Interesting Articles

Thanks to Michelle at BBC for some more great reads I stole from her. Heehee.



What Type of Baby Do You Have?

By Naomi Rand

By 6 months, your child's personality is well defined, and her disposition -- be it placid or playful -- can even clue you in to what she may be like in the years ahead. Can you pick out which baby is napping in your bassinet?

The Bosom Buddy
There's one in every crowd: the baby who clings. He'll fuss as soon as you put him down. He'll eat contentedly -- as long as he's sitting in your lap. Getting him to sleep requires that you stay nearby until his eyes are shut tight. As for strangers, he doesn't take to them. He's physically cautious too; he'll never stray far from your side. You can bring out his best by encouraging independence. Teach him to separate from you: Leave him with Grandma, or hire a sitter. He'll cry at first but will soon adapt.

The Tranquil One
Calm and quiet, this child is happy wherever she is. She sleeps. She naps. Feeding her is a pleasure; bathtime is a breeze. If she cries, all you have to do is coo, and she's back to her serene self. If your luck holds out -- and it probably will -- she'll grow into a low-maintenance toddler as well. Because she's not a risk taker, she may be slow to reach physical milestones. Be patient, and help her tap into her wild side: Engage her with silly songs and word games, and give her toys that promote physical dexterity.

The Explorer
She's on the go from morning until night, taking short naps whenever she needs to refuel. Fussy when bored, this baby likes to stay busy. She plays with her crib toys and uses her stuffed animals to test gravity, dropping them and expecting you to pick them up. Physically, she's ahead of her peers: She's the first to roll over, pull herself up, and sit. As a toddler, she'll constantly be into everything. You don't always want to be telling her no, so start babyproofing now -- and don't let up. You'll boost her confidence by letting her safely navigate her world.

The Bon Vivant
This baby's bubbly and effusive with an infectious smile, and he likes attention. When strangers say hello, he greets them gleefully -- and they're as smitten as you are. "What a delight," they say. "Such a happy baby!" And he is -- especially when interacting with others. Down the road, your social butterfly will thrive in playgroups. For now, though, teach him to fend for himself with calming activities: Let him listen to music or play with his mobile so he'll learn to get by without constant companionship.

The Fussbudget
This baby knows what she likes. Getting her down at night is a struggle if she doesn't want to sleep. She's prone to crying into the wee hours and can be moody during the day -- sometimes downright inconsolable. If she doesn't want to be held, she'll tense up and squirm. The good news is, she'll get easier to handle as she becomes more communicative, but be prepared for a tempestuous toddler. For now, read her signals, and be sensitive to her needs. Avoid overstimulation, and stick to a routine: She's happiest when her surroundings are predictable.





Sweet Emotions

By Laura Flynn McCarthy


Her smiles, gurgles, giggles, and coos are more than simply adorable -- they're important milestones in your baby's development.
Your little one's first words or first steps are, of course, hugely momentous occasions. But experts say that the emotional milestones -- her first genuine smile or the first time she imitates your cooing -- may be more important to her development than physical achievements.
"Emotional interactions are the paths through which an infant learns about language and thinking," says Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School in Bethesda, Maryland, and author of Building Healthy Minds. During the first year of life, your baby will go through these five emotional -- and exciting -- stages.

1. Curious George
From birth to 3 months, your baby is gradually adjusting from an existence in a dark, calm womb to life in a bright, noisy world. Being able to stay relaxed amid all the chaos is your baby's first emotional task. You'll know he's reaching this milestone when he looks wide awake and concentrates on your face, peers into your eyes, even furrows his brow as if he's trying to figure you out. "You're getting to know each other, and it sets the groundwork for relating to others," says Mona Delahooke, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Arcadia, California.
What you can do: Holding your baby in your lap, let him grasp your finger and look at you as you gaze at him. Sing, talk softly, or make soothing sounds while you change his diaper.
2. Little Lover
"Falling in love" is how Dr. Greenspan describes the period from 2 to 5 months when your baby gives you loving facial expressions and gestures, like patting your chest while she's nursing. "Your infant begins to show emotional intimacy; she looks at you with warmth and moves rhythmically with you when you rock her." At around 2 months, your baby will first smile at you in earnest. "She may smile before this age, but that's usually due to some physical satisfaction, like being fed," says Alan Fogel, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City. "But now she'll light up just because you walk into the room. By 4 months old, her smiles will range from little grins to wide, open-mouthed expressions of joy. She may begin to giggle."
What you can do: Get to know the cues that tell you when she's overstimulated, anxious, or happy. Encourage her to imitate your expressions by smiling at her, frowning, even sticking out your tongue.
3. Funny Girl
If it starts to sound like a barnyard around your home, you probably have a happy 3- to 6-month-old. Your baby is beginning to respond to you verbally, and she's watching for your reactions. If you say "aaah" to your baby, she may respond with "oooo." If you make a funny face or cover your face with your hands, then open them up and say "Boo," she may laugh.
What you can do: Engage her senses. Change the tone of your voice; give her toys with different textures; experiment with touch, from light foot massage to tummy raspberries.
4. Game Boy
At around 6 to 9 months, your baby may start initiating play. He'll "talk" to you with sounds, facial expressions, and gestures. "This is the beginning of two-way communication," Dr. Greenspan says. "He's determined to convey his intentions to you. He now knows that his behavior will get a response from you and that what he expresses can have an impact. He's learned that he's a lovable being."
What you can do: If your infant coos at you, coo back, but then change the coo to an "aaah" to see whether he imitates you; if he says something else, like "eee," imitate him. "That's a circle of communication," Dr. Greenspan says. "You're extending the conversation, and your child is learning how to talk."
5. Little Sherlock
Starting at around 9 months, your child can solve problems. "Being able to move around and stand up changes a baby's view of the world—she sees herself as a person who takes initiative," Dr. Fogel says. At about 12 to 18 months, your baby may pull you over to the refrigerator to get a snack, or she'll crawl and turn around to see whether you're following her. She wants to get your reaction, and she's making sure it's safe to continue.
What you can do: Let your child explore her surroundings, but let her know you're nearby if she needs you. Playing dumb helps your child's problem-solving skills: Put her favorite toy out of reach on a shelf, and say, "How are we going to get it?" If she pushes a step stool over to the shelf, praise her ingenuity.




