WIC. (2009, August 1). Feeding your baby the first year! UT WIC Program . Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: WIC.
Showing posts with label Infant Development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Infant Development. Show all posts
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Introducing Solids for Your 4-6 Month Old Infant
I bet you can't believe how fast your little one is growing! Now they're starting to eats solids, next they'll be moving out of the house for collage! Some important key elements to remember when introducing solids to your baby is to always have it pureed and give them small amounts at a time (1-2 Tablespoons). Also, giving your child one fruit, vegetable, or infant cereal dosing at a time and waiting for a whole 24 hours to make sure they aren't allergic to it specifically. Talk to your pediatrician for more in depth information on this topic before your start!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Enjoy the First Year Because They Grow Up Fast!
It is amazing how fast babies grow, especially in the first year. Within the first year a newborn infant will triple in weight and increase in length by 50 percent (kidshealth.org, 2012). It seems that new parents are frequently looking forward to the next milestone wondering when their infant will sit up, talk, crawl, stand and walk. Instead, they should be enjoying the moment and time with they have with their infant.
My mom had this poem called “Song for the Fifth Child” and I remember reading it as a child. Even though I did not thoroughly understand the poem at the time, I did like the end where it stated that she is rocking her baby. It is special to me because as an infant my mom would rock me in her rocking chair all of the time. I am the youngest of three and there is a four year gap between me and my brother, therefore, she was able to spend a lot of one on one time with me. Babies are so sweet and one needs to enjoy the time that they have with their infant. I have added the poem below to read.
Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
Luckily, we have pictures and videos that make it easy for us to remember them during their first year. A fun way to see how fast your infant grows is to take a picture each month with them next to the same stuffed animal. You will be surprised how much they grow throughout the year. Here is a video that shows an example of my nephew throughout his first year.
-Laura
http://youtu.be/wsfFgCfO8sU
kidshealth.org (2012). Growth and your newborn. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/ growth/grownewborn.html
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Reader Response; Infant sharing same bed as mother
Up All NightApr 7, 2012 10:59 PM
From Cheryl R:
I recommend it! I recommend it both from a personal point of view, and then from a large body of research that conflicts with recent reports that have alarmed many new parents about co-sleeping.
My Story
With my first child, I was terrified to sleep with her because I had heard horror stories of mothers rolling on their infants, so I tried sleeping separately. When my baby cried, I would rouse myself from delicious sleep to get her. It was so cold outside my cozy blankets, and when I picked up my baby, her body temperature seemed to fluctuate so much that I could not decide how to dress or cover her. When I nursed her in a chair, feeling chilled and nauseous from weariness,I was afraid I would fall asleep and drop her to the floor. When she finally fell asleep, she would wake up when I tried to lay her down, especially after the first week. I can see why exhausted mothers decide to let their infants “Cry It Out”.
My husband came from a large family that believed in the “family bed”. I certainly didn't want a "family bed", but I didn't want to leave the baby to cry nor keep getting up. I was desperate. My husband recommended that I call his sister who was an expert on the subject. She is a very intelligent woman, and I respected her and her children very much, so I decided to call her, but I still had strong reservations. I told her of my fear of rolling on my baby, and she said if I lay my baby on my upper arm, I would not roll on her. I tried it while I was awake, and it seem unlikely that I would roll on her, so I decided to try it. She was so light that it was not uncomfortable for me. It was a blissful change for us! When our baby began to wake, I could stay half asleep, and comfort or nurse her in a warm comfortable position. She and I maintained a comfortable temperature. Her sleep patterns became more regular and matched mine. As she got older, I was able to adjust to what was comfortable for our family, the I have never regretted the decision as I believe it made a major difference in my health and the relationship with our children, all without taking extra time!
The Research
It turns out there is a lot of controversy over the subject of co-sleeping. The U. S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) did a study that concluded that co-sleeping increased the risk of SIDS, and this study is widely quoted. This is why there is such a recent scare over co-sleeping. Several medical practitioners and researchers disagree with the conclusions of this “study”and contend that the validity of this research is weak. In his book “The Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night's Rest for the Whole Family”, Dr Sears says that the CPSC research does not follow research protocol, and does not coincide with many other studies, including those in other countries, that show co-sleeping reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). For more analysis, please read my book review of this book posted on this website, especially paragraphs 5 & 6 of the review.
In a class at the University of Utah, I was also taught that the research shows that co-sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS because the mother's breathing helps regulate the infant's breathing and other bodily functions (Diamond, fall 2011). This certainly matches my personal experience, that co-sleeping is more safe and natural and is the preferred sleeping pattern around the world. A website, www.askdrsears.com, written by a family of doctors, has a page that talks about co-sleeping. Dr Sears said that the risk of SIDS increases when infants sleep alone because their bodies have trouble regulating on their own. SIDS has often been called crib death because these infants were found dead in their cribs (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crib+death).
