The Bottom Line
What new parent hasn't wondered what a baby wants and needs and how to interpret the different cries and emotions? This book helps to lay the foundation for understanding feelings and behavior and help parents and babies to connect in more joyful and positive setting.
Pros
- Identifies a baby's basic feelings and how parents should respond
- Discusses ways to become more close and compatible
- Addresses the important issue of building an infant's self-esteem
- Encourages parents to really get to know their child
Cons
- Writing is somewhat dry, and book is not designed for "quick reference" style of reading
- Missed opportunities from limited use of photos, which are small, dated, and in black and white
Description
- Welcome to Baby's World: Understanding Your Infant and Yourself
- The Foundation of Feelings: Learning Nine Basic Signals
- Five Keys to Responding to Your Infant's Signals
- Tips for Cultivating Compatibility and Encouraging Playfulness
- Encouraging Modeling Behavior and Teaching Decision Making
- The Importance of Building A Child's Self-Esteem
Guide Review - Book Review: What Babies Say Before They Can Talk
I asked a young and first-time mom to read the book and get her take on its parenting helpfulness. She was struggling with knowing when her daughter was hungry, wet, tired or just wanted to be held, and felt like she was was sometimes misinterpreting her daughter's needs. Her reaction? She felt a positive affirmation that she was doing things right, and felt she learned more about her baby's nine basic feelings that are described in the book: interest, enjoyment, surprise, distress, anger, fear, shame, disgust, and dissmell (an aversion to unpleasant odors). Most importantly, the inexperienced mom commented favorable on the section about building her child's self-esteem and what the author calls "becoming a 'clued-in parent.'" She says: "I had some assumptions that have been laid to rest and at the same time, I'm now more comfortable in trying to do the right thing for my daughter." As a parent of three children myself, I also read the book and have to agree. Parenting is a journey and learning an infant's cues--long before the verbal words begin--helps to make the adventure a more positive one for parent and baby alike!
