I tell the parents at my daycare when the children are about 18 months old that they should be starting to learn to dress/undress themselves as much as possible because it takes months and months for them to master the skills. As soon as the children are walking and they are carried in to my house from the car I ask the child why they didn't walk and why Daddy carried them. Heehee, is that too passive-agressive? No really, I stress to the parents that I encourage their children's independence and learning strengths and hope that they do too.

You have to know your audience, because some parents love advice and others really don't appreciate it. But we can lead by example, showing them how great their child is doing for us and (here's my passive-aggressiveness again) suggesting that the parents really want their child to have all their 'firsts' at home.