The Most Essential Item for Your Baby Registry
When a family finds out they’re pregnant, their joy may be short-lived when they are confronted with all of the things they are told they will “need” to care for this tiny person. And it seems as though this list is endless. I’m not referring to the usual suspects like diapers, wipes, blankets, etc. But the dozens and dozens of products that have been specifically created and marketed to parents with the underlying promise of soothing a young baby. These products, plastered with pictures of smiling, slumbering newborns, send the message to parents that they must have these items if they wish their child to be happy, calm and settled.
What if parents were told that they already possessed what they needed to soothe their child, but may need a little help refining those skills? What if parents were told that by learning a simple language and tuning-in to their baby, they’d save hundreds of dollars, and hours of time, because they’d know exactly what their baby was communicating?
This is the power of Dunstan Baby Language Classes. Learning DBL replaces the need for the dozens of empty-promise products that land on baby registries the world over. For a small investment in both time and money, parents will learn the universal language that EVERY newborn speaks, as well as the techniques to soothe and calm their baby from their first days of life.
Babies’ needs haven’t changed since the beginning of time, but our approach in caring for infants has. Instead of encouraging new parents to have the latest infant ”soothe-o-matic” gadget on hand, we need to encourage them to develop and utilize the infant soothing instincts they already possess.
By, Angie Egan, DBLE
www.calmingbaby.com
About Angie Egan
Angie learned of Dunstan Baby Language at a Professional Birth Workers conference, and knew she had to get this valuable information into the hands of as many new parents as possible. DBL teaches parents that their newborns have the ability to clearly communicate their needs with a specific, needs-based, sophisticated language. Angie feels that this type of gentle parenting tool is exactly what families need to enhance bonding, increase household harmony and build mutual respect between parents and children.
Angie teaches DBL in Parker & Castle Rock Colorado, and new classes are continually being added. Check her website for upcoming class dates: http://www.calmingbaby.com
Clueing into Your Baby’s Temperament
Before we even experience meeting our baby for the first time, we start to wonder… what will my baby be like? Will she have my hair and her father’s eyes? We will she be shy or outgoing? Even days after meet this new addition to the world, we are able to start answering some of those questions. Who we are and how we react to the world can be tied to what is called temperament. Temperament is the our way of being in the world based on our biology and influenced some by our experiences. Learning to read your baby’s cues early on offers insights into her temperament.
Generally, 60% of us fall into one of three categories of temperaments… slow to warm, difficult, or easy going. Alexander Thomas, Stella Chess identified sub-dimensions of temperament which offer additional insight on how your baby interacts with her environment and the people around her.
Activity Level- how active is your baby? Is she content playing on the floor watching the special items on her mobile, or does she want to be held all the time, or is constantly moving?
Predictability- how predicable is her feed to sleep schedule? Is there a predictable pattern of time, or does every day seem different?
Adapting to new situations- does she adjust easily to changes and transitions, say from waking up, or does she need to time to adjust to what is coming next and what is going on around her?
Sensory sensitivity- this dimension often ties into the “Heh” cry with the skin discomfort reflex. How sensitive is she to sound, light, wet diapers or touch? Does she seem to have something bothering her all the time, and it’s hard to figure out, or does she not seem to notice too much of these aspects around her?
Intensity- how intense is her cry when she is upset or she has a need? Does she have a good set of lungs behind her and she jumps from the pre-cry stage to crying in seconds, and may take awhile to get to calm, or does she have little pre-cry whimpers through the day?
How focused is your baby? Does she stay focused on the characters on her mobile, or is she always looking around and focusing on different items in the environment?
There is no right or wrong, good, or bad side with these aspects of temperament. Each of these above applies to adults as well. Our temperaments are in part innate, and will never leave. Our experiences shape some of our responses and may heighten some dimensions and lessen others. Learning your baby’s temperament early on can lead to less stress in the later years of parenting. When you notice your baby needs some time to adjust to new people and situations, you can plan for this. Just as adults, if we know we get nervous when going into a new situation, we will give ourselves time to arrive early, check out the situation, observe for a bit, then decide when we feel comfortable to join in a group or conversation. Temperaments are the map of our individuality. Some of the dimensions will be easier for you to support then others, so be patient, and enjoy this journey with your child.
Jamie Rodrick, Nurture Children Consulting
DBL Baby Language Instructor
Portland, OR, USA
www.nurturechildren.net
