The Early Cleft Years Course: Practical Guidance from Diagnosis to 24 Months
A trusted guide for caregivers of cleft-affected babies - offering practical tips and a clear roadmap from diagnosis through 2 years. The 8-module course covers everything from feeding to surgery prep and post-op care, with research-backed insights and real-life advice.
THIS COURSE WILL WALK YOU THROUGH:
Your family's journey from diagnosis to 24 months — What to expect throughout the journey to help you feel prepared.
Firsthand learnings from other parents — Honest lessons, real-life insights, and "wish I'd known" reflections from fellow cleft parents.
Practical prep tips for baby's arrival — From must-have baby gear to hospital bag checklists & navigating the first days at home.
Feeding & soothing parenting tips — Trusted advice on bottles, pacifiers, introducing solids, and open-cup transitions for cleft-affected babies.
Navigating pre-surgical care & surgery — Understanding taping, NAMs, surgical timing, and how to support your baby’s healing.
Additional insights — High-level overview of neonatal teeth, reflux, ears, speech, sleep apnea, dry lips, etc.
What’s Inside
MODULE 1
Resources, Conversations, & Support
This module provides general information, an extensive list of resources, ideas on how to prepare siblings, ideas for navigating difficult conversations, & more.
MODULE 2
Prenatal Apts, Birth, Year 1-2 Overview
This module addresses the many questions parents face after learning the diagnosis and provides info on what you can expect in the first years.
MODULE 3
How to Prepare
This module provides a high-level overview of how to prepare for your baby’s arrival.
MODULE 4
Infant Milk & Pacifiers
This module reviews the cleft bottles and many of the questions parents face about feeding their baby and navigating pacifiers.
MODULE 5
Solids & Cups
This module provides an overview of introducing solids and provides tips & tricks for transitioning to cups, including straws.
MODULE 6
Pre-surgical Interventions
This module provides an overview of the pre-surgical interventions and outlines tips and tricks for managing each one.
MODULE 7
Surgery
This module shares tips and tricks for navigating lip and palate repair surgery.
MODULE 8
Additional Topics
This module provides information on Teeth, Reflux, Ears, Speech, Sleep Apnea, Dry Lips.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This course is designed for families expecting a baby with a cleft diagnosis or parenting a cleft-affected baby up to 24 months old. It's also a wonderful resource for grandparents, caregivers, and anyone in your support circle who wants to feel confident helping. The course is relevant if your child has cleft lip (unilateral or bilateral), cleft palate, or both.
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It actually might help alleviate some of your concerns, but there's no “right time”, and you don't have to watch it all at once. Many parents find it helps to know the information is there when they're ready, even if that means starting with just one module. The course is built to be taken at your own pace - pause, come back, skip around, or rewatch as often as you need.
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Behind the Smile was created by me, Marina Taylor — a cleft mom who built this course after navigating my own family's journey and realizing how hard it was to find clear, calm, parent-to-parent guidance in one place. Click “About” in the footer to learn more about me.
The information in these guides reflects my own experience, crowd-sourced wisdom from the cleft parent community, and extensive research from books, trusted sources like PubMed and ACPA, and leading craniofacial centers. I've spent countless hours reading cleft books, combing through research, and gathering insights from forums, blogs, social media, and conversations with fellow cleft parents — so you don't have to.
Everything is fact-checked for accuracy. That said, this is parenting wisdom, not medical advice — your cleft team is always your medical home.
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The course is organized into eight modules, each containing 6–10 questions. Every question is answered in a short 2–24 minute video, so you can fit them in during a nap or dishes or your commute. Watch in any order, pause whenever you need to, and come back to topics as they become relevant to your family's journey.
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No, and it's not meant to. Your cleft team are your medical experts, and we always defer to them for clinical decisions. Behind the Smile is the parent's perspective: what to expect, what to ask, how to advocate, and how to take care of yourselves along the way. Think of it as the friend who's been there, walking alongside your medical care.
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Email marina@behindthesmile.org and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can. If you don't hear from me, please check your spam folder, since replies sometimes get filtered there.
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Yes! Most of the course covers practical aspects of caring for a baby born with a cleft that are relevant wherever you live. It draws on lived experience, interviews, published medical research, resources from leading craniofacial centers, and insights shared by cleft families around the world through social media communities and parent blogs.
Some sections are specific to the U.S. (for example how cleft teams are organized, navigating insurance, and product recommendations that may not be available in your country). That said, I still encourage you to explore the course and simply skip the portions that don’t apply to your family due to regional differences. There is so much shared experience across borders, and I hope you’ll find practical knowledge, reassurance, and support for your own journey.