Grow Baby Grow

By Clara Ogden


Growth spurts often get the blame for a whole host of puzzling behaviors, from stepped-up feedings to sleep disruptions and sudden fussiness. But are they really the culprit? Or is there something else causing your baby's shift in schedule? Read on to find out.
Babies grow astonishingly fast. By your little one's first birthday, he'll have tripled his birth weight and grown eight to ten inches. Even his head—which is about one third the size of an adult's at birth—will grow faster in his first four months than at any other time. "A child grows more rapidly during his first 12 months than in any other period of his life," says Gregory Plemmons, M.D., medical director of the pediatric primary-care practice at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, in Nashville. "What's interesting is that these increases in weight and height aren't slow and steady—they appear to happen in fits and starts."
Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly when and how these periods of growth occur. Some experts think that they last between two to seven days and happen at predictable ages—10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Others say there's no set schedule and that the timing varies from baby to baby. But moms recognize a growth spurt when they see one. "I've had mothers swear that their babies grew overnight," says Michelle Lampl, M.D., Ph.D., a growth researcher and associate professor of anthropology at Emory University, in Atlanta. "They tell me their child's legs were suddenly longer or the diaper or socks seemed much tighter." Dr. Lampl's own research backs them up: She's found that babies can gain a whopping one to three ounces and grow almost a centimeter in length in 24 hours, followed by days to weeks of almost no growth at all.

SHE'S GROWING ON YOU
So how can you tell when your baby is going through a growth spurt? Here's what to look for:

She's hungry all the time.
Sharon Kelley knows when her 4-month-old daughter is having a growth spurt. "Suddenly, she wants to nurse nonstop," says the mom from Westford, Massachusetts. "Instead of sleeping through the night, she wakes up every two to three hours to eat. During the day, she'll want to feed every hour or two." Experts agree that a sudden jump in appetite is the most telling sign of a growth spurt. "Out of the blue, a baby who was nursing at regular intervals wants to spend the entire day at your breast," says Katy Lebbing, a lactation consultant with La Leche League International. Formula-fed infants may appear dissatisfied after finishing a bottle and want to eat several more times during the day and night.
These feeding frenzies serve two purposes: "A growing baby is a hungry baby—she needs all the calories she can get," Dr. Lampl says. Second, if you're nursing, frequent feedings boost your milk supply so you can meet the increasing appetite of a larger baby. Don't be surprised if your little one wants to nurse as often as 15 or 16 times a day during a spurt. "Short, frequent breastfeeding sessions build a mother's milk supply much more effectively than longer, infrequent ones," Lebbing says.

He's fussier than usual.
My 10-month-old got very irritable whenever he went through a growth spurt," says Denise Swanson, of Maquoketa, Iowa. "He became cranky and restless, and nothing I did seemed to soothe him." The most obvious reason for this moodiness? Lack of sleep. "If he's awake more often during the night in order to feed, he's not getting the longer periods of rest he needs—which will put even the calmest baby on edge," Dr. Plemmons explains.

She suddenly hibernates.
After several days of nonstop eating, your baby may sleep more soundly than usual. "That's when we think growth occurs," Dr. Lampl says. Research shows that nearly 80 percent of growth hormone is secreted during slumber. "Your baby needs sleep to enable her body to produce those hormones," says Joan DiMartino-Nardi, M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx. Never force a baby to stay awake or adhere to her normal sleep schedule—you'll only make her cranky. Plus, she needs all the energy she can muster to keep growing.

WHEN IT'S SOMETHING ELSE
Don't be too quick to blame growth spurts for everything. Have you recently changed his caregiver or his daily routine? Your child may be seeking comfort the same way adults do—by snacking and snoozing more. He could also be getting sick: Breast milk provides valuable antibodies that your baby needs to fend off an infection, while sleep gives the body energy for the fight. In addition, a baby who is teething may become fussier and display erratic changes in his eating and sleeping patterns. Finally, don't forget the simplest reason of all for sudden shifts in your baby's mood and schedule. "He's a baby—it's his job to constantly throw you for a loop!" Dr. Plemmons says. "Just trust your instincts and follow your baby's lead."