Further Recommendations
If you still worry about co-sleeping, there are still ways to be near your baby. At www.askdrsears.com type co-sleeping in the search box. As you scroll to the bottom of that webpage, it shows a cute little bed that attaches securely and safely to the side of the adults bed, for those who don't feel secure with co-sleeping. It gives a link to the website that sells these within arms reach "cribs".
Diamond, L. M. (Fall, 2011). Psy 2800, Psychology of Love, University of Utah.
Sears, W., Sears, R., Sears, J., Sears, M. (2005). The baby sleep book: The
complete guide to a good night's rest for the whole family (Sears parenting
library). New York: NY: Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group.
Available in paperback and eBook Edition.
I recommend it! I recommend it both from a personal point of view, and then from a large body of research that conflicts with recent reports that have alarmed many new parents about co-sleeping.
My Story
With my first child, I was terrified to sleep with her because I had heard horror stories of mothers rolling on their infants, so I tried sleeping separately. When my baby cried, I would rouse myself from delicious sleep to get her. It was so cold outside my cozy blankets, and when I picked up my baby, her body temperature seemed to fluctuate so much that I could not decide how to dress or cover her. When I nursed her in a chair, feeling chilled and nauseous from weariness,I was afraid I would fall asleep and drop her to the floor. When she finally fell asleep, she would wake up when I tried to lay her down, especially after the first week. I can see why exhausted mothers decide to let their infants “Cry It Out”.
My husband came from a large family that believed in the “family bed”. I certainly didn't want a "family bed", but I didn't want to leave the baby to cry nor keep getting up. I was desperate. My husband recommended that I call his sister who was an expert on the subject. She is a very intelligent woman, and I respected her and her children very much, so I decided to call her, but I still had strong reservations. I told her of my fear of rolling on my baby, and she said if I lay my baby on my upper arm, I would not roll on her. I tried it while I was awake, and it seem unlikely that I would roll on her, so I decided to try it. She was so light that it was not uncomfortable for me. It was a blissful change for us! When our baby began to wake, I could stay half asleep, and comfort or nurse her in a warm comfortable position. She and I maintained a comfortable temperature. Her sleep patterns became more regular and matched mine. As she got older, I was able to adjust to what was comfortable for our family, the I have never regretted the decision as I believe it made a major difference in my health and the relationship with our children, all without taking extra time!
The Research
It turns out there is a lot of controversy over the subject of co-sleeping. The U. S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) did a study that concluded that co-sleeping increased the risk of SIDS, and this study is widely quoted. This is why there is such a recent scare over co-sleeping. Several medical practitioners and researchers disagree with the conclusions of this “study”and contend that the validity of this research is weak. In his book “The Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night's Rest for the Whole Family”, Dr Sears says that the CPSC research does not follow research protocol, and does not coincide with many other studies, including those in other countries, that show co-sleeping reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). For more analysis, please read my book review of this book posted on this website, especially paragraphs 5 & 6 of the review.
In a class at the University of Utah, I was also taught that the research shows that co-sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS because the mother's breathing helps regulate the infant's breathing and other bodily functions (Diamond, fall 2011). This certainly matches my personal experience, that co-sleeping is more safe and natural and is the preferred sleeping pattern around the world. A website, www.askdrsears.com, written by a family of doctors, has a page that talks about co-sleeping. Dr Sears said that the risk of SIDS increases when infants sleep alone because their bodies have trouble regulating on their own. SIDS has often been called crib death because these infants were found dead in their cribs (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crib+death).
Further Recommendations
If you still worry about co-sleeping, there are still ways to be near your baby. At www.askdrsears.com type co-sleeping in the search box. As you scroll to the bottom of that webpage, it shows a cute little bed that attaches securely and safely to the side of the adults bed, for those who don't feel secure with co-sleeping. It gives a link to the website that sells these within arms reach "cribs".
Diamond, L. M. (Fall, 2011). Psy 2800, Psychology of Love, University of Utah.
Sears, W., Sears, R., Sears, J., Sears, M. (2005). The baby sleep book: The
complete guide to a good night's rest for the whole family (Sears parenting
library). New York: NY: Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group.
Available in paperback and eBook Edition.
Blog Recommend Alert!
Planning Family Blog
If you still have questions unanswered then this blog is perfect for you! It has been around for a long while and has extensive posts that will be helpful for you and your family. At http://www.planningfamily.com/ they have information on Preconception, Pregnancy, Newborn, Baby, Toddler, Parents, and even Free Baby Stuff! I will answer a couple questions you may have about this site and then I urge you to check it out for yourself!
First: “Is this blog good for me, as a new parent?”
