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Essay about Analyzing Karp´s Happiest Baby on the Block

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Introduction There is no greater feeling a new mother can have than a smiling baby. Every new mother struggles with making their babies happy, because they cannot speak just yet. The first form of communication they have is crying, but parent are not able to always able to figure out what the baby wants at first. When I read “The Happiest Baby on the Block” by Harvey Karp I was very intrigued. The step to making your baby happy was not only helpful, but simple as well. This book takes a psychological approach because it is so similar to the Erickson’s Trust vs. mistrust stage. I will begin by introducing the books theory, and then I will explain why it relates to Erickson’s trust vs. mistrust stage. Relationship to Child Development …show more content…

You also must make sure that you leave room at the bottom of the blanket so the baby can move his/her legs. This makes them feel like they are secure, just like they would be if they were still in the womb. Proceeding to the next step, comes side/stomach position. For this position, you will lay the baby on his/her stomach/side on either in your arms, lap, or your shoulder. Make sure that their arms are to their side. Usually doctors will tell you to lay them on their back to reduce the risk of SIDS, but since your newborn wants to feel like they are in the womb again, it is ok to lay them on their side/stomach. Just make sure that you turn them to their back once they fall asleep. For the third step, you will use shushing which you will use with the other steps such as swaddling, swinging, and jiggling. Babies do not need silence; they have been use to the mother’s sounds in the womb. It calms them to hear similar sounds such as shushing. When you do this, have your lips close to the baby’s ear and gently make the shushing sound. This simulates the sound of the vacuum in the utero, which is the sound of the mother’s blood flow. These sounds will sooth the baby, and when doing this with other steps it will help make the baby feel like he/she is in the utero. The fifth step is swinging. When the baby is in the utero he/she is constantly being jiggled around. Simulating this will help relax the baby and make

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