The Lull-A-Baby Sleep Plan by Cathryn Tobin

Author:Cathryn Tobin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2012-05-19T04:00:00+00:00

Instead, you need to reach back to your childhood, to when you were taught how to stop, look, and listen before crossing a street. This reflective strategy teaches a child to be less impulsive and more observant and to evaluate a situation before stepping into it. Applying that strategy before going to a crying baby offers the same benefits.

If you can learn to respond rather than react to crying, you’ll be better able to meet your baby’s needs. My “Stop, Look, and Listen” process should take no more than a few seconds.

Although your baby might quiet down quicker if you stepped in immediately, calming your baby is not your only objective. Your major goal is to inspire your baby to soothe himself to sleep.

STOP. Hold back and take a moment to read your baby.

LOOK. Sharpen your observation skills by noting your baby’s body language and facial expressions. Are your baby’s hands fisted or open? Are her legs in a relaxed frog-leg position or flexed and kicking? Is her back arched or straight? Now look at her face. What color are her cheeks? What is the general impression you get when you look at your baby? Is she looking around, or are her eyes closed tight? Is she avoiding eye contact? Is she rooting? Tight fists, red face, arching back, and pumping legs say, “I need you guys!” A baby who is complaining while sucking on her toes, however, deserves the opportunity to settle herself.

LISTEN. When the WOO first opens, your baby’s vocabulary is limited to three words: wah, waaah, and waa-aaa-aaaah. Your baby whimpers when slightly upset, whines when angry, and wails when over the top. Wailing reflects a spike in emotional temperature that requires you to intervene. Otherwise, most cries all sound the same; it’s just the intensity that varies. By 3 months of age, however, your baby’s vocabulary expands, and it’s easier to understand him.

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