Personalized Covers

Is there a special paper or material you would like used to cover your baby’s book? I would love to create your book with the color or pattern of  your choice. Perhaps a map of a place that holds special meaning for you? A paper you made yourself? Something you’ve been saving for a special project? Would you like to add an adornment of a bead from your collection or a gorgeous ribbon you found? It can be incorporated on the cover.

If you would like to purchase books for multiples you may choose from several options. You could select a very different, distinct book for each baby; or you might like each book cover to be  identical perhaps only a small distinguishing ribbon or charm. Another possibility is to select a paper with the same design, such a polka dots, but each one in a different color.

If you desire, another special touch is to print baby’s name in an elegant script on the first page. You are invited to personalize yourpolka dot book,  please contact me with your ideas!

Your thoughtfulness and imagination can make it very uniquely yours.

Theresa

terkled@hotmail.com

719-685-5308polka dot

7 Signs Your Baby is Overwhelmed

It may seem like a baby’s life is simply eating and sleeping, with bursts of crying.  But much more is happening: baby’s brain is growing and developing very rapidly and it is doing so in response to her experiences.  The first developmental task of babies is to cope with all the new stimuli of this world outside the uterus. She is looking, hearing, moving, being moved, and sensing temperature, touch, gravity, textures. Her sense of smell and taste are especially acute. Within this cornucopia of sensory inputs, baby must begin to recognize, categorize, and make associations. If the experience is too intense, overly long or if baby’s ability to contend with the world is diminished by a lack of sleep, or a slight illness she may become overstimulated. If overstimulation is left un-checked, baby may become stressed. We’ll talk about that another time.

How will you know when she is overstimulated?  Simply observing your baby closely will give you the answer. With just a little attention to her behavior, you will notice when her ability to cope is coming to an end. What you may see is that she looks away. Her eyes turn away from her interest (this could be your face or a mobile) and you sense that she is primarily intending to dis-engage and not that something else has caught her attention and she is attending to something new. No, her gaze is turned away and may be a little dull, distracted. Coupled with this averted gaze is also a slight drop in facial muscle tone and perhaps in general body tone, too.  So you may see those little cheeks are not as lifted, her mouth may be open,  her arms are loosely at her sides, fingers un-curled,  legs dangling over your arm. Her skin color may also pale a bit.

Another constellation of behavioral cues of overstimulation would be manifestations of tenseness. Her face may show a frown or a look of concern. There might be a furrowed brow or a grimace. Her little arms and legs might be held tense or move abruptly,  her hands in fists and toes curled.

Other frequent signs that baby is exceeding her threshold of tolerance for stimulation could be hiccoughing, sneezing, or regurgitation.

Each individual baby has her own unique  repertoire of behaviors that you will recognize as indicative of her current level of coping. Although this list is not all inclusive it highlights the most common behaviors to help you get started. So let’s summarize, seven common signs of overstimulation in a baby:

1. gaze aversion
2. loss of muscle tone
3. frowning/grimace
4. mild paling of color
5. fisting/curled toes
6. hiccoughs/sneezing
7. regurgitation

Have you noticed any of these signs in your baby? Have you noticed other things your baby does just before becoming very upset?

The Philosophical Baby by Alison Gopnik

I just finished reading The Philosophical Baby by Alison Gopnik. The author is a developmental psychologist who seems to have a deep respect and love for babies and young children. She shows us how we begin life exploring truth, imagination and love. And importantly, Ms Gopnik cites many references in the professional literature that have led her to these conclusions. My only question for her would be about her statement that babies know their mothers very early on but that it is only when they are a year old before they know their fathers and others. From my readings, babies become well aware of both their parents and siblings within the first months of life, unless they have not be consistently present and involved in baby’s care.  I would recommend this read to not only those who are interested in babies, but also to those interested in how we humans become philosophical.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Infant Behavior is Communication

Over 90% of human communication is non-verbal. With just a little knowledge, observation, and experience,  parents can interpret their infant’s behavior to learn if their baby is stressed, in pain, calm and attentive, or ready for interaction/feeding. Learning about this transformed my nursing practice in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It was like magic to able to understand my tiny patients and change my behaviors so that they could do their best. Assisting babies, actually partnering with them to maintain their stability provided the best possible basis on which to deliver sophisticated medical interventions. I have been able to share this information with parents who have then been able to better understand their baby’s ability to cope, do well with feedings, and be comforted. This has also been helpful in reducing the intensity of colic.

Infant Carriers

Infant carriers have become ubiquitous.  I think sometimes they take the place of human contact. My concern is that infants receive lots of physical, tactile imput that communicates that they are cared for. Not only will this achieve immediate benefits in their disposition and ability to cope, but there are long-term consequences. Although infant carries have a place as car seats and safe containment when parents’ arms are not available, their use should not be the primary experience for the baby.