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I'm home with a sick toddler today when I should be at the office. He's having a late nap, so I actually got to watch Oprah. The show today was on Amazing Medical Breakthroughs. The first guest was Priscilla Dunstan, an Australian mother who claims to know what every cry a baby makes means. I thought, "Wow! Revolutionary!" So I tuned in."Oh, that's a 'neh,' that means he's hungry," the wise goddess exclaimed. Now I don't know about you, but I seem to recall there being only a handful of choices when a baby cries. I think they read like the Seven Dwarves: Sleepy, Hungry, Gassy, Wet, Sick, Don't Hold Me Like That and, my personal favorite, Being a Baby SUCKS! Certainly not enough to fill an entire DVD. But of course, new moms are desperate for answers to the cries, so they will buy anything that claims to help. I remember that part too well. I have the bouncy chairs to prove it.
The full list of baby sounds can be found here. The key according to Dunstan, is to recognize these sounds before full-blown crying ensues. I guess there is some merit to that advice. It just feels like these baby cure-alls are the new diet books -- a new one with a different method every year. Dr. Harvey Karp with his crazy shushing technique on The Happiest Baby on the Block and Tracy Hogg's Secrets of the Baby Whisperer preceeded Dunstan's methods. They sold millions of copies -- further evidence that new moms are desperate for anything that purports to solve the frustration of infancy.
At the end of the day, we all do what we can to get by. If you think this DVD could help you, Dunstan Baby Language will be available November 27 or you can preorder it at www.DunstanBaby.com.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-14-2006 @ 11:23AM
Leslie said...The best advice we received came from one of our nurses. She told us that when he was making a tight fist that he was hungry, and when he was satisfied then the hand would relax. This helped us decipher the "is he hungry" question.
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11-13-2006 @ 8:28PM
thordora said...We just watched that, and even my husband was rolling his eyes, since she basically seemed to "discover" what most parents pick up by observing their children.
I saw faces more than I heard those sounds. I wonder what people would hear if not prompted by the "5 words"
I think it's akin to the bouncy chair issue, when what really needs to be taught is " listen and observe your child-you know what they need" If it helps mothers feel more confident, ok, but I hope it doesn't cost as much as I think it would.
But hey, teaching new moms how to actively listen to their children can't be all bad. I just want to get the image of Oprah saying "NEH!" out of my head.
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11-14-2006 @ 5:53PM
Dylan Emrys, M.A. said...I am so interested to hear what you think! I teach parents how to listen to their baby, and wondered about this show - was it another "baby whisperer" type person?
I agree, if it motivates parents to learn to actively listen to their baby it's a good thing. Also, research supporting that babies are sentient, have opinions and feelings and can communicate them is great.
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11-16-2006 @ 7:39AM
pilgrim said...I was rolling my eyes, too. But I'm willing to consider that there might be something in there - humans are incredibly language oriented.
But you are clueless to blow off "Dr. Harvey Karp with his crazy shushing technique on The Happiest Baby on the Block." Whether you take it to the level he does, there is a lot of very useful info here for new parents. The page on getting a good swaddle is worth many times the price by itself. Jiggling is a technique that works really well, as lots of parents can attest, and it isn't something most would think to try on their own. And noise - an amazing tool, as lots of parents can confirm. A dryer, running water, or an ipod playing rain sounds, etc. - magic.
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11-27-2006 @ 1:57PM
Lisa said...I know I'm a little late with the subject line but just came across this one. Ok ladies all it takes is listening...that is how I learned what my little one was saying/needing. So basically I believe it is a mother's instinct. I thought "I" unlock the code (hello) I was sharing the biggest secrect kept to my friends and family .I was so amaze over this that my creativity hit a home run and babyslanguage.com was born. I must say I'am a proud mommy....I feel that all moms should take time and sit down with their babies and babble away -trust me....you'll know what they are sayin...happy holidays
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12-04-2006 @ 5:38AM
simshan said...This is about the 5th discussion forum I have read about the Dunstan baby Language and I am getting sick and tired of people smugly proclaiming that the system is quackery because all good parents can observe and read their babies' cues. This is a load of codswallop... 1/3 of all babies will be 'diagnosed' as either fussy or colicky with no apparent medical condition..why? Because not all babies are easily placated and some of us mere mortals are unable to decipher exactly what the problem is. ANY help in that situation is of course welcome. I haven't bought the video as my nightmare newborn is now my angelic 3 year old, but I would certainly buy or borrow the video for number 2.
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