Health Care for Children

Your Comfort
 
When she cries, you comfort her.
 
 ”You can’t spoil an infant,” Zwelling says firmly. No matter what an older generation may say, it’s fine to run to your newborn each and every time she cries. The more cuddling and comforting, the better. “To be able to be spoiled,” Zwelling adds, “you have to have enough cognitive memory and thought processes to think, Last time I cried, she picked me up, so if I do it again… Infants just aren’t there yet.” Once you have a toddler, though, it might be a different story!

Your Right Moves
 
You’ve got all the right moves.
 
 When you walk, the rhythm of your movements, just like the sound of your voice, is delightfully familiar. Your baby has been moving with you for the last nine months, and it feels good to keep that going by riding in a sling, a carrier, or in your arms. Even your simplest soothing gestures may be wonderfully recognizable. “A lot of women rub their belly when they’re pregnant — after the baby is born, I’ll see them unconsciously rub the baby’s back in the same way,” Dr. Riley says.

Your Familiarity
 
You’re her port in a storm.
 
 For baby, even a visit to the grocery store is full of stimuli. A wedding, a trip to the mall, or just a little trouble getting to sleep can be overwhelming. When that happens, she turns to you. “If you’re calm, your energy and everything about you tells your baby that everything is fine, that you will take care of her,” says Jenn Berman, PhD, a psychotherapist and the author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids (New World Library). That doesn’t mean she’ll never melt down, of course, but when she does, you put her needs first. “One of the keys to parenting is to read your baby’s cues,” Berman says. When you sense that your baby’s had enough of something and you whisk her away, you’re reinforcing that the two of you are a team and that you’ll work to keep her happy and comfortable.