety, or wellbeing? Yes, of course! But I will do my best to deliver the information in a helpful way that leaves you feeling empowered, not overwhelmed.

I see so much content from well meaning professionals that is fear inducing and it really irks me. I’m far from perfect and I’m still learning and growing. But know that my goal is to always gently and lovingly educate you, not scare you. You’re doing a great job and your child is lucky to have you 💕

Follow me for more!

Have concerns about your child?
✨DM me to set up a free discovery call and learn more about how I can help!✨

In person therapy is available in Santa Clarita (SCV)! Telehealth is available anywhere in CA!

——
Hi 👋 I’m Marielle! I have been providing OT for babies and toddlers for over 16 years and am passionate about the earliest intervention and prevention! I specialize in infant development, motor skills, torticollis and head shape issues, feeding, and tongue tie!

👶🍼🤱🍽️👄👅

01/23/2026

There, I said it! You don’t have to feel guilty if your baby isn’t taking a bottle with the best shape, best flow, best brand, etc.

✨A baby’s gotta eat! And that trumps all the rest. ✨

If you’re building your baby registry or have a flexible little one, sure, buy the “best” bottles. A slow flow ni**le with a gradual sloped shape that promotes a wide latch and baby working for their meal is usually ideal.

But if we get stuck on forcefully trying to do whats’s ideal it can be harmful to all involved. You don’t have to be perfect to be a good mom or dad and your baby doesn’t have to be perfect to be a “good baby”.

In this video I see a super tired mom of a young little bottle refuser struggling to try to find a way to get baby to take more than 1-2ozs despite doing all the “right” things.

I’ve been there too and it’s hard, even as a feeding therapist with 15yrs of experience 💓

It’s gonna be fine 🤗

Follow me for more!

Have concerns about your child?
✨DM me to set up a free discovery call and learn more about how I can help!✨

In person therapy is available in Santa Clarita (SCV)! Telehealth is available anywhere in CA!

——
Hi 👋 I’m Marielle! I have been providing OT for babies and toddlers for over 16 years and am passionate about the earliest intervention and prevention! I specialize in infant development, motor skills, torticollis and head shape issues, feeding, and tongue tie!

👶🍼🤱🍽️👄👅

Address

24262 Walnut Street Unit 2
Santa Clarita, CA
91321

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Thrive Little posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category