A study of breast-fed babies found that two simple scheduling tweaks yielded a big improvement in sleep in the first two months: • Waking for a “dream feed,” between ten P.M. and midnight. • Responding to nighttime cries with a few minutes of holding or a diaper change before feeding. Within three weeks, 100 percent of babies were sleeping five-hou

Note: For more tips on boosting sleep between birth and five years of age you might want to take a peek at The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep.

Here are a few tips to help you create the perfect shush solution: • Measure the sound intensity. Download a sound meter app on your phone and measure the sound right by your baby’s ear. Aim for 80 to 90 dB to calm screams and around 65 dB for sleep. • White noise is great for soothing screams in the car. And it’s perfect on trips to boost your bab

Around nine months is the earliest time you should think about spoiling. Before that, nurturing your baby’s confidence is one hundred times more important than pushing him to be independent.

Attachment psychology teaches that a rapid, loving response to a baby’s cries is the very foundation of strong family values. When your arms cuddle your baby, or warm milk satisfies him, you’re telling him, “Don’t worry. I’ll always be there when you need me.” This builds your baby’s trust and becomes the solid basis for deep friendships and succes

Actually, the predictable repetition of your loving response is the key to building your baby’s confidence. Quickly meeting your baby’s request to be held or fed—dozens of times a day—strengthens her trust in you. Inconsistency creates insecurity.

Is he rubbing his eyes, yawning, blinking, or staring out with glassy eyes? This usually means fatigue. • Does he seem to intentionally look away from you or is he hiccupping? This could mean overstimulation. • Is he grimacing, grunting, and trying to bear down? This could indicate the need to poop or simply that he feels food making its way throug

Another misconception is that crying is “the way” babies communicate. Fortunately, newborns also have a repertoire of gestures (cues) to help understand their needs. For example: • Is your baby opening his mouth and rooting or putting his hand up to his lips? This could be a sign of early hunger.

Within a few months, your baby will start to notice that crying makes you hustle over. By four months, he’ll have a little starter vocabulary of distinct coos, bleats, and yelps to communicate specific needs. (Around nine months, your infant may even start throwing out “phony” little shrieks just to get you to come play.)