Yes! In skawering through this blog I’ve found that it is perfect for the needs of our own audience of new parents. In their section labeled “NEWBORN” they have articles and videos of what you might need to know with having a newborn baby such as: Bringing your baby home, Feeding, Newborn Care, Depression, Circumcision, Baby Blues and Postpartum, Premature Babies. They also have sections on quizzes, recipes, checklists, and tools (example: Birth Announcements, Breastfeeding and Diaper Changing Log, ect.) Come and look through on your own: http://www.planningfamily.com/newborn/
Second: “Is what I’m reading reliable?”
Reliable information is hard to come by on internet sometimes! This is why we, UpAllNight, started our blog. We’ve worked hard in providing reliable information from reliable sources. With that said, it is still important for you, as a reader, to always double check your answers. Since anyone can post things on the internet what you need to do is check if their article has “references” at the bottom of it. References show you where the author got their information. If the article doesn’t have references, don’t be distraught! Just double check the information with your local pediatrician, with a quick call. Planning Family has many great articles, but if you have a question about what you’re reading don’t be afraid to double check your information.
Remember: Planning Family offers general information and is for educational purposes only. This information is not a substitute for professional medical, psychiatric or psychological advice. Nothing on this website should be taken to imply an endorsement of Planning Family or its partners by any person quoted or mentioned.
Third: “Will I be able to apply what Planning Family in my own life?”
Lucky for you, this blog has hundreds and hundreds of articles! Since this blog was made to educate their reader, it not hard to find what you are looking for. You may go looking for one specific question and come out with an answer to that question along with other ideas that you hadn’t thought of before.
Fourth: “Is it an easy read?”
Everybody likes easy reads, don’t they? The nice thing about this website is it gives you the information, without you needing to go hunting for it. For example, if you have a question on feeding your newborn you go to the section on “feeding” and click on the article that best describes your question. There isn’t a lot of “fluff” so they give you the information without you needing to hunt for it.
Last question: “What do you think about this blog, Chelsey?”
I’ve loved exploring this blog! It has A LOT of information, which is very comforting to you as a reader. I’ve loved how well established this blog and updated the information provided is. I would recommend it to anyone! But REMEMBER, check your resources and call your pediatrician if you have any questions and as always, don’t settle on one article or blog to answer your questions!
A Great Book for a Curious Parent
My cousin Quinci is expecting her first baby this year, and naturally she’s hungry for useful and accurate information. As I was looking through the many books on pregnancy and babies that she bought, I happened to notice one in particular that was rather helpful. It’s called “Your Baby’s First Year Week by Week” and was written by Glade B. Curtis, (M.D) and Judith Schuler (M.S).
One of the things I appreciated most about this particular book was that the information was actually accurate. Very often I have found myself reading self- help or informational books that are nothing more than the opinions of the author. When it comes to information about one’s child though, it is imperative that the information one receives is accurate. This book covers everything from developmental milestones, to increasing your child’s cognitive and motor skills, all of which can be trusted and implemented into your own parenting. The information I found particularly useful in this book was the ways in which to handle emergencies or illnesses. The book is broken down week by week and in each section is listed several illnesses or episodes a baby might have at this age. The authors tell you whether the experience is serious or not, and give advice on what to do in that particular situation. I think this will be useful to parents because they can know what to expect ahead of time and know what to do when a situation arises.
I was also very impressed with this book because it answers every possible question a parent might ask as well as a number of things many parents wouldn’t even think to ask at all. I found the content very applicable, and the book is filled with a number of useful tips and tricks for new parents. One section for example, talks about what babies probably will not like during their third and fourth months. Overstimulation and irregular sounds or movements are listed as things that can be unsettling and disruptive to a child and this is completely right. While stimulation can help a child’s growth, too much will overwhelm your baby and do little more than to frustrate and confuse them (Sloan 2010). The back of the book also has a glossary and contact information for other resources such as the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.
The writing is sophisticated, yet easily understandable and the book is broken down week by week up until the child’s 1st birthday. Each section is filled with random tips, feeding and sleeping habits, developmental milestones, and health problems that might arise. The book is easy to navigate and the writing itself is straightforward and applicable.
Overall I thought this was a great read and I definitely learned a lot from this book. Knowledge is power and it never hurts to know what to expect from your little one when they arrive. If you have any questions at all, I’m sure this book will be a great start in answering them for you.
-Sophie
Sloan, S, Stewart, M, Dunne, L, (2010) The effect of breastfeeding and stimulation in the home on cognitive development in infants. Child Care in Practice. Vol. 16 no 2.
Reader Response: "I am a new parent of a six month old baby. I am eager for her to start talking. What can I do to help her develop her language skills? Does baby sign language help?"
Learning language is much more than just making sounds. Listening, understanding, and knowing the names of people and things are all part of language development. During this stage, babies also develop bonds of love and trust with their parents as well as others. The way parents interact with their infant will set the basis for how they will interact with them and how they will interact with others.
