Christy Baker, B.S., OTR/L, CLE
Christy grew up in Portland, Oregon. She earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of Oregon, and a bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Puget Sound. She is practicing as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist in Early Support for Infants and Toddlers, working with children under the age of 3 and their families. For 20 years, Christy has provided therapy services at the Experimental Education Unit (EEU), an inclusive early learning program which is part of the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. Prior to that, she worked at Kindering Center Early Support Program in Bellevue, WA for almost 10 years.
She has taken many continuing education courses and formal trainings over the years, focusing on various areas of development for children under the age of 3. Understanding the complexities of eating and working on feeding challenges quickly became a strong and favorite area of interest. Christy's favorite aspect of working with younger children is having the opportunity to build meaningful connections with families, share ideas, and to help empower them to trust their instincts and ability to advocate for what they feel is best for their children and family. She enjoys collaborating and learning from her colleagues and with professionals in similar programs, and enjoys supporting children in toddler group classes, in their homes or daycare, and in other community settings. During her many years working closely with families, it became increasingly apparent that eating and challenging mealtime behaviors of children from birth up through kindergarten, were a big source of stress for many families at the EEU. Christy was fortunate enough to connect with several colleagues at the EEU who shared a passion about finding ways to support these families and guide children in feeling comfortable, safe, and accepted unconditionally while learning about news foods, eating, and joining in mealtime at home and in school. Christy's interest in eating, and in feeding young children, more recently inspired her participation in training and networking with colleagues to support babies and their families in the transition from the hospital NICU to home. She received her Lactation Educator certificate this past year as well.
When she is not working, Christy enjoys spending time with her family, and newfound joys of spending time with her young adult sons. She loves exploring her ancestry, being active outside, taking long walks while listening to music or books, cross-country skate skiing, and “treasure hunting”” at vintage consignment and antique stores.