Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

We are still waking up every 3-4 hours at night, and Charlotte still has her "fussy" times; however I am quite proud of myself today. We were both up, completely dressed (that means hair and make up done, these days "dressed" has only meant clothed!), and fed by 12:00. This is a major accomplishment! Maybe I am missing teaching more than I realized, but I feel the need to share...this book has been a major contributor to our success.

Things I learned about "baby whispering":

1. Until a baby is 12 weeks old, they should work on a three hour schedule. The starting point is feeding (20-30 minutes), followed by activity: diapering, swinging, patty cake, etc. (20-45 minutes), and last is sleep (60-90 minutes depending on how long the activity took).

• The key is to watch for "cues" your baby gives you to know when to move into the next part of the routine. Hunger cues would include sucking on hands, moving head from side to side and smacking lips. Signals to start a new activity are a cry that sounds like a cough, or short "wa" cries. Sleep has the most important cue: most babies will yawn three times to signal they are getting tired. Babies will then stare off into space and have a glazed over look, followed by eyelids that bob up and down. By the third stage (eyelids closing), baby should be laid down in their own bed so they can drift off to sleep by themselves.
• You can and should answer to the baby every time they CRY (all noises are not cries), however you are only present to soothe. Start by laying your hand on the baby and talking in a low gentle voice. If this is not enough, pick the baby up but stay in place. Once the baby has calmed back down you should lay them back down so they can actually fall asleep on their own. Most babies just want to know they have not been left all alone.

I am actually going to re-read parts of the book, but just knowing what to look for has made a huge difference. I'll post more if I find anything else important to pass on!