Here are some things to expect at various ages. Please keep in mind that every infant is different and reaches milestones at different times. If you are concerned about your infants’ development, talk to your pediatrician.
Birth to 3 months
· Tells you what they need through different cries
· Can recognize your voice or common noises
· May become startled at loud noises
· When you speak they may smile, become quiet, or make noises
3 months to 6 months
· Repeats syllables and express pleasure or displeasure with their voice
· May pay attention to music and toys that make sounds and move their eyes in the direction of the sounds
6 months to 12 months
· Ability to imitate words and say simples words like dada or mama
· Can understand simple instructions
· Will turn and look in the direction of sounds
Activities you can do to encourage speech and language development:
· Encourage your baby to make vowel-like and consonant-vowel sounds such as “ma,” “da,” and “ba.”
· Reinforce attempts by maintaining eye contact, responding with speech, and imitating vocalizations (for example, raising the pitch of your voice to indicate a question).
· Imitate your baby’s laughter and facial expressions.
· Teach your baby to imitate your actions
o I have found that lots of babies are pros at this. Common actions include clapping their hands, blowing kisses, pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo, and itsy-bitsy-spider.
· Talk as you bathe, feed, and dress your baby.
o Talk about what you are doing, where you are going, what you will do, and who and what you will see.
· Identify colors
· Count items
· Use gestures to help convey a meaning such as waving your hand when saying goodbye.
· Acknowledge their attempt to communicate
· Expand on a single word your baby uses.
o For example, if your baby says “mama,” follow by saying “Here is mama. Mama loves you. Where is baby? Here is baby.”
· Introduce animal sounds to associate a sound with a specific meaning.
o For example, the cat says meow.
· Read to your child. Sometimes this can be as simple as describing the pictures in a book without actually reading the written words. Choose books that are sturdy and have large colorful pictures. Encourage naming and pointing to familiar objects in the book.
Baby Signing
“Baby signing” refers to the use of visual-gestural signs between hearing parents and their young hearing children with the goal of earlier and clearer communication (Pizer, Walters & Meier, 2007). Whether you decide to incorporate baby signing in your infants’ language development is your personal choice. Although there are several benefits to teaching your baby to sign there is no long-term benefits. However, any time spent interacting with your baby is beneficial. As stated earlier, the practice of baby sign language leads to earlier and clearer parent-child communication. Other benefits include:
· Reduced frustration on the part of the infant
· Accelerated spoken language development
· Improved parent-child bonding
· Increased IQ
I hope the information provided will be of help and will help you decide whether or not to incorporate baby signing in your infants language development.
-Liz
American speech-language-hearing association. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/parent-stim-activities.htm
Child development. (2011, September 09). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/infants.html
Ochs, A. (2011, Sept 02). Cognitive language development in infants. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/216711-cognitive-language-development-in-infants/
Pizer, G., Walters, K., & Meier, R. P. (2007). Bringing Up Baby with Baby Signs: Language Ideologies and Socialization in Hearing Families. Sign Language Studies, 7(4), 387-430.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Recommended Blog: KellyMom
KellyMom
This is definitely a site for new parents, especially those who want their baby to breastfeed. It covers topics such as premature infants, newborns, infant reflux, nighttime parenting, baby's health, growth, and development, and mom's health. It has breastfeeding basics, can I breastfeed if, what is normal, common concerns, exercise and breastfeeding, pumping and employment, breastfeeding and alcohol. It has mother to mother forums with thousands of posts organized for easy access, and a place to ask questions such as “Are green stools normal?”. This site is devoted to new parents!!
I happened onto kelly.mom when my adult daughter worried if her stored breastmilk—that had separated—was safe. I searched many websites, but kelly.com was the most useful. I was pleased that the information was researched and referenced. It explained why some mothers' milk breaks down due to an extra lipase enzyme which is healthy but digests the milk for quicker breakdown when stored ( Lawrence & Lawrence, 2005 as cited on Kelly).
I wondered if Kelly had been a Family Life Educator, psychology major, or medical student because her profile said, “At KellyMom.com, our goal is to provide support & evidence-based information on breastfeeding, sleep and parenting”. This website links to sources such as the Yale Medical School on pyloric stenosis (forceful vomiting), an article by the American Academy of Pediatrics on the benefits of nursing and how pediatricians can help new mothers succeed (American, 2005), several links to the La Leche League, hospital sites, and articles written by doctors and nurses.
Don't let the research/reference quality of this website scare you away. Most of the posts are down to earth, easy reads. There is a KellyMom Parenting Community where mothers connect to other mothers. Lisa and MAsmom set up the topic "Newborn to 6 months", which had 17,450 threads and 128,247 posts. Wildflower and Hot Dog moderate the topic" 6-12 month", and they had 9,842 threads and 73, 892 posts. There was a "Diet and Health Chat" with 7,544 threads and 45,383 posts; the last post was today about ear infections. Some of the questions were very open, things you might be afraid to ask your mom or the doctor. The largest group I located was called Coffee Talk by Timothysmama and Konurs Mom, which said “Want to talk about something that doesn't fit any of the other boards: Come on in!”; it had 17,545 threads and 227,995 posts! WOW!!! You get to this community forum from almost any Kelly web page by clicking the large blue rectangle near the top right that says. “Do you have breastfeeding or parenting questions? Visit Our Forums!”
