I just downloaded the entire American Academy of Pediatrics’ Technical Report-SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment. It was a large file to read, but the bottom line for me was this: they must not have any sense what it is like to be a new parent, and…… Continue reading Safe Sleep Guidelines Don’t Give Parents Enough Support
Category: newborns
Preschoolers Can Welcome a New Baby With Help
Preschoolers look so grown up sometimes. When a new baby comes home, all that can change. They can have very strong responses to becoming an older sister or brother, and not all of their reactions are easy to decipher or deal with. Here are a few explanations for their responses and some suggestions to make…… Continue reading Preschoolers Can Welcome a New Baby With Help
Are Babies Addicted to White Noise? Yes….and No
White noise helps colicky newborns calm and sleep. It can help newborns develop essential self-calming skills in the first 3 months of life. It can help older babies tolerate teething and their first colds. It can even help babies transition to a shared bedroom with a toddler sibling. The magic of white noise is not…… Continue reading Are Babies Addicted to White Noise? Yes….and No
Another Baby Lost to Crying
There was a news story here in NY about another newborn allegedly choked to death by a father that couldn’t take all the crying. This is a recurring story that has to end. If that family knew how easily The Happiest Baby on the Block techniques could have calmed down their baby, he would still…… Continue reading Another Baby Lost to Crying
The Safest Crib Bumper Might Be Deeper Sleep
Most pediatricians will tell you to avoid all crib bumpers. The American Academy of Pediatrics feels that no bumper is 100% safe. They discourage parents from using even the most breathable mesh fabric, tied onto your child’s crib. I totally believe parent reports that a baby that isn’t swaddled can get a limb caught over…… Continue reading The Safest Crib Bumper Might Be Deeper Sleep
The Difference Between “The Hold” and The Happiest Baby on the Block? Sleep!!!
I love it when baby calming is in the news! This week “the hold”, pediatrician Dr. Robert Hamilton’s method for calming newborns, received a lot of attention. I watched the video, just like a few million parents and professionals. Then I thought about how this fits in with The Happiest Baby techniques that I am…… Continue reading The Difference Between “The Hold” and The Happiest Baby on the Block? Sleep!!!
Prepare Your Toddler Before Bringing a New Baby Home
Look at it as if your spouse announced that a new, younger, and more vulnerable wife was joining your family: ” She will need a lot of my close attention at first. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you just as much, sweetie, but I won’t be as available to you as I used to…… Continue reading Prepare Your Toddler Before Bringing a New Baby Home
When to Stop Using the Infant Swing with Your Newborn
Weaning the swing can happen earlier than weaning swaddling. Somewhere about 2.5 months old (adjust for prematurity if needed), many newborns no longer get more peaceful while swinging. There will always be babies that prefer to be jiggled on your shoulder or in your lap from the beginning. There will also be babies a bit…… Continue reading When to Stop Using the Infant Swing with Your Newborn
Beyond Tummy Time: The Magic of Side Lying Play for Balance and Vision
Tummy time is terrific, but your baby cannot stay in that position forever, no matter how entertaining you make it, nor how hard he works to lift his head. Side lying is another great position for a young infant, one that is well-known by occupational therapists to give babies unique opportunities for head control, eye-hand…… Continue reading Beyond Tummy Time: The Magic of Side Lying Play for Balance and Vision
Will Swaddling Make it Harder to See Baby’s Hunger Cues?
This question is the one I have heard repeatedly from parents and birth educators. Here are the facts as I know them: Hunger is natural, hunger is strong in most infants, and hunger is more powerful than the swaddle. In fact, a great way to know if your fussy newborn is hungry or just fussy…… Continue reading Will Swaddling Make it Harder to See Baby’s Hunger Cues?
Ten Problems That Cause Parents to Abandon Happiest Baby on the Block
Learning to use The Happiest Baby on the Block 5 S’s can be tricky. In addition to teaching group classes, I also teach parents privately to help them get the techniques down correctly and answer all of their questions on the spot. I meet parents who have watched the DVD or read the book but…… Continue reading Ten Problems That Cause Parents to Abandon Happiest Baby on the Block
Teaching Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
No baby sleeps all night. Not one. Neither do adults. Surprised? A normal sleep cycle bring us into a foggy awake stage and only then do we return to sleep. This happens many times throughout the night, but good sleepers send themselves right back into a deeper sleep without being held, an extra feeding (excluding…… Continue reading Teaching Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Prevent Pacifier Addiction With A Focus on Building Self-Calming Without Plastic
Parents of newborns are concerned that pacifier use will lead to pacifier “addiction” in later infancy and toddlerhood. It doesn’t have to be that way. Pacifier addicts are made, not born. Parents should not feel guilty about the difficulty they encounter with pacifier weaning, since no one explains what pacifiers do for babies and how…… Continue reading Prevent Pacifier Addiction With A Focus on Building Self-Calming Without Plastic
How To Calm Crying If You Don’t Swaddle
Yesterday I taught a Happiest Baby on the Block class, and one mother was adamant that she would not swaddle her 3-week-old daughter. She thought it would be too restrictive for her. Although I taught the correct safety principles, how it mimics life in the womb, and the effective techniques for a good swaddle, this…… Continue reading How To Calm Crying If You Don’t Swaddle
Safer With a Swaddle Blanket or Swaddle Garment? Research Says You are Asking the Wrong Question
As a certified Happiest Baby on the Block educator, I am often asked which choice new parents should make. Swaddling with a blanket is cheaper (babies don’t grow too large for most blankets for months) and blankets can be repurposed after swaddling is finished. Garments are easier to master; not everyone is willing to learn…… Continue reading Safer With a Swaddle Blanket or Swaddle Garment? Research Says You are Asking the Wrong Question
Swaddle at Night, but Get Moving During the Day
A correctly swaddled baby that is also using white noise and all the other Happiest Baby strategies can sleep amazingly long periods at night. But as your baby goes from a 2 week-old to a 2-month-old, they are up and awake for longer periods of the the day. Nobody wants to swaddle them all day,…… Continue reading Swaddle at Night, but Get Moving During the Day
Swaddle With a Blanket or a Swaddle Garment? How to Decide What is Right for Your Family
You have decided to swaddle your baby, and you read the book/watched the DVD/had a private consultation with me. You know why swaddling helps your infant calm down, fall asleep, and stay asleep. But what do you actually use for swaddling? Two choices appear: the blanket or the manufactured garment. Swaddle blankets can be muslin,…… Continue reading Swaddle With a Blanket or a Swaddle Garment? How to Decide What is Right for Your Family
Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: Book Review
Ever wonder if all the recommendations and “new” ways to raise your children are based on anything scientific? Well, “Welcome to Your Child’s Brain” will explain the current research behind popular recommendations such as eating fish during pregnancy and teaching your child another language while still in diapers. Authors Sam Wang, PhD. and Sandra Aamodt,…… Continue reading Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: Book Review