Crying is Good for a Baby’s Lungs
This gem of parenting advice from the turn of the century is unfortunately still in circulation. It is usually a quick follow-up to “if you jump up every time he/she cries you’ll spoil them!” Both of these are completely false. Here are some reasons why that tug in your heart that is telling you to go pick your baby up is correct. Increased blood pressure, cortisol, and heart rate. “Documented immediate and long-term sequelae of crying include increased heart rate and blood pressure, reduced oxygen level, elevated cerebral blood pressure, initiation of the...
Read MoreCo-sleeping
Ah, let the disagreements ensue! Gasp! Shock! Horror! I plan to sleep with my baby. But come on. Being the research librarian I am, you didn’t think I would make this statement lightly did you? Co-sleeping, family bed, sleep sharing. It is called many things. When my parents were raising kids it was assumed to be the worst possible thing you could do to children to let them into your bed. It was considered spoiling. But, babies sleeping with their parents is done by more people the world over (over 90% of the world co-sleeps – see Young, J. (1998). Babies and...
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