KellyMom was relatively easy to navigate, which was restful. It had a box in the upper right corner which said “enter text and click to search”. I typed in the question that had brought me to KellyMom in the first place, and the internal search engine worked! Some websites have such poor search engines that I must step outside the site, write the question and the name of the website in google search, in order to find information within the site.
Who would think that a website named KellyMom would be so diversified and far-reaching. I recommend KellyMom to new parents for its evidence-based information, for its mother to mother forums, and its relative ease of use. Kelly.com is definitely pro breastfeeding, and has some of the best information on how to succeed in any situation, but if you are squeamish, you might be turned off by such articles as tandem nursing.
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2005). Breastfeeding and the use of human milk.
Pediatrics 2005; 115; 496 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2004-2491. Retrieved online March 31, 2012
at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/2/496.full.html
Larson, R, & Lawrence, R. Breastfeeding: A guide for the medical profession, 6th ed, as cited on
kelly.com. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Mosby, 2005: 781)
Friday, March 30, 2012
How To Babyproof Your Home
Having a baby is definitely fun, but there is a lot of work that goes into raising your little one as well. Moms and dads have to make a great deal of preparations when readying themselves into parenthood, and one such task is to make your home safe for your baby. Posted below is a video link that will help you start taking the necessary measures to babyproof your home. Hope you find it helpful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TiWuCCxR8w&feature=youtu.be
-Sophie
Curtis, G.B, Schuler, J. (2000). Your Baby's First Year Week By Week (4th ed.) De Capo Press, MA. Perseus Book Group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TiWuCCxR8w&feature=youtu.be
-Sophie
Curtis, G.B, Schuler, J. (2000). Your Baby's First Year Week By Week (4th ed.) De Capo Press, MA. Perseus Book Group.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Book Review: The baby sleep book: The complete guide...
One of the biggest challenges for new parents is getting adequate sleep! The Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night's Rest for the Whole Family by William Sears, M.D., Robert Sears, M.D., James Sears, M. D., and Martha Sears, R. N., talks about the importance, tools and attitudes for the whole family to get a good night's sleep with their baby.
It is interesting that this book is written by a family of medical professionals: Dr “Bill” who received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and is presently an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine; his wife Martha,
a mother of eight children, a registered nurse, a former childbirth educator, a La Leche League leader, and a lactation consultant; and two of their sons who are also pediatricians. I like the way this book has referenced research along with insights from the authors' professional and personal lives.
All four doctor authors have experience with their own children and children in their pediatric practice. They emphasize that this book is a book of options and not “shoulds”, and that new parents need to find solutions that they are both comfortable with and that allow adequate sleep. Parents should not become martyrs, and be so sleepy during the day that they can not have fun and interact with their baby. In chapter 1 they quickly get into strategies for improving sleep for the whole family, but before I mention them I want to tell Dr. Bill's and Martha's own personal experience.
Dr. Bill and Martha's first three children were easy sleepers and did not come into their parents bed except to snuggle in the mornings. Their fourth child, Hayden, was fine for the first six months in her cradle right next to Martha, but when she graduated to the crib she woke more and more often until one night, out of sheer exhaustion from being wakened every hour, Martha brought Hadyn to bed and they both slept for hours. For years Dr. Bill and Martha had believed the books that said no co-sleeping, but now Martha said, “I don't care what the books say, I'm tired and I need some sleep!” (ch 5, Our Co-Sleeping Experiences, ¶ 1 & 2).
Being a researcher, Dr. Bill did an experiment on another newborn daughter, Lauren. Lauren was wired to a computer to monitor her heart, breathing, and oxygen levels while she was sleeping with her mother and while she was sleeping alone. Baby Lauren's “breathing and heart rate were more regular during shared sleep, and she experienced fewer 'dips'—low points in respiration and blood oxygen from slower breathing episodes. On the night Lauren slept with Martha, there were no dips in her blood oxygen, where on the night Lauren slept alone, there were 132 dips” (ch 5, Our Co-Sleeping Experiments, ¶ 2). Other research shows that both human and animal babies who co-sleep with their mothers had more balanced levels of cortisol, higher levels of growth hormones which are essential for brain and heart growth (ch 5, Science says: Co-sleeping is healthful, ¶ 2, 5).
