When I became a new mother I wanted to do everything possible to make sure my baby was comfortable, healthy and growing strong. I spoke to many different people, family members, friends and professionals for guidance and tips on how I can make sure my baby was happy and I was doing the right thing. Out of all the researching and planning I did I feel discovering about the Dunstan Baby Language was the best time spent so far. Nothing feels better then to be able to listen to my baby talk (cray) and know exactly what he needs. Since learning about his different cries I have slept more, his awake times are more pleasant and we have a stronger bond because he now senses my confidence and trusts me more to meet his needs. Our bond is stronger because he realizes that when he speaks I hear him. A comfortable baby is a happy baby.
How it works … (taken from The Dunstan Website)
The Dunstan Baby Language teaches you to hear exactly what your baby is communicating. As a parent, you will be able to interpret your infant’s sounds and cries – and respond to their needs quickly and effectively.
Every newborn communicates from birth to 3 months using 5 distinct sounds that signal hunger, tiredness, need to burp, lower wind/gas and discomfort. This is regardless of the language their parents speak. It is not a learned language. Rather, it is a natural way for every baby to express their physical needs.
Here are descriptions of the five basic sounds.
“NEH” = Hungry
* Listen for the “n” sound
* Solution: feed baby
“OWH” = Tired
* Mouth will be in the shape of an oval, like when yawning
* This is sound added to the yawn reflex
* Solution: rock baby to sleep (put upright if gassy)
“EH” = Upper Gas Pain
* Muscles in chest will tighten and then let out noise
* Solution: burp baby in the upright position
* Other: don’t feed if she needs to be burped, don’t interrupt a feed to burp unless they make this sound
“EAIRH” = Lower Gas Pain
* Sound is produced by muscles in lower abdomen constricting and pushing sound out
* Solutions: use massage to move air bubble around, put pressure on lower stomach while baby is laying across your knee of shoulder,
walk around with baby on shoulder, massage back and/or stomach
* Notes: don’t put a baby to sleep until you relieve the gas pain
“HEH” = Uncomfortable
* Sound is produced by muscles in chest constricting in chest and fanning out the sound.
* Baby could be hot, cold, want to change positions or have a wet/dirty diaper.
In fussy times the key i8s to act on the dominant word/sound. If baby is saying neh, neh, eh, neh, neh – feed the baby rather than burp. Listen for the most distinctive part of each word. Changing your baby’s position might help better understand the word/sound they are making.
For those who learn better hearing the sound here is an excerpt from a show a representative of the program, Jennifer Hamilton gave on The Morning Show.
That’s awesome! I think we sorta did the same thing though we didn’t know it. But you learn to recognize the different cries and start to know what they each mean, even on your own. Cool.