Smiling videos

Sunday 6/29/08 - 2 months old

Sleep

Over the last week or two I've been researching about babies and sleep. I read the book "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" and parts of "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears and I read forum postings by moms on the Berkeley Parents Network website. I learned that many babies will only take a long nap during the day if they are held. And I remembered by reading from the Dr. Sears book that the Attachment Parenting style recommends holding or wearing your baby as much as possible during the day. This week it has been working out well for Juni and I both when I wear her in the Moby Wrap sling for her naps during the day. It keeps her calm and I think it helps to make it easier for her to go to sleep at bedtime. Luckily at night she sleeps for long stretches independently in her bassinet.

What all the different philosophies on sleep seem to have in common is that they recommend a consistent routine to do every night for 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. I know it is a little early for that since Juni is only 2 months old and she doesn't have a consistent schedule to her eat/play/sleep patterns yet. However, I think it is good for me and Bob to get in the habit of having a routine, and to have one already in place by the time that Juniper is old enough to have a consistent bedtime.

I already talked to one friend about her children's bedtime routine, and that was very helpful! I'd like to hear from other parents of young children/babies, too. If you would like to post a comment here or email me personally, my questions are what time does your child go to sleep, and what is the getting-ready-for-bed routine?

Thanks!

6/25/08

6/23/08

Sunday 6/22/08

Dunstan Baby Language

When Juniper was about a week old my friend Kristin told me that she saw Priscilla Dunstan on the Oprah show, a woman who figured out the language of newborns and could teach it to other moms. I thought it was an interesting idea, but didn't investigate it. Last week Kristin was visiting again and she showed me Priscilla Dunstan's website, and we learned that there is a DVD/booklet that you can buy at Target. The next day I was looking at the videos at a parenting lending library that I belong to, and I found the Dunstan DVD! So I brought it home and watched it and I think it will be helpful. Right away I recognized 2 of the 5 sounds or baby words that she teaches. The sound "Neh" for hunger is one that I remember Juni saying from her first day of life. When she wakes up after a nap, she usually cries "ahhh, Neh!" and to me it sounded like she was saying "oh, no!". It totally makes sense that the "neh" sound means hunger, because after that cry is the time when she would take the breast. The other sound I recognize is the "eh" sound, which to me sounds like a grunt, like the sound you would make in exertion while lifting weights, or to grunt as an expression of disgust. The "eh" sound by babies means that they have "upper wind" as Ms. Dunstan puts it, and the baby needs to be burped. That makes sense, too, because it is often during or after feeding that Juni will say "eh". I think it is great that someone took the time (8 years of research) to notice the correlation of these sounds to the baby's needs. Each sound is made because of the baby's instinctual reaction to a physical need. For example, the "neh" sound is made because the baby is touching her tongue to the roof of her mouth in an effort to suck. That tongue movement in combination with a cry makes the sound.