They also refer to some recent studies that suggest the risk of SIDS increased with co-sleeping, but they were not comfortable with the way the data was collected. They explained that researchers looked at death certificates in the United States for the years 1990 through 1997 and found 515 cases in which a child under two had died in an adult bed. Of these deaths, 394 were caused by entrapment in the bed structure, and the other 121 deaths were reported to be due to overlying of the child by the parent, another adult, or a sibling. The study failed to use matched controls nor explain other studies that show co-sleeping decreased the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), except for smokers, and that countries with the highest levels of co-sleeping usually have the lowest levels of SIDS. “The fact is that many more infants die when sleeping alone in a crib than when sleeping in their parents' bed” (ch 5, co-sleeping is safer, ¶ 6, 7).
As a reader, I wasn't able to sort out the contradictions without further research, but I do believe they show that co-sleeping is a viable option. It does require safety precautions, such as preventing the child from sleeping on too soft a surface, soft pillows, piles of blankets, or near an edge where they could be wedged between the bed and a wall, etc. Also, parents who smoke, drink alcohol, take sleeping pills, or anything that could impair consciousness, should not co-sleep.
Co-sleeping was not the only method they recommended. They said if the child was doing well in a crib, and was thriving, that was fine. They also recommended room sharing, or a bed next to the parents bed. Five steps to improving infant's sleep are: 1. find out where you and your baby sleep best; 2. Learn baby's tired times; 3. Create a safe and comfortable environment conducive to sleep; 4. Create a variety of bedtime rituals; 5. Help baby sleep for longer stretches. They warned “If your baby is a newborn (less than two months old), do not jump into this sleep plan or any other sleep plan. Newborn babies are not ready to learn more mature sleep patterns (ch. 1, preview, ¶ 4).
Being a devoted father, Dr. Bill
gave fathering Tips. He asked, “What is the biggest contributor to mother burnout? Father walk-out!” (ch 8, ¶7) and gave these suggestions among many others: 1. Understand the switch to mother mode: respect the wife's desires to nurture the baby and herself, which will increase her romantic feelings; 2. Keep the nest tidy: Take Inventory Daily Yourself. Don't wait to be asked; 3. Be sensitive: Notice that the wife is trying to be the perfect mother and homemaker. Intervene before she begins to feel overwhelmed and depressed. Have a willing attitude. Resentment won't help the Dad feel more rested and it won't earn points with the wife. This goes along with research that parents need to be proactive in their parenting. They need to be invested and feel empowered. That is why fathers need to be involved. (Bredehoft & Walcheski,2009). Chapter 8 of The Baby Sleep Book gives Dads a total of 23 nighttime fathering tips to help with this proactive process!
Though the authors are open to ways to make it so parents will be able to get their sleep and maintain intimacy, they had great concerns about the Let Them Cry It Out (CIO) philosophy. As a physician, Dr. Bill could often sense when parents began to use the method. When they came in for check-ups, they seemed to be less sensitive to their baby, sometimes leaving the baby in the car seat as they talked. One couple's baby, who had been previously thriving, began what Dr. Bill called "shutdown syndrome". The baby only gained a few ounces in a couple of weeks, had lost the sparkle in his eyes, and had poor muscle tone. When he pointed this out to the parents, they changed back to their former ways and the baby began to gain healthy weight and muscle tone in the next few weeks, although the parents admitted he wasn't as "good" when it came to sleeping (ch, 4, Baby training, ¶ 3-5).
The authors admitted Crying It Out (CIO) may work for some easy babies without harming the child. It is important for the parent to remain sensitive to signals from the baby. Watch for signs of distress and detachment during the day. Also, if crying goes on too long, the baby may be going through a growth spurt and need more nutrition during the night, which could lead to learning disabilities later on. Studies show that infants who have been left to Cry It Out are ten times more likely to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Wolke, 2002 as cited in Sears, (2005) chapter 10, Science says..., ¶ 4) . Extended crying may signal that this baby is overwhelmed with fear and needs nurturing. Babies do not have object permanence, and when parents leave the room, babies believe they are all alone. They may stop crying, but not because they have soothed themselves, but because they have given up sending the signal, which may affect their intelligence. Dr M. R. Rao and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health showed that infants with prolonged unattended-to crying in the first three months of life had an average IQ of 9 points lower than average at five years of age (Rao as quoted in Sears, 2005).
Nature has made a mother's biology to respond to a crying infant. There is an increased blood flow to the breasts and blood samples show a sharp increase in oxytocin. This is because these attachment behaviors increase the survival rate of infants by provoking a response from the parents, especially the mother. The authors say the baby is not trying to manipulate, they are trying to communicate (ch 10, What crying “it” out really means). A mother does not need to feel guilt, or think she is weak, or worry about her baby's adjustment if she wants to respond to her baby's cries. It is biological and healthy, claim the authors.
The topic of getting enough sleep with a baby is very current and controversial, getting over 900 comments on Amazon for this book and other books on the subject. Good sleep is essential to good emotional and physical health, so anything that helps new parents and their babies sleep well is valuable. I believe this authors presented a reasonable and persuasive argument for their point of view, and I recommend this book to all parents to try if it will solve their family sleep issues.
More questions can be answered on the authors' website at "http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/attachment-parenting/4-ways-ap-can-reduce-risk-sids">
Bredehoft, D. J., Walcheski, M. J. (2009). Family life education: Integrating
theory and practice. St. Paul, MN: Concordia University.
Rao, M. R. et al. (2004). Long-term cognitive development in children with prolonged crying.
National Institutes of Health. Archives of Disease in Childhood 89:989-992 as quoted in Sears
The baby sleep book: The complete guide to a good night's rest for the whole family.
Sears, W., Sears, R., Sears, J., Sears, M. (2005). The baby sleep book: The
complete guide to a good night's rest for the whole family (Sears parenting
library). New York: NY: Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group.
Available in paperback and eBook Edition.
Wolke, D., et al. (2002) Persistant infant crying and hyperactivity problems in middle childhood.
Pediatrics 109:1054-1060 as cited in Sears The baby sleep book: The complete guide to a
good night's rest for the whole family chapter 10, heading Science says: Crying it out may
harmful to your child's health, ¶ 4).
It is interesting that this book is written by a family of medical professionals: Dr “Bill” who received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and is presently an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine; his wife Martha,
a mother of eight children, a registered nurse, a former childbirth educator, a La Leche League leader, and a lactation consultant; and two of their sons who are also pediatricians. I like the way this book has referenced research along with insights from the authors' professional and personal lives.
All four doctor authors have experience with their own children and children in their pediatric practice. They emphasize that this book is a book of options and not “shoulds”, and that new parents need to find solutions that they are both comfortable with and that allow adequate sleep. Parents should not become martyrs, and be so sleepy during the day that they can not have fun and interact with their baby. In chapter 1 they quickly get into strategies for improving sleep for the whole family, but before I mention them I want to tell Dr. Bill's and Martha's own personal experience.
Dr. Bill and Martha's first three children were easy sleepers and did not come into their parents bed except to snuggle in the mornings. Their fourth child, Hayden, was fine for the first six months in her cradle right next to Martha, but when she graduated to the crib she woke more and more often until one night, out of sheer exhaustion from being wakened every hour, Martha brought Hadyn to bed and they both slept for hours. For years Dr. Bill and Martha had believed the books that said no co-sleeping, but now Martha said, “I don't care what the books say, I'm tired and I need some sleep!” (ch 5, Our Co-Sleeping Experiences, ¶ 1 & 2).
Being a researcher, Dr. Bill did an experiment on another newborn daughter, Lauren. Lauren was wired to a computer to monitor her heart, breathing, and oxygen levels while she was sleeping with her mother and while she was sleeping alone. Baby Lauren's “breathing and heart rate were more regular during shared sleep, and she experienced fewer 'dips'—low points in respiration and blood oxygen from slower breathing episodes. On the night Lauren slept with Martha, there were no dips in her blood oxygen, where on the night Lauren slept alone, there were 132 dips” (ch 5, Our Co-Sleeping Experiments, ¶ 2). Other research shows that both human and animal babies who co-sleep with their mothers had more balanced levels of cortisol, higher levels of growth hormones which are essential for brain and heart growth (ch 5, Science says: Co-sleeping is healthful, ¶ 2, 5).
They also refer to some recent studies that suggest the risk of SIDS increased with co-sleeping, but they were not comfortable with the way the data was collected. They explained that researchers looked at death certificates in the United States for the years 1990 through 1997 and found 515 cases in which a child under two had died in an adult bed. Of these deaths, 394 were caused by entrapment in the bed structure, and the other 121 deaths were reported to be due to overlying of the child by the parent, another adult, or a sibling. The study failed to use matched controls nor explain other studies that show co-sleeping decreased the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), except for smokers, and that countries with the highest levels of co-sleeping usually have the lowest levels of SIDS. “The fact is that many more infants die when sleeping alone in a crib than when sleeping in their parents' bed” (ch 5, co-sleeping is safer, ¶ 6, 7).
As a reader, I wasn't able to sort out the contradictions without further research, but I do believe they show that co-sleeping is a viable option. It does require safety precautions, such as preventing the child from sleeping on too soft a surface, soft pillows, piles of blankets, or near an edge where they could be wedged between the bed and a wall, etc. Also, parents who smoke, drink alcohol, take sleeping pills, or anything that could impair consciousness, should not co-sleep.
Co-sleeping was not the only method they recommended. They said if the child was doing well in a crib, and was thriving, that was fine. They also recommended room sharing, or a bed next to the parents bed. Five steps to improving infant's sleep are: 1. find out where you and your baby sleep best; 2. Learn baby's tired times; 3. Create a safe and comfortable environment conducive to sleep; 4. Create a variety of bedtime rituals; 5. Help baby sleep for longer stretches. They warned “If your baby is a newborn (less than two months old), do not jump into this sleep plan or any other sleep plan. Newborn babies are not ready to learn more mature sleep patterns (ch. 1, preview, ¶ 4).
Being a devoted father, Dr. Bill
gave fathering Tips. He asked, “What is the biggest contributor to mother burnout? Father walk-out!” (ch 8, ¶7) and gave these suggestions among many others: 1. Understand the switch to mother mode: respect the wife's desires to nurture the baby and herself, which will increase her romantic feelings; 2. Keep the nest tidy: Take Inventory Daily Yourself. Don't wait to be asked; 3. Be sensitive: Notice that the wife is trying to be the perfect mother and homemaker. Intervene before she begins to feel overwhelmed and depressed. Have a willing attitude. Resentment won't help the Dad feel more rested and it won't earn points with the wife. This goes along with research that parents need to be proactive in their parenting. They need to be invested and feel empowered. That is why fathers need to be involved. (Bredehoft & Walcheski,2009). Chapter 8 of The Baby Sleep Book gives Dads a total of 23 nighttime fathering tips to help with this proactive process!
Though the authors are open to ways to make it so parents will be able to get their sleep and maintain intimacy, they had great concerns about the Let Them Cry It Out (CIO) philosophy. As a physician, Dr. Bill could often sense when parents began to use the method. When they came in for check-ups, they seemed to be less sensitive to their baby, sometimes leaving the baby in the car seat as they talked. One couple's baby, who had been previously thriving, began what Dr. Bill called "shutdown syndrome". The baby only gained a few ounces in a couple of weeks, had lost the sparkle in his eyes, and had poor muscle tone. When he pointed this out to the parents, they changed back to their former ways and the baby began to gain healthy weight and muscle tone in the next few weeks, although the parents admitted he wasn't as "good" when it came to sleeping (ch, 4, Baby training, ¶ 3-5).
The authors admitted Crying It Out (CIO) may work for some easy babies without harming the child. It is important for the parent to remain sensitive to signals from the baby. Watch for signs of distress and detachment during the day. Also, if crying goes on too long, the baby may be going through a growth spurt and need more nutrition during the night, which could lead to learning disabilities later on. Studies show that infants who have been left to Cry It Out are ten times more likely to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Wolke, 2002 as cited in Sears, (2005) chapter 10, Science says..., ¶ 4) . Extended crying may signal that this baby is overwhelmed with fear and needs nurturing. Babies do not have object permanence, and when parents leave the room, babies believe they are all alone. They may stop crying, but not because they have soothed themselves, but because they have given up sending the signal, which may affect their intelligence. Dr M. R. Rao and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health showed that infants with prolonged unattended-to crying in the first three months of life had an average IQ of 9 points lower than average at five years of age (Rao as quoted in Sears, 2005).
Nature has made a mother's biology to respond to a crying infant. There is an increased blood flow to the breasts and blood samples show a sharp increase in oxytocin. This is because these attachment behaviors increase the survival rate of infants by provoking a response from the parents, especially the mother. The authors say the baby is not trying to manipulate, they are trying to communicate (ch 10, What crying “it” out really means). A mother does not need to feel guilt, or think she is weak, or worry about her baby's adjustment if she wants to respond to her baby's cries. It is biological and healthy, claim the authors.
The topic of getting enough sleep with a baby is very current and controversial, getting over 900 comments on Amazon for this book and other books on the subject. Good sleep is essential to good emotional and physical health, so anything that helps new parents and their babies sleep well is valuable. I believe this authors presented a reasonable and persuasive argument for their point of view, and I recommend this book to all parents to try if it will solve their family sleep issues.
More questions can be answered on the authors' website at "http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/attachment-parenting/4-ways-ap-can-reduce-risk-sids">
Bredehoft, D. J., Walcheski, M. J. (2009). Family life education: Integrating
theory and practice. St. Paul, MN: Concordia University.
Rao, M. R. et al. (2004). Long-term cognitive development in children with prolonged crying.
National Institutes of Health. Archives of Disease in Childhood 89:989-992 as quoted in Sears
The baby sleep book: The complete guide to a good night's rest for the whole family.
Sears, W., Sears, R., Sears, J., Sears, M. (2005). The baby sleep book: The
complete guide to a good night's rest for the whole family (Sears parenting
library). New York: NY: Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group.
Available in paperback and eBook Edition.
Wolke, D., et al. (2002) Persistant infant crying and hyperactivity problems in middle childhood.
Pediatrics 109:1054-1060 as cited in Sears The baby sleep book: The complete guide to a
good night's rest for the whole family chapter 10, heading Science says: Crying it out may
harmful to your child's health, ¶ 4).
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